By Karen M. McManus

“For all of Kat’s life, it’s just been her and her mother, Jamie—except for the forty-eight hours when Jamie was married and Kat had a stepbrother, Liam. That all ended in an epic divorce, and Kat and Liam haven’t spoken since. Now Jamie is a jewel thief trying to go straight, but she has one last job—at billionaire Ross Sutherland’s birthday party. And Kat has figured out a way to tag along. What Kat doesn’t know, though, is that there are two surprise guests at the dazzling Sutherland compound that weekend. The last two people she wants to run into. Liam and his father—a serial scammer who has his sights set on Ross Sutherland’s youngest daughter. Kat and Liam are on a collision course to disaster, and when a Sutherland dies, they realize they might actually be in the killer’s crosshairs themselves. Somehow Kat and Liam are the new targets, and they can’t trust anyone—except each other. Or can they? Because if there’s one thing both Kat and Liam know, it’s how to lie. They learned from the best.” (Goodreads).

Guys, I’m a sucker for a good Karen M. McManus. When I saw this one on the shelf (shoutout local libraries!) I knew it was a must-read, and it did not disappoint. With an excellent hook, unique characters, and surprising twists, Such Charming Liars kept me engaged for all two and a half hours of reading time (I read fast and I had a long car ride).

It takes a lot to pull off a tight mystery plot, and McManus does it every time for me. I loved the pacing – the book takes place over the span of a weekend, and the action never slows down. From the beginning to the end, something exciting was always happening and the characters never just stumbled upon clues or into convenient situations. I loved how none of the plot points felt forced, like reader wish-fulfillment, or like filler.

I really enjoyed the dual-POV chapters, but a few times I got confused about who was talking. The two MCs were supposed to have very different personalities, but their backstories and family lives were so similar (and they had shared history at some points) that I often mixed them up. Other than that though, the style was great and flowed well.

Such Charming Liars wouldn’t be a McManus if not for the wide and complex cast of characters… (or suspects)? From the main characters to the nameless background figures, everyone has their own story and skin in the game.

Kat was fun because her personal POV chapters showed her as she saw herself – imperfect, competent but still learning the ropes of the trade (thievery, to be specific), and in over her head. Liam’s POV, however, showed her as others saw her – strong, blunt, confident, capable, and comfortable. I enjoyed that duality and the realism of it. We often see ourselves differently than others do and it added a lot of perspective to her character.

As for Liam, I liked his character but I felt like he was set up to have a different character arc than he did. I thought he was going to be handling his grief over his mother’s death, but he mostly just “came out of his shell” and became more confident and stuff. I would’ve liked to see more with his mom’s loss – I feel like that would’ve affected me a lot more than it seemed to affect him – but everyone grieves differently.

I actually loved Augustus, his character was very multifaceted and interesting, but his relationship with Liam almost felt forced and purely attraction-based based – and this was not just because I hold a Biblical stance on homosexuality. They just seemed like they would be better as friends even if I agreed with the worldly view. But as usual with this author, the romance remained a side plot and never seemed to be the only thing the book was moving towards.

Such Charming Liars checked all my boxes: gripping action and suspense, fun characters, a found family dynamic, and a classic McManus mystery. This one is perfect for a quick, simple summer or beach read – it’s entertaining but not too involved. While I would’ve appreciated some consequences for some of the more illegal actions of the characters, or more commentary on the reckless behavior of the rich people, this book did what it set out to do and offered plenty of entertainment along the way.