Listen for the Lie Book Review
Check out my review of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, a darkly funny novel about a true crime podcast and an unsolved murder.
We've been watching Only Murders in the Building with our oldest daughter so even though I'm not a true crime podcast listener, I am fascinated by the concept.
When hunting for a fun mystery book club pick to add to our 2025 book club list, I spotted this fun murder mystery novel that also has a true crime podcast theme and promised to be darkly funny -- my favorite! You can get the Listen for the Lie book club kit here.
Since I'm a pretty sensitive reader, I appreciated that this book wasn't too gruesome or scary. If you'd like to dabble in a little whodunit fun, I think this is a great place to start.
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
Summary of Listen for the Lie
What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?
After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.
But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.
The truth is out there, if we just listen.
What I Liked
Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- Darker for "Only Murders in the Building" Fans: My husband and older daughter and I are all huge fans of Only Murders. This is a grittier, darker play on the true crime podcast theme told from the point of view of the murder suspect.
- Fun Cast of Characters: I adored the grandma in the story, fiesty and funny. The small town setting offers up lots of suspect opportunities.
- Not Too Graphic: There is murder, violence, and abuse--plenty of rough topics--but I felt they were handled in a not-too-gory way. I'm fairly sensitive to jump scares and suspense and I handled this book just fine. If you want more specific trigger warnings, see my notes at the very bottom of the post.
- Feisty Main Character: I appreciated Lucy's sarcasm and rough edges. No dainty flowers here.
What I Didn't Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part so take this with a grain of salt.
I had a hard time keeping up with who the small town characters were and how they fit into the plot. There are a lot of names to track but it did get easier as the book went on.
This is a very minor complaint but if you struggle with names, perhaps keep a notebook handy so you can remember who's who.
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️🌶️: Listen for the Lie gets 3 chili peppers on my spicy books rating scale.
This is a tantalizing book and there are open door moments of intimacy described between several characters but I wouldn't categorize this as a "romance." The scenes are generally brief but some are graphic in nature, in line with the overall tone of the book.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Listen for the Lie 5 stars.
I flew through this book in just days, I couldn't put it down and couldn't stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Similar Books You'd Enjoy
If you enjoyed Listen for the Lie, you might also like reading:
TRIGGER WARNINGS
WARNING: There are slight spoilers here.
Murder mystery books can be difficult for some readers since there is naturally a bit of violence involved. I run on the sensitive side of the spectrum and I did ok with this book, but there are some themes you should be aware of if this is important factor for you:
- Domestic Abuse: Both emotional and physical but mostly described after the fact not during the act.
- Knife Wounds
- Head Wounds with Lots of Blood
- Intrusive Thoughts of Violence
- Alcohol & Drug Abuse
- Rough Intimate Moments
- Marital Infidelity
- Physical Altercations (Punching and Attacking)
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