Reviews

The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz

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A smart, clever book packed with characters who drink a lot. All the time. Ice cubes clinking in glasses, straight from the bottle, early in the day, in bars, at home, everywhere, all the time. The two main characters are Owen and Luna, who meet in college and become inseparable friends. There are two timelines, the college timeline and the suburban adult married timeline, in which Owen and Luna live in the same neighborhood, in marriages that somehow always seem to come second to their friendship. I sometimes had to check to see which timeline I was in but maybe that says more about me than about the book. There are lots of secrets to uncover in the story and the pacing is handled well and I enjoyed the dialogue. It was a real page-turner that I was always ready to get back into. Did not see any of the plot twists coming. But, wow. Alcohol was practically a third character in this book. I would read another by this author.

emcrosb's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a crazy mystery and I did not see where it was going to end. Lots of fbombs.

suzannehines's review

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

chip4201's review

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3.0

3.5

akaitlincoburn's review against another edition

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5.0

LUNA & OWEN HAVE BEEN BEST FRIENDS SINCE
COLLEGE, EVEN WHEN THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF
OWEN'S GIRLFRIEND THREATENED TO END THEIR
FRIENDSHIP. 14 YEARS LATER, OWEN'S WIFE ALSO
MYSTERIOUSLY DIES. LUNA TRIES TO NAVIGATE HER
FRIENDSHIP WITH OWEN WHILE ALSO PIECING TOGETHER
THE 2 ODD DEATHS. ONLY REASON IT DIDN'T GET A 10/10
WAS BECAUSE THE ENDING FELL A BIT FLAT FOR ME.

kbranfield's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 stars.

The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz is a captivating mystery that features an unlikely friendship.

In 2002, outgoing Owen Mann becomes friends with closed off Luna Grey. Their friendship does not seem like it will last past college, yet seventeen years later, they are still close friends. In 2019, Luna is married to a doctor, Sam Burroughs, and she is friends with Owen’s wife, Irene. After stopping by one morning, Irene reveals unexpected information then heads out for her daily run. That evening, Owen and Luna get together for a drink, but neither has heard from Irene since that morning. The next day, Luna finds her lifeless body and her actions afterward make the two detectives assigned to the case a little suspicious of her and Owen.

Luna is self-contained and offers up little information about herself. She is shocked when Owen befriends her but they are soon thick as thieves. Their college years are a bit of a drunken blur with one very notable exception. In the aftermath, Owen and Luna are physically distant yet stay in touch. Owen continues drinking excessively and indulging in one-night stands. Luna moves in with friends and indulges in an under the radar romance with an unexpected person. Although their lives go in different directions, the one constant in their lives is their unbreakable friendship.

After Irene’s murder, Detectives Margot Burns and Noah Goldman look very closely at Owen and Luna. Owen’s answers to their questions are eyebrow raising and they cannot rule him out as a suspect. Luna is more forthcoming but Burns and Goldman find it difficult to believe the pair have never been romantically involved. Unable to find any proof that either Owen or Luna killed Irene, will they ever catch her killer?

The Accomplice is a brilliantly plotted mystery that is quite clever. Luna is more likable than Owen and they are each a little quirky. The various characters are hiding plenty of secrets that eventually come out. The story seamlessly moves back and forth in time and the pacing is brisk. With stunning revelations, Lisa Lutz brings this engaging mystery to a very surprising conclusion.