Release Date: Expected 6th July 2023
Publisher: Random House UK | Transworld Publishers | Bantam Press
Welcome to Stanhope! A safe neighborhood. A place for families.
William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing.
Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged. Who took Avery Wooler?
"His daughter has a history of telling lies. He does, too, but his wife doesn't know that."
Shari Lapena is one of those authors that whatever book you pick up, you can safely say you know you're going to be entertained for the next few hours.
From the moment we meet our main narrator, Will, I don't exactly like him. He's having an affair, he's short tempered, angry and selfish. But there's also something very human and vulnerable about him - it's clear he's the villain or the victim depending on where you're looking from, and most of the characters we meet are like that. I can't say I liked any of the adult characters at all, but I was intrigued by them as they were all clearly not the good guys, but not the bad guys exactly either. We hear from Nora, who just ended her affair with Will, from Will's Son who was meant to take Avery home, from their neighbours and the police involved - every single person is holding onto something, a little piece of a bigger story - and they're all lying about something.
The story keeps the reader at arms length, leaving us to figure out which lies are the ones we're looking for. It's intense, suffocating and moves slowly through scenes of a normal domestic neighbourhood but feeling like something dark is lurking around the corner. It's manipulative and full of misdirection - but makes sure we know we're being lied to, we see them being told, see everyone as a potential suspect. The mystery is full of rumours, hearsay, lies and confusion - being pushed one way then another, in a quiet, whispering kind of way that makes this so easy to read in one sitting.
There's a few moments that felt weird to me, but I'm fairly certain Lapena added them to show how stereotypes are often used in the justice system rather than her own views, like a young man with Autism being accused, reporting the 'weird' kids or immediately jumping to the conclusion it's someone with priors. The ending I will admit was a total curveball and was wickedly delightful, but I did feel like the hoops we had to jump through to get there didn't quite pay off during the reveal, it being totally out of left-field left me thinking there could've been something else in the build-up aside from all red herrings.
Everyone Here is Lying is an entertaining procedural with the biting electricity of a thriller. Cinematic and dramatic, this is the kind of book you're definitely going to read in one brilliant sitting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review. Thank you to Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part. Please check content warnings before reading as this title contains sensitive content such as mentions of grooming, domestic violence and abuse.
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