Friends and Liars
A Novel
Published on 2. December 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-6680-2253-5 (ISBN)
Description
From "edge-of-your-seat suspense" (Booklist) author Kit Frick comes an insidious thriller about four estranged friends trapped in a powerful family's deadly games at a luxe estate in the Italian countryside.
It's been five years since heiress Clare Monroe tragically died on New Year's Eve at her family's opulent Italian palazzo. Since that time, her college friends have harbored a dark secret-their lies and betrayals led to Clare's untimely death.
What happened that fateful night was a horrible accident, but Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David are guilty, nonetheless. And their desperate decision to conceal the truth destroyed their once-close bond.
Now, the estranged friends are each the recipient of an invitation from the Monroes to return to the lakeside palazzo for a long-overdue memorial for Clare. Accepting the Monroes' invitation means playing with fire, but they can hardly refuse.
Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David have barely settled into their idyllic accommodations on Lake Como before someone at the memorial party begins targeting them. Haunted by little "gifts" left in their rooms, taunting notes, and the unshakable sense of being watched, it soon becomes clear that someone on the guest list knows the whole truth about the night Clare died-and the secrets her friends have been keeping. Nothing is as it seems at the palazzo on the lake, and under their tormentor's vengeful gaze, their secrets-and their lives-are in danger.
It's been five years since heiress Clare Monroe tragically died on New Year's Eve at her family's opulent Italian palazzo. Since that time, her college friends have harbored a dark secret-their lies and betrayals led to Clare's untimely death.
What happened that fateful night was a horrible accident, but Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David are guilty, nonetheless. And their desperate decision to conceal the truth destroyed their once-close bond.
Now, the estranged friends are each the recipient of an invitation from the Monroes to return to the lakeside palazzo for a long-overdue memorial for Clare. Accepting the Monroes' invitation means playing with fire, but they can hardly refuse.
Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David have barely settled into their idyllic accommodations on Lake Como before someone at the memorial party begins targeting them. Haunted by little "gifts" left in their rooms, taunting notes, and the unshakable sense of being watched, it soon becomes clear that someone on the guest list knows the whole truth about the night Clare died-and the secrets her friends have been keeping. Nothing is as it seems at the palazzo on the lake, and under their tormentor's vengeful gaze, their secrets-and their lives-are in danger.
Reviews / Votes
"FRIENDS AND LIARS has all the ingredients of a delicious thriller - the lush setting of Italy's Lake Como, a narrative that hopscotches between past and present, and a group of friends who hold secrets more closely than they do each other. And that ending is a chef's kiss!" -- Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of HOUSE OF GLASS and THE LOCKED WARD "FRIENDS AND LIARS is an atmospheric thrill ride with twists and turns that lead to a final truth that feels inevitable---but you won't see it coming. It's a gripping tale of secrets and shifting allegiances that kept me up way past my bedtime, turning pages." -- Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of WITH MY LITTLE EYE "Murder, mayhem, luxury accommodations? Sign me up!" -- Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of SECLUDED<i> </i>CABIN SLEEPS SIX "Achieves a delicious balance of emotional complication, layered deceptions, and consummate psychological drama.... Heart-racing suspense, compelling characters and relationships, and great danger add up to a highly satisfying puzzle of a novel, which saves surprises for its final pages." * Shelf Awareness * "Frick's sophomore adult thriller (The Split, 2024) is another edgy page-turner, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Jeneva Rose." * Booklist * "A slickly satisfying ride. It'll put a smile on thriller fans' faces." * Publishers Weekly * "A tense exploration of friendship, expectations, and secrets." * Library Journal *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 209 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
215 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-2253-5 (9781668022535)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2025
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
€11.86
Available for download
Person
Kit Frick is a MacDowell Fellow and International Thriller Writers Award finalist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and received her MFA from Syracuse University. She is the author of the adult suspense novels The Split and Friends and Liars, the young adult thrillers Before We Were Sorry (originally published as See All the Stars), All Eyes on Us, I Killed Zoe Spanos, Very Bad People, and The Reunion, and the poetry collection A Small Rising Up in the Lungs. Kit loves a good mystery but has only ever killed her characters. Honest. Visit Kit online at KitFrick.com and on Instagram @KitFrick.