Dare You to Lie
Dare You to Lie
I stood outside the massive red brick building, eyeing it as if it were an enemy. As far as I was concerned, it was. Almost two and a half years ago, the end of my freshman year at Jasperville High had been torture. I didn’t think I’d survive the next. So, the day my father came home and told me he’d been promoted and we’d be moving to Columbus, I was elated. I squealed so loudly he actually had to cover his ears. But that elation was short-lived.
Fast-forward to my senior year, and I once again found myself standing just outside the gates of hell, knowing exactly what the spiteful place had in store for me. This time, however, I was ready for it. Nobody within those walls could make my life any worse than it already was.
My father’s conviction had made certain of that.
With that unwelcome thought in mind, I took a deep breath and climbed the wide concrete steps that led to the main doors. On the pole to my right, the American flag flew high and proud above me – our country’s symbol of freedom.
“Liberty and justice for all,” my ass.
A group of younger girls – probably freshmen – overheard me talking to myself and giggled, whispering conspiratorially to one another as I passed. I sighed heavily. It was going to be a long day.
Kylene Danners has moved back to her small hometown to live with her grandfather. Ky’s FBI agent father is in prison after being framed for the murder of a colleague, and her mother has asked for a divorce before moving west with her new partner. Ky has two mysteries to solve. The first involves clearing her father’s name by finding out what really happened and who set him up for murder. Secondly, she needs to figure out who took embarrassing photos of her two years ago and posted them on social media. As she digs into details of people around town, Ky realizes that there is something much more sinister going on, and her probing of the locals and the subsequent threats may cost her more than she bargained for.
Ky is determined, feisty and no-nonsense, and her tough-girl personality helps her dig into the many mysteries around her but also means she finds herself in several dangerous situations. Where others might back down or retreat, Ky rushes headlong into conflict even as she knows there could be terrible consequences. She is tough and quick to react and has a bad-ass attitude and seemingly doesn’t care about her own safety as long as she is pursuing a lead. This is a personal vendetta for Ky, and she has no intention of letting it go until she has found out the truth. She feels betrayed and is looking for retaliation and revenge.
There are many supporting cast members in the novel, and readers will not be sure who is a friend and who is working against Ky. Two of her main supporters are her good friend Garrett and newcomer Tabby. Garrett is there when Ky needs help and becomes her partner in her crusade to solve the mysteries in Jasperville. Tabby also wants to be part of Ky’s support group, and, as a Canadian who has just moved to the US, she adds humour in the novel.
The small town atmosphere and setting of a high school are important to the story. Typical of a small town, everyone seems to know everyone else’s business; yet, as Ky quickly learns, there are many secrets being kept as well. Football is vitally important both to the students and to the townspeople, and so, when Ky suspects members of the football team had something to do with the photo scandal, she immediately makes enemies. Exposing the hidden problems of the community puts Ky in real danger. The rumors and secrets are woven into relationships and extend not only within the school but into the medical community and even the sheriff’s office. Ky has no idea whom she can trust. Some sort of conspiracy is evident, yet it is well-hidden and no one appears to be telling the truth. Lies abound, and it is up to Ky to sort out fiction from reality.
Natusch gives her readers a fast-paced thriller which has constant tension. There is a sense of foreboding, of looming disaster and danger which may explode at any moment. Ky is involved in various scenes which are frightening and threatening. She needs to be quick-witted, tough, and able to fight fire with fire if she is going to survive. Young adults who enjoy the mystery/thriller genre will find it hard to put Dare You to Lie down.
Within the action-filled story, the author also touches on some important themes. The overarching theme of the story is that of finding justice both in the case of the wrongful imprisonment of Ky’s dad and her own humiliation after what she cynically calls “boobgate”. This scandal underlines the theme of how social media is used in the modern world and the effects of bullying on the victim. Natusch also explores the use of steroids by athletes and shows how this leads to personality changes and, in the extreme, sexual abuse. She raises the question of why women may not try to escape an abusive situation.
Ky is immersed in finding answers to her personal questions but also never hesitates to jump into a situation in order to stand up for what she believes and to protect someone she feels is being used or mistreated. She is smart and sassy and annoys most people around her, but readers will cheer her on, knowing that her intentions are for the best.
Natusch has created an interesting fictional world and a memorable cast of characters in Dare You to Lie. The mysteries are not entirely solved at the end of the book, and the various loose ends – both in Ky’s personal life as well as her detective life – let readers know that there will be more to come. Fans will be keen to find out how Ky manages to overcome the obstacles and realize her goals in the next book.
Ann Ketcheson, a retired high school teacher-librarian and teacher of English and French, lives in Ottawa, Ontario.