The Truth Beneath the Lies by Amanda Searcy (review)

Kayla's mom may be clean and sober now, but Kayla still has to worry about money, relapses, and the neighbors, especially since they live in a seedy side of town where several girls have already been killed. Betsy, the other narrator in this dual POV thriller, lives in fear of a menacing voice at the other end of a burner phone that her mother knows nothing about. Her paranoia spreads to the people who are trying to befriend her in their new town, namely a Latinx family, some members of which are warmly open while others are as suspicious of Betsy as she is of them. The two narratives seem entirely disconnected for most of the book, with Kayla's life making much more sense than Betsy's unclear motivations. When the plots join up, the suspense finally kicks in, and while the payoff is intense and the reasons for all the connections and suspicions are explained, there are still machinations that remain somewhat less than credible. However, fans of salacious crime dramas may forgive the farfetched bits in favor of the surprising, satisfying upending of the bad guys. KC