Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: This Is How I Lied

Author: Heather Gudenkauf

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: May 12, 2020

Genre: Mystery

Recommended Age: 17+ (violence, murder)

Publisher: Park Row

Pages: 336

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa—discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence the case ultimately went cold.

For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve’s death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues, secrets about what really happened begin to emerge. But someone in town knows more than they’re letting on, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried deep.

Review: Overall, I liked this book. The book did well with the characters and the world building. The writing was well done and the book gripped me with the suspense. The book had me scared of the dark for a bit as well lol. I really liked the twists as well, even if I saw them coming.

However, I don’t know how realistic the book is. From my experience in criminal justice, they wouldn’t have put someone on that found the bodies and was the victims best friend to avoid conflict of interest and fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine (where when you do something out of police procedure then all evidence found via that means is not admissible in court). The pacing was also slow and the twists and plot were predictable.

Verdict: I liked this one!