Review: This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf

This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf

Publisher: Park Row

Pages: 336

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Everyone has a secret they’ll do anything to hide…

Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa—discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence the case ultimately went cold.

For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve’s death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues, secrets about what really happened begin to emerge. But someone in town knows more than they’re letting on, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried deep.

Kritters Thoughts:  I have read half of Heather Gudenkauf's books and each keep me completely on the edge of my seat until the end.  Told through multiple perspectives and even some therapy transcripts and some news articles, this book had interesting ways to move the story along.  Eva Knox disappeared 25 years ago and with the discovery of a new piece of evidence her friend, Maggie, who is now a police officer in their hometown is reopening the case and will revisit all of the details as an adult and will hopefully find her killer and close the case.  Eva gets the chance to tell the timeline of the day she died through her own words as we flashback in time and Maggie and Eva's sister Nola also get opportunities to move the story along from their viewpoints mostly told in the present day.  

I absolutely adored this book.  I loved the switching of perspectives.  It was edited well, so the reader doesn't get lost at all and it is obvious as to the time and place, so the story moved quickly along.  I didn't write down the characters for this one, but it could help so you can remember key facts about each one and how they relate to the others.    

I rate mystery/thriller books based on who the killer ends up being and if I am ok with how the clues led up.  Don't worry I will not reveal who it is, but I will say that I am happy with the outcome.  I was glad it was someone who was there throughout the story and didn't come out of left field at the end and had the same amount of want to have Eva and her secrets shut down than almost anyone else in the story.

I have been trying different genres in the midst of the quarantine and each have their own special way to distract me from the news and the pacing of a mystery/thriller has often taken the cake.  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

 Ebook 2020 Challenge: 42 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Park Row.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.