The Lying Club : A Novel

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.