Rating: 3.75⭐
Five years ago, twenty-four-year-old Lucy Chase was found injured and barely coherent, wandering on a highway covered in her best friend's blood. Her friend Savannah “Savvy” Harper was found dead and despite her traumatized state, Lucy was deemed the prime suspect though no solid evidence was discovered to prove her guilt. Almost everyone who knew her including her parents, believed that Lucy was responsible for Savvy’s death. Subsequently, her marriage ended and she left her hometown Plumpton, Texas for Los Angeles. Lucy still doesn’t remember what transpired on that fateful night and the voices in her head do not let her forget that she might be guilty. Lucy is drawn back to Plumpton when popular podcaster Ben Owens decides to investigate the case for his true-crime podcast, Listen for the Lie. As Ben embarks on a deep dive into Lucy’s life and the events from five years ago, Lucy decides to cooperate with him hoping that the facts uncovered in the process will help her recover her memories from that night and find the killer.
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a well-crafted, engaging mystery. Consistently paced, the narrative is presented from the perspective of Lucy with segments from the podcast interviews interspersed throughout the narrative. The author has deftly woven issues such as domestic abuse, psychological trauma, and infidelity, among others, into the narrative. I liked Lucy and was rooting for her. I liked how the author portrays small-town dynamics and the cast of an interesting cast of characters (mostly unlikable with a few exceptions) with more than a few secrets to hide made for an interesting read. Few characters were above suspicion and I had fun trying to guess the identity of the killer. I enjoyed the suspenseful build-up, the surprises along the way and the dry humor injected into the narrative (with several laugh-out-loud moments).
I should mention that the plot relies on several overused tropes and the final reveal isn’t completely unpredictable, but the overall skillful execution renders this novel an entertaining read.
This was my first time reading this author and I would be interested to read more from her in the future.
Many thanks to Celadon Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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