Sankalpita
‘One of Us is Lying’ is a tantalizing high school drama combined with a mind baffling and suspense laced mystery.
What to expect
Expect a highly entertaining power-packed thriller with a generous dose of drama, gossip, and scandals that is inadvertently synonymous with high school fiction.
Expect a murder mystery with a very unique twist of turns and events. And while being all of this, expect a book that does not fail to entertain.
Who can read
The book can be picked by beginner Indian level readers. The English used is simple and easy to understand. Except for references to popular American culture, the book doesn’t deviate much from familiar English.
Let’s talk about the storyline
Five students are thrown into detention but only four of them come out alive.
Bronwyn – the Yale-bound studious girl who shoulders the responsibility of taking her family name forward.
Cooper – the most handsome guy in school; a hot athlete who is looking forward to his baseball career.
Nate – the backyard drug dealer who with his ongoing probation is already a criminal-in-the-making. Addy – the delicate homecoming beauty who has perfect hair and a perfect boyfriend.
And, Simon – the gossip king of the school, who because of his notorious gossip blog has made enemies everywhere.
Before the detention ends, Simon is dead and all of the people that he went into detention with had motives to kill him. There are scandalous details about each of them that Simon was about to post on the very next day. So, who killed Simon? and to protect which of their ugly secret? – this is for you to know when you read this tantalizing thriller.
How good are the characters
The characters are probably the most exciting part of the book. Once a strong plot has been cast, it falls on the shoulders of the characters of the story to take it forward. And, in case of ‘One of Us is Lying’, they totally live up to the expectations.
Given that the blurb puts a lot of spotlight on them, Karen M McManus makes sure that her characters don’t disappoint.
What about the author’s writing style
The promise of an intriguing mystery is what made me pick up this book. But more than that, it is the story itself – how things change, new mysteries unravel, and the latest findings are revealed – that makes this book such an amazing read.
The other aspects of the book deliver that extra edge in ‘One of Us is Lying’. Each character is so well thought of and so varied. There are side stories about love, friendship, and family that add complexity and layers to the fundamental plot.
It is a book well-conceived and well-executed.
‘One of Us is Lying’ is a book that makes good use of a tight-knit plot, an awesome string of complex characters, racy narration, easy to understand language, and an overbearing sense of mystery to bring to us a book that is excessively high on entertainment.
Every one of its 360 odd pages is a treat to read and there is never a dull moment in the book. And, I must say this – I will be headed for a big disappointment if this book is not turned into a movie soon!
