Lies Beneath [Hardcover]

Anne Greenwood Brown (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 12, 2012

Fans of Amanda Hocking's novel, Wake, will dive into this paranormal romance featuring mermaids--the killer kind--and won't come up for air!

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans and absorb their positive energy. Usually, they select their victims at random, but this time around, the underwater clan chooses its target for a reason: revenge. They want to kill Jason Hancock, the man they blame for their mother's death.

It's going to take a concerted effort to lure the aquaphobic Hancock onto the water. Calder's job is to gain Hancock's trust by getting close to his family. Relying on his irresistible good looks and charm, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter Lily. Easy enough, but Calder screws everything up by falling in love--just as Lily starts to suspect there's more to the monster-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined, and just as the mermaids threaten to take matters into their own hands, forcing Calder to choose between them and the girl he loves.

One thing's for sure: whatever Calder decides, the outcome won't be pretty.

"Riveting! A cold-blooded tale of secrets, revenge, and forbidden love that will leave you terrified to go in the water."--Gretchen McNeil, author of Possess

"Scary and spooky . . . I really enjoyed reading this."--USA Today

“A haunting tale of revenge and romance.”--Justine Magazine

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Calder and his murderous mermaid sisters have spent years obsessing over a man named Jason Hancock, who was promised to their family as an infant after their mother saved his father's life. Finally Hancock has moved back to the shores of Lake Superior with his family to take up residence in his old house. Unfortunately, a lifetime spent listening to his father tell horrific yet improbable tales of "monsters" has made him wary of the water. Calder is dispatched, disguised in human form, to lure one of Hancock's daughters to the water instead, to be used as bait. Calder selects the elder daughter, beautiful Lily, and needless to say he quickly becomes distracted from his mission. The romance that ensues feels familiar, with a merman in place of other supernatural creatures du jour. Calder is amazingly handsome and alluring (due to his merman powers), while there is something different about Lily, who seems to have a special connection to the water. As narrator and romantic hero, Calder is problematic, not just because he is a self-confessed serial killer (though he feels bad about it, or at least he has mixed feelings), but also because he is a total wimp, constantly being bossed around by his sisters and whining about the cold water. A few plot twists keep the story going, and a sequel is in the works.-Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About the Author

ANNE GREENWOOD BROWN grew up sailing the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, leaning over the rail and wondering, with a lake that big, that ancient, what amazing thing might flash by. Now she knows. Lies Beneath is her first novel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 12, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385742010
• ISBN-13: 978-0385742016
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #707,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Greenwood Brown grew up sailing the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, leaning over the bow, and wondering what amazing thing might flash by. Now she knows. Anne lives in Minnesota with her patient husband and three hilarious children. You can follow all her projects at http://annegreenwoodbrown.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/annegreenwoodbrown
Twitter: @AnneGBrown

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot wait for the sequel! July 1, 2012

By Alba

Format:Hardcover

-"I want you to play with her. Be nice. Show her things. Let her have a good time. Keep her out past dinner."-

Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown is one of those books that you pick up being all wary about them but...when read... You take a minute and wonder how in the clouds you ever doubted of reading it in the first place.

When I started reading the book I had only vaguely read the description, as I'm not such a fan of that. But there HAD to be a reason for me to request it on NG right?
Anyway.

Calder White was all kinds of creepy, scary but managing to be vulnerable and cocky. I loved his character! Every interaction he had with his sisters gave me the creeps. And talking about his sisters...
Why is it that every single time you let your guard down, is the one time that the enemy decides to strike? I've always wondered that. Maris was the one and only sister who managed to scare the pants out of me while also making me agree with her, even if she was sick and obsessed. Pavati was a really quiet yet fundamental character and Tallulah? ~shivers~ I'll just say... she was... WOW... just simply WOW!

-She slept more peacefully than anyone I'd ever seen-a stark contrast to my sisters' restless slumber. I wondered if this was the peace that forgiveness brought.-

Have I ever told you about my love for male POV?? Well if you didn't know I'm more than happy to let you know. The story is told from Calder's pov, we see how he struggles with his own semi/nature to decide between what he knows he has to do and what he knows is the right thing to do... They're almost never the same :'(

And Lily and Sophie and their family made me stay warm throughout the whole cold weather that the book was.
Her love of the water, her slight suspicions of things lurking under it, everything, worked wonders to make her meeting Calder, after that... She will never again be the same. Never. Because when reality mixes with fantasy there is not knowing what will happen next, there exists no safety, no trust... no air?

-"... Forgiveness is freedom... Now that I think about it-in some ways, it's kind of a selfish act."-

The story is thrilling, creepy, somewhat scary yet romantic, sweet, real, raw and so very very GOOD.
You'll want to know, you'll want to guess, you'll want to try and breathe water... but you'll never EVER want to stop.

What's the price you're willing to pay to do the right thing? Would you sacrifice your life? Your love? Your freedom? Your nature? Your family?
But... what exactly is freedom... or family for that matter.

-"... Once he's in the water, we can all take part in dragging him down. We can all get our justice that way. Short and sweet. Done. ..."

I love water, I love cold, and I love male povs'... love that ending...leaving so many possibilities open for your imagination only!
And everything put together is what Lies Beneath has in store for you!

-review based on an ARC received via Netgalley-

Side Note-> The author said on an interview that the next book will be told form Lily's pov. How exciting!!!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A spellbinding new novel that will leave you breathless! June 12, 2012

By Katie Cody

Format:Hardcover

A spellbinding new novel that will leave you breathless!
The setting for this book was unique and perfect for the mystery behind these siblings. This story was very well written and had some of the most beautiful imagery I have read yet. It was very descriptive and gave off the somewhat ominous feel that went so well with this book.
"Lies Beneath" is told from the point of view of Calder which is an interesting change since most books from this genre are told from the female point of view. I really enjoyed hearing from Calder's point of view and seeing how he lived. Even though he started out as the villain it was easy to identify with him. He has problems of his own and tries to deal with them the best that he can and I believe that he is inherently good and his struggle to stay true to himself even in the face of his sisters was one of the things that intrigued me and made me fall in love with this character. Lily was sweet and a perfect match for Calder, these two really made the story for me.
You'll never look at a lake the same way again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great mermaid tale September 2, 2012

By Nicole @ Paperback Princess

Format:Hardcover

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not big on reading from a boys perspective and this I felt was really great. I also really liked that Brown took the real legend of mermaids and used it within this books parameters. There are always a lot of questions when it comes to how mermaids work and how they have babies and I felt that this book did a good job of answering those questions.

In this book, we know Calder and his three sisters are on a mission to get the man that caused their mothers death. At first how their mother died is unclear and confusing as to why they blame this Hancock. Once we learn that though, it all becomes too clear why they are out for blood.

There are some interesting things that come up as you get to know Calder and his sisters, for example how they are all related and how they use their gifts. You also learn that Maris is a sociopath, and the least likable of his three sisters. I think of all of them I liked Pavati best, because while she is the most seductive (and therefore dangerous) of the three girls, I felt that she had the most heart.

I liked that we were able to be in a boys head rather than a girls like most books are told from. I also enjoyed Calder's thought process. As he moved from panic to clam and happyness. While we get the thoughts that a girl would like, he also describes Lily rather than a rail thin twig, which I felt was a step in the right direction for YA. So many books have the heroine being this perfect image of what every girl wants to be, drop dead beautiful with a perfect body and perfect skin and perfect hair. Lily wasn't perfect which made Calder love her even more.

The biggest thing to bum me out about this book is that its part of a series and now I have to wait a whole year until the next book comes out. Most of your questions about the merpeople get answered in this book which is a great bonus since most authors leave you with questions for the next book. I felt that even if she were to leave this as a standalone book, I would be satisfied with the ending that we were left with.