One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
Seemingly set up to land some detention time, 5 vastly different students find that their punishment goes farther than an afternoon when one of them doesn’t make it out alive. Now the remaining 4 students have their lives completely turned upside down as the investigation on the death hones in on each of them and the secrets that they all thought would stay hidden.
The Story
Maybe it’s because I don’t read any thrillers or mystery, but I had no idea who done it until the big reveal. It was at that moment though, that I wasn’t relieved for those who didn’t do it, but was devastated for the one guilty. Somehow this book takes the Breakfast Club recipe and turned it into a murder mystery. The best part was how it took the basic high school tropes and transformed it into a less superficial look at the challenges that each teen was facing.
The Characters
Addy-By far my favorite character of this bunch. Addy grows tremendously as she learns to break from her shell and be her own person outside the expectation that her family and boyfriend has built for her.
Bronwyn- Not everyone can be perfect, and Bronwyn seemed to have just 2 faults. First, one that lead her to the conundrum she found herself in that ultimately led to the second (which, was mostly just a disappointment to her parents).
Nate-Who doesn’t love a good-bad boy? The most expected thing to happen was for Nate to show everyone that there is a boy with feelings underneath all that bad assery.
Cooper-Surprise! The jock isn’t stuck up! The cutest thing about Cooper was that he would get all southern-drawl whenever he got worked up or nervous.
It was Professor Plum in the library with the candlestick– I kid you not I loved Clue when I was growing up. So this book really had me wondering time and time again, well maybe it was so and so. Why don’t I read more mysteries/thrillers?
The most obvious moral to the story? Don’t be a jerk because one of your classmates might try to kill you.
