Murder Between Friends

By: Liz Lawson

Narrated by: Briggon Snow, Elena Rey, Sophie Amoss

Two years ago, the murder of a neighbor tore three best friends apart--now the killer is going to walk free and the ex-friends are going to have to face the past--and each other--in another twisty thriller from the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Agathas.

Grace, Henry, and Ally grew up together on the same block. They used to be best friends--until Grace's testimony put Henry's brother, Jake, away for killing their English teacher. Now, two years later, Ally and Henry hate Grace, and Grace is doubting what she thinks she saw that night.

It feels like everyone's getting a second chance, then, when due to a mistrial, Jake is suddenly released. And Henry knows his brother is innocent, but when Grace reaches out to say she’s rethinking what she saw the night of the murder, Jake’s reaction is confusing. He doesn’t want Henry—or Grace--getting involved.

For Ally not getting involved isn’t an option, and there’s nothing Grace can say to convince Ally she’s not the enemy. But can Ally afford to push Grace out when she’s one of the only other people willing to believe in Jake’s innocence?

The clock is ticking. Jake’s new trial date is about to be set, and he's sure to be found guilty again unless there's new evidence to prove he's innocent. Grace, Henry, and Ally are going to have to decide whether you can trust an old friend now that they’re your enemy.

Entertaining YA Mystery

The premise of this book was interesting, and the mystery kept me engaged. I thought I’d figured it out pretty early on, but there were still some surprises toward the end, which I appreciated. I thought the characters felt real and the tension in their dynamic added a layer of depth to the story. I also enjoyed that there were different narrators for the different POVs. Overall it was a well-paced, suspenseful mystery that both teens and adults will enjoy.

Bland

Despite enjoying listening to the audiobook MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS, it wasn’t a very good book.

One unlikable POV
One semi sympathetic yet thoughtless POV
One boring POV

I guessed the killer the when this character was first introduced because s/he seemed opposite as described.

Annoyances:
-unless one is reckless, wants to get caught or revels in sex, s/he wouldn’t write the dates, times and places in a daily planner. This should have been a nonstarter, instead it wasn’t the red herring it was meant to be.
-Ally’s extreme vitriol toward Grace was so over the top she was unsympathetic, not well-rounded.
-How difficult is texting someone, “I can’t make it” or “I can’t talk”, especially when people had said they felt hurt by Grace annoying them.