The Lies They Tell
Written by Gillian French
Narrated by Caitlin Davies
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
With shades of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars and Courtney Summers’s Sadie, this dark and twisted mystery set in a divided Maine seaside town simmers with unresolved tensions and unpredictable truths.
Everyone in Tenney’s Harbor knows about the Garrison tragedy. How an unexplained fire ravaged their house, killing four of the five family members. But what people don’t know is who did it.
All fingers point at Pearl Haskins’ father, who was the caretaker of the property, but Pearl just doesn’t believe it. Leave it to a town of rich people to blame “the help.”
With her disgraced father now trying to find work in between booze benders, Pearl’s future doesn’t hold much more than waiting tables at the local country club, where the wealthy come to flaunt their money and spread their gossip. This year, Tristan, the last surviving Garrison, and his group of affluent and arrogant friends have made a point of sitting in Pearl’s section. Though she’s repulsed by most of them, Tristan’s quiet sadness and somber demeanor have her rethinking her judgments.
Befriending the boys could mean getting closer to the truth, clearing her father’s name, and giving Tristan the closure he seems to be searching for. But it could also trap Pearl in a sinister web of secrets, lies, and betrayals that would leave no life unchanged…if it doesn’t take hers first.
Gillian French
Gillian French is the author of The Lies They Tell, The Missing Season, and Edgar Award finalist Grit, which was an Indie Next List pick and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and ALA Booklist. She holds a BA in English from the University of Maine and lives in Maine with her husband and sons. www.gillianfrench.com.
Related to The Lies They Tell
Related audiobooks
The Last Witness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies Like Poison Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Broken Things Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Lie Will Kill You Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nobody Knows But You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We All Fall Down Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5See All the Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Clique Bait Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Best Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Six Months Later Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl in the Picture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All of This Is True: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Secret History of Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Girl Lied To Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Was Lost Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Told Six Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Can't Look Away Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5With Malice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bad Girls with Perfect Faces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Leaving Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Follow Me Back Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You Were Never Here Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5All Your Twisted Secrets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Eyes on Her Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl I Used to Be Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Danger to Herself and Others Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Color of Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Darkness Mine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
YA Mysteries & Thrillers For You
We Don't Swim Here Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sadie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Delicious Monsters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Firekeeper's Daughter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Weight of Blood Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lightlark Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Butterfly Assassin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That's Not My Name Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior Girl Unearthed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hummingbird Killer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Monday's Not Coming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Grace Year: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Safest Lies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Midnight Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Their Vicious Games Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ace of Spades Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stars and Smoke Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girls with Sharp Sticks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Total Strangers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vanishing Stair Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Promise Boys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nine Liars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is Our Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5White Smoke Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Icarus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Deserve Monuments Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Grown Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Lies They Tell
53 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The story was well written and descriptive. The details and descriptions left me able to visualize the story, the place, and the characters. I found parts to be gripping and to draw me in. However, I found the overall story to be a bit predictable. The psychological aspects more overt than subtle, left me hoping I was wrong in my expectation for where it was going. I wanted to come to the end and find a crazy twist that I never saw coming, but I found myself disappointed when it ended rather predictably. I enjoyed the book, but it is not something I would seek to read again or to find more stories like it.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It really was a good book, ending seemed a little rushed.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This twisty mystery takes place in a town in Maine where the townies and tourists are sharply divided groups. Everyone knows about the Garrison tragedy where the father, mother, sister and younger brother of Tristan Garrison on Christmas Eve. The house was set on fire to conceal the fact that they were all shot to death. Tristan is the only survivor because he was away skiing with friends. Pearl's father was the night watchman and lost his job and most of his other rich customers as a result of the tragedy.When summer comes again and with it Tristan and his rich friends, Pearl who works as a waitress at the country club decides to see if she can find out what led to the tragedy. She wants to clear her father's name. Catching the attention of one of Tristan's devoted followers, she insinuates herself into the group of rich kids and discovers all sorts of secrets about their lives.She even becomes fascinated with Tristan who is having difficulty rebuilding his life though he hasn't lost his grip on his social set. Her investigation is also jeopardizing her relationship with her best friend Reese. Although their relationship is already changing as Pearl realizes that she wants him as a boyfriend at the same time that he is building a relationship with another girl.I liked the family dynamics in this story as Pearl tries to cope with a father who is turning more and more to alcohol and a mother who left the family but still wants a relationship with Pearl. The mystery was intriguing too.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It takes a special writer to 'get' the essence of Maine when writing fiction. Nowhere is this apparent than when creating a story that features natives VS PFAs (People From Away). In this dark and gritty story, Gillian French nails both groups perfectly. Having grown up near the coast and later serving as library director in a wealthy Maine community, I know of what I speak. The characters, setting and slow reveal are all done just right, leaving those still standing at the end, scarred, but with enough hope to keep going. The ending is perfect.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was my first book by Gillian French and I really enjoyed it. The story wasn’t exactly original, but I was deeply involved in helping the main character figure “out who did it”. Some of her choices aren’t the best, but this is an 18-year-old character. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tenney's Harbor, Maine a place with a large influx of the summer families, those westhy families who live in the big houses. Pearl, seventeen, lives here with her dad who is a caretaker for those big estates. Pearl herself works at the country club serving the wealthy. Then something happens, one of the family's estate starts on fire, a fire that will cause the death of four members of the family, except for the teensge son Tristan who was away at the time. Pearls life changes as her Dad is unofficially blamed for the fire, or at least not stopping whoever set it. It will cost him many of his caretaking jobs as many cancel his services.Pearl decides to investigate by becoming friends with the son and his friends. I enjoyed Pearls loyalty to her father, loved how she wanted to find her own snswers. Of course she finds things that spurs her on, and this turns into a nice little mystery. Written for the YA audience, no blood no gore, I appreciated this straightforward mystery, something little found in adult thrillers nowadays. Took me back to my Nancy Drew past. The ending a little predictable, but did enjoy the journey to get there.ARC from Edelweiss.