International bestselling author Karen M. McManus is known for her high school thrillers
It’s an age-old struggle, coercing our teens to do anything, particularly if it involves putting down their phone. In an age where attention spans and literacy rates are on the decline due to technology addictions, how do we get our teens to read?
Our suggestion – offer them a series they can’t refuse!
Author Karen M. McManus is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of multiple young adult mystery-thriller novels. Her titles – One of Us is Lying, One of Us is Next, Two Can Keep a Secret, The Cousins and You’ll Be the Death of Me – have been translated into over 40 languages worldwide, hooking readers on a global scale.
The book that started it all, One of Us is Lying, has thrills, drama, secrets, lies and a slew of polarising personalities that will have you gripped from the very first page . . .
Five students go to detention. Only four leave alive.
Yale hopeful Bronwyn has never publicly broken a rule.
Sports star Cooper only knows what he’s doing in the baseball diamond.
Bad boy Nate is one misstep away from a life of crime.
Prom queen Addy is holding together the cracks in her perfect life.
And outsider Simon, creator of the notorious gossip app at Bayview High, won’t ever talk about any of them ever again.
He dies 24 hours before he could post their deepest secrets online. Investigators conclude it’s no accident. All of them are suspects.
Everyone has secrets, right?
What really matters is how far you’ll go to protect them.
The novel alternates perspectives between the four teens – Bronwyn, Cooper, Nate and Addy – as they each become suspects and fight to prove their innocence, while hiding the incriminating secrets for as long as they can. The shifting point of view keeps the story fresh and provides at least one character that any teen can relate to.
Available now on Stan Australia, One of Us is Lying has been produced as a gripping TV show and has been renewed for a second season. What a treat to see your favourite story come to life on screen! (Plus, the show has a different ending to the book – great for book clubs to gather and discuss.)
Karen M. McManus is the queen of unputdownable novels, and her fan base will have nothing but high praise for her and this series. A top recommendation for those reluctant teen readers, or even the young at heart who love a good YA drama. Think: Riverdale meets Gossip Girl.
Keep an eye out for the next book by Karen M. McManus, Nothing More to Tell, coming September 2022.
What do NZ YA fans really think of Karen McManus' latest book?
Five students get detention, only four leave alive. How far would you go to protect your secrets?
Done binging the latest TV sensation? Pick up a book and keep the good times rolling.
Here at the NZ office of Penguin Random House we are huge readers – it is definitely one of the perks of the job that we get access to so many books! Luckily across the team we have a wide range of interests so, for example, if we want to know what all the fuss is about with a big debut international crime novel, our crime fiction enthusiast Becky can read it and share her thoughts on whether it will work for NZ readers, our Naomi can spot the next big thing in young adult fiction, and so on… here we present you with a few of what we’ve truly loved over the summer.
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