This is a quick easy read. There is plenty of action in this book. Mia lost her husband 5 years ago. Now Alison turns up and tells her that her husband Zach did not commit suicide. The book then tells the story of 5 years ago alongside present day. Most parts of the story are believable. I worked out very quickly what had happened to Zach. That spoilt my enjoyment of the book slightly.

I do love a good thriller which this seemed to be.

And it kicks starts well in the middle, then the time line and narrator flits between the past and the present.
Zach the errant husband who cheated on his wife with a University Student, Josie, and is found dead in her flat after killing Josie.

Mia, narrator, bewildered wife who is left to pick up the pieces after her husband’s death, with her small child.
Josie, narrator, student and love interest.

Will – Mia’s new partner but I had no idea what he added to the book apart from to take her daughter to the park.

Alison – Josie’s former flatmate who appear to know more about Zach’s death than anyone else.

I really wanted to like this book but I realised about half way through that I didn’t like Josie and really didn’t care what had happened to her.

I am giving it 3 stars as I was surprised at the end, and it is a good twist, but as I said but otherwise this book didn't really stand out for me.

*thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.
I throughly enjoyed this! Right from the very first page this book had me hook, line and sinker! Its been awhile since a book this good found its way into my hands and I am ever so greatful to the author and Bookouture for putting it there. Kathyrn Croft is an excellent writter. She knows just how to keep people guessing and captured the whole way through. Its never boring, never drawn out and always makes you want to read 'just a bit more.' While the whole way through, there was one thing that was a let down. The ending. Nobody likes to hear that a book like this, that keeps you wondering, guessing and wanting answers, fails to really hit the 'OHH MY GOD' ending that pieces it all together. But, maybe it was the way Id read this. I was suspicious of everybody, going into it thinking they were all liars and this is probably what destroyed the ending for me. It was still good, but it wasnt shocking, atleast not for me. And that is my ONLY reason this is 4 stars and not 5. Such a good story and I definitely, definitely recommend this.

Five years ago Mia Hamiltons husband Zack was found dead in the flat of one of his students, Josie Carpenter on the same night she went missing. A murder/suicide is presumed and Mia is left to bear the brunt of the hate her husband's crime provoked. But now she and her daughter are living a normal life, building a future with her devoted boyfriend Will. Then Alison enters her life. She was Josie's flatmate and tells Mia her husband didn't kill himself. Old wounds are reopened as Mia is forced to trust Alison in a bid to discover the truth. But Alison isn't all she seems and has her own agenda....

This is only my second Kathryn Croft novel (soooo many books, too little time) but I very much doubt it will be my last. This is a brilliantly plotted story that swaps between Mia's story five years after Josie's disappearance and Josie's viewpoint in the months leading up to it. Neither of them are particularly sympathetic characters although Josie's prickliness is explained well. Mia is a harder character to gauge, apart from her love for her daughter she comes across as rather cold. Because of this despite them telling the story you can't be a hundred percent sure of where the story is heading and what the truth is about Josie and her relationship with Zack, or in fact what really happened to them. Now the only disappointing thing about this book was the end. I did pretty much guess's the outcome and it didn't make me happy. It felt rushed and seemed to disregard much of what was revealed before. Simply put it didn't make much sense. It was enough to ruin a good read but I do wish it had been different.

Another winner from Kathryn Croft, any thriller fan should enjoy this novel.

I received from Netgalley for my honest opinion.

A really well written immersive read. I found it very hard to put down once I started

Thank you to Netgalley, , and the author for an advanced copy of Silent Lies in exchange for an honest review.
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Silent Lies is a fast paced thriller/suspense novel. We meet our protagonist, Mia at the funeral for her husband. Her husband, a college lecturer, supposedly killed his student before killing himself.
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Now a psychologist, Mia meets her new client Allison who drops a bombshell. She knows who Mia is and claims that Mia’s husband did not kill himself or the student— her former roommate.
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From there, Silent Lies is told in alternating perspectives— Mia’s and Josie’s. Mia’s is told in present time, while Josie’s is told leading up to the deadly night.
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Again, Silent Lies is a fast paced easy read. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives. I didn’t guess the exact ending, but I wasn’t far off. The distracted in there, which normally make you second guess who did it, were not very convincing.

Silent Lies by Kathryn Croft is a mystery novel, and the second book I have read by this author.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mia Hamilton has been living with unknowns, half-truths, and anxiety for the last five years of her life. Working from home as a psychiatrist, she is now in a new relationship with Will, and her 7-year old daughter Freya loves him. She should be happy, but she has not yet let go of the past. Five years ago her husband, Zach, committed suicide. On the same night, Josie Carpenter, one of his students, vanished. It was heavily speculated that Zach was in a relationship with Josie, and after killing her, he took his own life. Mia has many unanswered questions.

When a new client, Alison, appears at her door and tells Mia that Zach didn’t kill himself, the past again raises its ugly head, and more painful memories re-surface. Alison, in an abusive relationship which she refuses to leave, seems to taunt Mia with glimpses of her past relationship with Josie. Alison seems to have her own agenda, and Mia is torn between helping an evidently unstable woman get the help she needs, and following Alison’s breadcrumbs in hopes of finding out what she really knows about Zach’s death. But trust is hard. Everyone has secrets. Can anything be believed?

So many secrets. So many lies.

The story is told from two perspectives/timelines, Josie’s 5 years ago, and Mia’s today. It alternates between the two, and in this way, the story unfolds rather well.

While I had a few issues initially getting into the story, it quickly grew on me. The main characters were fleshed out well, although I didn’t really like any of them. They were all very selfish (including Mia). I think that may have been one of the reasons I struggled getting into the book. I also wasn’t a real fan of the ending. Even with this negativity, I enjoyed the book!

However, it had a really good plot, and although I had it figured out before the end, the twists and turns kept me guessing. I am becoming a fan of Kathryn Croft’s writing style.

Kathryn Croft’s new book Silent Lies revolves around Mia’s marriage to Zach, his unexpected death 5 years ago, and all the lies embedded in Mia’s life then and now. We get the perspective of two women – Mia and Josie. Mia’s perspective is present day, while Josie’s perspective is from 5 years prior when Josie was a student of Zach’s.

I really enjoyed this book and seeing the perspectives of the two women, as well as their connection to Alison. Throughout the book you are questioning and trying to guess how exactly did Zach die and why. We are told at the beginning of the book that the police determined Zach committed suicide and on the same night Josie disappeared. The assumption that was made was the Zach killed Josie and must have hidden her body somewhere, although it was never found. As the past is slowly revealed and Mia’s life begins to spin out of control after her meeting with Alison, I was quickly caught up in the lives of both women and wanted to find out exactly what happened that fateful night.

I thought this book was a page turner and had me hooked. A twisted mountain of deceit and how perspectives can distort what we believe to be reality.

This is a very well written domestic thriller with dual narrators and dual timelines. The plot twist is AMAZING and I did not see it coming at all! There is so much suspense that I never wanted to put this down because I had to know what happened.

Mia has been told that her husband, Zach, killed himself after violently murdering one of his students. For the past five years she has dealt with the hate from the community while raising her daughter. Just when she feels like her life is getting back to normal and even has a great relationship her world is turned upside down. One her patients says that she knows that her husband did not kill himself and that he was actually murdered. We follow Mia as she tries to uncover the truth about her husband's death.

We also follow Josie, the college student, who has a relationship with Mia's husband. We learn about her life and what she is hiding from. How did she end up a victim of a murder suicide.

If you like suspense or domestic thrillers, this book is for you.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Kathryn Croft fan so needless to say I was very excited to see that she had a new book. Mia Hamilton is a widow who has a young daughter named Freya. He husband Zach committed suicide on the same night that a college student named Josie disappeared. To complicate matters, Josie was Zach'sstudent. Ever since then, Mia's life has changed. After 5 years a young lady comes for a therapy session and makes the startling statement that Zach did not commit student. This sparks off a series of events that leaves the reader simply reeling. There are many twists and turns and things are never what they seem.

I enjoyed this book although I will be honest in saying that this is not the author's best book. It is still a good read and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great psychological thriller.

This story could have been so much better, especially if the main character hadn't spent 56% of the book wringing her hands not knowing what to do. On the positive side, it's not a slow read and it did keep my attention until the end which was very well done and not what I was expecting

Five years rebuilding your life.... Five words will destroy it again.

Silent Lies opens with Mia and her baby daughter, Freya, attending the funeral of Zach -Mia’s husband and Freya’s father. It’s clear from the outset that Zach has done something terrible - something bad enough that strangers apparently feel justified in verbally abusing his wife in the street - the nature of which is as yet unspecified.

Five years later, Mia has gone a long way towards rebuilding her life - she has qualified as a counsellor and is running her own business, and has a new partner, Will. But when a new client, Alison, blurts out something shocking regarding Mia’s own past - and then immediately retracts it - Mia’s life is flung once more into turmoil.

The story is narrated in turn by Mia in the present - struggling to uncover the truth about her husband - and five years earlier by Josie, a young university student with a horrific, traumatic past and indeed present. The two are connected by Zach and by Alison, a strange, clearly very troubled young woman whose motives are mysterious. Who can Mia trust?

This is the first book I have read by Kathryn Croft, and I found it a real page-turner - or whatever the Kindle equivalent is. As the cleverly constructed plot unfolded, I found myself developing all sorts of outlandish theories about what was going on - always a sign of a really engaging read! And a couple of them even paid off... kind of. (That’s all I’m saying.)

Josie’s narrative was particularly compelling in a just-can’t-look-away kind of way and I found her a likeable and sympathetic character.

There are plenty of twists and turns here and the denouement is genuinely unpredictable - I doubt anyone could guess it all in advance, even if you have a vague inkling about some aspects. The last chapter is quite satisfying.

A very enjoyable read and I will definitely look out for Kathryn’s other books.

Review also published on my blog: http://atickettoeverywhere.blogspot.com.

When Zach is found dead in one of his student's Josie's flat, he is blamed for her murder. Zach's wife Mia struggles to get on with her life, bringing up her daughter. Five years later she has found a new man and is starting to make a life for herself when Alison comes into her life. Alison used to live with Josie at university, but they didn't get on well. She insists that Zach didn't kill himself and wants Mia to help her find the person responsible.
We see the book from Mia's perspective in the present and Josie's story from five years previously. Both are strong characters with plenty of story to tell.
I felt the first half of the book was told well, but the last third was a little slow and I was waiting for the end. However the ending was brilliantly written with a great twist.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was told from two character viewpoints over alternating timelines which just added to the suspense of the story. I certainly didn’t know who to believe or trust. Would definitely recommend this book

I enjoyed reading Silent Lies, my first book by Kathryn Croft. It was a great concept for a thriller and she wrote it well. I particularly enjoyed the sections written by Josie.
However, I did feel that in the middle of the book it lost its way somewhat (which surprised me since it is only a book of around 300 pages) which is why I gave it four rather than five star rating. But it picked up pace again and ended in a very surprising way. Although I became slightly disenchanted with the middle, I did not consider abandoning the book, I just felt with such a strong start (and amazing ending) it was a bit let down by bits in the middle which were slightly dull and unnecessary.
Overall, I would recommend this book and say for the style of Kathryn's writing and the brilliant plot, it is well worth a read. I will certainly be looking out for more of her books to purchase.
Thanks for NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the synopsis and other readers raving about it on my various book groups. I was hooked from the first page!
This book flits back and forth from past to the present day and from different perspectives, all of which creates that edge-of-your-seat tension which is a prime ingredient for a fantastic psychological thriller. It all culminates in an almighty ending which will leave most readers wondering how Kathryn Croft managed to get that past us for the entire story.

My only problem with this book was the inclusion of characters who I felt brought nothing to the outcome. I was waiting for certain individuals to do something to change the course of the story. I feel too many pointless characters can over-complicate the story and personally, I find it frustrating to get to know a character to no end.

Overall, a really enjoyable read!

While I really enjoy everything that Kathryn Croft writes, I was a little let down with this one. However, having said that, she hooked me from the beginning and I was intrigued. The perspective of Mia and her troubled patient in present day builds a picture of what may or may not have happened to her deceased husband 5 years earlier. The voice of Josie explaining her version of events 5 years previously, with Mia’s husband and crazy flat mate Alison (Now Mia’s patient) was a little more clear. In present day we find Alison showing up for an appointment with Mia, a counselor with a haunted past, only to hear, “Your husband didn’t kill himself.” As Mia works with Alison, one of the most annoying characters you’ll meet, they try to figure out what happened during the time period 5 years ago when husband Zach was a lecturer and Josie a student. 5 years later, Zach is dead and Josie presumed dead. It was well written up until the last few chapters where I felt the book was rushed and needed to be sewn up quickly to conclusion. Having said that, I still didn’t see the ending coming. And there was still enough intrigue, although confused, to keep me going. 3.5 stars.

I really enjoy psychological thrillers, but I was starting to feel burnt out on the genre and felt all the characters and plots where the same. I switched to other types of books for a while and came back to these thrillers with a winner and an author that did not deliver a great ending for me in “While You Were Sleeping”, but WOW did Katheryn Croft deliver in SILENT LIES!
Five years ago, Mia Hamilton and her two year old daughter were thrust into the middle of a media frenzy when her husband, university lecturer, Zach Hamilton committed suicide in the flat of one of his university students, Josie Carpenter, who disappeared on the same night. With Josie’s blood throughout the apartment, Zach was accused of killing Josie and then committing suicide in remorse.
In the present, Mia and her daughter Freya have moved on. Mia has a boyfriend and has become a counselor. A new client shows up for an appointment and Mia’s world is thrown into chaos once again when the client tells her that her husband did not commit suicide, he was killed. Can this client be telling the truth and does Mia want to discover what really happened to her husband?
This story is told from two points of view in alternating chapters, Mia’s in the present and Josie’s five years previous. I had a hard time taking a break from this one! You have two women with completely different lives that converge in an ending that surprised me so much, I had to go back and make sure I was reading it correctly. I really thought I knew where the author was going. Wrong!
This is a well written psychological thriller that has plenty of plot twists, lies and secrets. The characters are realistic and believable. I highly recommend this book and author!
Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When University lecturer Zach is found dead, presumed to have committed suicide, his wife Mia is devastated. Not just at the death of her husband, but also the rumours surrounding his death.

An affair with a pupil, surely the most scandalous type of marital betrayal.

Josie, the pupil is also dead, although her body wasn’t at the scene, it is presumed that Zach murdered her and dumped her body before killing himself.

Anything to avoid the harsh reality they found themselves in...

Five years on and Mia has a stable life with loving partner Will and 7 year old Freya, her daughter from her marriage to Zach.

Now a counsellor, Mia is used to those in turmoil, but nothing prepares her for the arrival of Alison Cummings on her doorstep.

Her husband Dominic also a university lecturer was a friend of Zach’s and Alison believes that she can help Mia discover the truth about her husband’s death, for Mia has never truly believed that Zach committed suicide.

Mia is right to be suspicious because in silent lies absolutely everyone has something to hide, including Mia herself.

Silent Lies is another brilliant novel from Kathryn Croft with a killer twist, and I am very much looking forward to her next.

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