One of Us is Lying

One of Us Is Lying

• Genre: Fiction; young adult thriller
• Originally Published: 2017
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile HL730L; grades 9-12
• Structure/Length: 30 chapters plus epilogue; approx. 259 pages; approx. 10 hours, 45 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Narrated from multiple perspectives, this novel describes the events that unfold after the mysterious death of a high school student who collapses after drinking a glass of water. The four other students who were serving detention with him at the time become suspects as the details of their lives are exposed via social media and the police investigation.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death of teenager; drug and alcohol addiction; suicide; bullying; school shootings; sexuality; identity

Karen M. McManus, Author

• Bio: Born in 1969 in Massachusetts, where she still lives; graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University; wrote two practice novels before publishing One of Us Is Lying; applies her journalism skills to identify and fix holes in her fictional plots; has written two more books in the One of Us Is Lying trilogy, which has been adapted as a television series
• Other Works: Two Can Keep a Secret (2019); The Cousins (2020); You’ll Be the Death of Me (2021); Nothing More to Tell (2022)
• Awards: Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of the Year (2017); YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction Book (nominee, 2018); YALSA Teens’ Top Selection (2018); YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2018)