Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Five years ago, Lucy’s best friend, Savvy, was brutally murdered. The night of the tragedy, Lucy and Savvy had been attending a wedding, along with many of their other friends and family members.
Later that same night, Lucy was found wandering, battered, bruised, and disturbingly covered in Savvy’s blood. Savvy’s body was eventually found. Lucy has no memories of what occurred that night, and of course all suspicions fell to her.
There was no proof Lucy was involved in the crime, she was never convicted of anything, but you know how the court of public opinion can be. In the aftermath, Lucy fled to L.A., hoping to never have to return.
It’s five years later though and her family is throwing her favorite Grandma an 80th-birthday party. She can go back for that at least…
As it happens, Ben Owens, creator and host of a popular True Crime Podcast, is also in Lucy’s Texas hometown and he wants to meet her. He’s digging around the case for content for the second season of his show, and of course, he’s ridiculously good-looking and charming.
I don’t want to say too much about the plot, because I do feel it is best enjoyed if you go in knowing as little as possible. Tintera did a great job of allowing this story to unfold in such a creative and enjoyable way. It shouldn’t be missed.
Listen for the Lie is definitely one of my favorite Mystery-Thrillers of 2024. This will standout in my mind for it’s overall intrigue and provocative storyline.
Do yourself a favor, if you haven’t read this yet, make sure you grab a copy of the audiobook. If this doesn’t win the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Audiobook category, there will be riots. It’s an exceptionally well-produced audio.
The podcast elements were perfectly blended into the overall story and it felt so real. I loved it. It kept me guessing and wanting more every moment I was reading it.
The characters were also well-developed and the drama kept me on my toes. Lucy’s Grandma was such a riot — absolutely hilarious and one of my favorite types of characters to read. Goals.
Lucy also had some character quirks I wasn’t expecting. Her narrative voice was snarky and frankly, surprising. She kept me guessing most of all. I loved being inside her head.
I would absolutely recommend this to any Mystery-Thriller fan, particularly if you enjoy podcast elements, or an amnesia trope. I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author!