The Lying Club

by Annie Ward

Three women. Two bodies. One big lie...

'Shocking and scandalous' Cosmopolitan, Best Books of 2022

'Dark and compelling' Liv Constantine

'An edgy, addictive read about the lengths people go to in the name of love' Heather Gudenkauf

'Clever and brilliantly written' Karen Hamilton

At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, a tangled web of lies draws together three vastly different women. Natalie, a young office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school moms she deals with every day. Women like Brooke-a gorgeous heiress, ferociously loving mother and serial cheater-and Asha, an overachieving and overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair.

Their fates are bound by their relationships with the handsome, charming assistant athletic director Nicholas, who Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs. But when two bodies are carried out of the school early one morning, it seems the jealousy between mothers and daughters, rival lovers and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town-a town where people will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Set in a world of vast ranches, chalet-style apartments and mountain mansions, The Lying Club is a juicy thriller of revenge, murder and a shocking conspiracy-one in which the victims aren't who you might think.

• ISBN10: 1787472809
• ISBN13: 9781787472808
• Publish Date: 3 March 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Quercus Publishing
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Every now and then, I'll come across a cover that just screams 'read me!' This time around, it was The Lying Club by Annie Ward. Though I'll confess the pitch (being perfect for fans of Little Fires Everywhere) was enough to get me really excited for this read.

You know that say, nothing is ever what it seems? One lovely tiny town home to an elite private school is about to learn that lesson the hard way. On the surface, everything about this school looks perfect, especially to Natalie, an office assistant within the school. She wishes she could be like the mothers she sees day in and day out.

Up until two bodies are found on the school grounds, that changes those daydreams pretty quickly, as Natalie and the rest of the school are thrown into a net of suspicion and worse.

“Here's to getting away with it.”

The Lying Club is certainly a twisting and turning thriller if ever I've seen one! The title is likewise entirely accurate – though I was expecting that much (obviously). I did love the whole core concept: soccer moms who are far different from the image they present to the world.

At first, it seems like all of the conflicts in this book will be catty: lying, cheating, bad friends, etc. But once the story gets going, it quickly becomes apparent that there's a hidden depth (and darkness) to the story. Again, I quite liked that twist.

Unfortunately, I do think this book lacked a certain amount of pull. I think it might have been the characters – Annie Ward did too good of a job with them, making them impossible to like. Therefore, it was pretty difficult to read from their perspectives without wanting to scream.

Overall, I'd say that The Lying Club was an interesting read. Not my favorite thriller out there, but certainly not one I regretted reading.

Thanks to Park Row and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Lying Club by Annie Ward, shares a thrilling story featuring rich and entitled teenagers; and their mothers who will do anything in their power to ensure their child's success.  This cleverly written tale will slowly draw the reader in and keep them hooked until the end.

The Lying Club delivered a scintillating and twisted tale of murder, secrets, manipulation, gaslighting and revenge. The story began with the discovery of two bodies in the school gymnasium. However, the story gave no clue as to the victims’ identities until about the last twenty-five percent of the story. Natalie, the office assistant for the elite school, was fingered as the suspect for one of the victims. She was believed to be the last one to see this person alive. But did she do it, or was she just in the wrong place at the time? She certainly had motive and opportunity. But so did many other people in this twisted tale.

The Lying Club provided details of the events prior to and after the tragedy. Majority of the characters had issues and frankly not very likeable. All, except for Natalie, had a sense of entitlement because of their status in life. Natalie, on the other hand, obsesses about being a part of this crowd which led to her doing questionable things. As the story dug into her past, my connection with her grew.

Now, with all honesty, I did not sympathize with the person the authorities suspected Natalie of killing. The person in question displayed a narcissistic personality. The story kept me on the edge of my seat as the events in the past connected with the present. As the story moved between the before and after events, the suspense grew. This made putting the book down a difficult task.

Fans of psychological thrillers would get a thrill out of The Lying Club with its well-crafted plot, twists, suspense and dramatic turn of events. This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

[Jeff Sexton]

Slow Start Yet Overall Satisfying. This is one of those books that starts a bit slow and has a LOT of moving parts and thus can be a touch difficult to keep track of at times, even for those of us who like this type of setup. One where there is little action and it seems a touch pointless at times... until the back parts of the book where the action truly finally picks up steam and gets fairly suspenseful. And yet, by the end all is tied up neatly - perhaps a bit too neatly, and the epilogue is perhaps unneeded as well. Ultimately a strong book that arguably tries to do a bit too much - but still largely succeeds in telling its tale its way. Very much recommended.