Book Series · 3 Books

One of Us Is Lying Books

In order from One of Us Is Lying to One of Us Is Back.

Karen M. McManus's Bayview mysteries follow overlapping groups of high school students whose secrets become weapons in murder investigations and increasingly dangerous public games.

Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated August 11, 2026

Reading order

How to Read One of Us Is Lying

Read the three novels in numbered order. One of Us Is Next introduces additional students but builds on the first investigation, and One of Us Is Back brings both groups together for the concluding mystery.

Sources: Penguin Random House's official series order.

For parents

What Parents Should Know

The series includes murder and suicide, bullying, public humiliation, gossip apps, online harassment, stalking, threats, and physical danger. It also addresses outing, controlling relationships, family instability, drug use and dealing, and the damage caused when private information is exposed.

Teen romance and sexual references are part of the characters' lives, though the mysteries are the focus. The books move quickly, but the mental-health and abuse themes are emotionally serious.

Where to start

Where Should My Teen Start?

Start with the Bayview Four

Begin with One of Us Is Lying so the later games and returning characters have the right context.

Where the story begins

First Book in the Series

Sale price

$1697

Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 14–18 · 2017

One of Us Is Lying

By Karen M. McManus

Five enter detention, four leave alive. Who killed Simon?

416 pages· 91,054 words· Est. 8.5 hour read

$17.99Save 6%

Hardcover

Summary: In Bayview High, five students enter detention, but only four emerge. Simon, the outcast with a notorious gossip app, dies mysteriously. Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper become suspects, each hiding secrets Simon planned to expose. As investigators close in, the question looms: are they guilty or pawns in a larger game? Unravel the truth behind Simon's death and discover how far these teens will go to protect their secrets.

In reading order

One of Us Is Lying Series

3 books · Published 2017–2023

#1 in Series

Sale price

$1697

One of Us Is Lying

Chapter Book · Ages 14–18 · 2017

Five enter detention, four leave alive. Who killed Simon?

#2 in Series

Sale price

$1899

One of Us Is Next

Chapter Book · Ages 14–17 · 2020

A deadly game of Truth or Dare haunts Bayview High. Who will survive?

#3 in Series

Sale price

$2184

One of Us Is Back

Chapter Book · Ages 14–+ · 2023

A mysterious game targets Bayview's crew, and secrets threaten deadly consequences.

Good to know

Common Questions

How many books are in the One of Us Is Lying series?

There are 3 books in the One of Us Is Lying series. It began with One of Us Is Lying in 2017, and the newest book, One of Us Is Back, was published in 2023.