Review Detail

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.