Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

Sexy, thrilling, Southern, and witty; these are all words that I would use to describe Amy Tintera's new novel, Listen for the Lie. I had so much fun reading this, and I honestly can say that I have not had a book sink its claws into me and demand my attention like this in quite some time. I constantly found myself thinking about this book and wanting to read it at any spare moment I had. To say that this novel is unputdownable would be an understatement. 

To start, I would love to talk about the setting of this novel. Tintera does a superb job at transporting me into the small town of Plumpton. I could feel the humidity seeping through the novel and sticking to my hair and skin. I could see the neon Shiner beer sign flashing outside the local bar. I knew exactly what type of trees she was describing, right down to the soil, and I definitely knew what guitars she was referencing to when Lucy was at the airport (shout-out ABIA). Having been raised in Austin, Texas like Tintera, I already had an idea of what Plumpton and its people would be like and I often found myself trying to guess what tiny town she had in mind when creating it (my guess is either Junction or Waxahachie). I think the setting was perfect for this novel, and it really gave it that kind of Southern gothic feel that you find in novels like Sharp Objects or Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. But I digress. Now, I want to move on to the protagonist of this novel: Lucy Chase.

Lucy Chase is complicated. She is not a character that you are meant to love or even like for that matter. In fact, I'm still trying to figure out if I even liked her myself. Having been the center of an unsolved murder case, Lucy is definitely used to people not liking her. In fact, they send her hate constantly, whether it's via email, DM, or even snail mail. One of my favorite things about Lucy is that even though she went through something extremely traumatic, she still writes her romance novels (under a secret pen name of course) and stays in touch with her grandma, even going so far as to return to Plumpton, where everyone hates her, just to celebrate her grandmothers birthday. I think that in itself shows us a bit about Lucy and who she is down deep at her core.

The perplexity of Lucy and all of her relationships were honestly the star of the show. Not only are we trying to figure out who murdered Savannah "Savvy" Harper, her best friend, but we get to see all of Lucy's relationships unfold and understand how each and every one of them affected her life, whether it was pre-murder or post. Some of those characters are her ex-husband, Matt, her childhood friend Emmett, and the man who is making a podcast out of the murder case named Ben. I truly believe we get to see each and every side of Lucy when she interacts with those characters. I especially loved how much character development we see from her towards the end of the novel.

I loved the pacing of this book and felt that the ending was very satisfying. Lucy Chase, while not a completely lovable character, was the definition of a strong female lead. She kicked ass and I loved that she always stayed true to herself despite all of the negativity that she received. The podcast element was a great touch, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers and murder mysteries with a sprinkle of spice. This was one of my favorite books that I have read so far in 2024, and I can't wait to see what else Amy Tintera releases in the future!

Thank you Celadon for letting me read this amazing novel! #CeladonReader #NetGalley #ListenfortheLie #AmyTintera #MurderMystery #Thriller