"I think whatever those two are, it’s not normal.”

3.5 stars

The Accomplice is a highly addictive, tension-filled read about two friends who happen to be suspects in two murder investigations.

Luna and Owen. Owen and Luna. They meet in college and develop an intense, strange friendship. Their lives become entangled, so much so that they care more for one another than significant others and spouses. When one friend is accused of murder, the other friend will stop at nothing to make sure their friend is found innocent. Where there is Owen, there will be Luna, and where there is Luna, there will be Owen. But will they stand by each other when their deep and darkest secrets are revealed?

The Accomplice sucked me in from the very first pages. Owen and Luna's friendship was intriguing, and I couldn't figure out who were the murderers. I loved reading between the lines and trying to discern what drew these two together. But in the end, I was a little disappointed.

There are two timelines and two murders. Narration switches perspective in the blink of an eye. I could have lived without the perspectives of all of the cops and been more satisfied with just Luna and Owen as the sole narrators.

The events unfold slowly, but my fascination behind the friendship of Luna and Owen kept me captivated for the most part. However, my enjoyment of this book waned towards the last quarter. Owen and Luna’s secrets were not all that exciting. I was expecting some surprises and twists, but when all was revealed what I realized was that I didn't really care or like Luna and Owen anymore! The ending was also a bit of a letdown for me. There were some red herrings mixed in and many pointless storylines.

In the end, I enjoyed The Accomplice, but I was hoping for something darker and more sinister.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Luna and Owen meet in college and become lifelong best friends. The book alternates between their college days and the present. Luna has a secret past that she wishes to keep secret. Owen becomes the prime suspect in two murders, one in college, and the murder of his present wife. The suspense is not over the top. The story relies on the characters and their friendship, more than the mystery in my opinion. It was a fun fast paced reader.

This was my first book to read by this author but I cannot wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Such a great story and fast read. Highly recommend!!!

I really enjoyed The Accomplice. I’m not really sure, however, who the accomplice was because there were a few possibilities.

The author did an expert job of keeping me guessing regarding a number of subplots (no spoiler-alert warnings from me). The main characters, Luna, Owen, Griff, Irene, and others were intertwined, and the twists and turns to clarify these relationships were outstanding. The ending, which came about in a very roundabout way, was superb.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Accomplice. I enjoyed it immensely.

Amazing book! Perfect amount of characters and I was pulled in from the very start.
Luna, Owen, Mason and Casey are college friends. A woman passed away during college. How is she connected to the main characters? Who is to blame?
During the present day of these characters lives, Owen's wife is murdered? Coincidence? Or something else?

I really enjoyed this book. It switched back and forth with the time line and POV. It was easy to keep track of what was going on.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

This is the story of Owen, charming, well-off, and a bit dysfunctional, and Luna, who is closed off, and as different as Owen as a person can be. But in college, they form a bond that will last longer than either of their other relationships.

Years go by and still it’s the Luna and Owen show. Even after they are both married to other people. Still living close to each other. And then…Owen’s wife is murdered, dragging up old feelings from college where a classmate had mysteriously died.

As the investigation turns over even more secrets, Luna is wondering if she ever knew Owen at all. And to find out she is going to have to face her own secrets. When does your life become more important than keeping friends secret?

There were so many secrets in this one. I felt sorry for Luna because of her past. I do wish we had heard more from Luna’s husband. That was an odd relationship.

Secrets have a way of coming out when you least expect them. And that is exactly what happens. A thrill ride the entire read!

NetGalley/ January 25th, 2022 by Ballantine Books

Luna and Owen make an unlikely couple of best friends who meet in college and continue as best friends right through getting married to others and living in the same neighborhood. This story is told in alternating timelines. One timeline focuses on college where they meet, and the other timeline is about 15 years in the future. Being in Luna and Owen's orbit isn't always the safest place to be because occasionally someone dies. And lets not forget that big mystery of who Luna really is and why she had to change her name. Lisa Lutz builds the suspense slowly and throws in some red herrings but this book is a page turner and a good reminder to have a lock on your cell phone, so no one else can use it pretending to be you. We all need good friends like this or do we?
Thanks to Net Galley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've read this author before and thought I would read this book with a different set of characters. The author didn't disappoint me. The book was a quick read and page turner for me which I like. The book was more about Luna and Owen which I am hoping will lead to more books with these characters.

A slow start that keeps you guessing until the very end. A long term, toxic, co-dependent relationship that leaves no room for neither happiness nor successful marriages.

I've only read a few of Lisa Lutz's other books, but her style here was unrecognizable to me. In a good way! It was a propulsive thriller with a very creepy thread running throughout. The book features two somewhat (one more than the other) unlikeable/unreliable characters. Male and female, they have an odd connection but not the kind you think. It feels like it will all end with some kind of very sinister reveal, with twists and turns EVERYWHERE along the way. Red herrings too! The ending doesn't pack the same whollop that the rest of the book does, but that doesn't detract too much from what a page-turner this was. I think of books like this -- where the character development or writing is above par for the thriller genre-- as enriched thrillers, and this one was a sheer joy and was worth the ride! Thank you very much. I will give this to patrons looking for the latest Greer Hendricks or Ruth Ware, as well as the Lisa Lutz fans.

I don’t know what I expected going into this book, but I was taken by surprise. In a really good way. I loved this character driven book. It’s not suspenseful at all, in my opinion, but don’t let that stop you from reading it.

Lutz is so incredibly gifted.

You will grow to love the cast of characters in this novel. I especially enjoy the fact that this book is about a male/female friendship. A true, solid friendship. Not at all complicated by sex. That’s so rare.

Also, the scene with Luna’s mother and the ferrets almost made me pee my pants laughing. So random and SO FUNNY.


4 stars.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I've been a long time fan of Lutz's work since the very first Spellman series book. I think The Accomplice manages to get Lutz's signature sarcastic and somewhat detached tone perfect, more so than her last couple standalone books. Ultimately, the pieces of a puzzle fit fairly well together, although there's a surprise the reader couldn't quite predict.

Luna Grey and Owen Mann meet at college, at a fictional liberal arts college in the Hudson Valley New York in the early 2000's. They become good - platonic friends, something many around them found initially confusing. Sort of like in When Harry Met Sally, can two heterosexual people of opposite sex be friends and not find each other attractive? (Or unrequited one sided crush) Luna doesn't let people in because of her closely guarded past. Once Luna lets in a small circle of friends, a jealous girl / stage 5 clinger friends w benefits of Owen's, who had dumped her and ghosted her- threatens to expose her secret to the Markham campus. Scarlet, the clinger ends up dead and Owen is a suspect.

The college chapters are interspersed with "current" as in 2019, when Luna and Owen are still friends and married to different partners. Owen's wife Irene is friendly with Luna. Then Irene ends up dead - she was missing 24 hrs when Luna finds her in a cemetery where she jogs, from a gunshot wound. Luna tells Owen before calling for help. Who killed Irene and why? Was it the husband, the man Irene was having an affair with, Luna's husband Sam? Was it Irene's stepfather who was mad Irene was left her mother's estate/money? Also there's Owen's brother Griff who Luna had brief relationship with while in college. Luna'a past may have returned to haunt her.

This book was unique in that it offered up multiple points of view without detracting from the past and present. It was skillfully done and I will look forward to any of Lutz's future books. 4.4/5 ☆ release date 1/25/22

I'm so glad I was accepted for this title! The dynamic between our two main characters was super interesting and so was their character development, the plot was amazing, and the pacing was just right. I found myself not wanting to put this down and reading it in 3 days.

I was only a little confused by the timeline and POV character switches at first but it didn't stop me from being able to enjoy it. It's pretty easy to catch on quickly.

This is my first novel by Lutz, and as I am a sucker for murder mystery and thriller, I can safely say I will be picking up another one. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking to ease into the genre and likes high-energy books that can be finished in one sitting.

A fascinating and suspenseful novel by Lisa Lutz

Owen and Luna are completely platonic and codependent best friends since college. Their relationship is unquestioned by everyone they allow into their orbit but it's fairly obvious they're opposites and no one is sure what holds them together.

In the present, they live near each other and are both married. Luna discovers Owen's wife's dead body. And would you believe this isn't the first time someone Owen was with is found dead under mysterious circumstances?

There are secrets and lies aplenty holding them together over the years. Is history repeating itself? Just how well do they really know each other? And how far would you go for a friend?

I loved this book, I thought it was refreshing to read about a man and a woman being friends and never wanting a physical relationship. I will say I would not categorize this as a thriller. It doesn't even go hard on the murder mysteries. It's more about Owen and Luna's bond and about how damaged they are individually.

I personally enjoyed that. And I will say I think their friendship made sense. It was loneliness that drew them to each other. Needing someone that accepts you as you are and doesn't try to dig too deeply is what held them together. I highly recommend this novel and think it will be a hit for sure.

Expected release date: January 25th, 2022

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the eARC.

I loved this one it was fast paced with good plot twists and quirky likeable characters. It was a good book I thoroughly enjoyed.

A well-crafted mystery with strong character development, this was one of my favorites of Lutz's thus far. The friendship dynamic between Luna and Owen provided an interesting back story. Thoroughly enjoyed this read!

Great read! Characters are quirky, but not too quirky. Nice pacing, good plot. I loved the fact that I was genuinely surprised by some of the characters' actions and that the ending was not at all predictable. I liked that it was a study of the characters and their relationships as much as a mystery to be solved. Oh that we have all have friends that love and support us this much.

Despite their opposite personalities and upbringing Luna Grey and Owen Mann quickly become best friends in college. Together they form an inseparable unit often shutting others out and keeping each other’s deepest darkest secrets...including those surrounding an unexplained death of a fellow student. Years later, Luna finds Owens wife brutally murdered once again placing them as potential suspects in a police investigation. Luna is determined to find out who murdered her friend but in order to do so she will have to dig up secrets from the past and decide how well she really knows her best friend.

The Accomplice is a fantastic new thriller by author Lisa Lutz. I've read several of her novels and this one quickly became a favorite. As with many of her novels, despite this being a murder mystery, her characters are the heart of the story. Each character is well developed with deeply elaborate histories which are slowly revealed throughout the plot. This truly adds a unique element to her novels which have you questioning the motives and capabilities of each character. Owen comes from privilege and although charming he can be indifferent to others feelings. Luna is secretive about her history, is a bit of a loner, and tends to be very practical. Their relationship often comes into question especially when those around them start dying. A slow-burn, edge of your seat thriller that will have you questioning just how well you really know those closest to you. A must read for 2022!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I found this book hard to put down. Both timelines, the 2003-2005 and the 2019, were both fascinating, and both included a death to figure out. Along with the main storylines, we had Luna's backstory to figure out, so plenty to wonder about.

I don't want to go into too much detail, because there are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, and it's best to find out as you go along. Basic story, Luna and Owen become tight friends in college. Scarlet, another student, is wildly pursuing Owen, and he is sleeping with her sporadically, although also trying to disentangle himself. Late in their second year, Scarlet dies - accident, murder, suicide?

Later, Luna and Owen are both married to other people, but live near each other, and Luna and Irene, Owen's wife, are friends. Luna is trying to find Irene, and goes to the cemetery where they sometimes jog together. There she finds Irene, dead of a gunshot wound.

More and more details come out, as the plotlines twist and turn. I really didn't want to stop reading, since I really wanted to know what happened! One warning - if you don't like books with alternating timelines, that might bother you. I enjoy them and didn't find it an issue to follow both lines, so definitely a good read!