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.

This book contains scenes that depict domestic abuse.

This book grabbed me from the opening line: “A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I’m buying a chicken.” I hope that opening might intrigue you too. Listen for the Lie is an original and deliciously dark novel with a truly wicked sense of humor.

Imagine being accused of killing your best friend. Five years ago, Lucy Chase is found wandering the streets covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood. Everyone thinks she is a murderer, but Lucy can’t remember what happened. She has since moved to LA and started a new life, but then the host of a hit true crime podcast decides to investigate Savvy’s murder. Did Lucy do it? You’ll have to read the book to find out. But everything is here: small-town intrigue, family drama, clever dialogue, and a healthy heaping of twists.

The true crime podcast hook will reel you in, but it’s the unique voice that will keep you turning the pages. This book is so cleverly constructed it’s easy to forget that it is the author’s first thriller. With characters that leap off the page and an exciting new voice in the genre, this is a fast and fun read. If you are looking for an original and addictive page-turner that will keep you guessing until the end, then Listen for the Lie is for you.