One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus - OPTIONAL

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus, 358 pages. Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House), 2017. $17.99

Language: R (187 swears, 25 “f”); Mature Content: PG (homosexual and heterosexual content); Violence: PG13 (school shootings and other things that would spoil the book if I disclosed them)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Five students walk into detention. Only four students walk out. Thrown together by unexpected circumstances, these four students accused of murder work together to rebuild their lives when no one else will believe them.

Focused around a murder, I would put One of Us is Lying under a thriller or murder mystery category, but this book is so much more than that. McManus weaves together a message about how powerful media—social media, the news, etc.—can be for good as well as for bad amidst the uncovering of an antagonist you both hate and respect.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen