“Men don’t protect us, not really. They only protect themselves, or each other. The only thing men ever protected me from was happiness,” (Tintera 167).
Best friends Lucy and Savvy were well-known and loved in their small town. Lucy married a handsome, rich man and Savvy was a friend to all, even friendlier with the men in town if you believe the rumours. But one night Lucy is found wandering the streets covered in Savvy’s blood, and when Savvy’s body is found people naturally assume Lucy is guilty but with no hard evidence, Lucy is free to live her life. Five years later and living in L.A., Lucy is drawn back to her hometown when a true crime podcaster named Ben Owens decides to investigate Savvy’s murder and believes Lucy may be more innocent than she, or the town, believes she is.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read a mystery and Listen for the Lie was a fun one. I thought the concept was interesting, and I loved the use of podcast episode scripts interspersed throughout to tell the story and I think Tintera is very talented when it comes to voice. Lucy was a good protagonist and I liked her sharp, sarcastic personality even if it got to be a bit much sometimes, but even the voices of other characters we meet through the podcast have such a distinct, realistic voice that made reading the book enjoyable. It felt like real people talking, and I feel like not many authors are able to really nail realistic dialogue like Tinetera does.
The book itself can be a bit frustrating at times. Overall there is very little happening in terms of investigating Savvy’s death aside from Ben interviewing Lucy and the people in her town’s perspectives of what happened the night Savvy was killed, so at times the book is a bit boring. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the voice in Lucy’s head and the hallucinations she was having, I understand Tintera probably did this as a way to sow doubt but it felt a bit juvenile in the writing. Also, everyone in this town including Lucy’s parents are awful, assuming Lucy killed her best friend with very little evidence. Lucy’s hometown is also an incredibly horny one, everyone is practicing infidelity and loving it. I was honestly surprised how much sex was in this book. It isn’t necessarily a criticism, but I do wish a books worth was dictated by it’s spiciness as so many are nowadays.
Listen for the Lie is a fairly simple mystery that isn’t hard to figure out, but was still an enjoyable read. I love Tintera’s voice and hope she continues writing for adults as apparently this is her first adult book. While it felt a bit YA at times, she’s on the right track and has a great voice to continue writing for this audience.
Publication: March 5 2024
Publisher: Celadon Books
Pages: 336 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤.5
Summary:
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. But after Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.
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 who did it.
The truth is out there, if we just listen.
Sarah O'Connor 