Lucy Chase has no recollection of what happened the night her best friend, Savvy, was killed. She suffered a head injury, but was seen covered in Savvy's blood. However, due to lack of evidence, she was not charged with Savvy's murder. Now, Ben Owens, host of Listen for the Lie, is featuring Savvy's murder and the question of Lucy's innocence in season 2 of his podcast. The small town of Plumpton, TX is her hometown, but she left 5 years ago for Los Angeles. Lucy never wanted to return, but her grandmother begged Lucy to come to her birthday party. Her grandmother never doubted Lucy, but the town did. Through interviews with various townspeople and Lucy's ex-husband, the truth about that night unfolds.
This kept me interested throughout and I read it in one sitting! Entertaining and sarcastic - a great thriller! ( )

This is actually pretty good, it feels like your run-of-the-mill true crime podcast murder mystery at first, but the tone, character work, and pace all make this better than most. Often funny, relatable, and dark. ( )

Loved this on audio! Completely held my interest and kept me up too late! ( )

Lucy Chase murdered her best friend, at least that’s what everyone thinks, including the voice in Lucy’s head, even though she remembers nothing, and the police can’t prove it.

Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera is a darkly hilarious mystery in which Lucy reluctantly returns to her hometown for her grandmothers birthday at the same time as a popular true crime podcaster, Ben Owens, decides to open an investigation in an effort to solve the five year old case.

Lucy is a fantastic character, and carries the book effortlessly with her first person narrative. I delighted in her acerbic wit and bold attitude. Not surprisingly, Lucy always has her guard up, except around her grandmother, who is equally outspoken. Their bond is a delight, and Beverley nearly steals every scene they share. It’s Beverley who convinces Lucy to cooperate with Ben.

Transcripts from the podcast are used to provide details about the crime, and the interviews reveal new pieces of the puzzle. The residents of Plumpton have plenty of secrets and I enjoyed how the mystery played out. It’s not a complex plot but there is plenty of drama and intrigue, and separating gossip from truth to determine what really happened the night Savannah was murdered is a challenge.

Despite all the humour Tintera does touch on serious issues including domestic violence, PTSD, and obsession. The tension develops well as Lucy and Ben grow closer to learning the truth, and there is an exciting and satisfying climax. Short chapters and snappy dialogue support the fast pace of the novel.

A fun, quirky and compulsive mystery, I found Listen For the Lie to be a delightful read. ( )

Listen for the Lie is Amy Tintera's first novel for adults, although she has several YA books under her belt. This book pulled me in from the beginning, and I had no idea how it was going to end. Did Lucy kill her best friend like everyone thinks, even her parents? Or was someone else there and they're getting away with murder? No one knows, because Lucy can't remember.

Now, five years later, podcaster Ben Owens has decided to do a deep dive into this unsolved case and find the answers...and he needs Lucy's help to do it. Lucy ran to Los Angeles and never really looked back, but she's returning to her small town in Texas to hopefully clear her name, and not end up in prison. It seems everyone in this town has lied and kept secrets, and Ben and Lucy are going to have their work cut out for them trying to solve Savvy's murder.

An epistolary novel, the chapters are broken up by transcripts of the Listen for the Lie podcast, where some people seem to be telling the whole truth, and some are continuing to hide things. With a wide cast of characters from Lucy's family to ex-husbands to ex-friends, there is no shortage of suspects, especially when the truth starts being revealed. Although there are quite a few people, it wasn't difficult to keep them separate, and they all had their own little backstories, lies, and secrets.

The writing of this was immaculate, I was drawn in from the beginning and could hardly wait to find out who, or what, really happened. The transcripts were a nice way of filling in information without Lucy having to talk to every person and make the novel feel bogged down. The pace was nice, and the red herrings made sense at the time. I really had no idea until there was maybe 10% left in the book, and even then I was questioning my suspect.

All in all, a great first outing for Amy in the adult mystery genre. The FMC had flaws, just like the rest of us, and even though she doesn't always make the best decisions, you still don't want her to be the killer. Although none of the characters were great people, they were all realistic and well drawn out. If you enjoy a murder mystery where almost everyone is a suspect, or where you don't know who you can trust, then definitely give this one a read!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @CeladonBooks for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Trigger warnings for domestic abuse and alcoholism ( )