Australian author David Rawlings has just won a 2019 Christy Award for his debut novel, The Baggage Handler, so I wanted to find out how his second novel fared in comparison.

Personally, I think it’s even better.

Now, not everyone will agree with me. One of the strengths of The Baggage Handler was that so many readers could find themselves in one of the three characters: the ambitious businessman, the harried housewife, the teen trying to find his own definition of success. The Camera Never Lies has a narrower set of characters, but I found them just as relateable. And they’re still asking a universal question:

What would you do if your secrets were revealed to those around you?

The Camera Never Lies is the story of a successful marriage counsellor who refuses to face up to the issues in his own marriage, despite his “No Secrets” tagline. Daniel Whiteley inherits his grandfather’s camera, an old-fashioned film model, the kind where the pictures are true and can’t be manipulated with filters or PhotoShop.

As Simon in the photo shop says, the camera never lies.

Or so he thinks. Because when Daniel looks at the photographs, he’s sure they’re not the photos he took. So what are these photos? This is where the slight speculative element comes in, as we discover the camera is a little magical. It captures truth, but not the truth we see …

The Camera Never Lies isn’t overt Christian fiction.

It never mentions God or Jesus or church or prayer. But it is definitely a story built on Christian principles—honesty, integrity, and the importance of internal character over the external trappings of success. As such, it’s both a great story, and a great gift … especially for people who would never pick up a Christian novel.

Recommended.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About David Rawlings

David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father-of-three who loves humor and a clever turn-of-phrase.

Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication.

Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face. That starts with his debut novel – The Baggage Handler – a contemporary story that explores one question: What baggage are you carrying?

Find David Rawlings online at:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

About The Camera Never Lies

Daniel, Kelly, and Milly appear to be the perfect family. But an old camera will expose secrets no one wants developed.

Daniel Whitely is a successful marriage counselor and bestselling author, yet his own marriage is in crisis and his daughter is drifting further away each day. To make matters worse, the deadline for his second book has come and gone, and he still hasn’t written a single word.

When Daniel inherits an old camera from his grandfather, he notices an inscription on the bottom: “No matter what you think you might see, the camera never lies.”

Daniel begins using the camera, but every time he develops his photos, they threaten to reveal secrets that could sabotage both his marriage and his career—exposing him as a fraud and destroying the life he has worked so hard to build.

He’s faced with a choice: keep his secrets and save his career or come clean and possibly save his family. Which will he choose? Which would you choose?

Find The Camera Never Lies online:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Kobo | Koorong