The Lies You Wrote – Linguistics, Murder, and a Whole Lotta Chills 
Okay okay okay—THIS BOOK RIGHT HERE?? Absolute chef’s kiss if you like your thrillers smart, eerie, and twisty AF. Like I didn’t even mean to binge this in one sitting but… I blinked and six hours passed, and my notes app got 43 lines of “WAIT, WHAT??” 
The Lies You Wrote ain’t your average murder story. This one hit different. ‘Cause you’re not just chasing bodies—you’re chasing words. Secrets hiding between the lines. The story don’t just whisper… it talks back 
Raisa Susanto: She’s Not the Cop. She’s Smarter.
First of all—Raisa? My new obsession. She’s a forensic linguist, which sounds fancy as hell, and believe me it IS. This woman doesn’t chase killers with guns—she chases language. Every sentence, every typo, every phrasing? A clue. A tell.
She sees what we don’t. And watching her peel back every layer of what people say to reveal what they mean?? Literal chills, bro. I felt like I was solving puzzles in real time, trying to keep up and failing gloriously.
Also she’s not just brains—she’s got baggage. Quiet trauma. Subtle vulnerability. That kind of “I don’t need to cry—I analyze pain instead” energy. You can feel her tension in every chapter, especially when she starts digging too deep for her own good.
The Crime: Then vs Now, and the Lines Between
So—25 years ago, some kid named Alex Parker killed his parents and himself. Left a note. Case closed. Or so we thought. 
Now, new couple—dead. Same date. Same town. Too similar to ignore. So Raisa gets brought in, alongside this forensic psychologist dude Callum Kilkenny (who, by the way? kinda but we’ll get there), and they start picking apart the past.
But here’s where it gets freaky: people online are talking. Like conspiracy theory, Reddit-thread, 3AM-deep-dive kind of talking. Was Alex really guilty? Or just framed? Or was he, like… manipulated? Was the confession even real??
Add a content moderator who stumbles on something he wasn’t supposed to see
Add a crime podcaster trying to cash in on trauma
Add Raisa digging into messages from the dead
And suddenly this thing? Goes deep.
Clues in the Words, Danger in the Silences
The best part of this book?? You start looking at EVERYTHING differently. The way someone talks. What they don’t say. How a sentence is structured. Raisa’s inner monologue makes you wanna pause and go, “yo wait… that email I got last week… was that a threat??”
There’s this constant unease. Like even when nobody’s dying, the language itself feels dangerous. You start second-guessing everybody. And that one big twist halfway?? Bro. BRO. I had to pause and just breathe.
Also can we talk about how quiet the horror is? No jump scares. No dramatic chase scenes (okay maybe one). But the tension is STRANGLED. Like someone’s behind you whispering and you can’t tell what they said.
Raisa + Callum = Brainy Power Duo
Let’s be honest. These two? Peak slow-burn something. Is it friendship? Is it “colleague-who-I-would-risk-my-career-for”? Is it “trauma-recognizes-trauma” tension?? All of the above maybe?? 
They balance each other well. Raisa’s cold logic, Callum’s more emotional insight. They read people differently but always end up circling the same truth. It’s like watching two puzzle pieces argue before clicking together.
I could honestly listen to 10 books of just them solving crimes and destroying corrupt systems with analysis and sarcasm. Spin-off when??? 
The Writing? Razor Sharp.
Brianna Labuskes does NOT miss. The prose is clean but layered. The pacing? On point. The reveals? Gut-punchy without being over-the-top.
And the way she weaves digital culture (like forum posts, podcast transcriptions, online rants) into the main narrative?? So relevant, it hurts. We live in the age of misinformation and internet justice mobs—this book KNOWS that and uses it against you. 
Narration: ABSOLUTE
Whoever picked the narrators?? Give them a raise. The voices are distinct, the tension perfectly performed, and the delivery of key reveals? Chilling. Especially Raisa’s POV. Her voice stays calm while the world falls apart, and that contrast?? Scary-good.
Like fr, there were moments I had to rewind just to hear that one line again. “Did she really say that like that??” YES. YES SHE DID.
Final Verdict – Language Never Lied So Hard 
The Lies You Wrote is not just a crime story. It’s a whole linguistic breakdown of lies, trauma, and manipulation that will make you side-eye every DM, voicemail, and tweet you’ve ever sent.
If you love: – Smart women unraveling psychological puzzles
– True crime energy with actual depth
– Books that make you think AND scream
– Twists you don’t see coming (but lowkey were in front of you the whole time)
– Audiobooks that leave you whispering “wait… no way…” to yourself in public
Then this book is your next obsession.
Sorry for typos, I wrote this with adrenaline and two cups of tea. Tokybook fam, trust me on this one—The Lies You Wrote is the kinda thriller you don’t just listen to, you unravel.
I’m already waiting for Book 2. Raisa Susanto is THAT GIRL. 
#TheLiesYouWrote #WordsAreWeapons #LinguistDetectivesFTW #TokybookAddict
