Storm of Lies

By Author / Illustrator

Sophie McKenzie

Genre

Suspense & Thrillers

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Simon & Schuster

ISBN

9781398523296

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

29-08-2024

Synopsis

Secrets and Lies are everywhere you look! And the storm is coming! The new teen thriller from Sophie McKenzie, the bestselling author of Girl Missing

Hollie has spent her whole life on the quiet south coast. She's faced some tough challenges, but then who hasn't? When she and her best friend, Parker, start a research project on the local sea-wall defences, the last thing she expects is to uncover a trail of lies that lead her - and those she loves most - into terrible danger. Soon Hollie finds herself at the centre of a growing storm, where she must fight to save everything: her friends, her family and her life . . .

Author Sophie McKenzie tells us about Storm of Lies and gives a short reading from the book:

Praise for Girl, Missing: 'Page-turning' The Independent. 'Please read this book: it is brilliant!; The Guardian.
'Whenever I hear the phrase YA thriller I only ever think of one name - and that's Sophie Mckenzie. Why? Because noboody does it better' Phil Earle, award-winning author. 'Sophie's thrillers are brilliant... you can't stop reading' Robert Muchamore, bestselling author.

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Reviews

Storm of Lies, the latest edge-of-your-seat thriller from Sophie Mackenzie, explores what might happen if a tsunami struck the south coast of England. . . Following her father's sudden departure from the family home, Hollie Norris is angry - and the anger makes her - by her own admission - a pretty unpleasant protagonist (it's all written in the first person). She's moody, defiant and mean to her mum, even when she knows deep down that she's being unfair.

When she and her best friend, Parker, begin a school science project researching the local sea-wall defences, Hollie accidentally uncovers evidence that the crucial barrier may not be as strong as it should be. Try as she might, she struggles to get anyone to take seriously her conviction that her quiet home town of Salthaven is in terrible danger - which makes her even more angry. Her determined belief in her own rightness and her impulsive actions drive a wedge between her and her friends and family. Soon Hollie is lonelier, more miserable and angrier than ever - until, suddenly, she finds herself in a race to save everything: her friends, her family and her life.

Sophie Mackenzie captures brilliantly the emotional landscape of early adolescence, caught in dissatisfied tension between love for family and the desire to be independent. Clearly this is aimed at young adult readers, but the excitement of the story and the vernacular writing style will likely capture older primary school readers too. Dialogue is used liberally, which makes for a light read, but it is also used very skilfully to push the story along and bring the characters to life (incidentally, I'm going to use it as a model for showing students how to do this).

Storm of Lies would be a good recommendation for those who enjoy books like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, for example. As the chain of events escalates to a nail-biting conclusion, truth and deception dangerously intertwine to make this a compelling read.

288 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher