Everyone Here Is Lying

William Wooler is a family man who is hiding a secret. He had an affair that didn't end so well, and it just so happened to have ended on the same day his 9-year-old daughter, Avery disappeared. This author is a master at suspense. I like the way she unveils the story one layer at a time. Each conversation that the characters have, shows more and more of what really happened but produces more questions than answers. The police are immediately on the case and begin interviewing the family and the neighbors for information, but instead of providing clear answers each person they speak with just seems to complicate the whole mystery. Why did it take William hours to admit that he came home and saw his daughter before she went missing? Why show more does someone leave an anonymous tip saying they saw Avery get into a local teen’s car? Why had Avery’s best friend’s brother supposedly spent time alone with her in a treehouse recently? Each revelation leads to new suspicions. It seems that everyone in town has something to hide and will do anything to conceal their darkest secrets. It becomes obvious very soon that "Everyone Here Is Lying", and no one is going to come out unmarked. show less

Is everyone here really lying? Who is and who isn't? This latest domestic suspense novel from Shari Lapena is just as gripping and entertaining as my favorite book of hers, The Couple Next Door.

Father, husband, and adulterer William Wooler comes home in a foul mood one afternoon after being dumped by his mistress, and he has an altercation with his 9-year old daughter who's supposed to be in school. Then suddenly, she's gone. Vanished. And it seems every neighbor on her block has an interesting story to tell about what they think happened to Avery.

This book is a fascinating missing persons mystery that I couldn't put down. Some of the characters were awful, some were easy to empathize with, but they all added an intriguing voice to the show more story. I enjoyed how the multiple POVs changed often and flowed seamlessly into each other, which kept the pace moving quickly.

I loved how the story wrapped up, but at the same time I thought the ending was too abrupt. When I reached the last page, I said "Nooooo!" The mystery has a satisfying resolution, but I just wanted more. I would definitely recommend this dark domestic thriller to fans of the genre. Well done! show less

William Wheeler has it all - a picture-perfect family, a brilliant career as a doctor, an affair with a beautiful woman. But under the surface things are very different, and when he comes home from a rendezvous with his lover heavily disappointed, he lets his frustration out on his nine year old daughter Avery. Later that day his daughter goes missing, and suddenly, everything changes and nothing is secure.

This novel captured me from the first page and it held my attention throughout. I was totally captivated by the story, as layer by layer, the secrets of the Wheeler family and their acquaintances were revealed. I only have one minor complaint because I couldn't believe that a girl of nine years could really do what Avery does. I think show more it would have been more credible if she was twelve or thirteen years old. Neither do I think that, if policies are not fundamentally different from Germany in that regard, it is realistic that the teacher would just send her home on her own at such a young age). Apart from this, I just loved this book and I kept thinking about it for days after I finished it, not only because it gave me the chills, but because of the portrayal of human relationships and of what may lie underneath the lives of normal people. show less

I listened to the audiobook in about two days. I was really into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it! I gave it 4.5 stars because although I was really into it, I don't know that the story will stick out in my mind in a few months. This was about a nine year old who was evil and smart - but just not quite smart enough due to her narcissism. She was "abducted" - and I will say, I thought it was most of the town and I had the thought at one point that maybe she's hiding somewhere. But I didn't guess she would've gone into the basement on purpose. Devil-ish little child! The fact she murdered the woman is kind of crazy. Good twist, and I felt like most chapters ended with a good twist, and a super quick read!

Nora and William have been having an affair, but when Nora tells William it’s over, he heads home assuming no one will be there. Unfortunately, his willful 9-year old daughter, Avery (with ADHD and something else) is there; she has been sent home early from school. William loses his temper with her, hits her, and apologizes. Next thing you know, Avery is missing.

This was quite good. It didn’t take long to get moving and everyone – it seems – has something to hide! I was surprised that something was revealed about half-way (?) through the book (maybe a bit more), so earlier than I would have expected, but there was, of course, more to come. The story came out via following many different characters, including one of the show more detectives. Wow, Avery was a pain in the butt – sure didn’t like her. I wasn’t crazy about the end – it seemed almost unfinished; I certainly would have liked to know what happened after. show less

Shari Lapena is one of my fave authors. I don't read the synopsis of Lapena's books before I dive into reading, as I like to be surprised. Everyone Here is Lying has just released and it was a surprise - a very good one!

From the outside - a nice neighbourhood. From the inside, not so much....

Everyone Here is Lying opens with a bang. A nine year old girl goes missing - seemingly without a trace. The police start their investigation by interviewing family, then friends and then the neighbours. And...you guessed it, there's more than one liar.

But everything is not revealed right away. Lapena slowly and deliciously discloses the secrets of the residents through their own thoughts and the police interviews.

The two police are characters I show more would be happy to see again - especially Gully. The neighbours? Not so much. Lapena does a great job building the characters, giving them realistic emotions and actions.

I have to say I was caught off guard with the unexpected development in part three. What a good twist! A few details ask the reader to suspend disbelief, which I happily did.

If you like their psychology suspense and unreliable characters, you'll enjoy Everyone Here is Lying. show less

When reading this domestic thriller, my mind kept quoting Sir Walter Scott: “Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive.”

Nine-year-old Avery Wooler goes missing. The last known person to see her was her father William who lost his temper with his difficult daughter and slapped her. He claims to have left the house so he could go cool off, but then she disappears. As the police investigate, a lot of secrets are uncovered and many lives are turned upside down.

The novel offers multiple perspectives: Avery’s parents and brother, several neighbours, a police detective. Because there are so many characters, all of whom seem to lie about something, the suspect list is long. Most of the people are not particularly show more likeable. Neighbours even turn on neighbours. The problem with having such a large cast of characters is that many remain rather one-dimensional.

The pace is fast with new revelations and twists so I found my interest never wavered. The ending is abrupt and leaves loose ends, but I thought it appropriate. Anything more would be superfluous.
My issue is with the thought processes, dialogue, and behaviour of one character. Given the person’s age, the sheer wickedness and manipulation are not believable. The reader must be willing to suspend disbelief.

This lack of realism is a flaw, but otherwise the book is very good. It highlights the many secrets that can be hidden in a neighbourhood and the lies people will tell to protect themselves and others they love. With short chapters, it’s a quick read that definitely entertains.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski). show less