Title: Everyone Here is Lying
Author: Shari Lapena
Publisher: Bantam Press
Synopsis:
Welcome to Stanhope – a safe neighbourhood. 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 neighbours become increasingly unhinged.
Who took Avery Wooler? Nothing will prepare you for the truth.
My review:
Everyone Here is Lying is the first book I’ve read from an author I’ve wanted to try for a long time, having seen some great reviews of her other works. Now I’ve read this, I’m excited to read more of her back catalogue!
We’re following the Wooller family, whose daughter Avery has disappeared. Her father William is having an affair that abruptly ended that day, and led to him hitting nine year old Avery who then disappears. William can’t tell the truth about why he was at home that day to risk exposing his affair, but as time ticks by and Avery is still missing, things start to unravel, and we start to realise that everyone , not just William but his family, their friends and their neighbours, all seem to have their own secrets…
The characters in this novel are intriguing and, though there are lots of different people involved, it’s easy to keep track of them all. They may not necessarily all be likeable, but they feel convincing, and I’d have happily read more about them.
I loved the pacing in this novel. It’s fast and addictive, tempting the reader to keep turning those pages, without feeling rushed or overdramatic. In fact, this novel avoids unnecessary drama despite it being classed as a thriller – it mostly feels quite understated, yet still manages to be utterly absorbing.
The only thing that stuck a bit for me was the fact that Avery was supposed to only be 9 years old, yet felt like she behaved far older than this. Then again, I don’t have kids so that could just be me!
We have plenty of suspects to explore and lots of twists in this novel, making it incredibly easy to get lost in! I loved Everyone Here is Lying and can’t wait to read more by Shari Lapena!