Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Amy Tintera has written a number of books, but the majority of them have been fantasy and young adult. Listen for the Lie is her first non fantasy, adult book and it's been performing admirably. A New York Times Bestseller, Good Morning America book club pick, one of NPR's best books of the year for 2024, and the Best Thriller of 2024 according to the Washington Post. We will see examples of alcoholism, domestic abuse, toxic relationships, mental illness, grief, injury detail, talk of sexual assault, violence, blood, murder, and death, and my husband would be scandalized about how they talk about sex.

Lucy's best friend, Savvy, was murdered five years ago and the case is yet to be solved. In fact, the only suspect they have is Lucy, who was found wandering the streets covered in Savvy's blood early the next morning with a bad head injury and a case of amnesia. How convenient. But Lucy has never been arrested for Savvy's murder and has since moved from her small Texas hometown to Los Angeles, where no one knows who she is. Until a certain podcaster (with a face for the movies) starts to bring attention to Savvy's case. Thanks to her meddling grandma, Lucy comes back to Texas and starts to work with the podcaster Ben to try to solve Savvy's case once and for all, even if it turns out she's the one that did it.

Let me start by saying that Lucy has gotten a raw deal. She can't remember anything from the night Savvy was murdered and even her parents and (then) husband believe that Lucy is the murderer. It's no wonder that she develops such a sarcastic and irreverent personality, which I personally really enjoyed. I wouldn't call Lucy loveable but I do think that she's likable, while almost everyone else in the town is awful. It seems like everybody is sleeping around. There were a couple of twists that I enjoyed and did not see coming, a couple that I saw from a mile away, and I did figure out the murderer about 80% of the way through - but it was a shock when I did. The pacing was fairly quick, which I liked, and while the writing was nothing special, it wasn't bad. The mystery unfolded in what felt like an organic way and I did not think it felt contrived at all and the book ended in a way that wrapped everything up in a mostly satisfying way, although there was one point that I did not like. The worst, most annoying part of this book presents itself pretty quickly as a voice that Lucy hears, especially when she's upset, but it didn't bother me anywhere near as much once it was explained.

I'm giving Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera 3.75 stars out of 5. It has a .5 spice rating. All in all, a fairly enjoyable, quick read that made me feel bad for Lucy even though I don't think she's written in a particularly likeable way. If you like suspenseful mysteries, check out this book. If not, probably pass it. My favorite part of the book is the fact that the author gave it 5 stars on Goodreads and said "I wrote this book, so I think it's pretty great". Honestly, I love that. If she releases any more adult books, I may see if they pique my interest.

For more information about Amy Tintera, check out her website at https://www.amytintera.com/

Pairs well with a cup of sweet tea and sticking to painting non erotic flowers for shop window artwork.