Lead Review (You Lied First)

• Book: You Lied First
• Location: Cheltenham, Oman
• Author: Annabel Kantaria

Review Author: tripfiction

Margot and Guy Forrest used to live in Oman as expats. They have now re-settled in England, in Charlton Kings just outside Cheltenham. Their son Flynn is of school age and dating Liv. Liv and her mother Sara are invited to join the Forrests on a short trip to Oman, just before New Year. The Forrests left Oman originally apparently under a cloud.

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Everyone arrives at the rental villa which is in the old compound in which the Forrests used to live, and one of their neighbours, Celine, a gregarious woman in her early 30s, is delighted to espy them and smartly inveigles herself into the group, much to the annoyance of Margot. Guy, however, seems more than happy to spend time in her company (there is a hint that their friendship over the years has been more than platonic). The days pass in glorious sunshine, with outings to the souks and markets, culminating in an overnight trip to the desert. From that point, everything unravels for the five holidaymakers and the party hightails it back to England. The three adults pledge an omertà – what happened in Oman, stays in Oman.

The story is told alternately, Margot in the third person, Sara in the first, and as the story evolves, various backstories come to the fore. None of the characters is particularly likeable and some appear more venal than others. Margot stews in her unhappy marriage, finessing her passive-aggressive retorts; Guy likes to exert control, particularly over his wife and Sara, a counsellor by training, goes above and beyond to ensure her daughter (a sensitive young soul) is emotionally untroubled by life.

I really enjoyed this #destinationthriller, it bowled along in fairly short chapters with a good sense of tension and adroit switchbacks, moving towards a wry and satisfying ending. It is well written with clarity and style, and it certainly kept me turning the pages.

So often a far flung setting feels like a licence to create an exciting but crackpot storyline, where everything including the kitchen sink is shovelled in to create tension. I recently read a novel in this genre where the characters of the book were lost in the jungle, they had just discovered a body riddled with maggots, and then one of the characters slopes off into the jungle to carry out a pregnancy test (see what I mean?). I am so pleased to see that You Lied First did not fall into the common trap and the author maintained her integrity and just got on with telling a good story.

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