kengr

Try to find a copy of The First Immortal by James L. Halperin. It used to be available for free on his website.

Look for his "The Truth Machine" as well.

The Truth Machine is about the invention of a workable lie detector. That is, it can tell when you are conciously making a statement contrary to the truth *as you know it* and can also identify folks who are essentially pathological liars (ie it doesn't matter to them if a statement is false or true).

That covers the big problems with most SF lie detectors.

Alas, in spite of a number of us on rec.arts.sf.science trying to get it across to him while he was writing it, he didn't get that such a device would be *hugely* dangerous in practice.

He apparently believed in the "if you are honest, you have nothing to hide" bit.

In reality, such a device would be used against any group that disagreed with those in power. Or who were disapproved of. LGBT folks for example.