Listen for the Lie

Outlier Island … here I come. 

Lucy has returned to her hometown of Plumpton, TX with the shadow of the past lingering over her. Everyone, including her own parents, thinks she killed her best friend Savvy years ago, but there’s never been enough evidence to charge her, and she has no memories of what happened. Now true crime podcaster Ben Owens is in town to try to set the record straight.

As Ben interviews people in town and more details emerge, a fuller, more messy picture begins to take shape. Who’s telling the truth?

Well, if you take Lucy’s word for it: The truth doesn’t matter.

I wanted to love this, and I was absolutely sure I would before I headed into it. A snarky MC? Yes, please! A murder mystery? Always! Secrets and lies? Sign me up!

So why didn’t this click for me?

Characterization: To my utter surprise … I guess I don’t know myself as well as I thought … Lucy was TOO sarcastic and snarky for my taste, to the point of being mildly obnoxious, though it did tame somewhat over the course of the book. Unfortunately, other characters also shared that trait, so there wasn’t much of a break from it.

Repetition: The word “smug” is used 32 times. Please use a different word. Same thing for the variations on sweat trickling down Lucy’s back. I get it. She’s sweaty. Move on.

Plot Device: I’m pretty sure at this point that I dislike the amnesia trope. The three mysteries I’ve read that come to mind that use it got 2 or 3 stars from me. I just think it’s overused and a bit tired as a trope.

Pacing: There’s just not a lot going on in this book besides Ben’s interviews with people and Lucy wandering around trying to regain her memories. I take that back … there’s TONS of gaslighting and infidelity if you enjoy that in your stories! There were interesting parts that kept me engaged, but not enough to get me excited about flipping pages.

All that said, there were some bright spots. I liked the story well enough - I just didn't LOVE it like I wanted to! Amy Tintera is a talented writer and with a different story, I’d probably enjoy it more. Her characters are at least interesting, even if THESE particular characters weren’t my favorite. For a debut, I think it shows promise for the future, and I’d definitely try her again!

Another bright spot was the audio. I listened to this while reading along on my Kindle, and January Lavoy and Will Damron did an excellent job with the narration on a large range of characters and personalities. I’d recommend the audio for this one!

Definitely check out other reviews before deciding on this one. So many others are raving about it! If you enjoy the amnesia trope, podcasting and a slow burn mystery, this may work better for you. I think this time around my own hype let me down.

★★★

Thanks to Celadon Books, NetGalley and author Amy Tintera for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC to honestly review. This will be published on March 5, 2024.