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Never Believe a Lie Twice
Every great lie begins with the truth.
For thirteen-year-old Sage, living with his low-life con artist father Marty in Las Vegas hasn’t been easy. When Marty dies, the authorities arrange to send Sage to Evansville, Connecticut, to live with family he never knew existed. Sage plans to stay only long enough to steal their valuables and their car.
Just as Sage is leaving Las Vegas, he discovers Marty was hustling clues about a murder and there is a million-dollar reward being offered. Sage decides that for a million bucks he can stick around Evansville awhile and solve the case.
What Sage doesn’t plan on is one of his family being a murderer—and wanting him very, very dead.
Click now to start this heart-pounding mystery you’ll never forget.
For thirteen-year-old Sage, living with his low-life con artist father Marty in Las Vegas hasn’t been easy. When Marty dies, the authorities arrange to send Sage to Evansville, Connecticut, to live with family he never knew existed. Sage plans to stay only long enough to steal their valuables and their car.
Just as Sage is leaving Las Vegas, he discovers Marty was hustling clues about a murder and there is a million-dollar reward being offered. Sage decides that for a million bucks he can stick around Evansville awhile and solve the case.
What Sage doesn’t plan on is one of his family being a murderer—and wanting him very, very dead.
Click now to start this heart-pounding mystery you’ll never forget.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 2, 2022
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7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 29, 2025
Kathleen Troy’s Never Believe A Lie Twice follows the rough-and-tumble journey of Sage Christopher, a sharp-witted thirteen-year-old suddenly orphaned and thrust from a seedy life in Las Vegas into a sleepy Connecticut town with relatives he's never met. Sage's dad, Marty, a grifter with a knack for making terrible choices, dies in a drunk driving accident, leaving behind a duffel bag full of mysterious clues tied to a decades-old disappearance. As Sage tries to dodge the foster system, he gets shipped off to Evansville where he finds new family, old secrets, and the creeping sense that someone dangerous may still be watching. What unfolds is part mystery, part coming-of-age, all heart.
I went into this book expecting a fairly straightforward YA mystery, but Troy surprised me. Her writing is snappy and clean, with a rhythm that grabs you right from the first jail cell scene. Sage’s voice is pitch-perfect, equal parts street-smart and vulnerable. There’s a thread of dry humor running through the entire book that kept me chuckling even when things got dark. The pacing never lagged, and the scenes often flipped with just the right mix of tension and heart. Troy doesn’t dumb things down for young readers either; she lets Sage wrestle with real danger, real grief, and real moral dilemmas. That kind of honesty, especially from a young protagonist, was refreshing.
What I loved most, though, was the way Troy builds her characters. Sage isn't just another scrappy orphan hero; he’s damaged, sometimes too clever for his own good, and constantly teetering between trust and survival. The supporting cast, especially Pops and Gram, are warm without being sappy. I found myself rooting for Sage to get his happy ending, but I also wanted him to stay a little rogue-ish. There were a few plot turns that felt slightly convenient, but I forgave them because the heart of the story was so strong.
Never Believe A Lie Twice is the kind of book that sneaks up on you. It has guts, charm, and a whole lot of soul. I’d recommend it to readers twelve and up who love mysteries with a bit of grit and a lot of warmth. Fans of Louis Sachar or Kate DiCamillo will feel right at home here. And honestly, adults could do worse than spending an evening with Sage Christopher. I did, and I loved every minute of it.
I went into this book expecting a fairly straightforward YA mystery, but Troy surprised me. Her writing is snappy and clean, with a rhythm that grabs you right from the first jail cell scene. Sage’s voice is pitch-perfect, equal parts street-smart and vulnerable. There’s a thread of dry humor running through the entire book that kept me chuckling even when things got dark. The pacing never lagged, and the scenes often flipped with just the right mix of tension and heart. Troy doesn’t dumb things down for young readers either; she lets Sage wrestle with real danger, real grief, and real moral dilemmas. That kind of honesty, especially from a young protagonist, was refreshing.
What I loved most, though, was the way Troy builds her characters. Sage isn't just another scrappy orphan hero; he’s damaged, sometimes too clever for his own good, and constantly teetering between trust and survival. The supporting cast, especially Pops and Gram, are warm without being sappy. I found myself rooting for Sage to get his happy ending, but I also wanted him to stay a little rogue-ish. There were a few plot turns that felt slightly convenient, but I forgave them because the heart of the story was so strong.
Never Believe A Lie Twice is the kind of book that sneaks up on you. It has guts, charm, and a whole lot of soul. I’d recommend it to readers twelve and up who love mysteries with a bit of grit and a lot of warmth. Fans of Louis Sachar or Kate DiCamillo will feel right at home here. And honestly, adults could do worse than spending an evening with Sage Christopher. I did, and I loved every minute of it.
March 8, 2024
I had the pleasure of meeting Kathleen Troy back in November. She was at Barnes and Noble for a meet and greet/book signing. She provided me brief summaries of the books she was signing (Never Believe A Lie Twice and Dylan’s Dilemma) I purchased a copy of Never Believe A Lie Twice because it sounded like such a interesting read and had it signed.
I had so many books on my ‘to be read list’, I didn’t get around to reading Never Believe A Lie Twice until months later, but I was not disappointed. Immediately I found myself wanting not only to protect Sage, but also help him figure out what happened with his father and the secret note found at the scene of his father’s death. In trying to follow clues with Sage and learn what really happened to Evan I was kept on the edge of my seat.
I think this is an excellent book for a middle school/early high schooler to read and start their book loving era.
I had so many books on my ‘to be read list’, I didn’t get around to reading Never Believe A Lie Twice until months later, but I was not disappointed. Immediately I found myself wanting not only to protect Sage, but also help him figure out what happened with his father and the secret note found at the scene of his father’s death. In trying to follow clues with Sage and learn what really happened to Evan I was kept on the edge of my seat.
I think this is an excellent book for a middle school/early high schooler to read and start their book loving era.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews