Jerry Jennings's Reviews > One of Us Is Lying

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus (2017) is a Young Adult (14 and up) murder mystery. Mysteries can be very appealing to a Young Adult audiences, especially when the plot weaves many suspects into such a tight web - so that readers turning the ‘next page’ of the book becomes the only way to confirm or negate the readers’s suspicions.
One of Us Is Lying is tight and intriguing.
Karen M. McManus has created four suspects and the victim from the same high school. The suspects don’t have a lot in common. We learn about them and the victim and this becomes a strong ‘who-done-it’ with of shifting and complex information coming in at a fast pace.
The topics are obviously serious. The police are investigating a murder.
This would be a great novel for YA readers to discuss with teachers, parents or friends that have read the book. There are important, real life, topics ripe for discussion - there is: bullying, social status issues, rumors, secrets, eating disorder issues, kids drinking, kids being offered drugs, mental health issues and more. Thoughtful discussions can come from many directions given the wide array of provocative situations this work of realistic fiction presents.
This book is popular: McManus has written sequels. Plus, One of Us Is Lying has been made into a TV series and will begin streaming in October of 2021 on Peacock.