If You Tell a Lie
A Thriller
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By:
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Lucinda Berry
About this listen
An instant USA Today bestseller.
Bestselling author Lucinda Berry serves up a haunting thriller about four friends sworn to secrecy over the events of one fateful summer—and the dark truths that threaten to erupt years later.
They never considered how his wife might react, or that by the end of the summer a man would be dead. But Blakely always got her way, and the others followed her lead—even when they knew it was dead wrong.
The girls had been friends from day one at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children. But their senior summer was different. When Mr. Crosby, the handsome tennis coach, wound up murdered after a reckless lie, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again.
Until now. Twenty years later a sinister note claiming to know what they did brings them back together. And once again Blakely is pulling the strings.
Unfolding in a dual timeline, If You Tell a Lie is a disturbing journey into the dangerous, sometimes deadly consequences of peer pressure—with a bone-chilling twist you’ll never see coming.
©2024 by Heather Berry. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Critic reviews
“[A]nother poisonous Berry special…The hits just keep on coming. Be glad you’re a reader and not a character.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Deftly written in a dual timeline, If You Tell a Lie by novelist Lucinda Berry takes her readers on a disturbing journey into the dangerous, sometimes deadly consequences of peer pressure.” —Midwest Book Review
That said, I struggled to stay fully invested while listening. The story didn't always hold my attention, and I found it hard to connect deeply with the characters. They didn't quite shine for me, and the emotional weight I expected; especially surrounding the victim and his wife... never fully landed. Because of that, the murder itself wasn't much of a surprise, and I didn't feel the level of sympathy or shock the story seemed to aim for.
Even so, I can absolutely see why this book works for many readers. It explores group dynamics and manipulation in an interesting way, and the slow reveal will definitely appeal to fans of psychological thrillers and dual-timeline narratives. While it ultimately wasn't my kind of book, it's well written and clearly has a niche audience that will love it. For that reason, and for what it does well, I'm giving it a solid 4 stars.
A story about friendship and murder
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