Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
"Such Charming Liars" by Karen M. McManus is a gripping thriller filled with heists, murder plots, and family drama. The story follows Kat and her former stepbrother, Liam, who reunite under dramatic circumstances involving their grifter parents. When Kat's mother, Jamie, falls ill during a jewel heist, Kat takes over, only to witness a murder at a wealthy man's birthday party.
While the premise is intriguing, the plot felt a bit convoluted, blending elements of a heist and a murder mystery. The pacing was uneven, with a slow start and a rushed ending. The characters, though bonded by past trauma, lacked depth. Despite these issues, McManus's knack for drama and twists kept me engaged. It's not my favorite of her books, but it has enough suspense to keep readers hooked.
If you enjoy thrillers with complex plots and family secrets, give this one a try.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own.

Jewel thief Jamie has one last job with her daughter, Kat. Their target? Billionaire Ross Sutherland. But Luke and his father Liam, a serial scammer, have their sights set on the same family. Oh, and it just so happens that Luke and Liam are Kat's ex stepfather and stepbrother, complicating things and making a dangerous situation even more dangerous.

Things go from bad to worse when Kat finds herself conducting the heist alone and it goes wrong, winding up with the death of one of the billionaire's sons (which Kat is the only witness to!). Now a target, Kat must rely on Liam to help her survive and solve the mystery.

I went back and forward on this book, trying to decide how much I liked it, and in the end I think it just wasn't for me. There were bits I really enjoyed - Karen McManus is the queen of YA mystery for a reason, and all her strengths in dropping clues and leaving red herrings are at the forefront. The interpersonal conflicts, again another strength of the author, are prominent and engaging. In terms of characters, I enjoyed Luke and Augustus in particular.

However, I think for me, it started off a bit slow and I had to really persevere until the point that the murder happened before I found myself more engaged and even then, I found myself taking lots of breaks and not speeding through it like I normally do with a McManus novel. As a general rule, I'm not a huge fan of heist books but wanted to give this one a try because of how much I enjoyed McManus' previous books and series. I found myself flipping through a lot of the heist specific stuff and focused more on the mystery and the relationships with the characters. I went back and forth on the main character, Kat, as well. She makes a lot of mistakes and questionable decisions and while I do enjoy reading characters like that as I find it very realistic and relatable (for teenage characters especially), but it was frustrating at times.

Overall, I think this book just wasn't for me. I'm glad I read it because I always learn a lot from a McManus book and there were aspects that I enjoyed. I will pick it up for a reread at some point in the future and see if my feelings change. If you're a McManus fan or you love heist books, I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy here!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-Arc!

Such Charming Liars by Karen McManus
I give this book 4.25 stars.

Jamie is a jewel thief trying to go straight, but with her daughter Kat she has one last job. Liam and his father Luke a serial scammer with his own sights set on the same family.
Kat and Liam are on a collision course to disaster.But when someone dies.they can’t trust anyone except each other. Or can they? Because if there’s one thing both of them know, it’s how to lie….

I love the One Of Us Is Lying series and was excited to read her new book,this does have a different feel to it. The POV narrative switches between Kat and Liam who join up with wealthy Augustus to become a fun trio trying to solve a murder mystery, none of the 3 have had an easy life and they quickly bond.Throw the adults (con artists) into the mix (all seem to be flawed) along with a jewellery heist and the suspense ramps up.The author does a great job of creating a complex storyline filled with crazy antics ,deception and hidden secrets to uncover. The red herrings and clues are scattered throughout along with subplots and counter twists to keep you guessing and turning the pages.An entertaining YA thriller.
With thanks to Netgally Karen McManus and Penguin Random House UK for my chance to read and review this book.

With all her usual smarts, Karen M
McManus dazzles again with a thrilling, gripping and well plotted YA mystery.

A classic Karen McManus novel with duel POV & plenty of plot twists.

Most the characters are morally grey & it's very hard to know who/what to trust.

Kat and Liam were step siblings for less than 48 hours but when they meet again years later, Liam instantly recognises Kat and her mother Jamie. A lot has happened to the pair since they were abandoned kids in a Las Vegas hotel, but despite the time that's passed, they still feel a sibling bond.
When Jamie and Liam's dad, Luke, are both at a big event for the wealthy Ross Sutherland's birthday, with nefarious plans to earn some cash, Kat and Liam end up embroiled in a murder plot that they wanted no part in. Jamie's only goal is to get this last jewellery heist over so she can move on with her life and take herself and her daughter away from a life of crime, but when she's taken down by a sickness bug Kat decides to finish the mission without her. Unfortunately, she sees more than she bargained for when a party attendee is shot in front of her. Not knowing who to trust, she runs to Liam and together they have to figure out what's happened before the killer finds Kat.

I've read a few Karen M McManus books and absolutely loved them but this wasn't my favourite - the premise was a little weak and too confusing (can you tell by my summary above?!) to really engage me. Was it a heist? A murder mystery? The characters were also a little bland and were only really bonded through their shared trauma - not a trope I love...
The pacing was a little slow for me and far too fast at the end, it felt like there were so many random plot points that had to be created in order to get to the action.
It didn't read as well as One of us is lying or Nothing more to tell so I'd recommend picking those over this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Puffin Books for the eARC.

So happy that I got to read an ARC copy of Such Charming Liars via NetGalley. I was captivated from the beginning of the book and the main characters Kat and Liam (and Augustus) were really likeable. I was quite proud of myself as I guessed some of the plot twist but there was a whole other plot twist I DID NOT GUESS. Overall, the book was amazing and Karen M. Mcmanus’ books have such a great writing style that allows the reader to be really immersed in the book. I have enjoyed other books such as One Of Us Is Lying by the same author and would highly recommend all of her books. Really excited to read more from Karen M. McManus.

McManus does it again. The master of murder mysteries is back with another corker. I loved the twists and turns (some of which I guessed) but then ending came as a surprise! Loved the characters and the friendship that they formed. Will be recommending this book to my pupils and librarian

When saw a Karen McManus book was on here i had to have it! I love her books so much! I wouldnt say this is my favourite as I love one of us is lying. I would definitely recommend as so many twists and turns. The 2 main characters just have a wonderful relationship despite being years since they have seen each other.

I’m reading along and so far this book is about two teenagers, Liam and Kat, whose parents, who had them young themselves, are grifters. Liams father, Luke, pulls cons using dating apps. Kats mother, Jamie, works for Gem an old friend who uses her cleaning business as a front for her main business, making costume jewelry based on the real thing and then Gem steals the real thing just for good measure. The link between both children is that they are stepbrother and sister, Jamie and Liam had gotten married, for 48 hours, following a drunken incident in Las Vegas a few years prior.

When Kat gets caught up in one of Gems’ scams her mum, decides not to work for Gem anymore, but she’ll only let Jamie go if she pulls one more scam, go to the Sutherland estate to steal a necklace and replace it with a fake one. Luke pulls Liam into a scam by introducing him to Annalise, a woman he has been dating just so that he can eventually get his hands on the family’s money or jewellery. After a lot of slick hint dropping by Liam to Annalise, Luke has to take him along to meet the family for the weekend.

Along the way both families meet at the Sutherland estate and the necklace that Gem had made to be replaced with the original has been stolen from the room and because Jamie is sick, Kat has had to take over hosting duties and also mingle in the party to find the necklace, as she believes that one of the other hostesses had taken it from their room. But whilst there she gets lost in the woods and witnesses a murder. What are the chances of her getting away from the killer, finding the necklace and trying to finally wake up her sick mother, Jamie? And who is the insider at the Sutherland residence?

Those are the questions that you’re going to ask once you read this book. It is a non-stop rollercoaster page turning delight which she will take full pleasure in reading. I love this book and it’s one that’s definitely going to be read again at some point. But then again this author, Karen M McManus, writes many good books all aimed at the young adult audience but this one was definitely for us oldies to enjoy and enjoy it you will.

Plenty of twists, wrong turns and surprises in this one, as we've come to expect from the author. Will keep readers hooked and will issue on the authors name alone - make space on the shelves for a copy or two!

3 ⭐️

You've got to give it to her. Karen knows how to write drama. This book is rife with it. Heists, murder plots, and cover-ups.

I really liked our three main characters. I wish we got Augustus's POV, I imagine it would have a lot of WTF going on. Liam is my favourite character. He's just innocently running about the place saving the day while chaos runs rampant.

I did struggle with Kat and Liams immediate sibling bond when they only knew each other for 2 days 12 years back but I do get that what happened in those 2 days gives a strong basis for that connection. One of my favourite aspects was Kats' relationship with her mother and how it changes when they start being honest with each other. It's a sweet emotional aspect, and this book needed it between all the other awful characters.

The plot twists were good, I didn't expect the last one. I did feel that some of them made people who are meant to be smart look like idiots.

All in all, it's not my favourite of Karen's books. It fell a little flat for me, but I can see how it would appeal to others.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Karen M. McManus, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Kat’s mother is a jewel thief with one last big job before she leaves her life of crime behind. All she has to do is target a billionaire’s 80th birthday party. Sounds simple enough, right? Things are complicated when it turns out her scammer ex-husband and his son Liam are also in attendance. When someone is suddenly murdered, Kat and Liam realise they might be in danger and have to trust each other to survive.

I first discovered Karen M. McManus’s books in 2018 and have been hooked since. While I love Agatha Christie, I don’t tend to read many contemporary murder mysteries (as I’m a scaredy cat and scared of everything). Despite this, I really love McManus’s writing. Her teenage characters and settings are well realised and fun to follow. There is always genuine tension and a compelling mystery as well.

Such Charming Liars is no exception to this. While it took a little while to set up the premise and for me to get fully into it, I really enjoyed it. The story felt more heist-like than some of her previous books and the mystery kept me guessing throughout. McManus has great attention to detail and every thread is tied up neatly.

What a fun read! This is different to McManus' usual style and I feel like it really worked for her. It was less realistic than her usual stories but much more fun because of this, and it did still have her signature twists and turns. I enjoyed the heist aspect of it and seeing the inner workings of a criminal organisation and how the lifestyle affected the characters. Kat, Liam and Augustus were fun protagonists and I loved how their relationships developed. I would definitely recommend this book to her usual fans and beyond!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A great young adult books that doesn’t feel too teenage.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

I have been a Karen M. McManus fan for years so this book has been so high on my list to read. It definitely did not disappoint at all, immediately I was hooked and had to keep reading until I figured it out.

I love a heist book. This was fun and the twists kept twisting. Another solid read from Karen McManus.

I loved it!

Anything Karen M. McManus writes, I’m going to read; so I was really excited to get an arc of this.

I wasn’t initially too sure about the heist element but I quickly came to see how it enhanced the whodunnit element of the murder mystery. As always in a McManus novel, the character were well-developed and the plot fast paced. And, once again, there was an ending I did not expect.

Such Charming Liars boasts a bigger page count than McManus’s previous mystery novels and an older cast than the One of Us…series.

It does not disappoint. For my money McManus’s greatest strength is the integrity she breathes into each character, no matter how deluded or crooked, which is crucial when juxtaposing different points of view, furthering the plot as it gives a clearer look at each character.