Listen For The Lie

 By: Amy Tintera

Location: FIC TIN

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Podcast Fiction, Murder

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

Nilufer0 my favorite reviewer- 

My hands and eyes were glued to the pages as this brilliant, twisty dark comedy-meets-murder mystery captured my entire nerdy gray cells from the very beginning. Lucy Chase, a blunt, smart, and straightforward anti-heroine, is a complex character that you can't help but root for, even though there's a chance she may be a cold-blooded friend murderer.

The plot revolves around Lucy Chase, a widow and presumed killer who got away with the murder of her best friend, Savannah, the town's sweetest girl. Starting over in LA to build a new life, Lucy finds herself stuck in a meaningless job and a boring relationship with Nathan, who lacks the courage to end things with her. Her only solace is publishing romances under a pen name, but it's not enough to escape the traumatic effects of a brutal incident that occurred five years ago. The same incident took Savannah's life and left Lucy with brain trauma, resulting in temporary amnesia and blackouts.

Enter Ben Owens, a smug and good-looking podcaster who starts delving into the murder mystery of Savannah, stirring up a storm that threatens to unravel the new life Lucy has painstakingly built. Her lovely grandmother, the only person who believes in her innocence, invites Lucy to her birthday party, further tempting her to return to her hometown of Plumpton, Texas, where the townies have already labeled her a killer, including her self-righteous, difficult parents. Ben Owens' arrival in town at the same time to interview anyone who thinks she's guilty adds fuel to the fire. But Lucy already has enough on her plate, with voices in her head screaming "Kill!" and the ghost she keeps seeing everywhere. Her increasing ability to visualize creative ways to kill those who anger her becomes another side effect that hinders her pursuit of a happy life.

Despite the risks, Lucy decides to face the truth and confront the smug podcaster by returning to her hometown, even if it means potentially ending up behind bars. Is Savannah truly the sweetest girl in town, as everyone claims, or does she also harbor dangerous secrets? What if the entire town is hiding skeletons in their closets, secrets that may be worse than Lucy's actions? And the most crucial question of all: Did Lucy really kill her friend, or is she another victim unjustly crucified by everyone?

The smart, sarcastic tone, perfect characterization of the heroine, and portrayal of flawed, biased townies, combined with the riveting pacing and a twisty, dark, yet fair conclusion, made me adore this book. It deserves a well-deserved five stars, and I would even add an additional star for Grandma Beverly, the wittiest, most colorful, and adorable character in the book. I wished to be adopted by her!

This is undeniably one of the best novels I have wholeheartedly enjoyed, and I highly recommend it to anyone addicted to great dark comedy and riveting thrillers. I eagerly look forward to reading more works by Amy Tintera!