The Lies They Tell by Gillian French

And the final book of my "I am going to read three books on this vacation" plan!  This one was another paperback, mostly because I wanted to read outdoors.  A fellow military spouse gave me a big box of various mystery books when she moved, so I pulled it out of that box for a random read.

About The Lies They Tell:

Everyone in Tenney’s Harbor, Maine, knows about the Garrison tragedy. How an unexplained fire ravaged their house, killing four of the five family members. But what people don’t know is who did it. All fingers point at Pearl Haskins’s father, the town drunk, who was the caretaker of the property, but she just can’t believe it. Leave it to a town of rich people to blame “the help.”

With her disgraced father now trying to find work in between booze benders, Pearl’s future doesn’t hold much more than waiting tables at the local country club, where the wealthy come to flaunt their money and spread their gossip. This year, Tristan, the last surviving Garrison, and his group of affluent and arrogant friends have made a point of sitting in Pearl’s section. Though she’s repulsed by most of them, Tristan’s quiet sadness and somber demeanor have her rethinking her judgments. Befriending the boys could mean getting closer to the truth, clearing her father’s name, and giving Tristan the closure he seems to be searching for. But it could also trap Pearl in a sinister web of secrets, lies, and betrayals that, once untangled, will leave no life unchanged . . . if it doesn’t take hers first.

My Thoughts:

I really wanted to like this book.  The plot sounded intriguing, I enjoy a good mystery, even a fun YA book seemed like a perfect vacation read.  

But the book just fell flat.  I finished it, because I needed to know who the killer was, but really, I should have just skipped ahead to the end.  I could not seem to get into the writing and I really didn't care about any of the characters.  It was just a disappointing end to my multi-book vacation, but I didn't realize that until I was already overly committed to finishing the book.

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