THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa & Laura Roecker

Title: THE LIAR SOCIETY

Author: Sisters Lisa & Laura Roecker

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: March 1, 2011

Number of Pages: 358

Source of Book: Bought the paperback when it came out

Author's Website: www.lisa-laura.blogspot.com

Goodreads Summary:

Kate Lowry didn’t think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, who died mysteriously a year before, she’s not so sure. When the emails continue, Kate is forced to confront her school’s resident druggie, a sketchy administrator, and even her own demons.

As Kate moves closer and closer to the truth, she teams up with a couple of knights-in-(not so)shining armor–the dangerously attractive, bad boy, Liam and her love-struck neighbor, Seth. The three uncover an ancient secret lurking in the halls of their elite private school with the power to destroy them all.

But the truth doesn’t always set you free. Sometimes it’s only the beginning.

Author Summary:

Best friends don't send emails once they're dead. With her dead best friend's pearls and skirts tiny enough to make Nancy Drew blush, Kate's on the trail to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder... 

*************************

THE LIAR SOCIETY is a fun, quick romp of a mystery story. Fifteen-year-old Kate is trying to get over her grief from her best friend's death the year before. She has always been convinced that it wasn't an accident, and when she gets an email from Grace's account hinting that she's right, Kate knows she needs to solve the mystery of who is responsible. Secrets abound at Pemberly-Brown Academy, the private school Kate attends, and even she doesn't know how far she'll have to go or where she'll have to search to find out the truth of what happened that night.

This was a quick read (I read it in one day) with great suspenseful pacing of discovering clues and new twists at exactly the right times while also seeing parts of Kate getting through her grief. Kate narrates the action, and she also flashes back to give us glimpses of what she was doing the night Grace died. By the end, we find out the whole story from multiple people's roles in it as Kate does, and it comes together in an intriguing way. It's a nice balance between the mystery and the plain reality of Kate's story. 

The book deals with secret societies and power, perseverance in the face of fear, relying on those who you trust, social status in the elite prep school world, and friendship changes and secrets. There is a large cast of characters around the school that all play a role in unraveling the mystery of what happened. All led by pink-haired Kate with her pearls and notebook forging the way to finding out the truth. The Roecker sisters have created a fantastic and engaging teen voice with Kate's character. She's sassy, determined, and real - she's a modern day Nancy Drew with Veronica Mars spunk (and if you don't know that TV reference, you should!). I enjoyed reading Kate's character and her interactions with those around her - although her parents seemed to be pretty MIA for the majority of the novel - especially Liam. There is a boy subplot of course, and it's fun, but really this book is about Kate finding her way, finding answers, finding out the truth and finding herself again after the devastation she went through the year before. You'll enjoy reading Kate's story and rooting for her throughout.

This book kind of reminded me a little bit of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by e. Lockhart in it's secret society, kick-butt girl character, and trying to find answers aspects. If you like one, I think you'll like the other. There is a sequel to THE LIAR SOCIETY coming (thank goodness), and based on the ending, Kate is going to rock the next story too. I'll definitely be reading book #2, THE LIES THAT BIND in 2012.

Book 11 of 12 for DAC2011