La verdad sospechosa is undoubtedly Alarcón’s most famous play, and has been accurately described by Melveena McKendrick as ‘a satirical comedy with a strong moral thrust about a compulsive liar’. As a comedy, it is certainly effective, and derives its principal appeal from the reckless mendacity of its protagonist, don García, and (as is usual with the best of Alarcón’s urban comedies) from its sharp social observation. The play is well constructed and moves along at a brisk pace, and whilst it has all the familiar characters one expects to find in a comedia de capa y espada, Alarcón’s unprecedented inclusion of an aristocratic protagonist who is a compulsive liar provides an element of novelty. Apart from the opportunities for dramatic irony offered by such a character, don García’s elaborate lies are themselves a significant source of theatrical pleasure, requiring the actor to display considerable virtuosity in performance. Despite its obvious attractions as a theatrical entertainment, however, it should be noted that La verdad sospechosa is also a play with an explicit interest in evaluating deceit in moral terms, so that, at its close, don García is unambiguously presented to the audience as the author of his own downfall:

Although the nature and significance of don García’s mendacity have understandably been the focus of the majority of the numerous critical studies made of this play, they still repay close investigation, especially when evaluated within the context of the moral philosophy and poetics of the age. It is important too to recognise that the argument of La verdad sospechosa is not confined to a criticism of don García’s compulsive deceitfulness, but rather presents an opposition between two different forms of deception, one associated with imagination and desire and represented by García’s extravagant lies, and the other associated with understanding and reason and represented by the prudent stratagems of Jacinta.