With Count My Lies, Sophie Stava has written an unforgettable and fast-paced debut novel that is sure to be all the buzz in various corners of the crime fiction community. Sophie Stava lends her fresh voice and undeniable talent to a familiar trope: the unstable outsider who longs to infiltrate a happy family to make it their own.
Count My Lies is the story of Slone Caraway. Slone is a compulsive liar who creates façades about every aspect of her life, sometimes without even realizing she is doing so. Even when her lies get her into trouble, she never seems to learn a lesson.
As the novel opens, Slone has been involved in an incident that cost her a job and warranted the authorities ordering “no contact” between her and the complainant. To make ends meet, she has taken a job at a local nail salon and spends her afternoon breaks hanging out at a nearby park. It is there that she witnesses a young girl get stung by a bee. The child is freaking out, so Slone steps in—saying she is a trained nurse (need I remind you, she’s not)—and helps to ease this little girl’s distress. Slone, of course, would tell you this decision had nothing to do with the child’s very attractive father—but then we already know Slone lies about everything.
This begins a cycle where Slone Caraway slowly intrudes into the lives of the Lockhart Family. She befriends the girl’s mother, Violet, and eventually accepts a position as young Harper’s nanny. All while secretly lusting over the elusive Jay Lockhart. This first—and longest—section of Count My Lies is narrated by Slone herself. Sophie Stava has crafted a complex storyline allowing readers to watch how this woman’s untruths continue to bury her honest self deeper under the weight of countless lies. Not only must Slone navigate her current situation, but readers witness as her past poor decisions creep back up causing an avalanche of trouble.
There are many problems with telling lies about everything, but two important ones quickly begin to dominate Slone Caraway’s existence. First, it becomes increasingly difficult to remember what lies you have told to which people. And at some point, it becomes almost inevitable that the liar will begin to believe some of their own fabrications—justifying their actions with increasing levels of absurdity.
The later sections of Count My Lies are recounted from other points of view, thereby giving the reader a glimpse into how Slone’s actions are being viewed from the outside. Of course, any crime fiction reader is going to know that the folks surrounding Slone Caraway have agendas of their own—so the tangled knot grows to Gordian proportions before a new status quo is reached.
Count My Lies very much fits the mold of domestic suspense readers have experienced in the crime fiction genre for over a decade now. There are some tropes and leaps of faith that must be made in order to be fully immersed in this world. But there is no denying that Sophie Stava’s writerly voice feels fresh and while parts of the outcome are predictable (at some point), other narrative decisions are made that make Count My Lies a must-read for fans of this subgenre. With a debut this strong, Sophie Stava is sure to be a name crime fiction fans will be following for years to come.
BUY LINKS: Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
