Tag Archives: whodoneit

Apr11

Lil Red’s Book Club: Listen For The Lie By Amy Tintera Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Listen For The Lie By Amy Tintera Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing an excellent thriller by Amy Tintera called Listen For The Lie. This book went back and forth between the past, present day, and a true crime podcast which I really liked. It actually reminded me a bit of None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell if you have read that one before! Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on Listen For The Lie for domestic violence and murder. You ready? Let’s get to it!

Lucy doesn’t think she killed her best friend Savannah (Savvy), but she doesn’t know for sure. All she remembers from that night five years ago is being found in the middle of the road by a good Samaritan, injured, and covered in her best friend’s blood. The rest is a complete blank for Lucy but that’s no matter because according to everyone in her small town, she is guilty regardless of if there wasn’t enough evidence for a conviction. After Savvy’s death, Lucy hightailed it to L.A. and never looked back. But, now, she must return back to Nowhere, Texas for her grandma’s birthday. Although Lucy can’t stand her parents, she loves her grandma despite the guilt trip she laid on her to attend her party.

An eightieth birthday bash isn’t the only thing waiting for Lucy in Texas. In fact, it is everything that Lucy never wanted to happen. A popular podcast called Listen For The Lie has taken an interest in Savvy’s cold case. During the show’s first season the host, Ben, solved an unsolvable case and is looking to repeat his success in Texas. Ben is going into this experience from a neutral position. Maybe Lucy killed Savvy. Maybe she didn’t. But, if Lucy didn’t, he is determined to find out who and leaves no stone unturned.

As Ben conducts his own investigation, he talks to anyone and everyone. Lucy’s grandma, Savvy’s family, Lucy’s high school best friend, and even her monstrous ex husband. And, after some convincing and a nudge from her grandma, Ben interviews Lucy too. Lucy is not much help at first. She can’t remember a thing about Savvy’s death and she is keeping her late friend’s secrets even though it could benefit her. Then, bits and pieces of that fateful night begin to form. Fragments start out as fuzzy and in a moment of shocking clarity, she knows exactly who the guilty party is. Who is responsible for Savvy’s death? Read Listen For The Lie to find out!

I really, really enjoyed Listen For The Lie and it was a wonderful change of pace from Gone Before Goodbye, the last book I finished. While the latter moved at an often agonizing speed, Listen For The Lie was fast paced from start to finish. In fact, it was so good that I finished it in two sittings. The way this book sprinted forward, I just had to keep up with it! Listen For The Lie featured shocking twists and turns, a fascinating plot, and a huge tip of the cap to the true crime podcast fandom. I loved reading the podcast portion at the end of almost every chapter and it was a huge motivation to keep on reading!

The best part of this book, however, was Lucy herself. She is my kind of leading lady and I could not get enough of her. Lucy was sarcastic, freaking hilarious, and a take no shit kind of girl. Her attitude was that people were going to stare at her and talk about her so let them. If they think she killed her friend, let them. It had no impact on her whatsoever and her only goal was to help solve Savvy’s case, even if she ended up in jail. She was so easy to root for and while her feisty spirit was all well and good, her fleeting moments of tenderness helped solidify her as one of my favorite main characters to date. She will have you laughing out loud and cheering her on too – I just know it.

Overall, I am going to award Listen For The Lie with the coveted ten out of ten stars. This thriller was a blast and will leave you guessing whodoneit the whole way through. Highly recommend!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar30

Lil Red’s Book Club: It’s Not Her By Mary Kubica Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: It’s Not Her By Mary Kubica Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we will be discussing an excellent thriller by Mary Kubica called It’s Not Her. Although there were several parts of this book that were very hard to read, it was completely unputdownable and I finished it in three sittings. I am definitely interested in reading more by Kubica and plan on starting with Local Woman Missing as It’s Not Her was one of the best thrillers I have read all year. Before we begin, I will be placing a big fat trigger warning on this book for graphic violence, sexual violence, mental health disorders, and highly disturbing content. Now, let’s get to it:

It’s family vacation time! Courtney and her husband Elliott and daughter Cass will be having a joint vacation with Courtney’s brother Nolan, his wife Emily, and three children named Reese, Wyatt, and Mae. Their getaway takes place in the remote woods of Wisconsin in a resort along the lake. Resort might be a far stretch for their destination as it’s pretty ramshackle but it will be home for the next few weeks. Mae and Cass are close in age and spend their days joined at the hip. The adults drink and have grown up conversations while Wyatt does whatever fourteen year old boys do. Meanwhile, Reese can be found wallowing in the misery of all of this family time until a young man named Daniel makes her do a double take.

The vacation is, indeed, in full swing. Until it gets cut short. After Cass and Mae enjoy a slumber party in Courtney and Elliott’s cabin, Mae makes her way back to her family with a belly full of pancakes and a smile on her face. A few minutes later, she runs screaming back to Courtney and Elliott’s place. Mae has discovered the deceased bodies of her mom and dad. Reese is nowhere to be found and Wyatt managed to sleep through the entire ordeal. Courtney returns to the grisly scene and it is so much worse than she could ever imagine. Her brother and sister-in-law have been slain brutally and Reese could be anywhere dead or alive.

A police investigation immediately follows and there is not much to go off of. There are no leads to point to the murderer and no traces of Reese after extensive searches. All the while, Courtney, Elliott, Wyatt, Mae, and Cass are holed up in a tiny cabin and are not allowed to leave. Courtney can not handle the stagnation and decides to do her own investigating in her determination to bring Reese home. However, the clues that she finds only incriminates those closest to her. How could Wyatt sleep through the murder of his parents? And why is there blood on her husband’s shoes? As the days drag on, Reese is nowhere closer to being found until Courtney discovers a major break in the case. Who is responsible for this terrible crime? And will Reese be alive to tell the tale? Read It’s Not Her to find out!

It’s Not Her was a wild ride from start to finish. It was harrowing, heartbreaking, and So. Freaking. Twisty! Just when I thought I had a feel for what might have happened, Mary Kubica’s expert writing pulled the rug out from under me. And it kept happening again, and again, and again. I always love when I can figure out a grand reveal. I love it even more when I can’t, though, and the final twist left me absolutely shook. It has been a few days since I finished It’s Not Her and I still can’t stop thinking about it.

I very much enjoyed Kubica’s writing style because it was so raw. She kept the punches coming rapidly and interspersed them with such tender moments that the next blow would feel even more heart wrenching. Every dead end was a kick to the gut. The agony of every passing day with Reese missing was palpable and every single Red Herring felt infuriating. It’s Not Her will leave you questioning your own ideas as to what happened with each turn of the page until you have no idea what to think. And, when you learn the truth, you will be just as shocked as me.

I am going to award It’s Not Her with the coveted ten out of ten stars. This was a dynamite introduction into Mary Kubica’s work and if her other books are anything like this, then I know I am in for a treat. Highly recommend!

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of Mary Kubica’s books? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah