One of Us is Lying

The One of Us Is Lying series is Karen M. McManus's flagship collection that launched her career and became a defining work of contemporary YA mystery. Set primarily at Bayview High School in California, the series follows a core group of students - dubbed the Bayview Crew - as they navigate murders, dangerous games, and conspiracies that threaten their lives and friendships. What began as a standalone novel evolved into a beloved trilogy that explores how trauma bonds people and how secrets can destroy communities.

Books in the series:

One of Us Is Lying (2017) introduces the core premise: five students enter detention, but only four leave alive. Simon Kelleher, creator of a notorious gossip app called About That, dies from an allergic reaction that's quickly determined to be murder. The four survivors - Bronwyn the brain, Nate the criminal, Addy the beauty, and Cooper the jock - all had secrets Simon was about to expose, making each a prime suspect. As police investigate and media frenzy builds, the four must work together to uncover who really killed Simon, discovering that they're more than the stereotypes that define them.

One of Us Is Next (2020) takes place a year later with a new mystery threatening Bayview High. A dangerous game called Truth or Dare begins circulating, forcing students to reveal secrets or complete dangerous dares. When someone dies, the game turns deadly. While the original Bayview Crew appears in supporting roles, this instalment focuses on new protagonists: Maeve, Knox, and Phoebe, who must stop the game before more people die. The novel explores cyberbullying, revenge, and the toxic culture Simon's gossip app created.

One of Us Is Back (2023) reunites the original Bayview Crew - Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper - now in university but drawn back to Bayview when new threats emerge. Someone is targeting them again, dredging up past secrets and creating new dangers. The gang must once again work together to uncover who's behind the attacks and why their shared history continues haunting them.

McManus employs multiple POV narration throughout the series, typically alternating between three to five character perspectives. This structure allows readers to experience events from different angles, piece together clues, and understand each character's motivations and secrets. The shifting perspectives also create unreliable narration - characters withhold information, misinterpret situations, and sometimes lie, keeping readers guessing.

The series excels at subverting high school stereotypes. Characters initially defined by labels - brain, criminal, beauty, athlete - reveal unexpected depths. Bronwyn isn't just academically ambitious; she's fiercely loyal and surprisingly rebellious. Nate isn't just troubled; he's protective and emotionally intelligent. The series argues that people are far more complex than their reputations suggest.

Bayview High itself becomes a character - a pressure cooker of privilege, gossip, and secrets where social media amplifies every mistake. The California setting provides both sun-soaked normalcy and underlying darkness, the perfect backdrop for mysteries that expose what lurks beneath seemingly perfect surfaces.

Themes of reputation versus reality, the destructive power of gossip and secrets, class privilege and its consequences, found family and unlikely friendships, technology's role in modern bullying, redemption and second chances, and how trauma shapes identity run throughout the series.

The books work both as standalones and as an interconnected universe. New readers can start anywhere, though beginning with One of Us Is Lying provides the deepest appreciation for recurring characters and references.

The series' success led to a Peacock television adaptation and cemented McManus's reputation as the queen of YA mystery thrillers.