A fatal explosion at an office building in Chicago. Over 500 people killed. This story is about some of those people and the secrets that they left behind. Lots of secrets kept by people who escaped death and people left behind to cope with life. The ending was unbelievable and left me astonished!

This was an excellent book...lots of drama and questions. It kept you guessing what next lie would be exposed. And believe me, there were plenty. The author does a great job of character development. You find you really love or hate the main characters. There is no in between! As you delve into their lives, you find out all kinds of lies and secrets.

At the end as things begin to twist even more, you will have to decide who had the greatest lie. It's worth it to read and understand out!

Once I saw that Catherine McKenzie had a new book coming out, I knew I had to ready in at soon as possible. I am a fan of her earlier work and her writing style. The stories are so easy to get sucked in to and <I>The Good Liar</I> was no exception.

The story is told through 3 different characters' points of view. I felt the reading the story this way just spiked the suspense up an extra level. While I thought I figured something out, another thing started nagging me because I wasn't sure where it was going.

I was also intrigued by the theme. It's one that I haven't read but it is prevalent in this day and age. How do those left behind by an act of terror or an unthinkable accident that effects an entire community and is news around the world continue on. We meet these 3 characters one the year anniversary of the tragedy, but we also get little snippets of memories for what actually transpired on that day. It all meshed together for great storytelling. Keeping you wondering who is most deserving of the book's title of <I>The Good Liar</I>.

I must admit however that all the way through the end, the simple question of "Why?" was consistently on the edge of my mind. As annoying as that might be, and I still am not convinced I know the full answer, this is what makes for a good suspense book. Am I right?

The story slowly unravels the past and present of three women whose lives were forever changed after a gas explosion blows up an office building. While it is a slow read, I found the story to be quite addicting and the different twists that are revealed made for an interesting ending.

An explosion that tears apart a Chicago building, changes the lives of three women.
Cecile witnessed the building going down that day with her best friend and husband within its walls. She was supposed to be in that building when the explosion occurred.
Franny is a young woman that was watching the news and saw the devastation it caused. The woman she was searching for was in that building. That woman was her birth mother.
Kate, fled the disaster in hopes that her past wouldn’t catch up with her and find her.
These women are holding secrets that could cause further damage as the anniversary rekindles on the news.
Will they be able to continue to hold onto their secrets?
Which one is the good liar?
This is an amazing psychological thriller that will keep your interest peeked. The twists will keep you guessing. Be prepared to be up late to find out the conclusion to a book that you wish wouldn’t end.
Thank you to Lake Union, NetGalley and Catherine McKenzie ( an awesome author), for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
Do yourself a favor... don’t miss out on this thriller!

This book is fantastic. Full of twists and turns you just do not see coming.
The book centres around three women who were all linked to a tragic event in Chicago. The story follows them in the first year and the fall out from this event and their actions.

I would highly recommend this book. It is well written with believable characters. The events that happen could be real, makes you think about not only the loss involved in a tragedy but also the opportunities that arise.
You route for the lead character from the very beginning, she is a widow and lost her husband in the tragedy that started the story off. You want her to win at life, the villian of the piece you know straight off is a wrong un. You just want her to fail and fall.

In a market full of psychological suspense thrillers this does stand out as one of the best I have read this year. Give it a strong five stars and will highly recommend as one to read.

Wow. I couldn't put this one down. This is moving to my favorites immediately!

Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.

Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

This book made me feel like I was actually there, I could feel and hear the explosion. Great characters, twists, turns, suspenseful, unbelievable ending.

Good thing Cecily is always late, specially on this day while meeting her husband, because while walking towards his building there is an explosion and more than 500 people are killed. Then the lying starts and the secrets of these woman in Cecily's life come to the surface. Ten years later a documentary is on the horizon and we get to hear from each woman, Kate, Frannie and of course Cecily. This documentary is known as the triple ten due to it happening on October 10th at 10am. I would recommend this book, although it's a slow start, it picks up quickly.

Thank you Net Gallery and Lake Union Publishing.
I look forward to reading more by Catherine Mckenzie.

Cherie'
#netgallery #thegoodliar

I've been reading Catherine McKenzie's books for years. I've enjoyed all of them but her last couple weren't as high up on my "really good" books list as I would have expected. But then I read her newest, The Good Liar. And it's fantastic.

Here's the synopsis:
Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?
When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.
A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.
Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?
I'm finding the whole twisted story told by an unreliable female character trope getting a wee bit old. But then a novel like The Good Liar comes along and reminds me that there are a lot of really great stories being told in that genre (whatever we're calling that genre these days). I wouldn't really say this book is a psychological thriller because it's not quite a thriller - but it's definitely a psychological story. It's also a bit deceptive because you may think you know how all of the twisted threads will be unraveled. But, let me assure you, you will not know. Not at all. And I loved that!

McKenzie starts dropping little clues to something being not quite right early on in the story. Some of them start to make sense quickly but others led to a complete shock for me. It's almost not until the last third of the novel that I start wondering who I should be trusting. Cecily seems fairly trustworthy but you know she's hiding something and when that's revealed first, you wonder what else she could be hiding. Kate's motivations seem simple enough on the surface but are they? And what about Franny?

I also really liked that it was a balance of a mystery with a family drama. I mean, it's all tied together really but both parts of the story were told so well. Cecily is trying to find out what really happened the day her husband and her best friend (along with 500 other people) died. But at the same time she's raising two teenagers. And trying to start a new job. And maybe start dating? All the different facets of the story were balanced and told so well.

The women are front and centre in this book. The men all play a secondary role to the females, which I thought was great. Even Teo, who is trying to weave his own narrative for his documentary, is never in the forefront of the story.

I'm really excited for everyone to read The Good Liar. Catherine McKenzie is still one of my favourite authors and she's written an amazing novel. Can you do me a favour though? Once you finish it can you let me know so we can talk about that ending?

I really enjoyed this book. It's well written, has interesting characters, and a plot that winds in different directions when you least expect it. I guessed some of the things that would happen - but then about the time I thought I had it all figured out, the story turned around to a stunning conclusion.

The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie. A new to me author. A explosion in a Chicago building, a group of women who might have had connections with people in that building. A story of secrets, lies and suspense. This book did take me awhile to get into and get though but the author knows how to bring the the story together at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Catherine McKenzie for the opportunity to preview this book.

It’s a really good story about the after effects of an explosion in Chicago and the impact on 3 women in particular. The story moves at a reasonable pace and there is an added thread of a documentary being made that adds to the depth. For me it’s a 3.5 stars, based on how difficult it was at times to keep track, as it switches between characters and timelines a lot.

All in all though, it’s a well told tale with a good ending.

Cecily had been late trying to get the kids out of the door but when she finally got off the train and was trying to get to the building she noticed it was in flames. After that Cecely only remembered bits and pieces. People running, the awful stench of burnt plastic , the crushing heat, the ringing in Ceciy’s ears, paper, debris and things she couldn’t think about raining down on her and burning holes in the belted jacket she had worn. Then she lost time again. Through it all she couldn’t move, stuck. As the fire licked the building clean . then a man pulled her hand and told her to run and they did.Now it’s one year later only now when Cecily is late her body starts to prickle with anxiety that she can’t shake without medication. Now more often than not Cecily is early Today was the first anniversary of the death of her husband Tom and Kaitlin- her best friend’s death who had both been in the building when it exploded from a gas leak Cecily would have been in there also if she had been on time. 513 people killed and more than 2000 injured. Tep greeted Cecily and he had been the man that have saved her life by grabbing her hand. Now he was doing a document on three people and how they had been affected by the tragic disaster. Three families- hers, the Ringos and Franny had been adopted and from the age of eight wanted to and tried to find her birth mother. She didn’t seem to really care about her adopted family. Her adopted parents had died in a car accident. ranny Maycombe.A year ago Teo had been scouting locations for a commercial with his assistant and then Teo had been taking pictures of some of the homeless when the building exploded and he started snapping pictures as Chicago changed forever. But once he seen the fore coming up Adams street he knew he had to leave, but he took one last picture of Cecily in a world wind of dris. Her clothes were covered in grime but her face was unmarked and Cecily was staring at the building. Teo uploaded that picture to a website and it became the shot of the day and somehow Cecily became the poster child for that tragedy. Cecily didn’t want the recognition , notoriety , the fame. Cecily told Teo she wasn’t sure she wanted to do the documentary and teo said : you have to as you are the heart of this story” . Cecily had major issues besides Tom’s death to get through. Cecily is raising two teenagers now cassie is fifteen and henry is thirteen and she doesn’t know how to fill the black hole Tom’s death had left in their lives. Cecily knew tom was cheating on her before he had died as he had mistakenly sent a text to her meant for the other woman. Cecily had hated Tom for that but she was honest with her therapist even if she ahd to lie to Tao for the documentary. Kate is living in Montreal but she has a deep connection to the explosion. Franny had just been reunited with her birth mother and then such a short time later lost her in the explosion. As the documentary crew digs deeper lies and secrets start coming to the surface as all the women to be in this documentary are hiding secrets. They all will lie some to protect loved ones and some for their own gain. Franny and cecily had become friends over the last year as the both were on the compensation board for the families of the victims that were turned down adn wanted a second chance to compensated. The more the interviews go on the more mysterious Franny seems to become. Kate is a nanny of three year old twin boys in Montreal and can’t stand to watch tv about the tragedy in Chicago that happened a year ago. But her employer -Andrea is totally into the features. Kate had escaped the explosion and Franny was her adult daughter she had given up. Cecily realizes Franny was her best friends grown daughter and she wondered why Kaitlin had not told her about Franny.
I liked the book. I really enjoyed the face past as well as the plot. I was guessing throughout the whole book so that was a plus in this type of book. Sometimes I got lost and confused trying to follow everything going on. This was like a puzzle you had to piece together. I loved the ending. I loved that there was a lot of twists and turns. Reading this was like being on a roller coaster. I would have liked to see what was really going on in Franny’s mind and not just through the interviews. There was a lot to this book: grief, adultery, anger, marriage, loss, betrayal, lies, secrets, running away, depression, anxiety, friendship, mental illness, fraud and so much more. This did drag a little for me at times. I did love the twists and turns and i am glad i read this and I recommend.

This book was a fun thriller to read. On October 10, an explosion rocks Chicago and kills hundreds. We meet Cecily, Franny, and Kate - three women who were all impacted and who have secrets that come to light as the story unravels. This story kept me turning the pages and I enjoyed the twists and turns that were exposed.

4.5 riveting stars

Seems lately that there has been a plethora of books with some form of the word lie in their title. Perhaps the reason being is that it is, at times for us it is so easy to avoid telling the truth. We all have done it, lie that is, for reasons big and small, just because we are human. Being caught in a lie is embarrassing and depending on the seriousness of the lie, it can upset your whole world and those you love and care for. It can change things, make you a captive of the tentacles a lie often weaves. It can make you unrecognizable from who you thought you were.

Three woman are dealing with tragedy. Cecily, has lost her husband in a gas explosion. Kate, has secreted herself away making her family believe she was killed in the gas explosion that sent five hundred people to their death. Franny, is searching for her birth mother and thinking she has found her is devastated when her newly acquired mother, too, is killed in the explosion.

Sounds ever so tragic, and yet each of them is carrying other burdens than the loss of their loved ones. Each of them is lying, whether to themselves, to others, or to the world in general.

Catherine McKenzie has written a most engaging thriller that draws you into the mystery and shocking activities which surround the telling of this story. It again qualifies as one of those "hard to put down" books and as it entraps you in the women's stories, it makes you understand that something that now seems safe for these women just isn't. We get to see these women through the lens of the author's camera. She definitely puts us, the reader, through some of those edge of your seat reading moments This book kept me guessing and became quite the captivating novel.

Thank you to Catherine McKenzie, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this tense and riveting thriller.

Brilliantly written, Catherine McKenzie’s “The Good Liar” explores the intricacies of the human mind after a terrible tragedy. Well-researched, as always, and set in Chicago, a place I frequently visited during my childhood, the characters and their stories will haunt you for a long time after you turn the last page.

Run (or type) as fast as you can and get this book! Be prepared for a long night for the un-put-downable masterpiece!

Thank you, netgalley!

This book is so fantastic. McKenzie has such a talent of telling a story that makes the reader get completely lost in the world she creates. There are characters that you cannot help but be drawn to and McKenzie fleshes them out perfectly. Each of them equally interesting and engaging. How she can creates connections and maintains the flow of the story is nothing short of genius. This book captures time and place and our role in it all and how secrets can change us...a brilliant read! McKenzie is a master storyteller and not to be missed. The Good Liar is one of her best books yet and is not to be missed. You are going to be in for a treat.

Lies, so many lies. This book was an amazing read! It was like a rollercoaster ride with highs and lows, twists and turns. If I didn't have kids to take care of I know could have devoured it in a day.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Catherine McKenzie for the ARC to review. This was a great read. It stared out a little slow and somewhat confusing. However, as I kept reading I became intrigued with the story. A building explodes in Chicago and Cecily is not in it. I felt bad for Cecily on so many levels: she could have been in that building when it exploded, she was getting a divorce, she was alone and raising two children, but I always wondered what her lie was. Then I realized that her whole existence since the explosion was a lie. She wasn't the devoted wife that everyone saw; who's husband was in the building and died. Cecily was an angry woman who at the time of the explosion was getting a divorce and wanted her husband dead. I found Kate interesting. She worked in the building that exploded but had left the building before the explosion, however, she allowed her family to believe she was dead. Kate then boarded a bus to Canada, and found a job as a nanny. I found this odd since she just walked away from her own family, a husband and two girls. We come to find out after she returns to Chicago that she is the woman that was cheating with Cecily's husband. Kate does tell Cecily the truth about her and Cecily husband. To bad for Cecily, Kate was supposedly her best friend. This is Kate's lie as well as the fact as that she was supposed to abe dead. The final straw in this story is also Kate's lie. She had a daughter that she gave up for adoption. When this young girl contacted her. Kate denied her. This young woman Franny tried to comfort her Kate's family and soon became engaged to Kate's ex. Kate would have none of it and so she came back to Chicago. With Cecily's help they got Franny to confess to blowing up the building because Kate denied her. It was a somewhat complex story with great characters. I would highly recommend the book.

3.5 Stars

The Good Liar follows three women, Cecily, Kate and Franny a year after an explosion in Chicago that soon becomes nicknamed Triple Ten. They were each effected by this tragic event in some way.

This is a hard book to review without giving too much away. There are a lot of little twists, most of which I figured out, but the writing made it so I wavered in my conviction of my guess until the reveal. One thing I loved about these tiny twists were that they didn’t feel forced or contrived. They fit perfectly within the story and with the characters’ personalities.

In a way the story is a mystery: what are these women hiding? Is it serious? Did it impact the events that happened on Triple Ten?

The other part of the story really focuses on the characters themselves and their relationships. This was just as engrossing.

I loved how this was told from all three of their perspectives but in different POVs. Cecily in first person, Kate in third and Fanny through a series of interviews. It fit well with how each character was portrayed and thought of.

Although I’ve heard of author Catherine McKenzie before, this is my first book of hers, but it certainly won’t be my last.