Lie or Die by A.J. Clack

Described as perfect for fans of TV's The Traitors, Lie or Die publishes on 7th March. I have to admit I hadn't even heard of The Traitors until I read this book so I can't say how true that it but it is definitely worth a read anyway!

Book Summary

When a casting call is announced for new reality TV show Lie or Die, Kass is tricked into auditioning by her best friend. Billed as Big Brother meets Mafia, Lie or Die pits contestants against each other as they try to discover who is a murderous agent and who is an innocent player. But when contestants start to turn up dead (the real kind, not the fake kind), Kass realises that not being eliminated and winning the game is the least of her worries. No longer a game of truth and lies, Kass and her friends are in a fight for survival. 'Reality' just got very real.

This was really fast paced and gripping, I found myself suspecting quite a few characters but never would have guessed the final twist (or multiple twists!).

Kass was a great protagonist, I liked her superpower of being able to tell when people were lying which is a definite bonus for a game like this. At one point I started to wonder if it was going to be an unreliable narrator thing. It is in the name, Lie or Die and they keep saying, trust no one! However, I won't tell you if I was right as I don't want to risk spoilers!!! I'm afraid I just couldn't like Thea. I think she sounded like the crappest friend no matter what Kass had done or how much she defends her. Lewis was really cool though and held the group together.

I never totally understood the game, or how their personalities would help anyone guess who the killers were as their parts in the game were totally random! But in the end it didn't really matter and it wasn't totally necessary for the story.

I'll be eagerly looking out for more by A.J. Clack and hope I won't have to wait too long!

Author Bio

A.J. Clack moved from a small village in Wales to London, to pursue a career in television. She worked on a wide range of shows from Teletubbies to Friends, while also writing plays for the Edinburgh Fringe and development scripts/pilots for childrenʼs television. She now lives in Essex with a houseful of teenagers and can often be found freezing on the side of a rugby pitch.

While on holiday in Mauritius, we asked for a blue cocktail and this is what showed up! It matched the book so beautifully 😍

I have no idea what it's called but I think it involves tropical juice, probably plenty of rum, and definitely blue curacao.