Max, his girlfriend Parvati, and his best friend Preston have all told little white lies o hasn't? So they start Liars, Inc. and start charging their classmates for excuse notes, forged signatures, and alibis. Then Preston asks Max to provide an alibi so he can meet someone he met online, and Max quickly agrees would do anything for his best friend. But Preston never comes back from his trip, and Max becomes the prime suspect in his disappearance. Max is an easy target: he looks the part of a bad kid and lived on the streets before being adopted. Each time Max gets closer to the truth, another piece of evidence pops up pointing the finger at him. While the mystery and writing aren't always tight, this thriller has plenty of appeal for teens looking for a book that will keep them guessing. The truth behind Preston's disappearance offers a nice twist to the story, and even though things are resolved fairy easily, especially the conflict between Max and his girlfriend, this is one exciting ride.

Gr 9 Up-Max has a pretty good scheme running. With his girlfriend Parvati and his best friend Preston, he sells lies of any shape or form to his classmates at Vista Palisades High under the name Liars, Inc. It's mainly small stuff like forging a parent's signature on permission forms or providing an alibi for teens who want to spend uninterrupted time with boyfriends or girlfriends. And, it's pretty lucrative-the three friends are making a lot of money for dealing in half-truths and fabrications. But all that changes when Max provides a cover story to Preston's parents so that Preston can go to Las Vegas to see a girl he met on the Internet. The trouble is, Preston never comes home. Preston's dad is a senator, and suddenly, Max is being interrogated by the FBI. He's on his own to find out the truth about what Preston was really doing and why. Liars, Inc. is an interesting mystery with enough plot twists and turns to keep teens motivated to keep reading. However, Max and the secondary characters are not developed enough for readers to truly care about what happens to them. Max's relationship with Parvati, which her parents disapprove of so much that they've forbidden her to see him, is mainly described in terms of their sexual activity; she seems to have little personality aside from her relationships with the men in the story-Max, her dad, and Preston. An additional purchase for libraries where mysteries or books with twist endings are desired. For those who wish to read about liars and the intricate web they weave, steer them toward We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Random, 2014). Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

Max is loyal, street-smart, petulant, and confused. He is a complex character who knows there is a lot of subtext around him, even if he is frequently unsure how to decode it. Much of this revolves around the relationship between his girlfriend, Parvati, and his best friend, Preston, the son of a United States senator. The unlikely trio starts a business called Liars, Inc., in which, for a fee, they provide an excuse, forge a signature, or offer a lie for their high school classmates. When Max covers for Preston, who is headed to Vegas, and Preston vanishes, life for Max is turned upside down as he is quickly suspected of foul play. As he works to prove his innocence and discover the fate of his friend, he questions who to trust and which of his relationships are genuine.While there are some loose ends that remain and characters that disappear from the story, the focus remains on the trials and tribulations of Max as he works outside a system he does not trust to find truth and exoneration. It is clear that someone is setting Max up to take the fall, and throughout the book Stokes continues to masterfully plant crumbs and red herrings on the road to the solving the mystery. The action is nonstop in this dark, psychological thriller. Readers will be on edge until the satisfying conclusion.Erin Wyatt.