The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
March 1st, 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire
From the Publisher:
Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure.
To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)
Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.
Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...
Review:
Everyone at the prestigious Pemberly Brown has a secret. Last year, secrets are what got Kate's best friend, Grace, killed. Well, that's Kate's theory anyway. Everyone else will call it an accident. She must wade through the thick fog of lies and undercover the secrets held by the students, staff, and heck....the entire town in an attempt to find out what really happened to Grace. Only problem, besides the lies, is that no one has much to do with Kate anymore. Her other BFF, Maddie, has joined ranks with the head bizzo, Taylor, and her pack of followers. So, Kate is alone in her mission....for awhile. Kate starts looking for clues while dishing her own string of lies, and her neighbor Seth ain't buying them anymore. (He is kinda love sick for Kate) Kate confides in him when she has no other choice, and along with the resident hottie/bad boy of Pemberly, they begin to put the pieces of Grace's puzzle together.
Whew, this is one heck of a mystery. We flashback with Kate as she tries to make sense of what happened last fall. Yes, Grace was taken by a fire on the school grounds, but there was a lot of other stuff going on that night. We take several trips back to that evening for clues. Clues as to who was where at the time of the accident, why was Grace in the old building, and why in the world can she not shake the feeling that this was no accident? She told the authorities exactly what she thought, and yet, no one followed up. Why would the death of a Pemberly student be of no concern to them? Hm, that's only the beginning.
For me, this had a *slight* Pretty Little Liars feel to it. I say slight because I think this story is the better of the two. There are no constant brand name drops, bitchy remarks (well, a few), and this mystery is more than superficial. Secrets go back a lot further than Kate and Grace's story. The townspeople's secrets and lies give the story weight. This isn't just some school girl drama - this is the full meal deal.
Dialogue is quick paced and we move from one mystery and lie to the next easily. Her annoying friend slash neighbor is awkward and likable. Picture a much cuter Dungeons & Dragons type of guy. Seth is one of those kids that always try too hard, but he is invaluable to Kate and she sees his worth early on. Liam, what to say about Liam? Yes, he is the bad boy with a past and has secrets all of his own. Kate is no dummy, she sees the red flags fly and tries to stay away. The pack of polished Barbies, Taylor, Bethany and Kate's lost friend Maddie, are relentless. But then again, people are not what they seem.
The ending? Well, I'm actually left a little speechless at the moment. It could have gone several different ways. Not sure I love, love, love the ending, but without giving anything away....it will ___ us ___ another ___.
Bottom line: A great 'who dun it' that will keep you guessing until the very end.
4 Stars
