In Liz Lawson’s latest YA thriller, Murder Between Friends, the author demonstrates her flair for creating deeply complex teenage characters navigating morally ambiguous situations. Set in the small town of Brawner, Virginia, this standalone novel follows three former best friends—Grace, Henry, and Ally—as they grapple with the fallout of a murder that tore them apart two years prior. With skillful narrative construction and multiple perspectives, Lawson crafts a compelling whodunit that doubles as a thoughtful examination of teenage relationships under extraordinary pressure.
What makes this novel particularly engaging is Lawson’s commitment to psychological complexity. Unlike many YA thrillers that prioritize action over emotional depth, Murder Between Friends delves into the messy, complicated feelings of teenagers facing adult-sized problems. Their investigation isn’t just about solving a crime—it’s about reconciling their fractured friendship and discovering painful truths about themselves and the adults they trusted.
The Weight of an Accusation: Plot and Premise
The story begins with a stunning development: Jake Hanson, convicted of murdering beloved English teacher Miriam Appelbaum, is being released from prison due to a legal technicality. His conviction is vacated after it’s revealed that the district attorney and judge were having an affair, tainting the proceedings. This twist of fate forces three former best friends to confront their roles in the conviction:
- Grace Topham: Her eyewitness testimony was crucial in convicting Jake, but now she’s questioning what she actually saw that night
- Henry Hanson: Jake’s younger brother who never believed his sibling was guilty
- Ally Copeland: Henry’s loyal friend who stood by him when everyone else abandoned him
When news breaks that Jake will be retried, the trio reluctantly joins forces to uncover the truth before it’s too late. Their amateur investigation leads them down dangerous paths, unearthing drug rings, corrupt officials, secret affairs, and ultimately, a revelation none of them see coming.
Strength in Structure: Multiple Narrators and Timelines
Lawson employs a narrative structure that perfectly complements her mystery. The story unfolds through alternating first-person perspectives of Grace, Henry, and Ally, with each chapter date-stamped to orient readers in the fast-paced investigation. This technique serves multiple purposes:
- It creates dramatic irony when one character discovers information others don’t yet possess
- It allows readers to witness each character’s individual growth
- It provides different angles on the central mystery, slowly assembling pieces of the puzzle
The novel is particularly effective in how it uses these multiple perspectives to reveal character biases and blind spots. Grace’s chapters convey her guilt and uncertainty; Henry’s reveal his conflicted loyalty; Ally’s showcase her determination and anger. Each voice is distinct and authentic, avoiding the common pitfall of multiple POVs sounding too similar.
Heart of the Mystery: Character Development
What elevates Murder Between Friends above standard YA thrillers is Lawson’s investment in character development. Each protagonist undergoes significant growth:
- Grace begins as a people-pleaser, easily manipulated and paralyzed by indecision. Her journey involves finding her voice and moral courage, even when it means standing against those she loves. Her struggle with doubt—both about what she witnessed and her own worth—forms the emotional core of the novel.
- Henry carries the weight of his brother’s imprisonment and his own hidden guilt. His character arc revolves around confronting painful truths and learning that loyalty sometimes requires painful honesty rather than blind faith.
- Ally may be the most compelling character, dealing with grief over her father’s death while using her journalistic skills to pursue justice. Her sharp tongue and unwavering determination make her scenes particularly engaging, though her stubbornness sometimes frustrates both readers and other characters.
The dynamic between these three former friends provides much of the narrative tension. Their tentative steps toward reconciliation, punctuated by setbacks and misunderstandings, feel authentic to teenage relationships where pride and hurt feelings often complicate communication.
Small Town Secrets: Setting and Atmosphere
Brawner, Virginia emerges as more than just a backdrop—it’s practically a character itself. Lawson skillfully portrays the claustrophobic nature of small-town life, where:
- Everyone knows everyone’s business
- Powerful families control local politics and economics
- Reputations can be permanently damaged by rumors and gossip
- Hidden corruption lurks beneath a picture-perfect surface
The contrast between Brawner’s quaint exterior and its dark underbelly mirrors the novel’s exploration of appearance versus reality. This theme extends to characters who present one face to the world while harboring secret motivations and actions.
Strengths and Shortcomings
What Works Brilliantly
- Teen detective work that feels plausible: Unlike many YA mysteries where teenagers inexplicably outperform professional investigators, the amateur sleuthing in Murder Between Friends feels believable. The teens make mistakes, take unnecessary risks, and occasionally need adult intervention.
- Moral complexity: The novel refuses easy answers about guilt, innocence, and justice. Characters make questionable choices for understandable reasons, and readers are left to grapple with whether ends justify means.
- Authentic teenage voices: Lawson captures the intensity of teenage emotions without condescension. The characters’ concerns about college applications and social standing exist alongside weighty moral dilemmas.
- The final twist: Without spoiling anything, the revelation in the final quarter of the book genuinely surprises while remaining fully supported by earlier narrative breadcrumbs.
Where It Falls Short
- Pacing issues: The middle section drags slightly as the investigation hits several dead ends before making significant progress. Some readers might grow impatient during this stretch.
- Adult character development: While the teenage protagonists are fully realized, some adult characters—particularly teachers and police officers—feel one-dimensional.
- Convenience factors: Occasionally, evidence falls into the teens’ laps a bit too easily, or adults share information they realistically might withhold.
- Underutilized side characters: Several intriguing secondary characters are introduced but not fully explored.
Final Verdict: A Compelling YA Thriller With Emotional Depth
Murder Between Friends succeeds on multiple levels—as a mystery that keeps readers guessing, as a character study of teenagers under extreme stress, and as an exploration of friendship’s resilience. Fans of Lawson’s previous work (including her co-authored Agathas series with Kathleen Glasgow) will recognize her talent for balancing suspense with emotional authenticity.
Those who enjoyed Karen M. McManus’s Such Charming Liars or Holly Jackson’s The Reappearance of Rachel Price will find similar pleasures here, though Lawson places greater emphasis on character development than either of those authors. Like McManus and Jackson, Lawson understands that the best YA mysteries use crime as a lens through which to examine teenage social dynamics and identity formation.
While not flawless, Murder Between Friends demonstrates Lawson’s growth as a writer since her debut novel The Lucky Ones. Her plotting is tighter, her character work more nuanced, and her exploration of moral ambiguity more sophisticated. The novel stands as one of the stronger entries in the current wave of YA thrillers, offering both satisfying mystery elements and thoughtful exploration of friendship, loyalty, and the painful process of growing up.
For Readers Who Appreciate:
- Multiple POV narratives
- Teen detective stories with realistic limitations
- Explorations of flawed justice systems
- Small-town secrets and corruption
- Complex female protagonists
- Stories about friendship tested by extraordinary circumstances
- Mysteries where the journey matters as much as the solution
This compelling thriller will leave readers questioning not just whodunit, but the nature of truth, loyalty, and the sometimes devastating consequences of doing what seems right in the moment. In an era of increasing polarization, Murder Between Friends offers a timely reminder that people and situations are rarely as black and white as they initially appear.