by A. J. CLACK;
An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.
AUTHOR: A. J. Clack
Cover art by: N/A
Published by: Firefly Press
Publication date Paperback: 7th March 2024
Paperback ISBN: 978-1915444417
UK Cover price for Paperback: £8.99
Pages: 367
Age range: YA Thriller/Murder Mystery
SPOILER ALERT
Some as to early plot, direction and characters.
Thank you to...
We are exceedingly grateful to Firefly Press Publishers for reaching out to us to see if we would like to Read and Review this much-anticipated book before publication.
Having read the advance press release, we were only too pleased to read this. I do hope you will be, too, after the review.
As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.
First and foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.
The plot
A little preamble. In this book's scenario, Lie or Die is a new reality T.V. show based on the real-world social gathering/party game Mafia, or in some circles, it is known as Werewolf.
The game, usually played with 10 players, is that the assembled group is split into two sides - Mafia and Townspeople. The Mafia tries to bump off the Townspeople whilst the Townsfolk try to get shot of the Mafia. There is also a Detective and a Doctor in the mix. Their roles are pretty straightforward. The detective seeks to detect a Mafia member in each day and night cycle of the game, whilst the Doctor can save a Townsfolk member each cycle.
Each player is given a role to play. But, nobody knows who or what any other players are until they are eliminated.
Now, during the day period of the game, the players can nominate someone to eliminate from the game, to send to the electric chair if you will. The nominated person is then put on trial and, if found guilty, removed!
During the Night segment of the game, the Mafia can eliminate a player. And so the game goes on.
In Lie or Die, the story focuses on three late teenage pals, our key protagonist, Kass, and her best mates, Lewis and Thea. Kass has fallen out with Thea after having kissed Thea's ex-boyfriend. It is a silly rift that seems to be splitting the girls apart, big time. When an audition is held for Lie or Die, Thea says that Kass going for it with Thea is the only way she can trust Kass once more. Kass wants to put the whole mess behind her, so she is pressured into doing it. It turns out Thea has already entered them both, and the interviews take place soon after.
When Kass fails to pass the test, she is secretly relieved. After all, she has shown she is supportive of Thea. But, when on accompanying Thea to the studios, one of the contestants is bizarrely poisoned with seafood (even though there is none in the building), and her EpiPen is nowhere to be found; Kass, being already on the ground, is enlisted into the game.
Her fellow players are an interesting mix of quiet, calm and outright play-to-win types that would do anything in the game to win the £50,000 prize and the social media stardom that could rocket their future careers. Everything goes, especially lying. In fact, daubed across all the studio walls is the phrase "Trust no one"!
Kass is considered the 'Girl Next Door' type. Bland and boring and not the likely fav of the audience that the show is being streamed to. What Kass does have in her favour is the ability to spot if people are lying. Telltale signs or tics that will give away their role. Also, none of the other players know she and Thea are besties.
So, with an immediate ally, things get off to a good start. But then, the rules change from the perceived norm. First, a manakin is spotted hanging from a tree in the set garden. In its leg, Kass spots the EpiPen of the now-gone contestant. When that evening/night, one of the players is carded and seemingly killed by an agent, there is surprise amongst the players as only one kill a night is expected (the manakin being the first). The acting looked so real, even down to the drool from the contestant's lips, and later on the finding of a poison bottle.
The players are, for want of a word, 'controlled' by an A.I. personality called Cohin. It appears hooded in a hologram projection unit where the players are forced to congregate when commanded. The projection actually morphs into various characters that have exited the game as it progresses. So, when Kass has her doubts, especially as none of the others are aware of the truth regarding the girl she has replaced, she is soon assuaged when the poisoned girl appears to speak to them via the hologram and puts the recent realistic poisoning down to epic acting.
I think by now, you can maybe see where this is going.
The action takes off from here as the players accuse and prosecute one of their housemates.
In the surprise outcome, which I won't spoil for you as it is a pivotal point, one player goes to the chair and, with a ghastly scream, exits the game and the house. Or do they???
As the game progresses, the ante is upped, and the contestants become more stressed, sleepless and, dare I say it, paranoid. With loud sounds and flashing bright lights, who wouldn't be?
If you can take a breath, you should do so here before the book's second half. You won't want to leave this until the very last full stop.
So, what did we think?
The reality Television Mrs H and I know of is some of the worst T.V. out there. Has beens and wannabes, shameful and shameless. At least, that is our view.
The book pulls apart from the inside what reality and reality T.V. is and means, and what it can do. But it also shows the fragility and underlying motivations of the players, some worthy, some not so.
I love that Lewis points out that it is a beast we create, and whilst we may outwardly reject it, there is something that draws folks in. Maybe it's the fact that it's not them on the receiving end – voyeurism.
The author has skilfully manipulated our protagonist, labelled 'as the girl next door' by the other competitors, into the ultimate detective. Fighting to support Thea and survive and escape a deadly sealed studio.
Mrs H read this to the end, where I got so far and the tension and dread was so much that I have to admit to sneaking a look at the ending. But even then, I was surprised.
Let me tell you, this is one doozy of a read. Well paced and delightfully cast. Not only are there shock revelations but also extra double twists right down to the closing sentence.
So . . . .
Crunch time.
The ultimate locked room mystery – twisted, deadly, dark and seriously addictive. Turning the banal T.V. genre into a must-read hit! Thank goodness this ISN'T on T.V.!
A must-read, and one Mrs H and I both feel far exceeded our expectations to become the brilliant and gripping read it was.
Would we watch reality T.V. now? Absolutely NOT.
Want to buy a copy?
To get a copy, please place advance orders with a local bookshop; that way, you're helping maintain local shops and economies.
****** GIVEAWAY ******
One lucky commenter on this blog will receive a copy of this book thanks to Mrs H dipping into her pension and sherry fund.
To be eligible, commenters on this post will need to be in an area covered by Amazon and be able to take receipt of a package from them with a suitable delivery address. They must also be willing to furnish Mrs H with their address if they win. This address will be deleted after the successful delivery of the package.
Given the nature of the book theme, Mrs H and I are limiting this giveaway to those we know are over 18.
Comments must be made before midnight (GMT) on Saturday 13th January 2024.
A.J. CLACK's Twitter/X page can be found HERE or type this: https://twitter.com/alisonclack1?lang=en-GB
FIREFLY PRESS'S web page can be found HERE. or type this https://fireflypress.co.uk/
We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America.
This is as close to reality and prying cameras as we want to get . . . .
Till laters!
ERin 💙
