The Lying Club: A Novel

Annie Ward

Mar 2022 · Sold by Harlequin

About this ebook

"If you loved Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere, allow me to introduce you to your next obsession. —Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author of The Grace Year

A tangled web of lies draws together three women in this explosive thriller of revenge, murder and shocking secrets

At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school moms she deals with every day. Women like Brooke—a gorgeous heiress, ferociously loving mother and serial cheater—and Asha, an overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome assistant athletic director Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs.

But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems the tension between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town—where people stop at nothing to get what they want.

Don't miss Annie Ward's other twisty and utterly original thriller, Beautiful Bad!

Ratings and reviews

The Lying Club by Annie Ward has two murders occurring at the elite Falcon Academy where reputation is everything. Rich parents send their entitled children to this prestigious school which will set them up to get into an elite college. Lies abound in this story. The Lying Club is told from several points-of-view. It did take me awhile to adjust the changing viewpoints. The key is to try and figure out which are lies and which are truths. Who could have committed such heinous crimes? The beginning of The Lying Club is a little slow as the story (the characters, the setting, and the plot) is laid out. The author provides plenty of detail which allows readers to visualize the characters and the scenes. We get to meet the various characters (rich parents, bratty teenagers, staff tired of dealing with both parents and the students). The pacing picks up in the second half where there is more action and a twist or two. It is a disturbing story that delves into dark areas. The Lying Club starts out with a bang with a murder but then the pace slows down until much later in this long book. I did not like any of the characters in this book which made it hard for me to read. I like to connect with at least with one character. None of them had any redeeming qualities. I really did not care what happened to any of them (my fantasy was the killer could have gone on a rampage and wiped out the entire lot). Many of the characters are cliched. I do wish there had been a warning on the book. It deals with some disturbing issues. If I had known what The Lying Club would have delved into, I would not have picked it up. There is foul language and intimate situations. The Lying Club was too drawn out and, personally, I found it predictable. Annie Ward combines dysfunctional characters with drama, revenge, lies, deceit, secrets, and murder into one twisty tale called The Lying Club.

There was a lot to unpack with this tautly written tale, which featured a plethora of itchy elements that kept me on edge and debating the motivations and veracity of the entire cast of characters. And there was quite an oddly compelling and uniquely vile assortment to sift through. The storylines were uncomfortably realistic, edgy, and disquieting. I had full-on cold prickles and was so immersed in her characters’ narratives I often found myself flinching during perusal. This was my second time falling into a well-contrived Annie Ward enclave of ghastly humans, torrid secrets, and twisty intrigue, and while I’m looking forward to many more, I need a spa day to release a boatload of tension and knots in my neck.

About the author

ANNIE WARD has a BA in English Literature from UCLA and a MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute. Her first short screenplay, Strange Habit, starring Adam Scott was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award winner at the Aspen Film Festival. She has received a Fulbright Scholarship and An Escape to Create Artists residency. She lives in Kansas with her family.