By: Shari Lapena
Narrator: January LaVoy
Penguin Audio
ISBN: 978-0593489932
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication Date: 07/25/2023
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars
Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
“Lapena is a master of manipulation.” —USA Today
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 Review
Shari Lapena returns following Not a Happy Family with her latest— EVERYONE HERE IS LYING —a child goes missing with many suspects and secrets in this gripping neighborhood domestic suspense/procedural.
Welcome to the idyllic neighborhood of Stanhope. Where everyone is LYING.
Dr. William Wooler (wife Erin) is having an affair with Nora (husband Al), a hospital volunteer, and is leaving the hotel where they rendezvous. She has called it off since both are married with children.
Not in a good mood when he arrives home, William is upset and finds his 9-year-old daughter, Avery, alone. She was kicked out of music due to her behavior. She and her dad have words. He leaves the house to cool off and leaves her alone. Avery is quite challenging and manipulative. (little monster)
His wife, Erin, later calls to report her missing after the brother, Michael, checks the house, the woods surrounding their property, checks with friends, and the school. William is not forthcoming about when he was home with her before her disappearance. How did she vanish?
The police open an investigation interviewing friends, family, and neighbors, and it appears something sinister is happening because everyone is hiding something.
From the delay in William's statement about his timelines, an anonymous tip about Avery getting into a local teen's car, Avery's best friend's brother had spent time alone with her in the treehouse, and more.
Everyone claims to want her found; however, at the same time, most are lying to protect their secrets and privacy than to find the missing girl.
What happened to Avery?
Now Stanhope does not feel safe. There is more than one hiding dark secrets, and the neighborhood goes crazy with gossip, drama, backstabbing, and hypocrisy.
EVERYONE HERE IS LYING is Complex, twisty, and multi-layered; as always, Lapena is a pro at spinning domestic suspense thrillers and exploring ordinary lives that crosses moral lines and the lengths they will go to protect their secrets. Plus, the complicated ripples and fall out of their behavior.
Set in a small town with multiple points of view, exploring emotionally-charged dark topics such as domestic violence and child abuse, which the author handles with sensitivity. A group of unlikeable but fascinating characters, many suspects, and misdirection, which will have you second-guessing everyone in this whodunit. My only con is a lack of character development.
A popcorn thriller. If you enjoy twisty neighborhood secrets with an ongoing mystery, EVERYONE HERE IS LYING is for you. Lapena fans will enjoy this one.
I look forward to listening to the audiobook narrated by (favorite) January LaVoy.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 25, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
Praise
“Lapena is a master of manipulation.” —USA Today
“Shari Lapena has proved herself a master of twisty domestic thrillers, and her latest is no exception . . . You may think you have it figured out multiple times throughout the story, but the true final twist doesn’t come until the last page.”
—Glamour.com
“I devoured Everyone Here Is Lying in under ten hours. The most addictive book I've read in ages--so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant.”
—Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Remains
“I read Everyone Here Is Lying in a single day--her best book yet, hands down.”
—John Boyne, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Broken Places
“Gripping, clever, and tightly plotted, Everyone Here Is Lying showcases Shari Lapena at her absolute best. I was utterly transfixed. A must-read.”
—Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author of The Sanatorium
“Everyone Here Is Lying is a Shari Lapena signature read: a taut, clever, chilling ride of manipulation and family secrets, with a terrifying question at its core—what if you can't believe the very people you love the most? Lapena masterfully builds a chain of suspense through the unsuspecting neighbors of Connaught Street, and no family is spared. Prepare to be consumed!”
—Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push
“Shari Lapena delivers another brilliant, propulsive thriller in Everyone Here Is Lying. Sharply observed and at times unexpectedly touching, the novel deftly unpicks a tangled knot of deceit and intrigue until the most shocking truth is revealed. I defy you to put it down until you know what happened to Avery Wooler.”
—Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of The Long Weekend
“Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena is WILD. A very satisfying thriller.”
—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist
“Shari Lapena has proved herself a master of twisty domestic thrillers, and her latest is no exception . . . You may think you have it figured out multiple times throughout the story, but the true final twist doesn’t come until the last page.”
—Glamour
“Everyone Here Is Lying is a perfectly plotted thriller that moves whip-fast. It’s filled with lies, betrayals, and so many twists. The ending will make your heart stop. Without a doubt, my new favorite book by Shari Lapena.”
—Samantha Downing, bestselling author of For Your Own Good
“Seek out this book. Shari Lapena is a modern master of the psychological thriller and all of her considerable talents are at work in Everyone Here Is Lying.”
—Steve Cavanagh, bestselling author of The Accomplice
“An incredibly clever set-up that made for one of the most gripping and surprising thrillers I’ve read in a while. A one-sitting read.”
—Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of Distress Signals
“I adored Everyone Here Is Lying. With plots intricately woven, characters skillfully drawn, and shifting narratives that kept me on my toes, I inhaled this book. The pace never flags, the twists are fiendishly clever, and the writing is as perfect as can be.”
—Liz Nugent, bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond
“I was obsessed with Everyone Here Is Lying and read it in less than two days, desperate to know what had happened to Avery Wooler. The set-up is so clever with each resident having something to hide that I never knew who to trust. Fast paced, tightly-plotted and with twists so well executed they floored me. Loved every word!”
—Claire Douglas, author of The Girls Who Disappeared
“Everyone Here Is Lying is classic Shari Lapena. Impossible to know what’s coming next. Just like The Couple Next Door, you simply can’t put it down.”
—Robert Gold, author of Twelve Secrets and Eleven Liars
“As usual, Lapena offers a clever, disturbing page-turner with deeply flawed characters and a stunning conclusion.”
—Booklist
“Say hello to another twisty domestic thriller from Shari Lapena. . . You’ll be clinging to every page as neighbors step forward to share what they know, all while harboring their own dark secrets.”
—Readers Digest
“The suspense here is real; Lapena does a great job of exposing layers of domestic dishonesty and betrayal one conversation at a time...[Everyone Here Is Lying] succeeds as a domestic thriller and procedural.”
—Kirkus
About the Author
Photo: Tristan Ostler
Shari Lapena is the internationally bestselling author of the thrillers The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Someone We Know, The End of Her, and Not a Happy Family, which have all been New York Times and The Sunday Times (London) bestsellers. Her books have been sold in thirty-nine territories around the world. She lives in Toronto, and Everyone Here Is Lying is her eighth thriller. WEBSITE
