Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes
Series: No
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: March 24th 2015
Source: Publisher [Edelweiss]

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder. 

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

Liars, Inc. follows 3 best friends: Parvati, Preston and Max. The three of them decide to form Liars, Inc. where they provide people with forged signatures, test papers/answers and alibis in exchange for money. Preston asks Max to give him an alibi so he can head off to Vegas to meet up with a girl, and Max complies. But it turns out Preston never went to Vegas, he's missing and Max is accused of his murder. Max and Parvati work together to try to discover what happened to Preston before Max is charged with his murder.

I received an e-arc of Liars, Inc. from Edelweiss and I wanted to jump straight into it as soon as I'd downloaded it. I loved Paula's debut novel The Art of Lainey, so I couldn't wait to read her next book!

Max is a kind and caring character. He looks out for his friends and he's just a genuinely nice guy. Max is determined to figure out what happened to his best friend and he would do anything for him. Parvati was an intriguing character. I was never too sure how to take her and she was a pretty hard character to understand, but I did like her. Preston was a complete enigma. I hardly knew anything about him and all of the secrets uncovered about him and his past showed you that even the characters didn't know him.

Liars, Inc. kept me on my toes! Even though I'd kind of figured out some of the puzzle pieces, it didn't take away my enjoyment of the story. I loved discovering things about Preston along with Max and I loved trying to figure out what had happened and what was actually going on.

The ending was fantastic! I never predicted that huge twist and I couldn't believe it! Well done, Paula! You totally pulled the wool over my eyes! I was on edge during the big reveal scene and I had no idea how everything was going to play out. I was also pretty surprised with how deep the mystery and deception went, but everything about it was amazing.

Liars, Inc. is a fantastic YA mystery that will keep you on your toes and you'll be guessing until the very end. It was a heart pounding read and I absolutely loved it. It's one I'll definitely be recommending to everyone this year!