PARTY OF LIARS

4 stars out of 5

Make no mistake: Throughout the entirety of this book, I really did hang on every word - even staying up extra late to make it to what was an exciting twist of events. That said, by somewhere around the 70% mark, I was so tired of the back-and-forth chapters that offered perspectives of the main characters that I violated my normal bedtime to read so it would be over almost more than because I wanted to learn the "truth." That writing technique is popular and certainly can be effective, but for me, at least, it also gets very old very fast.

The gist of the whole thing is this: Ethan and his third wife, Dani, are living in an expensive, eye-popping historic home, the entire back of which is a glass sheet that overlooks a steep ravine (think of your doll house as a kid that had no back on it so the contents can be seen and played with). They have an infant daughter, Charlotte, and an Irish nanny named Orlaith, the latter because Dani seems to be mentally unstable - perhaps a bit beyond postpartum depression. Ethan is a psychiatrist with partner Curtis, a childhood friend (kind of surprising that everyone refers to him as "Mr." and not "Dr." - hmmm, is that some kind of clue)?

Ethan's second ex-wife, Kim, is a disgraced veterinarian and mostly functioning alcoholic; together, they had daughter Sophie, who lives with mom and is very popular and drop-dead gorgeous. It's her Sweet Sixteen party at her dad and stepmom's big house that's the focus of the story; besides all three parents, Sophie's long-time best friend, mousey Mikayla, will be there with countless others, some of whom actually wish Sophie well. Not a single character, in fact, is without flaw - apparently, no one nice lives in Comal County, Texas.

And oh, did I mention that the house is rumored to be haunted?

As you might expect - well, I did, anyway - things go horribly wrong at the party almost immediately. Readers don't know exactly what happened, or to whom, though - the purpose of those character perspective switchbacks is to provide hints and clues that will keep us guessing right up to the end. Trust me, it's a doozy - I just wish it had happened a little sooner. But all told, it's a terrific read, and I definitely recommend it. Thanks go to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox (Minotaur Books, July 2025); 325 pp.