A very character-driven thriller with plenty of secrets, questions and drama. It examines relationships of many kinds, and what happens when something threatens to unravel the fabric of everything we thought we knew...

This was an interesting thriller with plenty of mystery and intrigue and definitely held my attention from start to finish

A mystery that will keep you guessing. Psychological torment awaits within the pages of this book! A mysterious book and plot with plenty to keep mystery fans entertained.

The Accomplice is the latest mystery thriller from Lisa Lutz and Titan Books, and it gives readers something a bit special as you don't just get one mystery in this book, but quite a few.

The story follows Luna Grey and Owen Mann, two people who've been friends since they met in college. The two of them quickly form a strong friendship, and become inescapable parts of each others lives. People expect them as a pair, they question why the two of them aren't together romantically, but Luna and Owen are simply just friends.

After knowing each other for nearly two decades the two of them are still in each others lives, living a few houses away from each other, and still being the best of friends. Yes, it might put a little strain on their relationships with their partners, but everyone understands that they're a package deal. When Luna goes out for a run the morning after Owen's wife, Irene, confides in her that Owen's having an affair, Luna discovers Irene's body. The police begin their investigation into the murder, checking to see if Owen may have killed his wife, but Luna is sure that he had nothing to do with it; just as she was sure he had nothing to do with the death of his girlfriend back in college. As the investigation continues, memories of the last time two two of them were connected to a tragic death begins to surface, old wounds get reopened, and their relationship gets put to the test.

I really enjoyed The Accomplice. It felt intriguing straight from the off thanks to the relationship between Luna and Owen. Whilst the story is about the death of Irene and the events that come from that, a big focus of the book (the main focus really) is these two people. As much time is given to their relationship as there is to the two deaths, and the book delves deep into friendship, trust, and toxic relationships. And yes, I said two deaths, as the book doesn't just contain the one murder mystery.

The narrative gets split across two different timelines throughout The Accomplice, alternating between Owen and Luna's time in college, and their present time of 2019. In the present we see them dealing with Irene's death, their changing relationship, and the difficulties they both face; in the past we see the two of them come together for the first time, their friendship forming, and also what happened when Owen's on-again-off-again girlfriend Scarlet is found dead. Owen is, of course, a prime suspect, and we see the impact that has on his life back then; the way that everyone in college other than a handful of friends turn on him, how the Scarlet's family is out for his blood, and how it tests the bonds of his friendship with Luna.

These two interweaving timelines aren't just there to add an extra mystery or to show the strength of their friendship, but also helps to serve the present narrative. The people in the present have issues to deal with, personal issues that have hung over them for years; relationships that have never been the same. As we learn more context for this in the present time we get to see how it began as the past timeline unfolds. It becomes clear that the last time a tragic death plagued their lives it set off a series of events that would forever change them; and it's no surprise when the events in the present have a similar effect.

In a lot of ways the central relationship in The Accomplice is one that you'd want to aim for with your close friends. They love each other, they know what to do to help each other, they're there whenever they need someone, they do good for each other. However, I felt that the book was also a warning about how toxic such close relationships can be, how if you don't manage your behaviour right, if you get in too deep and don't look at more than just your wants and needs it can turn toxic and hurt others. Owen and Luna are no different to other strong relationships we've seen in fiction over the years, albeit with one big exception. There's no romance or sex between the two of them. They love each other in a way that you see in some of the stronger romantic relationships in fiction, doing awful things for and to each other, but its always platonic. And whilst you probably don't want to completely emulate their friendship it is wonderful to see strong platonic love depicted in fiction, as most writers seem to think that any strong friendship has to turn romantic or sexual at some point.

The mysteries of The Accomplice are really engaging, and not just the central ones of how these women died in the two timelines. There are multiple smaller mysteries scattered throughout the book that are just as engaging. Luna has something terrible in her past that she's trying to keep secret (something that I wished we'd gotten more of as it was an amazing part of the story), there's mystery around Owen's past with Irene, mystery around Irene's relationship with her step-father, mystery around why Luna's past relationship with Owen's brother soured. All off these little mysteries keep the reader engaged whilst the larger mystery unfolds in the background, and keeps the book interesting even in the quieter moments. And the central mystery, of who killed Irene and why has such an obvious, simple solution that once it was revealed I slapped my head and yelled 'of course!' for not having seen it coming. It was such a masterful reveal, at just the right moment, that it made the whole thing worth while.

The Accomplice is an engaging mystery story that takes a more personal approach to murder mystery than some other books. It doesn't follow the police and their investigation, and instead focuses on the human connections of the people whose lives have been forever changed by these tragic events. If you're looking for a character driven thriller with a good central mystery, this book is definitely worth a read.

I loved this book mainly because of the relationship between the two main protagonists - Owen and Luna - whose friendship is enduring and never tips over into anything romantic. Refreshing.

Of course they have other issues. Mainly that people around them seem to keep dying - Lisa Lutz manages a twisty and engaging plot extremely well.

It has an edgy feel that makes it a complete page turner and the story is compelling throughout plus not at all predictable.

I was intensely sorry to leave these characters behind. For me this was pitch perfect.

Luna and Owen didn’t get off to the best start when they first met in college but having gotten over that initial hurdle – they are now very close… Closer than close actually! But, strictly platonic – ride or die best friends that would do absolutely anything for one another – ANYTHING! Years later, they have remained best friends and are now also neighbours. When Luna goes out for a jog early one morning, she comes across Owen’s wife, Irene at the cemetery… and she’s been shot dead! When the police arrive, they immediately notice their close bond – something that many people have never understood over the years. Unfortunately for them, this isn’t the first time suspicion has come knocking at their door, they have been here before – the mysterious death of Scarlett – a classmate from back in their college days. Two murders? Coincidence? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me… But who here is the fool and who is the murderer? How well can you ever really know somebody?

The accomplice is mainly told in two timelines – past and present day, with multiple POV’s which makes for an intriguing read. The back and forth between the two timelines and the mystery contained in each kept the story fresh throughout. It was really fun to play armchair detective and try to figure out what’s going on in this psychological, domestic, mystery/thriller. This is a slow burn with lots of secrets to unpack and some great twists along the way. I loved the uniqueness of Luna and Owen’s friendship and loved even more that it didn’t end up becoming some kind of twisted friends to lovers psychological thriller/romance mash-up!

My thanks to the author and Titan Books for my advance copy to review via Netgalley.

Four slow burn, friendship bracelet BFF stars

I went into this book without expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised by what the book had in store for me.
I was hooked right from the beginning and found myself unable to stop reading.
I kept saying 'Just one more chapter' until there were no more chapters and I finished the book.
It was totally worth the time. Loved it and highly recommend to all psychological thriller lovers.

The Accomplice is my first novel by Lisa Lutz, but I can already tell it won't be my last. The Accomplice is a well-written, twist-filled psychological suspense. Offering multiple alternating POV chapters and time periods, The Accomplice asks us the question; how well do we truly know those closest to us? Best friends, Luna and Owen are at the heart of this novel and their friendship is well portrayed. When Owen's wife turns up dead and questions start to come up about another death that occurred in their shared past, we see things start to unravel and suspicions cast. I really liked the character of Luna and how the story teases us about her past in bite sized pieces just enough to keep you turning the pages needing to know what happened. I read most of this book in one sitting. A well-crafted suspense novel about secrets, trauma and friendship. I'd highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Accomplice was a book that I had seen everywhere and sounded like my kind of book.. It is a slower kind of thriller, with the reader being drip fed just enough about the characters and their pasts. It was highly addictive in that way, always leaving you wanting more.

The relationship of Owen and Luna was an interesting one. Best friends since college, they would do anything for each other. People always wondered if there was more to them than friendship. But they have a bond like no other. This bond is put to the test when Owen's wife is found dead, by Luna. It is not the first person to die around them and secrets from the past will rear their ugly head in search of who killed Irene.

I really enjoyed the story, the hidden secrets and intense relationships. The Accomplice is out April 14th. Thanks to Titan Books for my advanced copy to read.

4.5 rounded up

Wealthy and privileged Owen Mann meets mysterious and secretive Luna Grey at Markham University in 2002. Soon the pair are inextricably linked and it seems that being in their orbit might be a dangerous place to be. Whilst at university there is an unexplained death of an ex-girlfriend of Owen’s and despite the disturbing fallout of that, nothing rocks their friendship. Years later in 2019 Owen’s wife Irene is murdered. The subsequent police investigation begins to uncover buried secrets both at the heart of their relationship and deeply submerged within Luna.
The Accomplice examines the bonds of their relationship with its changing but very complex dynamics. It’s told in duel timelines and from several points of view.

This is just my kind of book as it’s compelling and immersive and I find I’m glued to the pages. I love the way the tasty little titbits especially about the past are revealed a little morsel at a time and some are doozies. Your perspective constantly changes as you learn a little more, you reconfigure the characters and your viewpoint of them right from the start. Luna is a conundrum from the get go, you can’t work out what lies at the heart of her but you know it’s something dark from the behaviour of those in the know. Is she full of pretence and lies or is it just self preservation?

Similarly a puzzle emerges of the seemingly golden Owen whose reputation begins to tarnish in 2002. Along the twisty route to understand their unbreakable bond they encounter betrayals and lies, they experience guilt and there are coverups of dark secrets.

There is one very surreal moment when Luna visits her mother one Christmas. Wow, that makes your jaw drop for sure as you try to compute the meaning.

Overall, this is a terrific and fascinating character driven study and the very definition of a psychological thriller in my opinion.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Titan Books for that much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.