Book Review: Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes

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Liars, Inc.
Author: Paula Stokes
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary | Mystery
Released: March 24th 2015
Review Source: HarperTeen

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

Liars, Inc. made me realize one thing for sure… I need to read my mysteries. Once they get the ball rolling you’re hooked, you can’t stop, you won’t stop, well until the book ends, and you kind of have to stop then. Liar’s, Inc. was kind of a mashup between How to Get Away with Murder and Pretty Little Liars, especially with the lying.

Max Cantrell had a rough upbringing, his mother died during child birth, his father died when he was young, and he was in and out of group homes. He then lived on the streets until one day he got picked up and sent to another group home where he met the family that was finally going to bring him home and adopt him, be his forever home. He becomes best friends with Preston and soon starts to date Parvati; together they create Liars, Inc., a way to get students out of class, cover for detentions, and get permission slips signed. Preston needs a cover story from Liars, Inc. to see a girl in Vegas, but when he doesn’t return things turn back on Max, his cover story.

While Max thinks his friend just got in trouble Vegas, or is just having a little too much fun to come home just yet, he comes up with a lie, a lie he tells the police. This is where the Pretty Little Liars comes in; if they would have told the truth from the beginning they wouldn’t have gotten in such a huge mess. Plus, Stokes starts off with giving you a preview with what will be happening 6 weeks later, so you’re automatically intrigued within pages.

Fans of Pretty Little Liars and How to Get Away with Murder will love this YA mystery. I was hooked within pages and shortly consumed with Max’s story. I couldn’t leave it alone.