GREAT review in The Sunday Times of London

I'll admit it -- I care what critics think of FAKE. How could I not? It's my first book and I poured my heart and soul (and guts) into it, and while I know it's not a literary masterpiece, or the latest entry into the canon of American memoir writing, I'd like to think it's well-written, entertaining, provocative, and educational. I'd like to think it's a good read. A writer who claims not to care what critics think of his work is either much more successful and confident than I am, or isn't telling the truth. Or gets bad reviews.

I love hearing from readers as well, of course, and I appreciate every email I receive. Please keep sending them. I've gained new insight into my own work by looking at it through the eyes of readers.

But critics read and review books for a living (or at least for fun, on a regular basis), and most of them know the difference between good and bad writing. I want them to think mine is good, and so far, most of them have. Even those who have questioned my motives for writing the book have asserted (or at least hinted) that the writing was good. And this is what is most important to me.

But obviously, not all critics are created equal. Some are well-intentioned, but not particularly bright or insightful. Others are bright and insightful, but write reviews for publications almost no one reads. While I appreciate great reviews from critics like this, they're not the sorts of things that get clipped and framed and cherished for life.

But then there is The Times of London. Even better, The Sunday Times, with its heritage, its tradition, its respectability, its circulation of 1.3 million. It is the newspaper of record in the UK and, like the New York Times, it is known for its book reviews, which are drafted by some of the country's best critics. A review in this paper is highly coveted, to say the least.

And today, to my great fortune, I got one. A really good one. The paper devoted almost a half-page to a detailed discussion of the book, saying "He writes with pace, style and tension — everything a crime story needs. . . Walton has certainly learnt how to tell a good tale. If this is truth, it is like a coin that has flipped and run, landing in fictional terrain." It went on to call the book "an up-to-date Rake's Progress," and say "The slow unfolding of his crime makes tense reading."

If I were trying to brag about my own book, I don't think I could have written anything more complimentary. This is kind of the crown jewel of my writing career at this point. If I stop writing now, I'll always have this to look back at.

You can read the review on the Times website or see what it looked like in print.