Annie Ward

A tangled web of lies draws together three women in this explosive thriller of revenge, murder and shocking secrets At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an 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 overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome assistant athletic director Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs. But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems the tension between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town--where people stop at nothing to get what they want.

The Lying Club

Catherine Duplessis

I have mixed feelings about this one.

I liked the setup of the story. The rich dysfunctional families, the secrets, the tight-knit, but not-so-tight community. I liked that the three women / families all had their own problems. It fit in their own very different storylines / points of view.

The main problem with this book is that on the cover it says three women, TWO bodies and one big lie. The second body was for me the biggest mystery and it ended up being too much of a stretch (without spoiling it).

I liked the ending, but I thought it dragged on a little too long. Once you know who did it and why. The story kept twisting and twisting back, and because of the type of crime it ends up being about, there was pretty much only one (maybe two) ending option that wasn't going to get the author cancelled. The character couldn't get away with it.

(The main crime / ending in this book is disgusting. I don't want to spoil anything, so I would really recommend checking trigger warnings if certain topics are hard for you to read.)

Totally Addicted to Reading

The Lying Club by Annie Ward, shares a thrilling story featuring about 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 persons 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 could 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. 

Jeff Sexton

Kira McKenzie

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.

The Lying Club

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