I Love It When You Lie: A suspense novel

by Kristen Bird

Overview

"Irresistible and compulsive, this book is packed full of surprises."
—Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

The Williams women don’t just keep secrets…

They bury them.

The three Williams girls are as close as sisters can be, and they also share one special trait in common: each of them have a man in their lives that they could do without.

Tara, the pastor’s wife, has been stealing money from the church and would prefer that her husband stay out of it. Then there’s June, who would do anything to have a baby of her own, even if her husband is dead set against it. Clementine, the youngest, is entangled in an affair with her professor, a man whose behavior she's starting to seriously question. Their sister-in-law Stephanie, an outsider, knows all the family dirt and is watching the three of them—and the men in their lives—closely.

When the woman who raised them, their beloved Gran, dies on the eve of her eightieth birthday, the Williams sisters return home to the Appalachian foothills to bury her. But their grandmother won’t be the only one they’ll put in a grave this weekend…because now someone has gone missing in the dark Appalachian woods.

And if Gran has taught them anything, it’s how to get rid of a good-for-nothin’ man.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778333432
Publisher:	MIRA Books
Publication date:	03/14/2023
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	129,621
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kristen Bird lives outside of Houston, Texas with her husband and three daughters. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music and mass media before completing a master’s in literature. She teaches high school English and writes with a cup of coffee in hand. In her free time, she likes to visit parks with her three daughters, watch quirky films with her husband and attempt to keep pace with her rescue lab-mixes. THE NIGHT SHE WENT MISSING is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/30/2023

Set in Willow Gap, Ala., this exceptional mystery from Bird (The Night She Went Missing) focuses on the three Williams sisters: Tara, the eldest, has married the local Southern Baptist pastor; June has become a nurse and has married a doctor; and Clementine, the youngest, is still in college. Their brother, now Willow Gap’s mayor, has scandalized the townsfolk by marrying Stephanie, whose major crime in their eyes is being a Northerner. Readers know from the outset that someone is dead, and that the Williams family had a hand in his demise, as revealed through the viewpoints of the three sisters and their sister-in-law. Bird judiciously doles out salient details of the women’s lives and the decisions that have brought them to their current roles. The potential identity of the victim constantly shifts, as each woman has a bone to pick with her man. Rather than a whodunit, this is a “who’s going to get what he deserves.” As Stephanie says, “Justice would be great, but revenge is so much sweeter.” This tale of sisterhood is un-put-downable. Agent: Hayley Steed , Madeleine Milburn Literary TV & Film Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Exceptional.... This tale of sisterhood is un-put-downable."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A wicked blend of family secrets, sibling resentment and small-town ways. Wondering how to get away with murder? The Williams sisters know.”
—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“I Love It When You Lie uncovers all the hidden secrets in a small southern town, where grudges and betrayals run deep. Irresistible and compulsive, this book is packed full of surprises.” —Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

“A superb character-driven mystery positively dripping with atmosphere. I Love It When You Lie is both a propulsive twisty ride—after all, hell hath no fury like a Williams sister scorned—and a book that shines a light on women’s hidden lives and invisible labor to keep families and communities running. Bird has given us a pitch-perfect small-town suspense and the exact kind of anti-heroines I’ve been waiting for. You won’t be able to put this down.”
—Ashley Winstead, author of The Last Housewife

"Richly atmospheric and thick with tension, this tale of deadly secrets and the fierce sisters who keep them demands to be devoured in a single sitting, even as you savor each unsettling reveal."
—Heather Chavez, author of Blood Will Tell

"Bird’s second small-town suspense will have you flipping pages long into the night. A dash of murder, a sprinkle of secrets, and a full heaping of Southern charm, I devoured this book in two days."
—Savilla Mountain, creator of lifestyle blog Vogue for Breakfast

"An atmospheric thriller that skillfully unravels a sudden disappearance in the Appalachian foothills. Full of scandal, generational secrets, and strong women who aren’t afraid to take matters into their own hands, I Love It When You Lie kept me guessing the whole way through. I couldn’t put it down."
—Allison Buccola, author of Catch Her When She Falls

"I Love it When You Lie's high-tension premise hooked me from the get-go. It's a delicious slow-burn. The complexities of each character and descriptions of the location drew me in, transporting me to the heart of this small US Southern community and the mystery you'll race through to solve."
—Amanda Cassidy, author of Breaking

“There’s no family like the Williams family—and there’s no novel like I Love It When You Lie. Steeped in Southern atmosphere, this timely story of sisterhood, long-hidden secrets, and uncompromising resolve quivers with tension. Small-town suspense at its finest."
—Tessa Wegert, author of Death in the Family and The Kind to Kill

"A suspicious death forces a family to face its secrets. An engrossing multi-layered story in which each thread is hugely compelling in itself and they all fuse together to create a tense, unputdownable and surprisingly touching read."
—Liz Webb, author of The Daughter

From the Publisher