“Jones’s sensational debut has the bones of a thriller but reads like literary fiction: lean, shrewd, and gratifyingly real.”—Entertainment WeeklyWhen a woman conceals her sister’s death to claim their joint inheritance, her deception exposes a web of dangerous secrets in this addictive new thriller for fans of Megan Abbott, Gillian Flynn, and Paula Hawkins. An ID Book Club SelectionLeslie Flores … Hawkins.
An ID Book Club Selection
Leslie Flores has the perfect life—a loving husband, a happy newborn, and a New Mexico home straight out of a magazine. She’s been the perfect daughter, too, taking care of her ailing father in his final days. But Leslie has a dark secret—and it’s an expensive secret to keep. When she discovers she won’t receive a penny of her inheritance unless she finds her estranged sister, Robin, she sets out to track her down. Instead, upon arriving at Robin’s apartment, Leslie discovers her body.
Just as Leslie begins to panic, she meets a charismatic aspiring actress named Mary who bears a striking resemblance to Robin—and has every reason to leave her past behind. The two women make a bargain: Mary will impersonate Robin for a week in exchange for Robin’s half of the cash. Neither realizes how high the stakes will become when Mary takes a dead woman’s name.
Even as Mary begins to suspect Leslie is hiding something, and Leslie realizes the stranger living in her house has secrets of her own, Robin’s wild, troubled legacy threatens to eclipse them both. Fans of Megan Abbott, Gillian Flynn, and Paula Hawkins will relish this darkly addictive portrait of the ties that bind and the secrets we all keep from one another.
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This is a good plot, interesting characters & satisfying end, yet I have so many issues with the writing style. I just couldn’t gel with the narrative which made the story feel quite flat. I think the idea is great but could have been executed better. Some may enjoy this for the twists & turns but it’s not really for me.
Smart, sinister, and utterly engrossing — this debut delivers.
The Better Liar just kept getting better and better and better.
Tanen Jones shifts effortlessly between narrators and story lines, and delivers one hell of a twist. I couldn’t wait to finish but did not want it to end. This is the best kind of thriller!
Ending wasn’t that good a father dies the sister who is the good sister takes care of him until he finally dies. The father put the estranged younger sister in the will. Older sister has try and find the younger sister.
I hate how authors are writing each chapter from a different point of view now. I gave up because it was so sloooooow.
This book is EXACTLY why I love debut authors. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, she surprised me with another twist. And the ending was just too much for words! Good thing I’m not a writer. If you want a fun book to get lost in for a while, this book is for you! Lots of what could be juicy sisterly machinations. Or is it?
This novel is about Leslie and her sister Robin. Their father has died, and Leslie must track down Robin in order for them to get their inheritance. Leslie believes that her sister is using the name Rachel Vreeland. However, once Leslie arrives in Las Vegas, she finds Rachel dead. But, she finds Mary, who looks somewhat like Robin, and begs Mary to return to New Mexico masquerading as Robin so that they can both get their inheritance checks.
Mary/Robin can’t figure out why Leslie is so desperate to get the $50,000 inheritance. Mary/Robin tries to determine what Leslie is hiding, and decides to investigate.
What Mary/Robin discovers is a surprise, and what she reveals to Leslie is also a surprise in the novel. However, I was not surprised by what Mary/Robin revealed. In fact, I thought it was rather obvious, especially considering the title of the novel.
I admit that I was slightly surprised at how the novel ended, and also by the author’s note on the book. I do feel that this issue needs more exposure and discussion, but I am not sure this novel did it justice.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#TheBetterLiar #TanenJones #NetGalley
/ 5
For a long time while reading The Better Liar by Tanen Jones I wasn’t sure what to think. Once I hit the last few chapters though I was all in and they raised me to a solid 4-star rating.
Reading The Better Liar was like peeling an onion, the more you read the more layers that are pulled away until everything is revealed. It was predictable in some ways for me, and not in others but overall it’s a slow burn that ends with quite the reveal. The last few chapters really got me and there is definitely a strong message at the end of this book.
I really liked the author’s note at the end and apparently I have some things in common with Jones and her feelings on pregnancy and motherhood. The Better Liar is a great debut that hits on mental illness and I’m looking forward to seeing what she writes next.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
Final Thought: I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters, although I did end up feeling bad for Leslie. I really enjoyed the multiple viewpoints and the cat and mouse game, while not always believable, was interesting and I was really wondering where it would end. Not a whole lot happens until the end but as long as you are ok with that and prepared for it I would definitely pick up The Better Liar and give it a try.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Tanen Jones opens with one sister looking for another when she finds a substitute. Thrown together, secrets and lies slowly surface until the reader doesn’t know if the truth exists in anything that is said.
Leslie is a buttoned up, wealthy woman in Las Vegas searching for her sister. Mary is tired of the disappointments people around her have become. When Leslie learns of her sister’s death, she is certain that her father’s inheritance will never be hers. After a drunken night, Leslie things Mary could pose as Robin. With reservations on both parts, the pair set off to Albuquerque.
Will Leslie’s hard, often strange exterior ever show a crack or glimpse of a feeling? Can Mary’s carefree nature be reigned in long enough to convince the lawyer she is Robin?
To say there are many twists and turns in this book would do a disservice to the author. As the story progresses (I cannot be more specific without spoilers), the reader finds secrets to be revealed little by little. However, the reader begins to wonder if the revelation is true or just another lie. Not many “Ahab” moments show up in this book but there are many “Oh, my gosh!” opportunities to be found. With a last “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!” as you close the back cover, you will know that this is one of the best mystery novels ever.
I received an ARC from Random House: Ballantine Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under
Jones has written a compulsively page-turning story. She cleverly drip-feeds nuggets of information, each more surprising than the last, until the final shocking revelation.
All great thriller writers have to be good liars, and Tanen Jones absolutely is. Her debut is a scorching, fascinating read about a dark relationship that will make you turn the mirror to yourself. The Better Liar is binge-worthy all night long.
A fast-paced read that will leave you thinking long after turning the final page.
I can hardly believe The Better Liar is a debut novel — it has three unreliable narrators and a twisty plot, and it dives deep into complicated family relationships.
A gorgeously dark tale of twisted sisterhood — and a gutsy spin on the psycho-thriller… Nicely done, Tanen Jones!
This dangerous story of sisterhood and inheritance will make you question how well you really know those closest to you.
A dark, intriguing exploration of family wounds and the fragility of identity.
Jones expertly ramps up the tension and then delivers twists and turns at breakneck speed.
A brilliantly claustrophobic thriller with a gasp-inducing sting in the tail — tense, controlled, and masterly.
Which of the two main characters is the better liar? I thought I knew. Throughout the entire book, I was sure I knew what the big lie was. And then the big twist happened and whoa. I had to go back and skim certain parts again to see how I’d missed what was so obvious and in front of me the entire time. Although it took me a bit to get into the book, by the sixth or seventh chapter, I was completely hooked!