MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS by Liz Lawson is a twisty, fast-paced young adult thriller that explores fractured friendships, faulty memories, and buried secrets. Grace, Henry, and Ally were best friends until the night their English teacher, Miriam Appelbaum, was murdered and Grace identified Henry’s brother, Jake, as the perpetrator. Now, two years later, Jake is being released on a technicality. He will be under house arrest until the retrial, but he will still be living next to Grace. But Grace is starting to rethink what she saw the night of the murder and whether she helped put the wrong person behind bars. With Henry and Ally avoiding her like the plague, Grace will have to find a way to engage her old friends in helping her relook at the case and find the real killer. Fiercely loyal Ally can’t stand Grace since her testimony and sides with Henry, who has taken the brunt of abuse from the town of Brawner and their classmates. Henry has a soft spot for Grace and starts to listen when Grace voices her concerns. What if Jake is innocent? Who were the other suspects? Together, the three old friends embark on a new investigation to find answers. Their questions take them to a local drug dealer, a record store on the outskirts of town, a suspicious teacher, some shady lacrosse players, and a revisiting of Ally’s father’s car accident and death. As they uncover the secrets in town, Grace realizes there is an even bigger secret waiting at home. MURDER BETWEEN FRIENDS is a twisty young adult thriller that delves deep into the secrets of high schoolers, overachievers, and parental pressures. The plot moves swiftly, starting with Jake’s release and the ticking clock until his retrial. It is multi-layered, focusing on several different leads that wrap up nicely in the end. The characterizations are solid, and the friendships are fractured—with each individual dealing with trauma and pressures from their past. As the suspense heightens and the killer is revealed, a nice twist throws readers in a new direction and leaves them gasping. Is anyone ever really who they seem? Good plotting, engaging dialogue, and a strong story structure make this novel a must-read for YA thriller lovers.
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.
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