With an opening line like "A podcaster decided to ruin my life, so I'm buying a chicken," I was prepared for the humor in this book. It is also a clever and thrilling mystery!
Five years ago, Lucy Chase was found wandering in the town of Plumpton, Texas, in clothes stained with the blood of her best friend, Savannah Harper. A head injury and amnesia left Lucy unable to recall any details of what happened. Sympathy quickly turns to suspicion in the small town, even though Lucy has never been charged. She moves to LA to escape the scrutiny.

When Ben Owens decides to do a podcast looking into Savannah's murder, Lucy's anonymity disappears and she is reluctantly convinced by her grandmother, Beverly, to return to Plumpton.

The story is told alternately through Lucy and through episodes of the podcast. Lucy is both eager and reluctant to recover her memory, but mostly she just wants to know what happened to Savvy. The podcast and fragments of Lucy's lost memory reveal new information that shines suspicion on several people. It also reveals that there was more to both Lucy and Savannah than met the eye.

Tintera draws you in with a clever mystery that twists back and forth in a way that has you wanting to find out more. It is also filled with literal laugh-out-loud humor, particularly from Lucy's grandmother Beverly. (If Amy Tintera and Janet Evanovich ever want to team up and write a story starring Lucy's Grandma Beverly and Stephanie Plum's Grandma Mazur I will ride or die with the two of them!)

The audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron and they both kill it! Weaving the seriousness of the story punctuated with humor can pose challenges but these two nailed it. Great pacing and distinctive character voices really enhance the story. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the publisher. ( )

Fabulous if you need a train/plane/beach read! It’s a fun way to do a murder mystery and I liked the inclusion of the podcast sections, it made the story stand out! The pacing had me glued to this book, and it was tricky to put down. @celadonbooks #celadonreads ( )

I thought I had figured it out pretty early on, and I was wrong! I enjoyed this book. It’s very conversation-centric without much descriptive content, but I didn’t mind it. My favorite character by far is Lucy’s grandmother. I loved this line she said twice: It’s better to be interesting than likable. ( )

disappointing. I didn't like the main character and the killer came out of nowhere ( )

Lucy Chase has no recollection of what happened the night her best friend, Savvy, was killed. She suffered a head injury, but was seen covered in Savvy's blood. However, due to lack of evidence, she was not charged with Savvy's murder. Now, Ben Owens, host of Listen for the Lie, is featuring Savvy's murder and the question of Lucy's innocence in season 2 of his podcast. The small town of Plumpton, TX is her hometown, but she left 5 years ago for Los Angeles. Lucy never wanted to return, but her grandmother begged Lucy to come to her birthday party. Her grandmother never doubted Lucy, but the town did. Through interviews with various townspeople and Lucy's ex-husband, the truth about that night unfolds.
This kept me interested throughout and I read it in one sitting! Entertaining and sarcastic - a great thriller! ( )