Listen for the Lie: A Novel

Written by Amy Tintera

Narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron

A 2025 Audie Award winner for Best Mystery!

"A world-class whodunit." —Stephen King

“An extremely successful high-wire act, balancing between dark comedy and darker thrills.” —Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Laugh-out-loud funny, thrilling and twisty...” —Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.

Long-listed, NPR Best Book of the Year, 2024 • Long-listed, Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2024 • Long-listed, Audible.com 100 Audible Essentials, 2024

"A lot of thrillers these days use the murder podcast as a plot device. This production simulates one better than any audiobook I’ve listened to, to an often hilarious effect. Also, January LaVoy expertly voices one of Lucy’s funniest tics: imagining how she would murder nearly every person with whom she comes in contact." —Vulture

"Narrator January LaVoy is a treat to listen to, as she gives Lucy the sardonic tone she needs as she grapples with life. LaVoy is also a genius in the way she gives life to Lucy's inner voice—a psychological shoulder demon who wants to solve every issue with ... "let's kill him." —The Berkshire Eagle

"Narrator LaVoy absolutely shines as the broken yet charmingly cheeky heroine. Her tale is organically intermixed with podcast excerpts delivered in honeyed and wry tones by Will Damron, each bookended by delightful 'podcasty' melodies." —Booklist

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Mar 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9781250332103

Amy Tintera

Amy Tintera is the author of the Ruined trilogy as well as the duology Reboot and Rebel. She has degrees in journalism and film and can usually be found staring into space, dreaming up ways to make her characters run for their lives. She lives in Austin, Texas. You can visit her online at www.amytintera.com.

Reviews for Listen for the Lie

[jacqueline.grayson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Couldn’t stop reading this one! The main character, chefs kiss!! The layout of this book was so good!

[lanadalton1997 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved it! It had me gripped and absolutely losing my mind!

[Jane Vathesatogkit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A roller coaster of a mystery thriller with excellent voice acting.

[stacorcione76 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like this book. It had twist turns and Lucy which is the FMC. She had such great inner monologue and banter. I knew that I was just going to enjoy reading her story. Plus she had the most hysterical grandmother that loved to press everybody's buttons and she knew she was always right which made it even better. So of course the story is mainly about Lucy coming back to her hometown for her grandmother's birthday and pretty much it's a hometown that basically isn't comprehending how She is walking around free after killing her best friend. Once you start hearing and truly diving into the story and one's been, which is the podcaster that comes to investigate Lucy's story, you start realizing that there is more scandals, more twist turns and just outright WTF situations going on in this small town than a little bit. For me this book was a good time. I must have had at least two to three scenarios in my head of what happened and every time I thought I knew who did what I would read on and everything would change .It was one of those reads that I couldn't wait to pick the book back up and get to the next chapter.....

[Courtney Jacobs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book! Good narrative and great ending. Very well done.

[Lynne Ward · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you love true crime podcast and audiobooks, this is for you. Very well done!!!

[Myra Harper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was hard to know who did it right until the end! Great book!!

[tinysingergirl1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The way the story unfolded along with the way the podcast episodes were intertwined made this a really good book to listen to. I loved it

[lucycgreenberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable mystery! It kept me pulled in the whole time and I flew through this story. The pacing was great, as were the characters. I was hoping for a deeper psychological twist toward the end, but otherwise loved it.

[Diana Todorovic Peterson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sad it’s done- this was a great listen. The story was great but the performance was the best audio book I’ve listened to.

[solerche19 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Now THIS book is one to tell your friends and family about. 10/10

[MABaskin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great audio on this book- unexpected plot twist as well

[szalexia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed every single minut, even if there are not o lot , but a thousand of twists and turns. And some necessary romances.Thanks for the writings!

[mckinseyapayne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Was hooked from the beginning! I had ideas about what might of happened but was thrown for a loop towards the end that’s for sure.

[happysnappythrift · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just finished the audiobook version of Listen to the Lie. Definitely recommend the audiobook . There's a murder and mystery as well as some dark humor. I loved the narrator and plan to listen to more of her performances. Listen for the Lie is an edgy mystery novel with a true-crime type storyline. True crime is not my normal go-to, but it was more murder mystery that I love. Perfectly written for a television adaptation.
Narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron.

[amanda.dekoekkoek · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The humor. The suspense. The sex. The grandma! Such a great book

[beth · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Fast-paced and interesting premise, but all of the people in the book are terrible people. There is no one to root for and it's full of gratuitous sex and glorified violence and it's crass and not believable.

[marilynvega · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 it was a good read but I guessed who it was!

[krista K · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! I loved every bit of it no notes wouldn’t change a thing

[celindsey725 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was ok. A lot of back and forth. Wouldn’t exactly recommend.

[Klaudia Panczel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was overall an OK for me. Lucy, our main character was humorous in one side, but not really like-able in the other (the voice in her head saying: "Let's kill" annoyed me so f..ng much). The audiobook was fun to listen and easy to follow - the podcast elements were a nice touch, but did not give an extraordinary experience. Lucy hooking up with Ben was really predictable and quite a boring twist. The only character I liked was Lucy's grandma - such an icon. Althought this book didn't put anything new to the table for me.

[thach.vang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love the book! Sarcastic and twisted humor that's right up my alley.

[Alexandra Talley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I did not see the ending coming! It was very unexpected!

[Heather Williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great listen. Loved the characters and twists of the story.

[diane poepping · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you are a fan of a good “who done it”, podcasts, and stories with twists and turns the. You’ll love this one!

[nnaomi0923 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best book EVER!! I haven’t read a book this good ever.

[2hobleys · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic audiobook! Worth all the raves! Leaves you wanting more!

[Jen Schiff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m picky and hate everything -this incredible. Totally blown away!

[Lori Edwards · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is so original! I loved every minute of it! So well done and very well narrated

[carleigh58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sound like a real podcast, definitely a good book to listen to