Friends and Liars: A Novel by Kit FrickPublication Date: December 2, 2025
Pages: 272
Add on: Goodreads
Buy the Book: Amazon
Rating: ★★★★
Source: From the Publisher
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Publisher: Atria / Emily Bestler Books / Simon & Schuster
From “edge-of-your-seat suspense” (Booklist) author Kit Frick comes an insidious thriller about four estranged friends trapped in a powerful family’s deadly games at a luxe estate in the Italian countryside.
It’s been five years since heiress Clare Monroe tragically died on New Year’s Eve at her family’s opulent Italian palazzo. Since that time, her college friends have harbored a dark secret—their lies and betrayals led to Clare’s untimely death.
What happened that fateful night was a horrible accident, but Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David are guilty, nonetheless. And their desperate decision to conceal the truth destroyed their once-close bond.
Now, the estranged friends are each the recipient of an invitation from the Monroes to return to the lakeside palazzo for a long-overdue memorial for Clare. Accepting the Monroes’ invitation means playing with fire, but they can hardly refuse.
Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David have barely settled into their idyllic accommodations on Lake Como before someone at the memorial party begins targeting them. Haunted by little “gifts” left in their rooms, taunting notes, and the unshakable sense of being watched, it soon becomes clear that someone on the guest list knows the whole truth about the night Clare died—and the secrets her friends have been keeping. Nothing is as it seems at the palazzo on the lake, and under their tormentor’s vengeful gaze, their secrets—and their lives—are in danger.
REVIEW
Kit Frick’s Friends and Liars whisks four estranged college friends to a lavish Lake Como estate, where a supposed reunion turns into a psychological death match. The glitter of Italian luxury barely masks the tension as old wounds and buried secrets resurface, each page pulling you deeper into a web of suspicion. Frick doesn’t rush the reveals, instead letting the group’s history and betrayals simmer until you’re as uneasy as the characters themselves.
As the story jumps between timelines, the friends, each carrying their own guilt, envy, or ambition, find themselves at the mercy of their host’s twisted games. The estate is both a playground and a prison, and every interaction crackles with the threat of exposure. Frick’s writing is razor-sharp, painting Lake Como as both breathtaking and claustrophobic, her prose shifting between suspense and raw emotion without losing momentum.
What sets this thriller apart isn’t just the setting or the plot twists; it’s the messy reality of friendship under pressure. Frick exposes the dangers of secrets, the weight of privilege, and just how easily trust can curdle into suspicion. I did find a few of the twists predictable, and some of the characters needed more depth, but the book’s tension and emotional stakes rarely let up. Be warned: there are heavy themes here, suicide, addiction, abuse, but they’re handled with care, never for shock value.
Friends and Liars stands out for its lush atmosphere and the uneasy dance between love and betrayal. It’s perfect for anyone who likes their thrillers with a glamorous veneer and a dark, tangled heart.
