Two Truths and a Lie
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3.8 • 12 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Amazon Editor’s Choice for Best Young Adult
Teen Vogue 15 Best New Thriller & Mystery Books for Summer
Featured in Crime Reads
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection
"An atmospheric and entertaining thriller perfect for snowy night chills." — Kirkus Reviews
In this chilling mystery from a New York Times bestselling author, a storm strands a group of teens in a creepy motel—leaving them trapped with a killer.
Nell has always wanted to be an actor, but she 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 written 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 start to 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.
And don’t miss these other chilling thrillers from April Henry including When We Go Missing, Stay Dead, and Girl Forgotten.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Henry's (Playing with Fire) intermittently scary mystery, a vanload of Midwestern high school theater kids is headed for a regional competition with their drama teacher when it begins to snow. Six hours later, caught without cell service in a polar vortex, they're forced to check into the sprawling, difficult-to-navigate Travel Inn and Out. Soon, another group of teens arrives, this one en route to a robotics competition. When they all meet in the common room in high spirits and begin a variation on Two Truths and a Lie—one in which each contribution is anonymously offered and read aloud—the story's narrator, Nell, chooses a paper-slip submission that no one claims, reading "I like to watch people die," "My least favorite food is mushrooms," and "I've lost count of how many people I've killed." Then things get bad for the largely white cast: the power fails, large paw prints suggest a cougar prowling around outside, and a body is found hanging from a noose with another message—"THIS IS THE FIRST." If abundant red herrings result in a less than satisfying ending, Henry's telling successfully incorporates elements of romance into a snowed-inn mystery with Agatha Christie roots. Ages 12–up.
