A New York Times Bestseller * A Good Morning America Book Club Pick * An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Washington Post Best Thriller of 2024
"I read this in one sitting! Such a fun and engaging read, with an ending that blew my mind!"
—Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A world-class whodunit."
—Stephen King
“An extremely successful high-wire act, balancing between dark comedy and darker thrills.”
—Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Laugh-out-loud funny, thrilling and twisty...”
—Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author
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.
The truth is out there, if we just listen.
Small towns, big lies, and one woman who refuses to apologize for surviving.
"Listen to the Lie was such a solid little mystery with a clever twist on the true-crime format. The podcast setup made it feel like you were eavesdropping on a real investigation, especially in the audiobook version, which plays like one of those binge-worthy murder pods that make you forget to do the dishes. The FMC? Brilliantly done. She’s not here to be sweet or likable, she’s a murder suspect with a fractured memory, an ex-husband from hell, and a whole town ready to burn her at the stake. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t beg for sympathy, and if the gossip gets to her, she never lets it show. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching a woman walk through the ashes of her reputation with her head high and her sarcasm sharper than any weapon. Was the mystery a touch predictable? Sure. But it didn’t stop me from devouring the story. The pacing was tight, the characters layered, and the emotional undercurrent hit just right. Would absolutely pick up more from this author, preferably something else I can listen to while pretending I’m an investigative journalist with a latte and a microphone."