We chat with author Liz Lawson about Murder Between Friends, which sees the murder of a neighbour tear three best friends apart–now two years later, the killer is going to walk free and the ex-friends are going to have to face the past–and each other.
Hi, Liz! Welcome back! It’s been about five(!) years since we last spoke for your debut. How have you been and what have you been up to?
Hi, Elise! Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to talk about my new book here (and for the lovely piece you ran on my debut The Lucky Ones back then)! The last five years have been wild (not just for me, I’m sure). In terms of book-related things, I cowrote two really fun YA mysteries, The Agathas and The Night in Question, with one of my favorite authors and people, Katheen Glasgow. I then turned my attention to my second solo book—Murder Between Friends!
Your latest novel, Murder Between Friends, is out April 22nd! If you could describe it in only five words, what would they be?
Friendship, memory, A VERY BIG TWIST!
(Whoops—that’s six words, sorry!)
What can readers expect?
Three points of view, a fast-paced plot, lots of small-town secrets, many twists and turns (including the one I hinted at above, which early readers seem to love), a little bit of romance, betrayal, heartbreak, and humor!
Where did the inspiration for Murder Between Friends come from?
Originally, my idea was to write a YA Burbs (the Tom Hanks movie—if you haven’t seen it, rectify that immediately!). After the first draft, the book changed significantly so that sort of fell away, but the neighbors-banding-together-to-solve-crimes remained!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really, really loved writing the relationship between Grace and Henry. The Agathas and its sequel didn’t have much romance in it, and I had missed it! Even my editor, who is notorious for telling people to tone down the romance, told me at one point to thread it through more. Grace and Henry forever!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Oh yes. Second book syndrome is real. For those unaware: Second books are notoriously difficult for authors to write because . . . well. For many reasons. You have people on your team now who you don’t want to let down; you have readers you don’t want to let down . . . it can be easy to get in your head and second-guess everything you’re doing. Which I did for some time. I wrote a draft that didn’t work at all, and then an entirely different draft, and then finally—at long last—wrote what turned into MBF. It was a Process, and my editor’s a saint.
Can you share with us three of your favourite mystery/thrillers that you’ve read?
Ahh, only three!? That’s so hard. Let me think . . .
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is maybe my #1 favorite YA mystery. Pip’s voice is so perfect; you’re really rooting for her even as she stumbles along the way.
The Silence of Bones by June Hur, a historical mystery that’s so beautifully written.
Sadie by Courtney Summers is an incredible mystery/thriller. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you do so immediately!
But I love so many! I mean, I’m leaving out Little Monsters by Kara Thomas, which is a fantastic YA thriller, and has a twist ending that I still think about, years after reading the book; One of Us Is Lying, which is phenomenal, obviously; Truly Devious, which has a main character I adore; Inheritance Games, which is so. much. fun. Other faves include Monday’s Not Coming, I Killed Zoe Spanos . . . I could go on and on.
This is your fourth novel since your debut in 2020. What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned as an author and about the industry over the past five years?
I’ve learned that so much about the process of publishing a book is out of my control, and I’ve had to come to accept that (hard because I am very much a control freak).
What’s next for you?
I’ve been working on something very exciting that will be announced soon, but I can’t talk about it quite yet. More books!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Oh, so many! These run the gambit from YA to adult, literary to mystery to romance. The French Honeymoon by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau, Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao, Kill Creatures by Rory Power, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Compound by Aisling Rawle, They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran, Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson, and The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (which I have yet to read but have heard PHENOMENAL things about). Plus, about a hundred more.
