Listen for the Lie (31 page)

Listen for the Lie
was a leap of faith for me. It took two years of writing and rewriting and pinning color-coded index cards to giant boards to shape Lucy's story into a book. I am eternally grateful to everyone who took this leap with me and helped bring the book into the world.

A huge thank you to my agent, Faye Bender, the first champion of this book, who believed in it with such passion and enthusiasm.

Thank you to James Melia for all your insights and positivity and for making me rewrite those last few chapters so many times. And thank you to Amy Einhorn for taking over and bringing the book over the finish line (and for making me rewrite the ending one more time—now it's truly perfect). Thanks also to Lori Kusatzky for all your work making sure every stage of the process went smoothly. A big thank-you to Ryan Doherty for stepping in to take care of this book as it made its way into the world.

Thank you to everyone at Macmillan who put in their time and effort to make the book shine—I don't always get to meet all of you, but I deeply appreciate your behind-the-scenes work.

Thank you to Shannon Messenger, who read a few chapters in the very early stages and told me that it did indeed make sense and told me to keep going. A shout-out to Kaitlyn Sage Patterson, who, when I shyly confessed I was thinking of writing an adult thriller, immedi
ately said that the genre was a great choice for me. I thought of that often when writing this.

I am so grateful to the authors who took the time to read and blurb
Listen for the Lie
—Stephen King, Courtney Summers, Liane Moriarty, Alex Michaelides, Alice Feeney, and Chandler Baker. You are all amazing and I'm honored to have your words on my book.

Thank you to my mom and my sister, the only people I let read a completed draft before querying agents. I appreciate you reading and giving me hope that it was safe to send out into the world.

Thank you to all the authors who answered my questions and were so generous with their time when I was panicking about finding an agent who would like this book. Thanks especially to Maurene Goo for helping me find such a great fit.

And thank you to Laura (again), Emma, and Daniel, with my apologies. This is what happens when you let a writer live with you for six months.

Amy Tintera
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of several series for young adults. She earned degrees in journalism and film and worked in Hollywood before becoming an author. Raised in Austin, Texas, she frequently sets her novels in the Lone Star State, but she now lives in Los Angeles, where there's far less humidity but not nearly enough Tex-Mex.
Listen for the Lie
is her adult debut. You can sign up for ebook updates
here
.

 

Founded in 2017, Celadon Books, a division of
Macmillan Publishers, publishes a highly curated list
of twenty to twenty-five new titles a year. The list of
both fiction and nonfiction is eclectic and focuses
on publishing commercial and literary books and
discovering and nurturing talent.

1. Title Page
   
2. Copyright Notice
   
3. Dedication
   
4. Chapter One: Lucy
   
5. Chapter Two: Lucy
   
6. Chapter Three: Lucy
   
7. Chapter Four: Lucy
   
8. Chapter Five: Lucy
   
9. Chapter Six: Lucy
   
10. Chapter Seven: Lucy
    
11. Chapter Eight: Lucy
    
12. Chapter Nine: Lucy
    
13. Chapter Ten: Lucy
    
14. Chapter Eleven: Lucy
    
15. Chapter Twelve: Lucy
    
16. Chapter Thirteen: Lucy
    
17. Chapter Fourteen: Lucy
    
18. Chapter Fifteen: Lucy
    
19. Chapter Sixteen: Lucy
    
20. Chapter Seventeen
    
21. Chapter Eighteen: Lucy
    
22. Chapter Nineteen: Lucy
    
23. Chapter Twenty: Lucy
    
24. Chapter Twenty-One: Lucy
    
25. Lucy: Five Years Ago
    
26. Chapter Twenty-Two: Lucy
    
27. Lucy: Five Years Ago
    
28. Chapter Twenty-Three: Lucy
    
29. Chapter Twenty-Four: Lucy
    
30. Chapter Twenty-Five: Lucy
    
31. Chapter Twenty-Six: Lucy
    
32. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Lucy
    
33. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Lucy
    
34. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Lucy
    
35. Lucy: Five Years Ago
    
36. Chapter Thirty: Lucy
    
37. Chapter Thirty-One: Lucy
    
38. Chapter Thirty-Two: Lucy
    
39. Chapter Thirty-Three
    
40. Chapter Thirty-Four: Lucy
    
41. Chapter Thirty-Five: Lucy
    
42. Chapter Thirty-Six: Lucy
    
43. Chapter Thirty-Seven: Lucy
    
44. Chapter Thirty-Eight: Lucy
    
45. Chapter Thirty-Nine: Lucy
    
46. Chapter Forty: Lucy
    
47. Chapter Forty-One: Lucy
    
48. Chapter Forty-Two: Lucy
    
49. Chapter Forty-Three: Lucy
    
50. Chapter Forty-Four: Lucy
    
51. Lucy: Five Years Ago
    
52. Chapter Forty-Five: Lucy
    
53. Chapter Forty-Six: Lucy
    
54. Chapter Forty-Seven: Lucy
    
55. Lucy: Five Years Ago
    
56. Chapter Forty-Eight: Lucy
    
57. Lucy: Five Years Ago
    
58. Chapter Forty-Nine: Lucy
    
59. Lucy: Five Years Ago
    
60. Chapter Fifty: Lucy
    
61. Chapter Fifty-One: Lucy
    
62. Chapter Fifty-Two: Lucy
    
63. Chapter Fifty-Three: Lucy
    
64. Chapter Fifty-Four: Lucy
    
65. Acknowledgments
    
66. About the Author
    
67. Copyright
    

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

LISTEN FOR THE LIE.
Copyright © 2024 by Amy Tintera. All rights reserved. For information, address Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

www.celadonbooks.com

Cover design by Gregg Kulick

Cover photograph © Andrii A / Shutterstock

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-1-250-88031-4 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-250-35161-6 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability)

ISBN 978-1-250-88032-1 (ebook)

eISBN 9781250880321

Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact your local bookseller or the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at
[email protected]
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First U.S. Edition: 2024

First International Edition: 2024