Listen for the Lie is Amy Tintera’s adult debut novel. I have read some of her YA novels, The Ruined Trilogy, but I honestly do not remember much about them (oops). I decided to read Listen for the Lie because it sounds interesting and has been getting good reviews. I think Listen of the Lie is an entertaining and easy read (I read it in one weekend) that is perfect for fans of the mystery genre.

Listen for the Lie is about a woman named Lucy whose best friend, Savvy, was murdered. Savvy was especially beloved in their small Texas hometown of Plumpton. The morning after Savvy’s murder, Lucy was found wandering around covered in Savvy’s blood and with no memory of what happened the night before, which made her the prime suspect, even though the police did not have enough evidence to arrest her. Lucy leaves Plumpton after her husband divorces her, and she heads to LA, where life isn’t exactly going great for her. The novel is told in Lucy’s first-person perspective, and Lucy has a biting sense of humour as well as intrusive thoughts about killing people. She is not really a sympathetic protagonist, and that is the point of this novel. Listen for the Lie examines how harshly society judges women who are strong, independent, and not very friendly. Everyone, including Lucy’s own parents, thinks that Lucy killed Savvy simply because she is an unlikable person, and unlikable people must be guilty of the most heinous of crimes.

Tintera skewers true crime podcasts with her novel. Lucy’s anonymous life in LA is suddenly upended when handsome podcaster, Ben Owens, decides to make season two of his hit true crime podcast, Listen for the Lie, about Savvy’s murder and brings national attention to Lucy’s role in it. Lucy is fired from her job, and her boyfriend is working himself up to dumping her, when her grandmother, the only person who has ever believed in Lucy’s innocence, asks her to come back to Plumpton for her birthday.

I have got to say that I am impressed with Lucy for having the guts to go back to the town where everyone thinks she is a murderer. I had so much second-hand embarrassment, as well as concern for her safety. But then Lucy proves that she is not done with making bad life decisions by getting mixed up with her ex-husband, who everyone thinks is a golden boy, as well as getting involved with Ben Owens, who may end up being the person who figures out that she really did murder Savvy.

Lucy decides to team up with Ben to figure out the truth of what happened the night Savvy died so that she can put the past behind her for once and for all, regardless of the consequences. And in true podcast fashion, incredible truths are finally brought to light to wreak havoc in Plumpton, some of them ridiculous and some of them revealing the toxicity of Plumpton’s most seemingly respectable citizens. Listen for the Lie had me waffling back and forth over whether Lucy killed Savvy or not, especially when Lucy reveals the true nature of Savvy’s character to the reader. The ending is satisfying and commentates perfectly on the patriarchal ideas of women that continue to dominate societal discourse even though we really should know better by now. This novel does not take itself too seriously, though, and is perfect if you are looking for a fun read.