I’m so excited to be part of the TBR & Beyond tour for this book. Find the full tour schedule here.
About the book
Two Truths and a Lie By April Henry
Genre: Young Thriller
Publishing Date: May 24, 2022
Synopsis:
A group of teens are trapped in an old motel with a murderer in this chilling YA mystery by New York Times bestselling author April Henry.
Nell has always wanted to be an actor, but doubts her ability. As a member of her school’s theater program, she prefers working backstage. On the way to a contest, an unexpected blizzard strands her acting troupe in a creepy motel. Soon they meet a group of strangers from another high school—including the mysterious and handsome Knox, who insists they play the game Two Truths and a Lie. When it’s Nell’s turn, she draws a slip of paper inked in unfamiliar handwriting:
I like to watch people die.
I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed.
Suddenly a night of harmless fun turns into a matter of life and death. As guests go missing, it becomes clear that a murderer is hiding in their midst ready to strike again. In a room full of liars and performers, the truth is never quite what it seems. Nell is going to have to act like her life depends on it—because it does.
Book Review
This book is a gripping locked room mystery about two groups of teens trapped in a creepy motel by a blizzard.
Nell’s traveling to a drama competition with her teacher and four other teens. But when the predicted few flurries turn into a blizzard, they’re forced to take shelter in a dated, run-down motel that has been turned into a confusing maze by extensive renovations and additions. However, their evening looks up when their teacher goes to bed and another group of teens arrives, stranded on their way to the robotics competition.
Sparks fly between several teens, as flirtations start up in the late night hours. However, their evening takes a creepy turn when someone slips a sheet of paper into their two truths and a lie game, claiming to be a serial killer, and their next game, an Ouija board, confirms that someone will die soon. The maintenance man, Travis, shows them a scrapbook of photos and news clippings from when a couple was brutally murdered at the motel twenty years earlier. However, when Nell wakes up, the sunshine makes it all seem less creepy, until they discover the first body on their way to breakfast.
The suspects are all trapped inside with them – Stuart, the motel owner who failed to revive the failing business; Travis, the brain-damaged maintenance man; Brian, the polite long-haul trucker who likes to read books; Edgar, the rude pharmaceutical rep with a gun; or Linus, who checked in without a suitcase, claiming to be on his way to his mother. Or could one of the other teens be involved?
This book is packed with action and twists, and Nell must use all her wits to stay one step ahead of the killer, whoever he or she may be. Almost every person in the group has a secret, but only one of them is trying to make sure no one leaves alive.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and TBR & Beyond Tours for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the author
New York Times-bestselling author April Henry knows how to kill you in a two-dozen different ways. She makes up for a peaceful childhood in an intact home by killing off fictional characters. There was one detour on April’s path to destruction: when she was 12 she sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to noted children’s author Roald Dahl. He liked it so much he showed it to his editor, who asked if she could publish it in Puffin Post, an international children’s magazine. By the time April was in her 30s, she had started writing about hit men, kidnappers, and drug dealers. She has published 26 mysteries and thrillers for teens and adults, with more to come. She is known for meticulously researching her novels to get the details right.
