The Moonlit Cage

by Linda Holeman
The Moonlit Cage cover
Good Books rating 4.56
Technical
  • ID: 5175
  • Added: 2025-10-22
  • Updated: 2025-10-22
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
historicalnovelsociety.org · Unknown · 2025-10-24
thrilling 4.25

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a thrilling mystery that combines different character perspectives through a true crime podcast and a direct narrative. The story follows Lucy, who is accused of killing her best friend Savvy, and Ben, a podcaster investigating the case. The book is praised for its suspenseful plot and dynamic characters, with a rating of 8.5/10.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera has been a popular thriller since its release, drawing comparisons to Lisa Jewell's None of This is True. The novel combines different character perspectives, including a true crime podcast by Ben and the direct narrative of Lucy, who was accused of killing her best friend Savvy. The story is set in motion when Ben starts a podcast on Savvy's case, forcing Lucy to confront her past and uncover the truth. The book is praised for its suspenseful plot and dynamic characters, with a rating of 8.5/10. The podcast element adds an interesting layer, presenting various opinions and stories from people who knew Lucy and Savvy, making it hard to discern who to trust. Lucy is portrayed as a strong and blunt character, dealing with the judgment of others and her own inner demons. Ben, while neutral, is deeply invested in solving the case. Overall, the book is a thrilling read with a fast pace and unexpected twists, making it a great summer read.

Quick quotes

    Listen for the Lie is a combination of different character perspectives told through Ben’s true crime podcast and a direct perspective from Lucy as well.

    I thought the podcast element added this really interesting piece into the story in which we are getting all these opinions and stories from people who knew Lucy and Savvy, but like with anything else we can’t really tell who we can trust and who we cannot.

    Overall a super fun and thrilling read. I would definitely recommend picking Listen for the Lie up at your bookstore as it’s such a great summer read to get into.

goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-24
brilliant 5.00

The Moonlit Cage is a brilliant dark comedy-meets-murder mystery with a complex anti-heroine, Lucy Chase. The book is praised for its smart, sarcastic tone, perfect characterization, and riveting pacing. The reviewer highly recommends it for fans of dark comedy and thrillers.

The Moonlit Cage is a brilliant dark comedy-meets-murder mystery that captivates from the very beginning. Lucy Chase, the protagonist, is a complex anti-heroine who is both relatable and intriguing. The book's smart, sarcastic tone and perfect characterization make it a standout. The pacing is riveting, and the twisty, dark, yet fair conclusion is highly satisfying. The reviewer particularly loved Grandma Beverly, who is described as the wittiest, most colorful, and adorable character in the book. The reviewer highly recommends this book to anyone addicted to great dark comedy and riveting thrillers. They also appreciate the fast pace, the engaging podcast transcripts, and the fresh, wickedly honest voice of Lucy. The mystery itself is entertaining with enough twists and turns to satisfy thriller junkies, although the reviewer found the denouement a bit anticlimactic.

Quick quotes

    My hands and eyes were glued to the pages as this brilliant, twisty dark comedy-meets-murder mystery captured my entire nerdy gray cells from the very beginning.

    The smart, sarcastic tone, perfect characterization of the heroine, and portrayal of flawed, biased townies, combined with the riveting pacing and a twisty, dark, yet fair conclusion, made me adore this book.

    From the very first page, this was unputdownable. The format of alternating between Lucy and the podcast and having each chapter be nice and short kept me turning the pages, wanting to read just one more page.

facebook.com · Unknown · 2025-10-24
brilliant 4.50

The reviewer was pleasantly surprised by 'Listen for the Lie', finding it incredibly engaging and hard to put down. They praised the protagonist Lucy Chase for being disarming and relatable, despite her prickly nature, and enjoyed the book's witty and droll narrative style.

The reviewer was taken by surprise by 'Listen for the Lie', initially expecting a simple entertainment but ending up deeply invested in the story. They found the protagonist, Lucy Chase, to be incredibly disarming and relatable, despite her prickly nature and the assumption that she killed her best friend. The reviewer appreciated the book's witty and droll narrative style, which made it easy to digest and maintain a page-turning pace. They also praised the author's ability to unravel the complexities of Lucy and Savvy's pasts, revealing secrets and lies. The reviewer enjoyed the banter and storytelling so much that they didn't want the book to end, despite wanting closure for Lucy. They highly recommended the book, noting that it was the author's debut adult novel and that she had previously written young adult novels.

Quick quotes

    I love it when a book takes me by surprise. One minute I’m opening it, expecting something that will entertain me for a few hours, and the next I find I don’t want to put it down and am seriously invested in the plot as if the whole thing is unfolding in front of me in real life.

    I loved this book and, though I wanted closure (for Lucy as much as myself!), I enjoyed the banter and storytelling so much I didn’t want it to end.

    Tintera’s written young adult novels, but this is her debut adult novel. I loved Lucy’s voice which is droll and witty, and the chapters are short so it’s easily digestible and maintains a page-turning pace.

heavenali.wordpress.com · Unknown · 2007-06-24
good 4.50

The book is a twisty murder mystery with a complex heroine and sharp observations about women, cancel culture, and misogyny. The dialogue is a bit cringe at times, but the plot and character development make up for it. The friendship between Lucy and Savvy is particularly well-written and emotional.

Listen For the Lie is a top-tier murder mystery with a prickly, complex heroine. The book is twisty and has a biting sense of humor that the reviewer enjoyed. The dialogue can be a bit cringe at times, with too much online slang, but the plot and sharp observations about women, cancel culture, and misogyny keep things moving. Lucy's friendship with Savvy is particularly well-written and emotional, making the central question of whether Lucy killed Savvy hit harder. Overall, it's a good read with a propulsive plot and sharp character development.

Quick quotes

    It’s twisty, with a biting sense of humor I really enjoyed.

    Infusing dialogue with hyper-current slang or colloquialisms like this can be a tricky balance to nail, as it can quickly read cringe, in my opinion.

    Lucy’s friendship with Savvy made me emotional. Super emotional, to be quite honest!!!!

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