This was amazing for a debut novel! It is full of suspense and twists and turns. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out, another twist appeared! Leslie’s father died and left $100,000 to her and her sister Robin. Robin disappeared some years ago and Leslie has not been in touch with her. Both sisters have to appear together in front of the lawyer in order to inherit the money. When Leslie finds who she thinks is Robin, she finds a dead body who she assumes is Robin. At almost the same time Leslie meets Mary who has an uncanny resemblance to Robin. Mary is persuaded to impersonate Robin and she can keep half the inheritance. Leslie has secrets and Mary wants to find them. I liked the bombshell of an ending!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Leslie and Robin are long-estranged sisters. Growing up, Robin needed her older sister. And now Leslie needs to find Robin in order to obtain her inheritance. When we learn how far Leslie will go in order to ensure she can bring her sister home to meet with the family lawyer, we begin to question the reasons given for their estrangement. When we meet Mary it appears a third liar is brought into the mix. Mary becomes an equally guilty party in the charade Leslie is planning to obtain the money she desperately needs. However, as the lies become deeper and more intricate the liars are caught in their own maze.
Do twisted people lie or do lies make people become twisted? Does truth triumph, or do falsehood and deception rule?
A novel filled with twists and turns as the tale of two sisters unfolds.

2.5 stars. An interesting premise but underwhelming execution.

I had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters in this one and understanding their motivations, especially Mary. I also found a lot of it hard to believe since the plot revolves around various characters not recognizing that someone is/isn't who they claim to be. I kept reading to find out everyone's secrets but the ending was lackluster.

WOW!!! What a great book for readers that like suspense, mystery and psychological thrillers. So if you read the blurb, you know that Leslie's father has died and in his will she cannot collect her portion of the $100,000 thousand dollars left to her and her sister Robin. fifty thousand each. But Leslie has not seen Robin in ten years and she finally finds her but she has overdosed and is dead. So she finds some waitress you looks like her sister and asks her if she would like to make fifty thousand dollars impersonating her sister. This part is a little contrived. Anyway, Mary is her name and she accepts the proposition. This book is told from three POV's, Leslie, Robin and Mary. All I can say is this book was a mind bending read, a roller coaster of a ride. Even when I though I knew what was going on, I was wrong so I just said I am going to read this book and wait for the big reveal. And what a reveal this was. It also deals with motherhood, and feelings of their mother, etc. I do not want to give away any spoilers. I highly recommend this book. It was fantastic. I received this book from net galley as an ARC for an honest review. Thank you net galley and Random house for this ARC. I also wanted to say this was a debut book for this author and I will be looking out for more books by her.

This was book was more twisted than I expected. Leslie Voigt Flores was the good sister, the one who stayed and took care of their father as he slowly died of terminal cancer. Robin Voigt was the bad sister, running away as a teenager, running up bad debts, getting involved in drugs, abandoning the family. However, when their father died, his will stated that both sisters had to be present at the lawyer's office to sign the paperwork to get their inheritance. Leslie manages to track down Robin in Las Vegas, but when she arrives at Robin's apartment, she finds Robin dead of an overdose. With Robin dead, Leslie can claim the entire inheritance, but it will take a long time for the necessary legal proceedings to be completed and Leslie needs her share ($50,000) quickly. After fleeing the apartment and her sister's dead body, Leslie ends up at a restaurant, where she has dinner. Upon leaving the restaurant, she finds a young woman (Mary), sitting on her car, and this woman bears a close resemblance to Robin. Leslie convinces her to impersonate Robin just long enough to get the money, with Mary getting Robin's share; Mary has her own reasons for temporarily leaving Las Vegas. However, upon returning to Albuquerque with Leslie, Mary discovers that Leslie and her husband, Dave, both are hiding secrets from each other and that Leslie's explanation for why she needed her inheritance so quickly (fired from job, husband does not know, will lose house without the money) is not true. Mary begins trying to undercover the secrets and also "reconnects" with Robin's former girlfriend, Nancy, who is now a police officer (and married).

Intertwined with the current story are flashbacks from Robin about her childhood and her experience since running away. The book primarily alternates chapters between Leslie and Mary as the reader learns more about Leslie's life, the childhood of Leslie and Robin, and Mary's actions since returning to Albuquerque. Both Leslie and Mary have darker pasts and darker parts of their personalities than what they portray to the outside world. The author delves into the psyches of the characters, including issues with mental illness. There is so much more that could be said about the plot and characters, but I do not want to spoil any of the surprising twists for other readers.

I received a copy of the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This book had a lot of twists and turns. The plot was original and I found myself feverishly turning the pages.

A sister inherits $50,000 from her father but must find her runaway drug addict sister to inherit. What follows is a trail of lies and mystery as a woman named Mary shows up sitting on her car. Tension is well built and the characters are well drawn. Explores motherhood and postpartum depression. A bit stretched in places but otherwise a strong thriller.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Wow! This book had me at the first page and kept me until the end. I absolutely loved reading this book. It was a fast paced read and it was really well written. I give this book 4 1/2 stars. I didn't give it 5 stars as I did figure out a plot twist in the end. . What a fabulous debut novel! I can't wait to read this author's next book.

It is a story about a woman, Leslie, who conceals her sister's death in order to collect their joint inheritance. There are several secrets revealed a long the way.

The Better Liar by Tanen Jones is a mystery from the first page. When Leslie’s father dies, she must find her sister, Robin, in order to settle their joint inheritance. From the start, you realize Robin is dead...which complicates things. In order to claim her share, Leslie makes the dangerous decision to conceal her sister’s death from everyone and claim what is hers, revealing dangerous secrets that were never meant to be told.

The book is told from three point of views, Leslie, dead Robin and Mary. The reader is thrust into a mysterious whirlwind that makes you sort of not like the characters very much. They are crazy, liars, manipulative, did I mention CRAZY? Every time I thought I figured it out, I was very wrong. There are a load of issues covered in this book, many are very controversial. We discover the awful past of Leslie and Robin, so we understand how the damage done to children usually continues into their adulthood. The plot is slow moving, I found it to be too slow at times. But the ending is very shocking. So shocking you may have to read it twice like I did. The author’s explanation at the end of the story helped too, so don’t skip that.

As I mentioned earlier, there are many hot button topics in this book. The themes include suicide, drugs, overdose, murder, postpartum depression, big time betrayal, adultery and some other dark seeded issues. So consider this your warning. I do recommend this book if you feel you can handle those topics. It was very suspenseful, and the author certainly gets into the head of each psychotic character.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Ms.Tanen Jones, her publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Oh what a tangled web we weave!
This suspenseful page turner was just what I needed to escape. The Better Liar could easily be a great movie or even TV series. Dou you trust Leslie? An heir to her father’s estate IF she and her estranged sister show up together to meet the solicitor. Problem? Robin has been on the lam for years. So what would you do for your share of the money? How far would you go? Without divulging the story line and possible spoilers, I will share my impressions as a reader of 1. Suspense, mystery genre 2. Good writing and 3. Realistic characters with depth and back stories that help the reader understand their behavior and conflicts. It is all here. The plot twists and turns are believable and at time heartbreaking. Tanen Jones addresses post-partum depression, consequences of child emotional neglect and the characters resulting inability to achieve healthy attachments. Thank you Tanen Jones for shedding light on subjects too easily misunderstood or ignored. Great job.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of The Better Liar. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me.

I got a sneak peek of The Better Liar by Tanen Jones and loved the plot, I thought it was such a great idea and executed in a way that you want to keep reading!

Robin Voigt is dead. If Leslie had arrived at her sister’s cramped Las Vegas apartment just hours earlier, this would have been their first reunion in a decade. In the years since Robin ran away from home as a teenager, Leslie has stayed in New Mexico, taking care of their dying father even as she began building a family of her own. But when their father passed away, Leslie received a rude awakening: She and Robin would receive the inheritance he left them together—or not at all. Now her half of the money may be beyond her grasp. And unbeknownst to anyone, even her husband, Leslie needs it desperately.

When she meets a charismatic young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Robin—and has every reason to leave her past behind—the two make a reckless bargain: Mary will impersonate Robin for a week in exchange for Robin’s half of the cash. But neither realizes how high the stakes will become when Mary takes a dead woman’s name. Even as Mary begins to suspect Leslie is hiding something, and Leslie realizes the stranger living in her house, babysitting her newborn son, and charming her husband has secrets of her own, Robin’s wild, troubled legacy threatens to eclipse them both.

An electric, twisted portrait of sisterhood and the ties that bind, The Better Liar is a stunning debut with a heart-stopping, twist-after-twist finale that will beg the question: How far would you go to get what’s yours?

I was completely sucked into this story and kept reading and reading to see how everything was going to play out. Keep in mind there’s a real sister, a fake sister, and a dead sister! Pure craziness!

Read this when it’s published on January 14, 2020, pre-order here!

Leslie has a problem. She can only receive her inheritance if she arrives at the executor’s with her sister Robin. The problem? She hasn’t seen or spoken to her sister in over 10 years. When she does track her down she finds she’s too late. In her bed lies the corpse, felled by an overdose. She decides to stop at a bar before returning to her home city and meets a woman there who strongly resembles her errant sister. After several drinks the two concoct a plan to have this woman pose as her sister and sign for the inheritance so they can both come out richer. Of course little goes according to plan and along the way long buried secrets threaten.

The Better Liar is a well written book that examines what happens when we try to hide from ourselves. There are quite a few plot twists to keep things interesting and the storyline moves quickly. I recommend this book and look forward to more from author Tanen Jones.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I had a bit of trouble getting into this story and waiting for SOMETHING to happen or to even figure out the point.

Very glad I stuck it out. The last quarter of the book is great, including a very unexpected ending.

After Leslie finds her sister dead from an overdose in a crappy Las Vegas apartment, she convinces Mary, a girl she's just met and who also bears an uncanny resemblance to her dead sister, to come back to Albuquerque with her and pose as her sister so they can split the inheritance money from her father's death. The two women spend quite a bit of time deceiving just about everyone around them, while trying to sort through all of the lies that the other one is telling.
I was mostly buying the story right up until the end, when my suspension of disbelief was reeeeally stretched. ***Spoiler*** I just couldn't accept that Leslie wouldn't recognize her only sister, especially after spending all that time with her. I mean, come on - a nose job isn't that drastic.
Overall, I enjoyed it, but I knocked off a star for that silly plot twist.

A psychological thriller. Two sisters pitted against each other. Each trying to out maneuver each other. They are only brought back together after ten years due to a codicil in their father's will. It says they must be together to get their inheritance.
There are all kinds s of intriguing in and outside in the story about sister, sister relationships, husband, wife relationships and mother child relationships. The heart of the matter is whether this mother can be a good mother. Her child is a year old and she doesn't feel the live or bond a mother has for her child. She feels what's best is to disappear. That would be better than just leaving. If she just left her husband would be devastated. She ultimately truly loves her husband and doesn't want to hurt him.
Great story about womens fears in having children.

3.5 stars

This book was just okay for me. It took me a while to get into the story. The last 20% was the best part of the book, but I was really disappointed in the ending. Overall it was a good read, and I actually think it would make a really good mini-series or movie.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read The Better Liar in exchange for an honest review.

The Better Liar by Tanen Jones
September 24, 2019
Rebecca Heath

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Leslie has taken care of their dying father for years, while starting a life of her own with her husband and new baby. When their father passes away Leslie discovers he has put a strange requirement in his will. Neither daughter can claim their inheritance without the other being present. Now Leslie must find her sister - or forfeit her share of the inheritance.
Enter Mary - a young, charming waitress living in Vegas with dreams of moving to LA to be a famous actress. Mary has troubles of her own but reluctantly agrees to help Leslie claim her inheritance - at a price.

This is a story with cleverly written twists and turns that will keep you reading well past your bedtime! What a joy it is to find an author who can pull off a twisted, smart, carefully worked out plot. Bravo to Tanen Jones for creating such a smart, suspenseful page turner! I couldn’t put it down! I would never have guessed that The Better Liar was Jones’ debut novel.

Normally books that are written from several perspectives don’t hold my attention, not to mention jumping from past to present. It’s too easy to lose track and I lose interest. Jones manages to pull off both while keeping the story going at readable pace. If you enjoy Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins’ novels, Jones is definitely an author you need to check out!

"The Better Liar", the first novel by Tanen Jones, is a well told tale of lies and truths, appearances and deceptions, truth and consequences. Jones keeps the reader engaged and never confused. She leads you one direction, head fakes, and moves you into a different realm. If you like novels with excellent character development, clean writing, and a variety of twists . . . . this is one for you.

NO SPOILERS

This is a great book to go in blind!!!!

Names change like a revolving cake walk!!!

...Leslie meets Mary in ...
Vegas.
...Leslie brings Mary home to Albuquerque.
...Mary becomes Robin (Leslie’s pretend sister whom she hadn’t seen in 10 years until finding her dead from overdose)...
...Mary who is pretending she is Robin, ( still pretending to be Leslie’s sister)... meets Billy and tells him her name is Alice.

Alice’s name might change again...

Names that ‘aren’t revolving are:
...Leslie is Leslie Floreses
...Dave is Dave Floreses
...Elie is Elie Floreses (Leslie and Dave’s baby)
...Nancy is Nancy ( community friend and police officer)
...Elaine is Elaine ( a single mother with two kids)
...Billy is Billy ( a guy in the night)
...Sam is Sam...Paul is Paul.. (ex-boyfriends of sorts)

Confused yet? GREAT!!!!
The reader gets the treat of unraveling this enigma!

This story keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.
Questions - questions - and more questions run through the readers mind!!!!

This jigsaw puzzle debut novel pushes the edges..... with clever crafting.

Tanen Jones has an almost uncanny ability to get into the heads of the characters...and the heads of her readers. Tanen knows what we’re thinking - and trying to figure out.
Our talented debut author is many steps ahead of us.
Definitely not a predictable ending!!!

This psychological page turning thriller...
becomes a deeper-in-depth look at serious issues worthy of discussions ‘after’ the ending.
This is truly one of those books where the focus of your thinking has shifted 180° by the end.

Awesome read!!!

Thank You Ballantine Books, Netgalley, and Tanen Jones. ( I’m a new fan and can’t wait for your next book!!)