The Next Lie

The Secrets of Chapel Roads #2

By: Camden Baird

Narrators: Megan Tusing, Amy Hutchins, Andrew Eiden, Wayne Mitchell, Sarah Naughton, Kate Rudd, Rosanna Pilcher

ISBN: 9781662530265

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 07/14/2025

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)

JUL 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

In the unputdownable sequel to The Last Morning, author Camden Baird delivers another harrowing tale of lies and deceit, where a marriage is put to the test while jealousy and revenge run wild.

Few marriages survive what Sadie and Allen Wilson’s did. They were lucky—they had each other, and their kidnapped daughter was found, unharmed. Now, just as their lives are getting back to normal, their neighbor turns up dead. Murdered. And Sadie feels the panic surge all over again. But this time, she won’t have her husband to lean on…because Allen’s disappeared.

As Sadie and the police try to piece together what happened, she begins to wonder if she ever knew her husband at all. The lies keep piling up, along with the body count. And when ghosts from Allen’s past reveal a shocking secret, Sadie’s not sure who—or what—to believe.

Packed with twists (and suspects), The Next Lie is a gripping exploration of marriage and trust. With old lies laid bare and new ones unfolding, when will the next lie finally be the last—and the killer be found?

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The Secrets of Chapel Roads Series

THE NEXT LIE #2

THE LAST MORNING #1

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My Review

FRAGILE MARITAL RECOVERY VS. A DEVASTATING WEB OF DECEIT

“A mother who survived her daughter's kidnapping is plunged back into a neighborhood nightmare when her neighbor is murdered, and her husband vanishes.”

In The Next Lie,, bestselling author Camden Baird returns to the deceptive, hyper-polished suburbs of Chapel Roads. Delivering a sharp, addictive, and terrifyingly claustrophobic suburban thriller, this book serves as a phenomenal follow-up to her debut, The Last Morning.

Read My Review

The Last Morning (#1 The Secrets of Chapel Roads). I recommend reading this one first to gain the full experience and the cast of characters.

The story hinges on a resilient mother navigating immense physical and emotional hurdles to find her missing husband after a brutal neighborhood murder shatters their hard-won return to normalcy.

📌 The Hook

~A brutal neighborhood murder.

~A missing husband.

!A vault of buried secrets exposed.

🛗 Elevator Pitch

A gripping, fast-paced domestic suspense sequel following a mother who survived her daughter's kidnapping, only to be plunged into a paranoid investigation when her neighbor is murdered, and her husband vanishes. Left entirely isolated, she must untangle a mounting body count and a lifetime of hidden lies.

🔍 Review Breakdown

Intro

Eighteen months ago, in The Last Morning, Sadie and Allen Wilson lived out every parent's worst nightmare when their five-year-old daughter Emma vanished. They beat the odds, surviving the trauma and bringing Emma home safe. But just as their lives are finally settling back into a fragile routine, the peace of Chapel Roads is shattered when their next-door neighbor turns up brutally murdered. Before Sadie can even process the panic, her world collapses a second time: Allen completely disappears. Left alone to navigate a high-stakes police investigation, Sadie is forced to piece together a web of lies that makes her wonder if she ever knew her husband at all.

Setting

The hyper-polished suburbs of Chapel Roads, North Carolina, where pristine lawns and close-knit neighborhood circles hide deep-seated resentments, jealousy, and dark histories.

Vibe

Paranoid, rapid-fire, and deeply suspenseful. It flawlessly maintains the fast-paced, multi-POV domestic dread of book one while dialing up the neighborhood suspicion.

Genre

Domestic Suspense / Psychological Thriller

Themes

~The fragility of marital trust after trauma

~The dangerous underbelly of suburbia

~The cyclical nature of revenge and jealousy

~The burden of a multi-generational hidden past

👥 Standout Characters

~Sadie Wilson: The fierce, deeply protective mother and wife whose hard-won peace is completely upended, forcing her to investigate her own husband's hidden history.

~Allen Wilson: Sadie's missing husband, whose sudden disappearance and emerging past secrets position him as either a tragic victim or a deeply calculating player. [1]

~The Chapel Roads Neighbors: A highly suspicious, insular group of suburban suspects, each harboring a compelling motive and a personal grudge against the victim.

✍️ Author Writing Standout

Camden Baird shines at crafting short, punchy, multi-POV chapters that seamlessly jump between timelines to slowly drip-feed bits of truth to the reader. She expertly balances the psychological aftermath of book one with a completely fresh, standalone murder mystery that keeps suspects rotating rapidly.

Takeaway

Surviving a nightmare doesn't mean the danger has passed; sometimes the people closest to us are the ones holding the match.

Title Significance

The Next Lie represents the structural collapse of Sadie's life. Each secret she uncovers doesn't bring clarity, but instead reveals a brand-new layer of deception she must dismantle to survive.

Metaphor

Allen's wedding ring functions as a central metaphor—a symbol of safety and survival that completely transforms into an anchor of doubt and suspicion the longer he stays missing.

💭 My Thoughts

CAMDEN BAIRD DELIVERS A TWISTY RETURN TO CHAPEL ROADS.

"A masterfully executed domestic suspense sequel that honors its roots while stacking fresh, jaw-dropping lies on every single page."

What begins as a neighborhood investigation fast becomes a frantic, paranoid race to uncover if you ever really knew your husband at all.

Baird excels at peeling back the layers of domestic dishonesty and betrayal, revealing one character’s secrets at a time. In a seemingly safe neighborhood, she unveils a trail of clues, lies, and intrigue, all while a cast of well-developed characters engages in morally questionable actions.

Watching Sadie's frantic isolation grow after Allen's disappearance is incredibly compelling, and the final sequence of twists delivered an explosive ending. It is a character-driven, completely wild, fast, messy, with a twisty ending you will not see coming. Just when you think you have it all figured out, prepare for a twist that will leave you breathless until the final page! Definitely grab this one for your summer stack!

Verdict ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5)

"A phenomenal, fast-paced domestic thriller sequel that proves Camden Baird is a fantastic storyteller in the psychological suspense genre."

📚Recs / (Read-Alikes)

If the marital deception and neighborhood secrets of The Next Lie kept you turning pages past bedtime, add these to your TBR stack:

~Never Lie by Freida McFadden: Matches the exact "do we ever really know our spouse?" energy with a rapid-fire pace and locked-room dread.

~First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston: Perfect for fans who loved trying to untangle hidden identities, aliases, and deep marital secrets.

~Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera: A spectacular match if you love highly suspicious small-town dynamics, heavy neighborhood gossip, and police investigations.

Special thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 4 Stars

Pub Date: July 14, 2026

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About the Author

Camden Baird writes fast-paced, emotionally gripping stories that keep readers up late turning pages. A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she’s published more than forty works of fiction under different pen names. The Next Lie is the sequel to Camden’s debut psychological suspense thriller, The Last Morning. The author lives in North Carolina. WEBSITE