This Is How I Lied: A Novel

Heather Gudenkauf

May 2020 · Sold by Harlequin

About this eBook

Gudenkauf proves herself the master of the smart, suspenseful small-town thriller that gets right under your skin.” —Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny

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.

Don’t miss Heather’s upcoming twisty locked-room thriller, EVERYONE IS WATCHING!

Check out these other riveting novels of suspense by bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf:

The Weight of Silence
These Things Hidden
Little Mercies
MIssing Pieces
Not a Sound
Before She Was Found
The Overnight Guest

Ratings and reviews

Just when you think they reveal the killer too soon, nope, you're wrong. So many characters with enough motives to do it. I keep chasing the pages of half the book to find out who actually did it. This plot gives a fresh of breath air to me. Unexpectedly thrilling!

Lies lies and more lies. This is a deeply rooted murder that went unsolved because of layers of lies one over the other. This author doesn't just tell the story she has you live it. Through the investigation and the unraveling of the present with glimpse of the past and what actually happened we get through the incident. Lots of details that don't bog down the story and plenty of dirty details of their reality, guilt and secrets. Things aren't black and white and no one is as innocent as they seem. This is my first read by this author and it was a great one to hook me in and make me a fan.

Cunningly penned from multiple POVs, this diabolical tale kept me taut with tension and my shoulders in my ears while it funneled me in so many directions the little pea in my brain was swirling with theories. I was so sure I had it solved and was feeling rather smug, but NO, this sneaky scribe had me bamboozled as I never saw this ending coming. My cold heart was squeezed for the character of Eve, the murder victim. Poor Eve couldn’t catch a break, even from her best friend and least of all her immature mess of a mother or younger sister, who was brilliant yet also a deeply disturbed young sociopath. Their small Iowa town appeared rife with social issues and devious characters. This was my second time reading the wily and treacherous wordcraft of Heather Gudenkauf and I am hooked. I am greedy and want all her words, ALL of them!

About the author

Heather Gudenkauf is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and Not a Sound. Heather lives in Iowa with her family.