Funeral of Lies, by A.E.S. O’Neill

Evan O’Brien has mixed feelings, mostly negative, about returning to Philadelphia after 10 years as a PR executive in New York. A mysterious death he might have caused drives him out of town—alongside his tepid regard for his family. At his grandfather’s funeral, he accepts a request to work on his uncle’s mayoral campaign, and agrees to stay local.

But this resumed residence will reopen all those mysterious boxes he thought he had closed, and Evan will be forced to face the uncomfortable truths surrounding the deaths of both his father and stepfather. For better or worse, he will also learn the truth about himself.

Cynicism vs authenticity

Don’t look for any white-hatted heroes here. Evan, who sees liars everywhere around him, and who seems obsessed with the lying he does on his own behalf, comes off as a less-than-lovable protagonist, and almost an unreliable narrator, if the number of times he calls himself a liar tells us anything.

The political players are not exactly sympathetic figures either, but hardened pols who worry that the candidate they represent is too “nice”. (O’Neill may have inside knowledge of mayoral campaigns, being the nephew of Joe Egan, who ran in 1991.)

Uncle Michael, a compassionate man, believes he can bring decency to a city overrun by violence. Evan, on the other hand, views politics as pure manipulation, in which you do unto others before they do unto you. O’Neill’s prose captures this dynamic effectively, as Evan muses, “Involved in my thoughts and only half listening to the priest, I almost missed the moment when Uncle Michael began the eulogy. It was clear how difficult this was for him and yet it highlighted his gift for getting people to listen when he spoke, not by commanding their attention but by asking for it genuinely … It was just who he was—my uncle Michael—authentic and earnest in an age of liars...”

This contrast between authenticity and cynicism drives the entire narrative.

Sharply drawn Philly characters

Evan becomes acquainted again with his romantic interest of 10 years past, but the flames fail to catch between them—there’s that cynicism again. He reopens a feud with his mother. All these characters are sharply drawn, from his mother Betty to his aunt Jane to Father Murphy, the family confidant.

He has no high opinion of any of these people—except for his uncle, who carries on in his charismatic way, making friends wherever he goes, winning over enemies, connecting naturally with constituents, and striking Evan as a naive politician who would nevertheless make an excellent mayor.

Tension builds in the story as Evan uncovers more of his past, and as the campaign runs into dirty tactics, including an event that is either a murder attempt or a highly improbable accident. Successive chapters count down the days until election day, which keeps the suspense on the rise. Scenes in Philadelphia are drawn realistically, with great respect for the beauties of the neighborhoods and the seasons.

Sometimes it feels like we move too slowly through the story, and that Evan spends too much energy following his cynical notions into dark places. But Funeral of Lies is a big canvas with a vivid ensemble cast. One gets the sense of a dark mass moving portentously toward a conclusion.

The messy reality of politics

It’s a stand-alone story, based on a heavily fictionalized true story. To the author's credit, the ending resists tidy resolution—loose ends remain deliberately loose, reflecting the messy reality of politics. Readers of David Baldacci and Brad Thor will find much to like here. (O’Neill’s first two books make up his thriller/romance Love and Murder series, with the third installment coming soon.)

Like a Quentin Tarantino film, Funeral of Lies offers no clear heroes—just flawed characters navigating a morally compromised world. For crafting an unflinching political thriller that captures the darker realities of campaign politics, O'Neill deserves praise.

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