Two Truths and a Lie Review

Title: Two Truths and a Lie (Book 3 in the Lying Game Series)

Author: Sara Shepard

Release date: 29^th May 2012

Publisher: Harper

MY KILLER IS STILL OUT THERE.

AND MY SISTER MIGHT BE NEXT.

Two months before I died, my best friend’s brother disappeared. I have no idea where Thayer went or why he left, but I know that it is my fault. I did a lot of horrible things while I was alive, things that made people hate me, maybe even enough to kill me.

Desperate to solve my murder, my long-lost twin, Emma, is pretending to be me and unravelling the many mysteries I left behind – my cryptic journal, my tangled love life, the dangerous Lying Game pranks I played. She’s uncovered my friends’ darkest secrets, but she’s never had the chance to dig into Thayer’s past – until now.

Thayer’s back and Emma has to move fast to figure out if he’s after revenge… or if he’s already taken it.

SECRETS, LIES AND KILLER CONSEQUENCES.

Still pretending to be her twin sister after Sutton was mysteriously murdered, Emma is no closer to finding out the truth. Emma has heard the rumours about Sutton and the mysterious Thayer Vega but up until now, Thayer has been missing. When he arrives with no warning in Sutton’s bedroom, Emma becomes convinced that he is Sutton’s killer. Can she discover the truth before she ends up like her twin?

I’ll be honest, I’ve been really neglectful with this book. After writing my review for ‘Never Have I Ever’ (Book 2 in the Lying Game series), I had ‘Two Truths and a Lie’ waiting on my bookshelf, put to the bottom of the ‘to read’ pile… that was in 2013! That is no reflection of the series – just my own disorganisation! So I was a bit apprehensive about jumping straight back into the series without rereading the previous two novels. I didn’t have to worry. Despite a little bit of struggling in the earlier books to get to grips with who the characters are and how they fit in to Sutton’s life (just like Emma has to), I found that I didn’t really have this problem this time round. Emma is becoming more familiar with the characters and so am I as a reader.  Not only this but for the first time in the series, we get to see Emma publically being Emma whilst also pretending to be Sutton. What I mean is that Emma’s kind nature and also love interest, Ethan, play a big part of Sutton’s life whereas in the first two novels, Emma has been scared of merging her personality with Sutton’s character for fear that she would be found out.  

What was also different about this book was the increase in insight from Sutton, who narrates the story from beyond the grave, attached to her sister’s life presumably until the killer is found. Sutton has more flashbacks that actually lead somewhere, meaning the reader has more (quite important) knowledge than Emma about what has happened leading up to Sutton’s death, though this isn’t for long as Emma’s detective skills are becoming more honed.

As always, with Sara Shepard’s novels, the reader is offered romance, family, friends and a huge handful of danger thrown in to engage us and keep us hooked. Once again, we end up asking more questions than we get answers for but this is part of the charm of the series as we are learning about Sutton’s past alongside Emma’s investigating and Sutton’s remembering.

I think this novel could stand on it’s own as Sara Shepard is really good at reminding us what has happened, through a brilliant blurb and killer prologue. However, for me, it has to be read as a series (you definitely couldn’t not read book 4 after this!) and I would have missed out on so much of the mystery if I hadn’t read the previous 2 novels. I enjoyed this book and it is another great addition to the series.

4.5/5 If you haven’t started reading the Lying Game series already then you should!!!!

Ketchup Clouds Review

Title: Ketchup Clouds

Author: Annabel Pitcher

Release date: 1st July 2013

Publisher: Indigo

Zoe begins her confessional letters to Stuart Harris, a prisoner on death row, because she doesn't know who else to confide in. But as time runs out for Stuart, is time running out for Zoe too?

I’ll be honest, the initial reason I picked up this book was because it has little red birds down the edges of the pages! This is an epistolary novel which allows Zoe to flit between what is happening and what has happened. Not only has Annabel Pitcher written Zoe’s past and present stories but she has effectively created Stuart Harris’ tale which is just as distressing as Zoe’s.

The title is a little bit unusual and refers to a term that Zoe’s younger sister comes up with when describing ketchup and mashed potato… creating what looks like ketchup clouds. After reading the book, I think the title seems quite fitting. To me, it describes being young and care free when the clouds turn red just before sunset but it also contains a dangerous element, the calm before the storm, the deep red colour warning us that not everything is as pleasant as it might seem. The fact that Zoe’s very first letter has a splodge of jam in the corner and the birds on the page edges are red carries this colour through as a theme, invoking passion and danger, which this novel has in abundance.

What is intriguing about this novel is the way that, just like Stuart, the reader is given bits of information but not the whole story until the very end of the book. It is obvious that something bad has happened but it is difficult to find out exactly what or to whom, which is something I became desperate to find out! We are also fed titbits about what is happening in Stuart’s life, despite never reading a letter from him.

By the end of the novel, I’m not embarrassed to say, I was a little bit emotional. I don’t want to reveal too much but it was a bit like a ‘Blood Brothers’ style ending (which is an amazing musical if you get chance to see it). Annabel Pitcher creates tension which explodes in a surprising climax at the end. When the full story is revealed, it is easy to sympathise with all the characters involved. The characters are so beautifully crafted and their world is so believable that it is a bitter pill to swallow to see it shattered.

I enjoyed the additional unposted letter and diary entry at the end from other characters (I can’t tell you who) but they gave a little bit of perspective to the story and also added hope to what is really a dark tale but I don’t want prospective readers to think that this novel is all doom and gloom. It is a sad story but there are so many elements of it that are full of hope and the joys of being young and in love.

 

You should definitely read the book for yourself and see what you think!

5/5 Passionate, emotional, engaging and beautifully crafted.