The Liars Beneath

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Author(s)

Heather Van Fleet

Genre(s)

YA Thriller

Age Range

18+

Release Date

January 27, 2022

ISBN13

978-1-953944-64-1

ISBN10 or ASIN

A romantically dark YA thriller set in the backdrop of Iowa’s suspenseful farmlands. After a tragic accident ends her best friend’s life, 17-year-old Becca Thompson succumbs to grief the only way she knows how: by wallowing in it. She’s a fragment of the person she once was—far too broken to enjoy the summer before her senior year. But when Ben McCain, her best friend’s older brother, returns home, Becca must face her new reality head on. She isn’t interested in Ben’s games, especially since he abandoned his sister during the months leading up to her death. But when he begs for her help in uncovering the truth about what really happened the night of his sister’s death, Becca finds herself agreeing, hoping to clear up rumors swirling in the wake of her best friend's accident. An unhinged ex-boyfriend, secret bucket lists, and garage parties in the place Becca calls home soon lead her to the answers she’s so desperate to unveil. But nobody is being honest, not even Ben. And the closer Becca gets to the truth—and to Ben—the more danger seems to surround her. Clearing her best friend’s name was all she wanted to do, but Becca is quickly realizing that the truth she craves might be uglier than the lies her best friend kept.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Engaging YA mystery

February 08, 2022

Overall rating

4.0

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When Becca loses her best friend, Rose, under mysterious circumstances, she is swallowed up by grief. It doesn't help that her best friend's brother, Ben, keeps trying to get her to investigate her death with him. Most people are saying it was an accident, but neither Ben nor Becca can believe that 100%. When Becca agrees to help dig into the case, she soon discovers that everyone, including her ex-boyfriend, Rose's boyfriend, and even Ben have something to hide. All the secrets will have to be revealed if the truth of Rose's death is going to come to light.

I'm a sucker for a good mystery, especially when it involves a reluctant partnership like the one between Becca and Ben. The set up of this mystery is a familiar one: social/larger than life best friend dies, and the quieter friend is left to deal. I appreciated how this one focused on both Becca and Ben's grief throughout the story. In the beginning, Becca isn't tunnel-vision focused on figuring out what happened to Rose. She's too consumed with the pain of losing one of the people she loves most in the world to complete basic functions, let alone solve a mystery. Even Ben who is very determined to figure out what happened struggles to keep it together at times. They aren't trying to find answers because it's a fun riddle; they're trying to find answers so they can deal with their grief and make sure the right parties are held responsible.

While the culprit was not a shocker, I enjoyed the way the twists unfurled even after the killer was revealed. The sense of danger is also incredibly well done. The closer Becca gets to the truth, the clearer it is that whoever killed Rose has no qualms about eliminating anyone who finds out something they shouldn't. The climatic scene had me on the edge of my seat, and the author did a great job laying out the sensory details.

THE LIARS BENEATH is an engaging mystery with drama, romance, and intrigue. Recommended for fans of Kara Thomas and Natasha Preston.