Have you ever been caught in a lie? It’s not a lot of fun. Have you ever had to testify in court or been deposed? That’s not a lot of fun either. But imagine being caught as a liar after you swore to tell the truth. And imagine lying to a government official. You want to talk about something that’s not a lot of fun? That would be it for me.

Tangled Webs: How False Statements Are Undermining America by James B. Stewart explores four stories of deception. Stewart gives detailed — but not boring — narratives of the Martha Stewart case, the Lewis “Scooter” Libby leak, the Barry Bonds BALCO investigation, and the Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme. Using court records and interviews from those involved, the author skillfully lays out the depth of the lies in each situation.

But such stories have been told elsewhere. The real value in this book is how Stewart presents these stories as evidence of a loss of confidence in American systems. Whether it is Wall Street, the government, sports or anything else, the lies undermine credibility in our institutions. Although he never says so directly, you get the feeling that Stewart is saying we are now a nation of skeptics and cynics, and we are this way because we have reason to be.

We have begun to take lies as the norm. We expect people to lie to cover themselves. The stories in this book show how bosses, companies, social stigma, ego, etc., all push people to lie. And then the public generally shrugs its shoulders. We think Martha Stewart is singled out because she’s a celebrity, or Libby because he’s a Republican, or Bonds because he’s black. We don’t like it when the people we admire are taken down. Which is understandable when it’s for the wrong motivation, but c’mon…these folks LIED to a federal agent, court, or judge. Sometimes all three. Even worse, they liked to you and me.

But we shrug it off. That’s sad, and the author strongly argues that we need to stop putting up with it. I applaud him for this book and would encourage you to read it.