Silent Lies is the latest novel from Kathryn Croft and from the beginning we are thrown straight into a strong and thrilling plot. Mia, Zach and Freya are the perfect family until one day Zach suddenly commits suicide. Mia is left behind picking up the pieces of his indiscretions and putting her life back together. Five years later and life is finally starting to settle down and Mia is in a relationship with the lovely Will and working as a counsellor. One of Mia’s new clients, Alison seems to know a lot about her and her late husband, who she claims didn’t kill him self.
This session with Alison, throws Mia’s life in to disarray once more. How did she know Zach? Did he kill himself? Why come forward five years later. What begins is a compelling thrilling which grabbed me and drew me in to a complex plot which left me guessing and amazed at what was occurring. I loved the flash backs to the past and delving more in to what at first appeared to be a suicide. Secrets are uncovered and it shows you don’t always really know the ones you love.
Croft managed to build tension and suspense throughout which had me turning pages late in to the night, desperate to find out howthe characters were linked and how their stories were connected. No stone was left unturned and I was literally at the edge of my seat with some of the discoveries I made as I read on. This was a very cleverly written book, whilst it wasn’t fast paced it remained intriguing and fresh, with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end.
Silent Lies is an incredible psychological thriller with fascinating characters and back stories. While the characters weren’t always the most likeable, each had their place within the story and added to the general tension and suspense throughout. This was a well thought out and clever novel and is well worth a read.

Mia thought she had a good life. She was happily married to Zach, with two year old daughter Freya, she adored. All in all everything was going well. Everything changed when Zach committed suicide in the flat of Josie, one of his students-a student he was rumoured to be having an affair with and who disappeared without trace. The suspicion was that Zach had killed her before killing himself.

Five years on Mia is starting to feel she is back on track. She is in a new relationship, all is well with Freya and she has her own business as a councillor. When Alison, a new patient arrives and tells her that she knows Zach didn't kill himself. Mia now tries to find out what really happened whilst trying to protect Alison from an abusive relationship but discovers that Alison may not be as reliable as she seems.

Told from Mia's perspective in the present & Josie's perspective in the past this was an absorbing read and I couldn't put it down before I found out the truth- which was something I didn't see coming. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for this gripping read.

A boring and uninspired read for me.

Having read 4 of Kathryn Croft's books previously, I was very keen to read this one.

This one didn't disappoint, it was brilliant. Mia's husband died 5 years ago in an apparent suicide, switch to the present day when a stranger turns up and says he didn't commit suicide at all. Mia's life is turned upside down from that point.

5 full stars from me for this one.

Definitely a great read.
Kept me turning the pages, needing to find out what happened.
I never guessed!

This book had been on my shelf a little longer than most, Mainly because other books came that interested me more. Knowing I had to read it as it had been there so long, I bit the bullet and started it. I am so glad I did!! Mia is a widow and a therapist, who one day sees a client who tells her that her husband didn’t kill himself. Told from her side and missing student Josie’s side, jumping from past into present and back again, it’s such an easy read that the ending is one I really didn’t see coming! Please, please, please let there be a second part! I would recommend this to any reader.

Silent lie is the first novel that I've read by Kathryn Croft and I hope to read more. This novel was told in first person point of view from Mia's and Josie's perspectives at duel timelines. Mia was married to Zach, a professor that committed suicide five years ago, then a stranger, walks into Mia's life and tells her that Zach didn't commit suicide. This leads Mia down a dark path of secrets and twists as she tries to discover the truth about the night Zach died. This book was an entertaining thrill ride and I rushed to get to the end!
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of Silent Lies.

Very fast paced and very intriguing. I enjoyed how it kept me hooked and it was an original story. Nowadays so many books read the same. Highly recommend

Psychological thrillers are in, or are they? If the people in the know are to be believed they are on the way out. Well, if writers can produce thrilling, excapist reads with strong plotting and ingenious twists I’m in. The question is can we ever really trust anyone? Is anyone’s life truly perfect and, finally, what exactly happened to Mia’s husband?

Five years after Mia’s husband Zach kills himself and one of his students, Josie disappears without trace, someone turns up to tell Mia something completely different. Told from both Josie and Mia’s perspectives. The reader is led through an emotional rollercoaster - who is telling the truth about that night 5 years ago and why has Alison turned up? What does she want? What does she know? So forget the TV and grab this book for sheer escapism and prepare to be mesmerised by the deviousness of some of the characters! Do hope there will be a follow up.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was my second book from Kathryn Croft, and I hope it’s not my last!

I found this to be a very well paced story that kept me wanting more! The story alternated between different perspectives, and it was easy to keep track. It was well paced, with some unexpected twists.

I would suggest this book! Happy to start 2018 on a good note.

A really good book that has you gripped right from the first chapter. What happens when your husband disappears and someone five years later tells you he didn't kill himself. Full of twists and turns especially in the final chapter. Do you ever REALLY know anybody?

SILENT LIES by Kathryn Croft is her sixth psychological thriller, a real treat to read, and will keep you guessing right to the end with the shocker in the final chapter. I have to admit I did not believe it was going to be as good as it was, and I saw I was in for a real treat!

This novel is all about trust, and deciding who you can trust. Who is telling the truth and who is lying?

‘Your husband didn’t kill himself.’
Five years rebuilding your life. Five words will destroy it again.

Mia Hamilton had a perfect life with her husband, university teacher Zach, and their two-year-old daughter, Freya. But everything changed when Zach committed suicide on the same night one of his students, Josie Carpenter, vanished.

Five years later, Josie is still missing but Mia has finally moved on and found some happiness with new boyfriend Will. But she still needs to know what happened with Zach…in order to allow her to move on with Will.

Then one day, a perfect stranger, Alison Cummings comes in for an appointment, to Mia’s recently set up counselling business, and tells Mia that her husband didn’t kill himself.

Mia looking for answers for her husband’s suicide, puts her trust in Alison. But she soon discovers that Alison has her own agenda behind exposing the details of Zach’s death. Can Mia really believe anything Alison says?

Mia must decide how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth.

This story is told from two points of view in alternating chapters, Mia’s in the present and Josie’s five years previous. This process works well in the book, as it allows the reader to try to gain an understanding of What Happened? And everything comes together in the end with a surprise ending chapter.

Details are disclosed on a need to know basis, and raise the thrill level.

As I read this book I found myself not trusting anyone. I was so suspicious of everyone Mia came in contact with.

This was a well written book full of gripping suspense I'd highly recommend.

Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing me with my copy.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest opinion. I dove into this one, because it looked like it would be just up my psychological thriller path. I also love the alternating voice method of writing, because it keeps me turning pages. I enjoyed the book, until the end. I just didn't get how the ending tied into the book. I love a good twist, but it has to make sense and at least give some tiny bit of indication that something odd might be coming to tie everything up. that ending ...

I was expecting more from this book as I have read the author before, but it just didn’t blow me away as I had expected it to. The premise was good, but I didn’t feel I bonded with the characters the way I should have and I did find them hard to relate to.

It took me several days after finishing this book to write the review.

Now, I should say that that’s not entirely uncommon.

I often like to allow the plot to rattle around in my head a bit before deciding how I ultimately feel about a book.

After all, some books, like fine wine, get better with time. (Or so I hear…about wine. I wouldn’t know from experience as my wine choice usually alternates between Gato Negro and “boxed”)

In this case, however, the passage of time was less choice than necessity.

Before I could, in good conscience, write this review I felt that I absolutely had to go to
1) Put on pants
2) Go to a book store
3) Thumb through a physical copy of this book

Why?

To confirm that the ending in my digital advanced release copy was, in fact, the ending.

That’s how fucking open-ended this ending was.

The inconclusively of the ending was really rather jarring because, up until that point, I was incredibly invested in the characters and engrossed in the plot.

Unfortunately, the ending kind of ruined it for me, making me question whether I liked this book as much as I thought I had. (Which, really, isn’t what you’re looking for in an ending. An ending which throwing into question someone’s esteem for your book = not so success)

This was one of those rare books that catches your attention from page 1.

The author accomplished this through the use of a prologue. (which is impressive, because prologues are so often a mistake)

In this book opener, protagonist, Mia, is attending her husband’s funeral. Unfortunately for Mia, her time for mourning is cut short as she is verbally attacked…while leaving the funeral… by people displeased by some horrible thing her husband apparently did before his untimely death. (Which is obviously tacky AF, no matter how you slice it)

This surprise accosting immediately captured my attention and induced a barrage of questions.

What had her husband been accused of?

Had he really done it?

Did what he did in any way contribute to his death?

I felt instantly compelled to keep reading and unearth the answers to these questions, which I, of course, hoped would be contained within.

One of the likely reasons why this premise was so immediately intriguing to me was a result of my recent reading of The Best Kind of People. Since finishing that book, I’d been casually pondering the impact of individuals’ transgressions on their family members. (And by “casually” I really do mean casually. It’s not occupying my every thought… just lurking in the background)

At the open of this book, I felt optimistic that the novel might further explore this topic.

*Spoiler Alert* It pretty much didn’t.

Anyways, following the prologue, we jump forward five years. Mia is now living with her daughter who has transformed from the toddler who accompanied her mother to her father’s funeral to a rambunctious seven-year-old. Mia is dating a man who is so nice and understanding that it’s a bit suspicious. She is also working in private practice as a therapist.

All seems well, until a new client who supposedly came in to discuss her abusive relationship instead drops a bomb on Mia, telling her that her husband actually didn’t kill himself.

Before Mia can dig for more information, this client denies having said what Mia knows she heard her say (which, of course, makes us wonder if Mia is nuts) and abruptly leaves (which could be a sign of the client’s sanity as, if my therapist said I said something I knew I didn’t say, I would bolt, too).

But Mia’s story in the present is only half of the novel.

In alternating chapters we jump back in time approximately six years.

The protagonist in these chapters is Josie, a college student who was taking a class taught by Zach, Mia’s at-the-time-alive-but-soon-to-be-dead husband. As readers, we are immediately made to believe that Josie is the one Zach did something with – or to – before his death.

And so, as we move through this novel, we are actually unraveling two mysteries.

Did Zach kill himself?

And

What happened to Josie?

While this technique is not uncommon, I do tend to be dubious of it.


Often, when authors have dual plots what we end up with is one plot that's incredibly compelling and another that we must muddle through trying to get back to the compelling one.


That didn't happen here.


Both stories carried their own weight, and both women were rich, well established and, for the most part, believable.


Another strength of this book was the overall prose.

Unlike many thrillers, in which the narrative feels rushed and the prose weak and utilitarian, this author’s style was truly enjoyable to read. She painted her scenes and developed her characters in such a way that I felt immersed in the settings and engaged with the characters.

But this book was not without its faults.

First – as previously mentioned – the ending.

I really have the worst luck with endings, lately.

Admittedly, ending a book is difficult.

If you tie everything up in a nice neat bow, everyone’s going to say it’s bullshit because, in real life, there are no nice neat bows.

Conversely, if you leave everything askew, people are going to be pissed off because they want to know that things work out for the characters they have spent 300+ pages getting to know.

Knowing how impossible endings are, I do try to give a bit of leeway.

But no amount of leeway in the world would have saved this ending.

It’s like… the author just stopped writing.

Another issues – the title. It’s so innocuous.

Silent Lies?

What does it even mean?

A lie you never speak?

It really had nothing do with the plot, and it certainly wasn’t memorable. I can already picture myself grappling to remember the title of this novel in the future as I describe the plot to an equally bookish friend.

But, at the end of the day, if a book’s good enough you can call it “The Novel” and it will still hold up.

And, like endings, titles, too, are hard.

For some reason, deciding on the 3-5 words that will rest on the cover often seems even more difficult than writing the 75,000 words that will be contained within the book.

Weighing the strengths and weaknesses, this one comes out a solid 3 out of 5 cocktails. It was inarguably an enjoyable read, but, unfortunately, it didn’t maintain the momentum the entire way through and will, ultimately, end up somewhat forgettable.

Kathryn Croft has quickly become a favorite author of mine. Every time I see her name on a book, I know that I'm in for a thrilling, suspenseful read, and this one fit the bill.

Croft does an excellent job of bouncing between the past and the present, filling in gaps for the reader slowly so that the story is developing at the exact pace she wants it to. From the beginning, the reader knows that Zach has died, but the pieces of his death are revealed slowly, the story developing with hints from the past and present.

I loved the characters in this book as well. There are few things that I enjoy more than characters that I feel like I can't trust. Is Mia telling the truth? What about Allison? How does Josie fit in? Everyone seemed like they had secrets to keep, which left me questioning everyone.

I loved the ending of this book. I was surprised by the turn of events, and the revelation of what happened to Josie was very intriguing. Croft once again shows her skills in this novel, and I definitely recommend it!

Mia is recovering five years after her husband’s suicide. He was found in a student’s apartment; she was never seen again and he was assumed to have killed her to cover up an affair. But one day, a woman walks into Mia’s office and says that she doesn’t think Zach killed himself. And Mia begins a journey into the past that will test everything.

This book alternates viewpoints between Mia in the present day and the female student’s, Josie, in the past. The breaks in viewpoints are some really well to heighten suspense. I was desperately flipping pages at points.

Needless to say, this book is very suspenseful because you don’t really know what - or who - to believe. Everything and everyone seems slightly wrong, and it’s hard to put all the pieces together until they are revealed. And some of the characters are very creepy. There’s more than enough bad guys to go around.

Speaking of reveals, I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending. The way things turned out was good, and indeed twisty, but then the very end leaves a bad taste, in my opinion. It didn’t feel complete. To me, that was a shame after such a good book up until that final point.

Still, I have to say that I liked this book. It’s not action heavy, it’s more about suspense and feelings, and that’s refreshing every once in awhile.

Recommended.

This book will have you hooked from page 1.... it’s one of those books that causes sleep deprivation. You cannot put it down.

Very well written

Kathryn has done it again, a corker of a read. I’ve read all her previous books and this one didn’t disappoint (knew it wouldn’t).

Mia’s husband dies in a girl named Josies apartment and Jodi ethen goes missing, and the police rule it out as suicide, but 5 years later a woman called Alison contacts Mia and says “your husband didn’t kill him self” and there begins the story.

It’s told through two viewpoints Mia’s and Josie’s whom have both had relationships with Zach, Mia’s is told in the present and Josies in the past.

I seriously enjoyed the book it had me guessing all the way through and I had no idea who to trust it was awful, I had to keep re-reading some parts as couldn’t believe what had just happened!

Can’t wait for her next one, hurry up Kathryn!!!!!!