Title: All The Little Liars
Author: Victoria Selman
Publisher: Quercus
Synopsis:
What REALLY happened at Turtle Lake? You think you know. Think again.
California, 2003
A thirteen-year-old girl disappears from a party at Carlsbad’s Turtle Lake. Discovered on the trunk of a nearby cottonwood tree is the word ‘LIAR’ graffitied in blood.What you know . . .
Three teenagers went to the lake that night but only two came back. Later, they confess to murdering their friend.. . . is only part of the story
But did they really kill her? And if not, why say they did?Told across two timelines and tapping into a horrific crime, All the Little Liars is a novel about sisterly love and toxic friendship that asks: how much would you sacrifice to belong?
My review:
All The Little Liars is an incredibly readable thriller in the style of a true crime story mixed with plenty of suspense. What happened to the thirteen year old girl that went missing after sneaking off to a party with two of her friends?
The book is told in a dual timeline, which helps to build suspense and keep the reader guessing. We view events through the eyes of the younger sister of one of the girls as she recounts their time growing up in the period before and after the party, and how their lives changed forever. We also join her in the present day, as an adult. The case from years ago seems to be back on someone’s radar, and we slowly start to piece together what really happened…
I loved that this book has you thinking one way, until you click that things aren’t what your originally thought. The twists and surprises, some sudden and some a slow dawning of realisation, kept me gripped. I would recommend not reading too much about this one before you start, like I tried not to, as it was even more of a satisfying read.
The characters are well-developed and believable. Some are less than likeable but all of them add to the air of mystery – who can we trust, and who knows what really happened that night, other than the young girls who were there? I raced through this novel, and found it satisfyingly addictive, like the other great books I’ve read by this author. Definitely recommended!
My rating: 4.5/5
Many thanks to the publisher, Quercus, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.