lisa (fc hollywood's version)'s Reviews > Nine Liars

Many thanks to HarpersCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for providing me with this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let's be honest here: this and The Box in the Woods are utterly unnecessary to the original trilogy, but hey, good for Maureen Johnson for getting the coins she deserves. At least this is entertaining.

Out of every mystery in this entire series so far, I like this one the most. Back in 1995, nine close friends spent a night playing hide-and-seek in an old English manor during a stormy night. The morning after, they discovered that two of them had been murdered brutally in the woodshed of the manor. It was ruled a burglary gone wrong, but one of them had seen something inexplainable that night.

It was a delight to return to the world I came to love so much. Nate was just as amazing as in the previous books. Janelle and Vi are so adorable together. Stevie was a little bit annoying at times, but I enjoy her wittiness. And David, I still hope that he had remained disappeared in Book 2.

The way Maureen Johnson solved the mystery is reasonable. While nothing too crazy happened unlike The Box in the Woods, it is perfectly logical while remaining unpredictable. Johnson was able to mix up the formula for each book, and I really appreciate that. I think the reason that I like this one so much more is because we got to see the accounts from the last during the event itself and it adds a lot of tension to the plot.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. Still not my favorite YA mystery ever but I hope that Johnson comes out with more because I can't have enough of this friend group.

I recommend this series to people who enjoy YA mysteries like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder but in an atmospheric setting and a wider cast of characters.