Bound To Betrayal: The Liar Files, #1

By R. S. Levine

Marie Meyer doesn't think a concert with Ralph Wunder and his band could be any fun. But when she catches her so-called 'leader' threatening and kidnapping an interviewee, things get more interesting. As she digs deeper into the past-and present-she uncovers complex secrets far huger than anything she had imagined. 

But her false leader is far from finished, tangling his web of lies so thick that Marie discovers that there are very few people she can trust anymore, and trusting the wrong one could be deadly. Will Marie be able to untangle the lies, or has everyone been caught too well?

• Language: English
• Publisher: R. S. Levine
• Release date: Jun 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223058687

R. S. Levine

R. S. Levine was only 11 years old when she started writing this book, and only 3 years old when she discovered her love for literature. She’s been writing books, which are usually to entertain her brother, her entire life, and now, at the age of 12, she published her first one. In case you didn’t read the boring acknowledgements, she will write a sequel to this book, introducing new voices in new religions and countries. R. S. Levine now lives in Bolivia, with her parents, brother, and two puppies.

Book preview

Preface

14/6/1938- Berlin, Germany

‘I’M SORRY.’ THE WORDS, written in the messy, spidery handwriting that I knew so well by now, echoed in my head, over and over, spinning around my brain. I clutched the letter and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the words to change.

But when I opened them again and glanced down, the words were still the same.

‘They’re after me.’

‘False information’.

‘Betrayal’.

‘Lies’.

‘Torture’.

‘Revenge’.

And: ‘I’m sorry.’

Tears welled up in my eyes and flowed down my cheeks in streams, as if they could wash away my grief. But here my feelings were more than grief. Anger was consuming my mind. I was angry at him. I was angry at myself. Not only that, but I was angry at the world. I had been blind. All this time, the villain had been right in front of me. In front of all of us. Biding his time. He was steering us and swaying us, brainwashing us with honeyed words, fancy parties, and vague promises that would never come true.

‘Run,’ I thought, trying to send my words to everyone in Germany. ‘Flee. Don’t listen to him.’

But I knew it was too late. We had all fallen under his spell. We had all been fools. And now there was nothing anyone could do.

Chapter One

M iss Meyer! Fritz Schmidt's (my landlord) nasal voice cut through my blaring thoughts.

Yes, Herr Schmidt? I asked, my head snapping to look at him.

He rolled his eyes. 

Did you hear anything of what I just said? He asked, confronting.

Um... I hadn’t.

I had been lost in my thoughts, thinking about my newest article: ‘Local Man Stuck In Supermarket Refrigerator For 3 Hours!’ I was so glad I was still in touch with Bianca Laurent, my old high school friend. A few days ago she had told me about how her friend Abraham had climbed into a supermarket refrigerator because he couldn’t reach something, somehow the door shut behind him, and he couldn’t figure out how to get out. (Do NOT ask me how).

Herr Schmidt sighed.

Miss Meyer, do you know what my first name, Fritz, means?

Prudish and prissy? I thought. Instead, I said: Um...?

"It means ‘Peaceful ruler.’ And my mother gave me that name because she knew