Murder Between Friends Summary: Wrongful Conviction Mystery
Introduction
A small town has already decided who killed a beloved high school English teacher.
A jury agreed.
Thirteen months later, a legal technicality sends eighteen-year-old Jake Hanson home under house arrest, and the community is forced to look at the case again.
Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson follows Jake’s younger brother Henry, his former best friend Ally, and the eyewitness whose testimony convicted him.
As a retrial approaches, the three teenagers begin asking questions the police never did.
TL;DR
- Who it’s about: Three teenagers tied to a wrongful murder conviction — the convicted boy’s brother, his former best friend, and the eyewitness who put him away.
- The setup: Jake Hanson’s conviction for killing his English teacher is thrown out on a technicality, and the state plans to retry him.
- The engine: Ally, Henry, and Grace investigate on their own after the defense attorney refuses to pursue other suspects.
- What they find: A teacher-run drug ring, municipal corruption, and a killer hiding inside one of their own families.
- Core themes: Faulty eyewitness memory, public judgment, buried guilt, and loyalty under pressure.
- Format: 384 pages told across 57 dated entries in three alternating first-person voices, plus news and blog posts.
Read Also: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Summary: Agatha Christie’s Shocking Twist
Book Snapshot
- Genre & Subgenre: Young Adult Mystery / Crime Thriller / High School Suspense
- Core Narrative Tropes: Wrongful conviction, unreliable eyewitness, small-town secrets, amateur teen detectives, hidden drug ring, municipal corruption
- Tone & Atmosphere: Tense, gritty, paranoid, emotionally heavy
- Primary Conflict: Finding the real killer of Miriam Appelbaum before Jake Hanson is retried
- Pacing Style: Fast-paced, chronologically dated entries alternating between three narrators and media reports
- Book Structure: 57 perspective and media entries spanning October 6 to October 30, not conventional numbered chapters
- Publisher: Delacorte Press
- Publication Date: April 22, 2025
- ISBN-10: 059330103X
- ISBN-13: 978-0593301036
- Pages: 384
- Reading Age: 16+ years; Grade level 7–9
- Author Background: Liz Lawson is a young adult author and co-writer of the Agathas mystery series with Kathleen Glasgow. She also wrote The Lucky Ones.
Murder Between Friends Summary: The Full Story
Spoilers ahead.
The Return
Jake Hanson’s conviction for the December 15, 2023 murder of English teacher Miriam Appelbaum is vacated after thirteen months in prison.
He returns to his family’s home in Brawner, Virginia, under house arrest and a wave of online threats.
Ally Copeland, editor of the student paper The Boar, defends him to reporters. Ally is also grieving her father, journalist Michael Copeland, who died in a car crash two months before the murder.
Grace’s Doubt
At Brawner High, Henry is harassed with crime scene photos. Grace Topham, whose eyewitness statement placed Jake at the scene, tells Henry she is no longer sure she saw his face.
She learns that most DNA exonerations involve faulty eyewitness identification.
She realizes she likely filled in Jake’s face after recognizing his embroidered jean jacket.
The Investigation Begins
The new district attorney fast-tracks a retrial. Defense attorney Greg Kakova refuses to look for other suspects. Henry and Ally decide to investigate under the cover of a memorial article.
Grace secures an introduction to Miriam’s sister, Gabrielle Flowers, by trading contact information. Gabrielle reveals Miriam had conflict with student Matt Clark and his attorney father over a low grade.
Leads and Warnings
Ally interviews Miriam’s high school friends Lucy Phillips and Rachael Wu. They reveal Miriam secretly dated fellow teacher Paul Berkeley in 2022 and was seeing an unidentified new man before her death.
Berkeley sent threatening texts after the breakup. When Grace confronts him, he reacts with hostility. Ally then learns he resigned abruptly from a Long Island prep school amid drug rumors.
At a party, Nick Marion warns Henry and Grace to stop asking questions. A break-in at Miriam’s abandoned house ends with a note pinned to the door: STOP DIGGING.
Continue Reading: Â Killer Vibes Book Summary: A Queer Noir Mystery That Cuts Deep by Jack Friday
The Record Store Raid
Henry and Ally discover that Favorite Record, where Jake and Nick worked, is owned by Joe Fontaine, Berkeley’s silent-partner cousin. Henry enters the store alone and finds baggies of cocaine in a back closet.
Berkeley, Fontaine, Nick, Matt Clark, and Bryce catch him. Berkeley holds Henry captive. Jake cuts off his ankle monitor and rushes to the shop; Grace calls 911. Police raid the store and arrest the group.
Town Hall Corruption
Police say the dealers’ word alone cannot alibi Jake. Ally goes to Brawner Town Hall to identify the initials “JG” from her father’s planner.
There she meets Jamel Gallant, who reveals Michael Copeland and Miriam Appelbaum were investigative partners, not lovers. They were exposing shell companies used to bribe officials and seize tax-delinquent properties. Michael had found a key location: 2295 Hydraulic Road.
The Florist Card
Grace spots a Shakespeare florist card on her sister Lara’s refrigerator, sent by Lara’s fiancĂ© Evan Miller. Gabrielle confirms Evan dated Miriam in high school and reconnected with her later.
Evan was cheating on Lara and was the developer bribing officials. Ally goes alone to 2295 Hydraulic Road. Evan admits forcing Michael Copeland’s car off the road and knocks Ally unconscious.
The Confession
Grace and Henry track Ally’s phone and arrive with police. Evan confesses that he argued with Miriam, shoved her into the hearth, hid her body in a freezer chest, and framed Jake with a stolen jacket and notebook. He is arrested.
On October 24, Grace realizes a physical contradiction: two years earlier Jake was much shorter than Evan, so Evan could not have worn Jake’s jacket.
The Real Killer
Grace confronts Lara. Lara admits Evan knocked Miriam down, but Miriam was still breathing when he fled. Lara returned to clean up, put on Jake’s jacket as a disguise, and suffocated Miriam with a couch pillow.
Ally overhears the confession. Lara attacks her, but Grace calls out to arriving officers. Lara is taken into custody.
Resolution
All charges against Jake are dropped and he is fully exonerated. Evan Miller and Lara Topham face long prison sentences, and Paul Berkeley and his accomplices are prosecuted.
Ally, Grace, and Henry repair their friendships. Henry and Grace rekindle their relationship.
Read Also:Â The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Summary: A Gripping YA Mystery Finale
Is Murder Between Friends Right for You?
This book fits readers who follow amateur-investigation mysteries set in high school, especially stories built on wrongful convictions and unreliable witnesses.
The narrative moves through dated entries and three alternating first-person voices, with news articles and blog posts between them.
Readers who prefer linear chapter structures may find the format different, but it keeps the timeline tight.
Content includes murder descriptions, drug distribution, harassment, and threats of violence. The reading age listed is 16 and up.
Books Like Murder Between Friends
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson: A high school student reopens a closed murder case with a podcast and finds small-town secrets.
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus: Multi-perspective high school mystery built on secrets, framing, and shifting suspicion.
Sadie by Courtney Summers: A gritty YA crime story about grief, justice, and a young investigator pursuing a killer.
The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson: Unlikely teenage partners unravel a small-town crime, co-written by the same author.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson: A cold case, hidden clues, and teenage sleuthing at an isolated school.
This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston: Five boys, one dead classmate, and an unreliable account of what happened.
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas: A small-town mystery about a closed case, family secrets, and a teenager digging into both.
Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Ally Copeland | Editor-in-chief of the Brawner High student paper and co-leader of the private investigation |
| Grace Topham | Eyewitness whose testimony convicted Jake; Lara’s younger sister |
| Henry Hanson | Jake’s younger brother and Ally’s best friend |
| Jacob “Jake” Hanson | Twenty-year-old wrongfully convicted of Miriam Appelbaum’s murder |
| Miriam Appelbaum | Brawner High English teacher murdered on December 15, 2023 |
| Lara Topham | Grace’s older sister, a law student engaged to Evan Miller |
| Evan Miller | Lara’s fiancĂ© and heir to Miller Real Estate |
| Paul Berkeley | Brawner High English teacher who co-owned a record store drug operation |
| Joe Fontaine | Berkeley’s cousin and co-owner of Favorite Record |
| Nick Marion | Jake’s former friend and drug dealer tied to Berkeley |
| Gabrielle Flowers | Miriam Appelbaum’s younger sister |
| Michael Copeland | Ally’s late father, a journalist investigating city corruption |
| Jamel Gallant | Town Hall records employee who assisted the corruption investigation |
| Matt Clark | Student athlete tied to the drug ring |
| Kate Chakravorty | Senior reporter for The Brawner Times |
| Greg Kakova | Defense attorney for Jake’s retrial |
You May Also Like:Â Ghosted by Emily Barr Summary: A YA Time-Slip Mystery
