Dark and Shallow Lies

by Ginny Myers Sain

A teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power.

La Cachette, Louisiana, is the worst place to be if you have something to hide.
 
This tiny town, where seventeen-year-old Grey spends her summers, is the self-proclaimed Psychic Capital of the World—and the place where Elora Pellerin, Grey's best friend, disappeared six months earlier.
 
Grey can't believe that Elora vanished into thin air any more than she can believe that nobody in a town full of psychics knows what happened. But as she digs into the night that Elora went missing, she begins to realize that everybody in town is hiding something—her grandmother Honey; her childhood crush Hart; and even her late mother, whose secrets continue to call to Grey from beyond the grave.
 
When a mysterious stranger emerges from the bayou—a stormy-eyed boy with links to Elora and the town's bloody history—Grey realizes that La Cachette's past is far more present and dangerous than she'd ever understood. Suddenly, she doesn't know who she can trust. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent—and La Cachette's dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.

• ISBN10: 0593463803
• ISBN13: 9780593463802
• Publish Date: 7 September 2021 (first published 2 September 2021)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Razorbill
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Dark and Shallow Lies is the debut novel of Ginny Myers Sain, and guys – I am officially adding her to my auto-read list, as I was so blown away by this book.

La Cachette, Louisiana, may seem like a town where no crime goes unanswered – for it is a small town inhabited almost entirely by psychics. Yes, you read that right. This is the town that Grey hails from, though she is one of the rare few without a known talent.

When her best friend goes missing, Grey knows that she must return home. If for no other reason than to come to terms with what has happened. One would think that those within the town would quickly find Elora – or her body. But that would require the town to open the floodgates for all the other horrid secrets hidden within.

"Knowing is hard, but it's a thing you can survive. The not knowing will kill you in the end. It's the secrets that fester."

Now, this is exactly the sort of novel that I need in my life! A paranormal young adult thriller with lots of suspense and drama? Yes, please! Seriously, I was blown away by Dark and Shallow Lies and was so sad when it ended.

Again, not because it was an upsetting end (the ending was quite perfect if you ask me) – but because it was over. I didn't want to say goodbye to this world. Not even for a second. Realistically, I know that this is a standalone novel, but I would not say no to this being the beginning of a series. A town full of psychics is so ripe for tales, don't you think?

"The dead? They lie. Just like the rest of us."

To be clear, Dark and Shallow Lies is not what I would call light reading. It covers child death, abuse, and missing persons. It does not shy away from these elements, as they are a huge part of what makes the town so messed up.

But those layers and layers of secrets are part of what makes Dark and Shallow Lies such a thrilling novel to read. It's impossible to guess who is behind what or even the reason behind their lies. It's twisted and fascinating, in all the best ways. I want more like this, please!

Thanks to Razorbill and #BookishFirst for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks