Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena
Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 16th July 2023
Published: 6th July 2023
(UK and Australia)
25th July 2023
(United States and Canada)
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Welcome to Stanhope! A safe neighborhood. A place for families.
William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.
Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing.
Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery’s neighbors become increasingly unhinged.
Who took Avery Wooler?
Nothing will prepare you for the truth.
MY THOUGHTS:
Everyone has a secret
Everyone is a suspect
Everyone is lying
...but someone on this street knows the truth...
Why has it taken me so long to dive into another Shari Lapena thriller again? I read her debut "The Couple Next Door" which I loved...and then what? I forgot to read her again? Well, add her to my auto-request list because she sure knows how to deliver a doozy of a twisted tale! Does anyone do family dysfunction better? And honestly, it's very difficult to hoodwink me because as a seasoned mystery thriller fan, I see all and know all...lol But with this one, I had no bleeping clue!
Stanhope, New York, is a quiet suburban neighbourhood. The perfect place for families. And Connaught Street, the quiet little street, is where it is all happening. Dr William Wooler, charming and charismatic and very good looking, is having a secret affair with neighbour Nora Blanchard who also happens to be a volunteer at the hospital he works in. Both a married with children but both are in love with the other and not their spouses. But when Nora abruptly ends their affair one day after a little afternoon delight, William doesn't feel like returning to work so decides to head home for some peace and quiet and some time to think. Only when he arrives, he finds his 9 year old daughter Avery in the kitchen attacking a packet of biscuits. Why is she home early from school when she should be at choir practice?
Avery is not an easy child. She has ADHD and behavioural problems, is oppositional, moody, manipulative and never listens or heeds the rules. At 9 years old, she isn't allowed to walk home by herself and should have waited for her brother Michael who is 12 and has his own set of keys. So why is she home? When William questions her, she is defiant in her answer and in a fit of rage he slaps her so hard she falls to the ground. Immediately regretting his action, he apologises and begs her forgiveness. But Avery just sits there staring past him and utters not a word. Shamefully embarrassed, William jumps into his car and drives away to process what just happened...on top of Nora also ending their affair.
When Michael goes to meet Avery and learns she was sent home for being disruptive just minutes into choir practice, he rushes home in the hope that his sister is ok. She isn't supposed to walk home by herself and should have waited for him to finish basketball practice but Avery dances to her own tune and frequently does as she pleases. He bursts through the door calling her name but she doesn't respond. He searches every room but the house is empty. Avery is not there. He calls his mother frantically who returns home and calls the police.
Avery is missing.
Detectives Bledsoe and Gully are tasked with investigating Avery's disappearance and are determined to find her. Leaving no stone unturned, they uncover a wealth of secrets where everyone is hiding something. But which of them knows more than they are letting on? Who witnessed Avery's disappearance? Who saw what no one else did?
And above all, what really happened to Avery?
One thing is for sure, I'm glad I don't live on Connaught Close! Everyone appears to be hiding something...and everyone has secrets. But how far would you go to keep them from bubbling to the surface? For some, it seems they will do anything.
A thoroughly entertaining and addictive thriller from start to finish, EVERYONE HERE IS LYING (a wholly apt title) is filled with unlikeable characters and underhand motives. It's short snappy chapters keep the pace moving at a rapid rate and could easily be read in one sitting. As each of the layers are slowly peeled back, theories are revealed and suspects quickly emerge. But Lapena keeps you guessing until the end. With smoke and mirrors, she misdirects readers with a deft hand, cleverly weaving the threads together for a jaw-dropping twist. Many readers felt the ending was rushed but I didn't think so. I thought it was cleverly crafted and perfectly timed bringing it to a superb conclusion.
It should be said that not all with ADHD are like Avery. That is just one of her many issues that largely attribute to her behaviour. And although she is only 9 years old, she is very self aware and her behaviour and intelligence are indicative of someone who much older than her years. This does lend a little suspension of belief to be attributed when reading. I put that down to a little poetic licence which, in this case, is needed.
Overall, a difficult book to review (because there is so much more I would love to say) but a fantastic read that I simply devoured!
I would like to thank #ShariLapena, #Netgalley and #TransworldDigital for an ARC of #EveryoneHereIsLying in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
A former lawyer and English teacher, Shari now writes full time from a farm in Ontario, where she lives with her husband.
Her first thriller, The Couple Next Door, was a runaway global bestseller, selling 4 million copies worldwide. It was WHSmith’s “Book of the Year” in 2016 and the #1 Adult Fiction Title in the UK for 2017. All of Shari’s novels have been New York Times, UK Sunday Times, and Globe and Mail bestsellers. Three of her books have been Richard & Judy Book Club Picks. Her books have sold into forty territories around the world and have been optioned for film and TV.
She doesn’t want you to be able to put her books down.
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