Camino Island
mystery
Series · mystery
One of Us Is Lying
The One of Us Is Lying series by Karen M. McManus has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with One of Us Is Lying (2017).
- Books
- 3 books
- First published
- 2017
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: One of Us Is Lying (2017) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
One of Us Is Lying
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One of Us Is Lying - Book 2:
One of Us Is Next
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One of Us Is Next - Book 3:
One of Us Is Back
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One of Us Is Back
About the One of Us Is Lying series
Five students walk into detention; only four walk out alive. Simon Kelleher, the outcast behind Bayview High's cruel secret-sharing app, dies from an allergic reaction during detention, and the other four in the room — a jock, a criminal, a princess, and a brain, in classic high-school-movie shorthand — instantly become suspects when it turns out someone tampered with his EpiPen. Told in rotating first-person chapters from all four suspects, the book unravels which of them had the strongest motive, what secrets Simon was about to post about each of them, and whether his death was murder at all. The sequels widen the lens beyond the original four: One of Us Is Next introduces a new copycat game terrorizing Bayview a year and a half later, and One of Us Is Back brings the whole cast together again as their pasts catch up with them.
Karen M. McManus built her breakout hit around the classic locked-room mystery structure crossed with high-school clique archetypes and social-media-era secrets, and the trilogy keeps that same rotating-suspect, everyone-has-something-to-hide formula while raising the stakes and body count each time. It's fast, twisty, and unapologetically plot-driven, with each book functioning as a genuinely fair-play whodunit rather than just a vibes-based thriller.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the One of Us Is Lying series?
Three: One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next, and One of Us Is Back.
What order should I read One of Us Is Lying in?
Publication order: One of Us Is Lying, One of Us Is Next, One of Us Is Back. Each book builds on the fallout of the last.
Is One of Us Is Lying finished?
Yes. Karen M. McManus has described One of Us Is Back as the trilogy's final book, closing out the Bayview storyline.
Do I need to read One of Us Is Lying before One of Us Is Next?
Yes. One of Us Is Next is set eighteen months after the first book, brings back several of its characters, and spoils its central mystery.
Is One of Us Is Lying based on a real event?
No, it's an original mystery, though it draws on familiar high-school-movie archetypes (the jock, the princess, the criminal, the brain) and a Breakfast Club-style detention setup as its jumping-off point.
If you like the One of Us Is Lying series
Reading order last verified .