The Better Liar by Tanen Jones (#122 in 2019)
Thank you to @randomhouse for my gifted copy of this book (PUB DATE: 1/14/2020)
Leslie arrives in Las Vegas to find her sister, Robin, has died. In an effort to still receive the inheritance from their father, Leslie covers up her sister's death and enlists a stranger to pose as Robin for when they meet with the lawyer to claim the money left behind in their father's estate. What neither woman expects is the string of secrets and lies that unravels as the story progresses.
I have to say I was really impressed with this thriller! I was just talking to a bunch of bookstagrammers recently about how I've been so unimpressed with thrillers as of late, but Tanen Jones did a fantastic job with The Better Liar.
Jones weaves a unique story with twists and turns that both surprise the reader and further complicate the plot. The point of view shifts between the perspectives of Leslie, Mary (the sister-stand-in), and Robin from beyond the grave. The tension between Robin and Leslie is revealed through the alternating perspectives and Mary's character seems to ride the line between the two. Mary acts as an investigator as she tries to get to the bottom of the conflict between the sisters-- why they stopped speaking and what Leslie's intentions are with the inheritance she so desperately seeks. The story was so well-written that it was difficult for me, as a reader, to choose a side of which sister I felt was in the right vs. which sister was in the wrong. I LOVE when I'm unable to make a decision because it shows that the plot development is so intricate that the reader is constantly kept guessing.
The big take-aways from this read are: intense characters, well-developed plot, questionable narrators, suspense, and twists! Jones' writing style and use of suspense echoes that of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen in both The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl. If you liked either of those thrillers, then you should definitely check out The Better Liar when it publishes on 1/14/2020 - 4.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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