When her FBI agent father is framed for murder, Kylene is forced to move in with her grandfather, back to the small town that turned its back on her, and the boy who betrayed her.
All Ky cares about is clearing her father’s name, but someone won’t let her forget the photo scandal that drove her away two years ago. As the threats gain momentum, Ky finds an unlikely ally in the rookie FBI agent sent to keep an eye on her.
Determined to expose the town’s hidden skeletons, Ky unwittingly thrusts herself into a much bigger plot. They thought she’d forgive and forget. They’re about to learn they messed with the wrong girl.
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Review
Recently I’ve been wanting to add more mystery/suspense to my reading repertoire, so when I heard one of my favorite authors had one coming out, I was quick to sign up and read it. And I was not disappointed one bit! YA can be tough to read, but the past few that I’ve read have been written flawlessly with not much of that typical teenage angst. Plus, I can’t say that I’ve read a YA suspense/mystery before, but this one, I highly recommend because of the badass, zero shit-taking heroine that is Kylene Danners.
I’ve been a fan of Natusch’s work since her Caged series, so it was definitely a no-brainer for me to get my hands on this one. Dare You to Lie is one of those books that is nearly impossible to put down. You must devour it in one sitting and Amber made it so easy to do so. The plot was such an epic one that kept me completely hooked the whole time. Kylene was one of those heroines that started off as this good girl and then one drunken night ended up completely altering her life. So much, that she and her dad left town for a couple of years hoping to put that night behind her, but soon returns to Jasperville when her father is framed for murder.
Now that she’s back to the place she never wanted to see again, her mom essentially leaving her, so she’s back to living with her grandpa. She has some scores to settle in the town where her presence isn’t exactly wanted. But Ky is determined to find out the truth of not only that night but also the framing of her father. But the deeper Ky starts to dig, there’s constant danger lurking around every corner. How far is she willing to go to find out the truth especially with the constant warnings and endless threats?
I loved Kylene so much, fear wasn’t something that consumed her. She was determined to find out the truth in any way possible, but I will say her spitfire tongue and actions would put her in some unlikely situations. Kylene was very much an act first, think later type of girl and it actually made me admire her even more. I was in awe of her investigative skills and it just made her that much more appealing. And we can’t forget her only two supportive friends throughout this book that essentially became her sidekicks in this whirlwind mystery towards justice.
Dare You to Lie was one of those reads where your heart just beats so quickly the entire time you’re reading. As more truths she uncovers, it just brought up more questions. But the main question that I had during the entire book was why her? Why have her be scandalized, only to cover the truth and none involved be tried. All evidence, swept under the rug, simply hidden away in hopes to never be seen again. There’s so much more to this than just her scandal, but what is it or rather, who is it? Ah, the questions I have are endless and I just want to know why they use Kylene as the forefront of it all. Even though some truths were revealed there are still so many that Kylene will need to uncover.
Many have said that this was akin to Veronica Mars, but I’ve actually never seen the show before. So if you were a fan, this book is definitely up your alley. Ahhh, this book had everything even the romance lover in me was yearning for it, but this just wasn’t that kind of book. I’m having a little bit of a love/hate that this will be a series because I don’t want to wait long for the next book. With the way this ended, it sets up the next book quite nicely and I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on it.
The scandal, lies, betrayal, blackmail, and the top-notch detective skills of Kylene and her friends make for an absolutely riveting story. Highly recommend it for all the suspense/mystery and a bit of thriller fans out there!
Excerpt
I raced through town and into Gramps’s neighborhood. When I got to the house, there was a generic-looking sedan, not unlike the one my father used to drive, parked outside. I hadn’t even pulled all the way into the driveway before Agent Douchecanoe was out of his vehicle and headed my way, file in hand.
“So you’re the errand boy,” I said to him as he scowled at me.
“You know you can hear that environmental hazard coming from a mile away, right?”
“Weird . . . kinda like your hostility and hubris.”
His frown deepened as he extended the file in his hand toward me. I reached for it, but he pulled it back at the last second.
“Striker said to make sure you got this.”
“Hence the errandboy comment—”
“Do you know what’s in here?”
“Do you know what’s in there?” I countered, knowing damn well he would have looked. The suspense would have killed him.
“They’re copies of evidence from you father’s trial.”
“Ding, ding, ding!” I exclaimed, snatching the file from his hand. “Consider your errand complete. I’d tip you, but . . . I don’t get paid until next week.”
“Why did Striker want you to have those?” he asked, totally unfazed by my jab.
“Because I asked for them.”
He shook his head.
“That’s adorable. You think you can find something that a defense lawyer and a team of FBI agents couldn’t find.”
“They weren’t really looking, though, were they? They approached his investigation as if he was already guilty. Hard to be objective when your singular focus is to bring down the fall guy.”
“Says the girl with the singular focus of freeing her daddy,” he replied. “What a sad day it’s going to be for you when all you find in those files is the truth of your father’s guilt.”
“We’ll see about that.”
