Being John Church — Neil Plakcy

Jeff Berman is in freefall. He's been denied tenure, then lost his follow-up job as a presenter on the History Channel. But rock bottom comes fast and painful when he learns that the love of his life, the charismatic, passionate, and devastatingly self-destructive Pascal Montrouge, has died.  At Pascal's funeral, Jeff meets his lover's parents, who explain that the man Jeff knew was a completely invented identity. As a journalist, Pascal played with facts, and he did the same in his life, where he was the consummate fabulist, fooling everyone a little, and Jeff most of all.  Distraught and betrayed, Jeff is compelled to dig into the dark secrets of his lover's life. His exploration is part amateur sleuth story, part meditation on the nature of love. As Jeff solves the mystery of Pascal life and death he learns how he can move forward into his next chapter. A book for everyone who has ever loved and lost.