This Story Is a Lie

A YA thriller described as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time meets John le Carre, about a teen math prodigy with an extreme anxiety disorder who finds himself caught in a web of lies and conspiracies after an assassination attempt on his mother. Seventeen-year-old Peter Blankman is a math genius. He also suffers from devastating panic attacks. Pete gets through each day with the help of his mother—a famous scientist—and his beloved twin sister, Bel. But when his mom is nearly assassinated in front of his eyes and Bel disappears, Pete finds himself on the run. Dragged into a world where state and family secrets intertwine, Pete must use his extraordinary analytical skills to find his missing sister and track down the people who attacked his mother. But his greatest battle will be with the enemy he's fought his entire life: the constant terror that threatens to overwhelm him. Weaving back and forth between Pete's past and present, the novel is a testimony from a protagonist who is brilliant, broken and trying to be brave.