Lies Like Poison

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Who you gonna call?” the man asked, in this jovial tone that made her think he was going to start humming the Ghostbusters theme song. Everything about this was absurd. Belle wanted to tell herself it was a dream, because none of this could be happening, except . . . the rest of the night had been incredibly vivid. Those lips, trailing across her skin. Those hands, warm and familiar. Bright eyes. Mischievous smile. They’d hardly touched over the past few years, and yet, everything was exactly the way it had been the first time they’d held hands. It’s, um . . . it’s me,” she managed, dashing away the tears with her free hand. “Please don’t hang up.” How did Mrs. Holloway die? she asked softly. Every word that came out of her mouth, she analyzed. Did she sound innocent just then? Did she sound guilty? She wasn’t guilty, she swore to herself over and over again, but it was hard to believe that with cuffs around her wrists. It was harder to believe when the police station came into view. Unreliable narrators still need to be reliable in how or why they are unreliable. Are they delusional and have a penchant for exaggeration? Are they extremely naive and have a limited way of understanding events that unfold around them? Are they psychologically impaired in some way--psychopaths who are detached from reality? Are they simply just liars by character? Wait, what? Belle’s vision blurred and the officer’s mouth stopped making noise, even though it was moving. Raven’s stepmother is dead? I thought you were here for—

Sometimes their unreliability is by omission-- hiding information from readers, from each other, and more critically, from themselves. They never once think about or mention key reveals when it is natural for that particular character in that particular train of thought or situation to be thinking about that particular reveal. I don't consider this clever narration, rather deliberate authorial manipulation.Ye-yes,” she said, managing to stumble over one word. Great. That didn’t bode well for the rest of the conversation. But she could lie about who’d been tangled in her arms that night. She’d gotten very good at keeping secrets. Just… not from the cops. You’re under arrest for the murder of Evelyn Holloway. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used— Detective Medina sighed. So no one saw you entering the Drake residence? No one can corroborate your story? Book Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Fiction, LGBT, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Young Adult Contemporary

Ye—yes,” she said, managing to stumble over one word. Great. That didn’t bode well for the rest of the conversation. But she could lie about who’d been tangled in her arms that night. She’d done it before. She’d done it a lot. Just . . . not to the cops.Riverdale meets Karen M. McManus’s Two Can Keep a Secret in this “twisty, sumptuous dark fairy tale of a mystery” (Kara Thomas, author of The Cheerleaders) about estranged friends who reunite when someone commits the murder they’d planned—but didn’t go through with—and leaves one of their own to take the fall. It had such a pretty name,” the man said, catching her eye in the mirror. “You have any guesses, Belladonna?” Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was an exciting thriller with four queer main characters, a m/m and f/f romance and discussing abuse, trauma and other topics. It was full of exciting reveals, morally grey characters and most importantly queer found family!! Overall, this was a solid murder-mystery that points out the importance of standing up for what you believe and making a family and future of your own. This book had all the makings of a great book - childhood friends, a murder, and a mystery. But sadly, it just all fell flat to me. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and everything just felt over dramatic and forced.

From the unsolved robbery of Raven's biological mother, to the now murder of his step-mother. The police have been a negligible force, entering the story only when the plot requires it to be relevant. The neighbors might’ve noticed me sneaking out around two thirty. She flashed a taunting smile. If you’re good at what you do, I’m sure you can drum up some evidence. Wait, what?” Belle’s vision blurred and the officer’s mouth stopped making noise, even though it was moving. “Raven’s stepmother is dead? I thought you were here for—” I… How much should she say? These conversations were probably recorded. But even if they were, they couldn’t be used in a court of law without her permission. Right? You had to agree to be recorded or it was inadmissible. She knew this, because three years earlier, she’d studied her rights. She’d prepared to be arrested after she put her plan into action. But the night before the murder, someone had gotten cold feet.

Anyway, in the end, everything was so convoluted and just a tiny bit forced, which really took away from the full immersion of the story. The actual turn of events itself managed to be both predictable and disappointing. Predictable as in you know it's always a love interest. Disappointing as in one of the "villains" turns out to be a character who was introduced in the, I wanna say, last 35% of the book.

Taking a shaky breath, she hurried to the first floor. Opened the front door. Blinked up at the officer and said, “Hello? Is everything okay?” How did Mrs. Holloway die?” she asked softly. Every word that came out of her mouth, she analyzed. Did she sound innocent just then? Did she sound guilty? She wasn’t guilty, she told herself over and over again, but it was hard to believe that with cuffs around her wrists. It was harder to believe when the police station came into view.

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A journey into the dark corners of friendship.” —Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species All right, I mean, why lie about it in the first place? Lying about it to yourself, even? Other than to forcefully make us readers question Belle's reliability, that is? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This book took the absent parent trope to a new level. If any of the parents in this book were just the tiniest bit responsible or even, I dunno, mature, so many things would never have taken place. The only believable explanation as to why they didn't sit together and chat is because they suspect each other as being the killer and trying to frame one another. Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at the hands of his stepmother, they came up with a lethal plan to stop her from ever hurting Raven again. But someone got cold feet, the plot faded to a secret of the past, and the group fell apart.