Tell Them You Lied

Two New York artists' tumultuous friendship gets turned on its head when one of them goes missing and the other may be to blame. A riveting debut novel for readers of Bunny, Luckiest Girl Alive, and "Who Is the Bad Art Friend?""I hope I never have a friendship like this, but Laura Leffler makes it gripping to read about." —Lisa Jewell"Taut, dark, and beautifully written." —Andrea BartzAnna had never met anyone like Willow. Entering art school with lofty ideas about Art and her role in it, Anna was wholly unprepared for someone as mysterious, moody—and cool—as Willow. Here was Anna's muse and collaborator all in one, ready to bring her in on Art's great secrets.Now, five years later, Anna is weary. Where art school was boundless creativity and collaboration, the New York art scene is all about survival. Worse: Willow's true nature as a muse only to herself has become nakedly apparent, as has her cruelty.So the mugging Anna has staged for Willow this morning? It's supposed to send Willow running back to her true friend. The knife is supposed to be a mirror in which this 'artist' can finally see the monster she's become. It's supposed to give Anna her power back.But this morning isn't just any Tuesday. It's September 11, 2001. And as the city reels from the seismic events of that day, Willow never returns home. Anna keeps quiet about the prank and her growing panic that she's to blame for Willow's disappearance. But as the hours and days tick by, Anna begins to question whether she's the mastermind she thought she was, or the pawn.Alternating between the friends' art school tenure and their lives in 2001 New York, Tell Them You Lied reveals how difficult the search for answers is when you'd rather have anything but the truth.


Genre: Mystery

"A compulsive debut about a lusty college friendship between artists, poisoned by envy, lies, ambition and obsession. Perfectly moody and sophisticated, this is the kind of delicious, elevated psychological suspense you'll sink right into." - Ashley Audrain

"Laura Leffler's Tell Them You Lied is a magnificent dual timeline suspense about toxic friendship at a cutthroat art college juxtaposed against the traumatic days following 9/11... an astonishing masterstroke." - Samantha M Bailey

"Taut, dark, and beautifully written... This twisted tale of ambition, envy, and toxic friendship had me turning pages late into the night." - Andrea Bartz

"Sharp, surprising, and completely addictive!" - Jennifer Close

"Just as Megan Abbott peeled back the curtain on the secret worlds of ballet inThe Turnoutand cheerleading in Dare Me, Leffler reveals the dark side of art in Tell Them You Lied." - Sara DiVello

"[A] crackling tale of suspense about the personal and professional rivalries that make us and break us... the perfect mix of Stephanie Danler and Megan Miranda." - Katy Hays

"Tell Them You Liedwill keep you guessing until the end. I hope I never have a friendship like this, but Laura Leffler makes it gripping to read about." - Lisa Jewell

"I turned the final page of this novel feeling as if I'd slashed open the underbelly of the art world... Beware, fans of Megan Abbott and Gillian Flynn - Laura Leffler has one hell of a tale in store for you!" - Alka Joshi

"Every twisted twist of Leffler's exceptional psychological thriller is utterly compelling." - Kyra Davis Lurie

"Tell Them You Lied is a toxic love letter to art and artist, rethinking centuries of women claimed as muses, used as objects until they're hollow, and then shamelessly tossed aside." - Amanda Pellegrino

"Laura Leffler explores the dark side of ambition and envy and their powerful hold on an ever-fraught friendship, all while moving us through a plot that twists and turns as artfully as a painting." - Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

"Leffler will keep you on your toes and turning pages - a can't-miss thriller that will reel you in immediately." - Alex Segura

"Taut and electric, Tell Them You Lied is a deftly-paced, searing condemnation of art's - and society's - careless consumption of women." - Parini Shroff

"Deliciously toxic. Hooked my attention with vicious claws and did not let go until the very last page!" - Jesse Q Sutanto

"This tense, intense look at two women whose art school funhouse mirror relationship begins to unravel against the backdrop of 9/11 will leave you reeling for days." - Erika T Wurth