Brianna Labuskes has carved out a distinctive niche in the psychological thriller landscape with her Raisa Susanto series, featuring an FBI forensic linguist whose expertise in analyzing written communication becomes the key to solving complex crimes. The Lies You Wrote (2024) launches this compelling trilogy, followed by The Truth You Told (2024) and the upcoming By the Time You Read This (2025). This inaugural novel establishes Labuskes as a formidable voice in crime fiction, though not without certain narrative stumbles that prevent it from achieving its full potential.
The Linguistic Detective’s Debut
Raisa Susanto emerges as a refreshingly unique protagonist in a genre often dominated by traditional FBI profilers and detectives. Her specialty in forensic linguistics—the analysis of language patterns to identify authorship and detect deception—provides a fascinating lens through which to examine criminal behavior. When she’s called to investigate a brutal double murder in the small Washington town of Everly, the case immediately resonates with a twenty-five-year-old tragedy: the murder-suicide of the Parker family, where teenager Alex Parker allegedly killed his parents before taking his own life.
Labuskes demonstrates considerable research into the field of forensic linguistics, making Raisa’s expertise feel authentic and compelling. The author effectively explains complex linguistic concepts without overwhelming readers, showing how seemingly minor details in word choice, grammar patterns, and sentence structure can reveal crucial information about a writer’s identity, education, and psychological state. This technical foundation elevates the novel above standard police procedurals, offering readers genuine insight into a specialized investigative discipline.
The Shadow of the Past
The connection between the contemporary murders and the Parker family tragedy forms the novel’s central mystery. Labuskes skillfully weaves between past and present, gradually revealing the truth about what happened twenty-five years ago while building tension around the current killer’s motives. The inclusion of diary entries, podcast transcripts, and message board posts creates a rich tapestry of perspectives, though this multiplicity of voices occasionally becomes overwhelming rather than illuminating.
The Parker family case serves as more than mere backdrop; it becomes a haunting exploration of how trauma, neglect, and systemic failures can create monsters. The revelation that Alex Parker’s sisters—Isabel, Lana, and Larissa—were separated after the tragedy and given new identities adds layers of complexity to an already intricate plot. However, the ultimate revelation about the connections between these sisters feels somewhat convoluted, requiring readers to accept coincidences that strain credibility.
Character Development and Relationships
Raisa Susanto herself is a well-drawn protagonist whose personal history as a foster child gives her both vulnerability and strength. Her partnership with forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny provides emotional depth, particularly as both characters carry professional and personal scars that influence their approach to the case. Kilkenny’s tragic backstory—losing his wife to a serial killer he was hunting—creates natural tension and adds weight to his protective instincts regarding Raisa.
The supporting cast, particularly the enigmatic content moderator Delaney Moore and true-crime podcaster Jenna Shaw, serves multiple narrative functions. However, some characters feel more like plot devices than fully realized individuals. The revelation about these characters’ true identities, while shocking, comes at the expense of their earlier characterization, making their actions feel inconsistent rather than cleverly concealed.
Technical Craft and Pacing
Labuskes demonstrates strong technical skills in crafting atmosphere and building suspense. The small-town setting of Everly feels appropriately claustrophobic, and the author effectively uses the isolated mountain location to create a sense of entrapment. The pacing generally maintains reader interest, though the middle section becomes somewhat bogged down in procedural details and multiple perspective shifts that fragment the narrative flow.
The author’s background in journalism shows in her clear, accessible prose style, though the writing occasionally lacks the psychological depth that would elevate it to the level of authors like Gillian Flynn or Tana French. Dialogue feels natural for the most part, though some characters’ speech patterns seem designed more to serve plot purposes than to reflect authentic voice.
Thematic Depth and Social Commentary
Beyond its function as entertainment, The Lies You Wrote grapples with serious themes about family trauma, institutional failure, and the long-term consequences of childhood abuse. The exploration of how the foster care system failed the Parker sisters adds social relevance, while the examination of online conspiracy communities reflects contemporary concerns about misinformation and the weaponization of doubt.
The novel’s treatment of mental illness, particularly in the context of the Parker family’s history, shows sensitivity while avoiding oversimplification. However, the connection between trauma and criminal behavior sometimes feels overly deterministic, suggesting that damaged individuals inevitably become damaged adults without adequately exploring the complexities of resilience and choice.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its innovative approach to criminal investigation through linguistic analysis. Labuskes succeeds in making this specialized field accessible and fascinating, providing readers with genuine insight into how language can reveal hidden truths. The intricate plotting demonstrates ambition and creativity, even when execution falters.
However, the novel suffers from several significant weaknesses that prevent it from achieving its full potential:
- Overcomplicated plot structure that sometimes prioritizes surprise over logical development
- Inconsistent character motivations that become apparent upon reflection
- Pacing issues in the middle section where multiple timelines and perspectives slow narrative momentum
- Coincidences that strain credibility, particularly regarding the connections between past and present cases
Comparison to Similar Works
Readers familiar with Labuskes’ previous standalone novels like Girls of Glass and It Ends with Her will recognize her talent for psychological complexity and atmospheric tension. However, The Lies You Wrote feels more ambitious in scope, perhaps to its detriment. The novel invites comparison to works like Karin Slaughter’s Grant County series or Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme novels, which similarly feature specialized investigative techniques. However, it lacks the consistent characterization of Slaughter’s work or the technical precision of Deaver’s plotting.
Series Potential and Future Outlook
Despite its flaws, The Lies You Wrote establishes a solid foundation for the Raisa Susanto series. The protagonist’s unique expertise and personal complexity provide rich material for future development, and the forensic linguistics angle offers endless possibilities for creative mysteries. The relationship between Raisa and Kilkenny shows promise for deeper exploration, while Raisa’s personal journey of self-discovery following the revelations about her family background creates compelling character arc potential.
Final Assessment
The Lies You Wrote succeeds as an entertaining introduction to a promising new series while falling short of the psychological thriller excellence it clearly aspires to achieve. Labuskes demonstrates considerable skill in creating atmosphere and developing her protagonist’s unique expertise, but the overly complex plotting and occasional character inconsistencies prevent the novel from reaching its full potential.
For readers seeking fresh approaches to crime fiction and those fascinated by the intersection of language and criminal investigation, this novel offers enough innovation and intrigue to warrant attention. However, those expecting the psychological depth of premium thriller writers may find themselves wanting more substantial character development and less reliance on coincidence and revelation-based plotting.
The novel establishes Raisa Susanto as a compelling protagonist worth following through future installments, suggesting that Labuskes may yet fulfill the considerable promise evident in this ambitious debut to the series. While not without significant flaws, The Lies You Wrote provides enough entertainment value and unique perspective to engage crime fiction enthusiasts looking for something different from the standard investigative formula.
