Published by HarperTeen
Source: Purchased Physical Copy
Goodreads
For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.
Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?
When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.
Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.
Thoughts: I wanted to love Liars, Inc. The mystery had twists and turns, the characters had drama, and the main character was really easy to like. However, it all didn’t come together for me for two main reasons:
One, the mystery itself was great, but played out in this over-the-top melodramatic fashion that I hate. The characters seemed to do complete 180s and went CRAZY. I admit, this is a preference: I like my villains intellectual and controlled, I like my reveals to change the way I’ve viewed the characters actions, not change the character because they’ve had a mental break.
The other thing that really made me crazy was the love interest. She was the “cool girl” that doesn’t exist (according to Gone Girl) to the point that I was convinced she was putting it on as a manipulation. Nope, she really was just an idea of a girl instead of a person.
Overall: I will read the sequel if I can borrow it from the library and I have some extra time.
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Carol says
cool review.. I wanted to read this - but it may wait a while
Hey! I don’t know how I’ve been missing your posts. I’ll fix that right away.
Sorry this one wasn’t a hit with you.
Kate @ Midnight Book Girl says
I read this one awhile back, but I liked it a bit more than you did… probably because it reminded me a bit of the old school YA from the 90’s when murder mysteries were all the rage. More murder mysteries please! 😉