Context and Criteria
April deserved a second ‘Reader’s Picks’ feature, because this book was simply too good to leave out. One of Us Is Lying, a young-adult murder mystery book by Karen M. McManus, is the first novel in a three-part fictional series, originally published in 2017, and was later made into a T.V. series in October of 2021, streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Book Overview (Spoiler Free)
At a simple high school, five students: Browyn- the brain, Nate- the criminal, Addy- the beauty, Cooper- the athlete, and Simon- the outcast who runs the school’s most hated and adored gossip page- About That receive an after-school detention due to sneaking phones into Mr. Avery’s Lab. The students think this punishment is a setup, but they attend the mandatory detention anyway. While suffering the absolute bore that is the detention of Bayview High School’s most polar-opposite students, Simon drops dead. Right in the middle of class. But when the police find out how this could have happened, their eyes are on the four people present in the classroom when he went cold. And the evidence shows…one of them is lying. An anonymous Tumblr post suggests that the real killer was in the room and is toying with the police to chase their own tails. What happens when all the suspects have a motive? And which one chose murder to silence their dark secret?
Accomplishments and Awards
For McManus’s debut novel, the praise she has received is insanely impressive, not to mention rightfully earned. Not only was the title a New York Times bestseller for 267 weeks, but also a bestseller of the American Booksellers Association and USA Today. It was also awarded by Entertainment Weekly for Best YA Book of the Year in 2017.
Literacy Analysts / Writing Quality
One of Us Is Lying is written in first-person perspective and switches between the points of view of the four characters who were present when Simon died. It allows the reader’s suspicions to rise and fall for each character throughout their turn. It has a physiological hold on the reader as they see if they believe a character or choose not to trust them at all. The lack of closure is enough to make it a difficult book to put down. As far as the writing goes, it can feel a little restricted at times since the reader is meant to stay wondering about topics that a character might still be hiding. Nevertheless, it reveals enough to keep readers on their toes. It also explores just the right balance of mystery and thriller while still keeping a light-weight subplot of romance and platonic relationships.
Reader Verdict (Major Spoilers)
One of the most entertaining things about reading this book was the trust issues the reader might have with each character. It’s so easy to want to believe them as innocent, and it takes barely a hundred pages for the reader to realize: there is no way one of these kids killed Simon. The other side characters, such as Ashton and Maeve, had such complex backstories that are perfect for a revenge plan against the victim, which is so distracting from the real villain mastermind. But once Simon’s little situationship, Janae, reveals how depressed he was, along with Maeve’s researching skills that unlocked some of Simon’s violent thoughts, it becomes quite obvious that he had intentions of suicide and a sick inspiration from past school shootings. Things only got clearer as other characters began revealing themselves to the main four. Honestly, it was a brilliant idea to have the reader so hesitant to trust the main characters because that is how they probably felt with each other at the time. With all of that going on, it’s not only clever to see them learn to trust one another and come together to solve the case, but it’s a real head-turner throughout the story. Most of the story was hard to guess, but once the pieces came together around the halfway point, it was still just as satisfying to watch it unfold and see the characters’ relationships change and thrive.
Recommendation Preference
Absolutely! Even for readers who don’t read much mystery or thrillers, this book has enough of everything to keep you occupied with entertainment for one sitting. The book was roughly 350 pages long, but flew by due to its fast pace and necessary plot points. If you want a lighthearted mystery with the perfect amount of twists and turns, then this is a great balance to fulfill your reading slump.
Where to Buy
One of Us Is Lying is available at most major bookstores, like Barnes and Noble, and nationwide stores like Target and Walmart. It can also likely be found at second-hand bookstores, such as Half Price Books.
