The Third Lie's the Charm

October 1, 2013
Readers unfamiliar with the first two books in the Liar Society trilogy will not be able to jump in at this point, as very little explanation about the circumstances behind Kate's desperate struggle against the secret society in her posh private school is provided. Kate believes that someone in the Sisterhood is killing students, starting with her best friend, Grace, who died before the beginning of the first book. Now she joins the hated Sisterhood in order to bring them down from within. Oddly, however, she never tries to do any such thing, instead spending her time investigating those she suspects of the murders with handsome Bradley Farrow, a former Brotherhood member whose best friend has just become the latest victim. The plot reads like it springs from momentary whim rather than from a planned outline. Suddenly, Kate learns that she and the rest of the suspects will attend the school camp, where she winds up lodging in different quarters from her friends--but the authors make nothing of that seemingly significant fact. The climax involves another sudden move, in the form of a character hitherto unmentioned in the book. Too much of the action makes too little sense; this may arise from the unreliable narrator that the authors have created in Kate, but it ultimately frustrates readers. Fans of the series may enjoy this conclusion. Everyone else, start with Book 1. (Mystery. 12-16)

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