Book Review: One of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus

I certainly appreciate McManus giving us all a roster of important players in her third novel for the One of Us is Lying series. It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since the last installment came out, but then there was also a television series introduced to muddy the waters a little bit. No fear though, if you were a fan of the first two novels, then One of Us is Back will be easy to pick up on right away.

I myself didn’t totally remember what had happened in the second novel, though my memory was quickly refreshed. That means that Phoebe is still keeping a pretty big secret to protect her brother. As the days pass though, she’s regretting she ever made that pact with her sister. Phoebe’s definitely got the most pressure riding on her in this book, I think, though our other narrators are certainly giving her a run for her money. It all starts with Jake getting let out on bail, some creepy billboards around town, and Phoebe eventually getting kidnapped! She’s found okay, but that propels Murder Club into full investigation mode.

Nate, while heavily involved in all of the action happening to his friend group, also has a lot going on personally. Yes, he’s still with Bronwyn, but there are still a lot of other moving parts. He’s decided to live on his own (with roommates), while he attends college part time and works two jobs. Both of his parents seem to be in a better place, but he’s willing to scrape by in the hope of bettering himself enough to one day get out of Bayview. His job at a bougie country club is what gets him put back in the path of not just Jake, but all the Riordans. They have a really colorful past, and it takes until the last few chapters for everything to get tied together. As any great mystery novel should do!

Addy, still severely impacted by all the near death experiences in her life, has remained almost stagnant in Bayview. Yes, she’s maybe exploring a relationship with Keely, very peripherally, and she’s headed to Peru with Meave at the end of July, but she’s held out on going to college for the time being, and now has the threat of Jake breathing down her neck. It’s still crazy to me how far she’s come in both the novels and the series. I also really liked the close friendship between her and Nate being explored this time around. I can’t say that she gets out of this novel totally unscathed, but she’s one tough cookie.

Overall, I thought McManus did an excellent job of bringing all of our main characters, and even a lot of the peripheral characters, together for this one story without totally sidelining anyone. Though I’m nervous this may be the last novel involving these characters – I certainly hope not! I believe she’s creative enough to keep these characters together in the future, though maybe it moves out of Bayview next time? Who’s to say. I’m not the author! In any case, please go read this series or watch the show – both are terrific.