I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Silent Lies’ by Kathryn Croft in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Mia Hamilton has a happy life with her husband university lecturer Zach and when baby Freya arrives her life is complete. Zach befriends Josie, one of his students, and as Josie has problems with her dysfunctional family Zach listens to her problems as well as helping with her coursework. But Mia’s happiness is smashed the night Zach is found dead on the settee in Josie’s flat. There is blood but no sign of Josie’s body so the police believe Zach has killed Josie, hidden her body and committed suicide.
Five years later Josie’s flat-mate, Alison Cummings, turns up at Mia’s house saying that Zach didn’t kill himself, but Alison’s behaviour is extremely strange and scary – can anything she might say be believed?
‘Silent Lies’ is a cleverly written thriller that makes for compelling reading. The unexpected twists and turns kept me guessing, and the conclusion was shocking and completely unexpected. An excellent novel and one I can wholeheartedly recommend.

When a young husband dies he often becomes the martyr to the young family he leaves behind. When he's held that status for five years a wife finding out that he's not the man she knew could have devastating consequences!

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. This was a well written book that keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can. It begin in the first chapter with the death of Zach, Mia's husband who is a teacher at a college. They have a two year old daughter Freya and the reader is led to believe that Zach took his own life. Then the book jumps to five years later. As the book unfolds, Freya is seven now and Mia is a therapist. She is finally getting her life back together. She has a boyfriend for about 3 years who cares deeply for her and Zach's parents are devoted grandparents and only want Mia to be happy. Mia has a brand new client and her name is Alison. She seems a bit off to Mia and than out of the blue she tells Mia that Zach did not take his own life. Mia is thrown a curve ball which sends her on a mission to find out what really happened. As the book unfolds it goes back and forth from Mia to Josie who was a college student and lived with Alison. Zach was her professor at the college she attended and slowly we see another side of Zach who claims he loves Mia and his daughter Freya but becomes infatuated with Josie. So, we find out that the night Zach took his life he was in Josie's apartment and then found dead and Josie is missing. Mia knows all about this when Zach is found dead. I do not want to give away any spoilers but this is a great psychological thriller, with twists and turns and an ending you won't see coming. The last two chapters are terrific. You think after you read the next to last chapter, that is it. But then the last chapter is another surprise. I highly recommend this book to readers who love this genre

Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!
I have read several of Kathryn Croft's books before and enjoyed those, so I was really looking forward to reading this one too. I absolutely loved it, and in my opinion this one is her best yet. An extremely twisty plot which had me guessing all the way through. How clever those last few pages were, and what a satisfying ending! I can't say too much for fear of giving anything away, but I totally recommend this book.
Thank you very much to Bookouture and Net Galley for my advance copy of this book.

Kathryn Croft returns following While You Were Sleeping (2016) with SILENT LIES — a twisty psychological thriller of big secrets and silent lies, with an ending you do not see coming.

As the novel opens to five years earlier, at a funeral. Zach. The husband of Mia and father of Freya. This is no normal funeral. There are angry people. A monster. Suicide. They were married for ten years.

People are asking her if she knew what her husband was up to? How could she have comprehended what he was capable of? She never really knew the man she married.

Presently we hear from Mia Hamilton. Her daughter now is seven years old. Mia owns a counseling business and is dating Will. He would like for them to move in together. She is not ready. He is the kindest man she could ever meet and so good with Freya.

She thinks someone is watching her. Her world as she knows will never be the same.

Mia is meeting a client, Alison Cummings (a young woman). She works from her home office. However, she tells Mia that her husband did not kill himself. Alison is Josie’s former roommate and Alison’s partner is Dominic Bradford. She says he is a violent man.

Alternating from past to present we hear from Josie Carpenter (past) and Mia (present).

Josie was a student of Zachs at the university. Dominic was Zach’s colleague. At the time he never believed Zach was capable of the things people said.

Zach’s parents (Pam and Graham) love their granddaughter and they even like Will. They think it is time for her to move on.

Mia has been unable to tell them for the last five years, that she does not think Zach was innocent. The evidence stacked against him was too compelling to ignore. They think he was just depressed and nothing to do with that girl.

But why would Alison say he did not kill himself, now five years later? Why would Zach risk his life and family for this girl?

Josie supposedly had an affair with her college professor. However, Zach committed suicide while in Josie’s apartment. Or did he? Innocent or guilty of an affair.

Josie disappeared. The police could never determine what happened to her. There was blood. Did Zach kill her, or what really went down that evening?

What does her former roommate Alison know about that night?` What did Zach do to that girl?

Who is telling the truth and who is lying?

Mia has fought so hard to start over and build a new life for herself and her daughter. Now she feels she is getting sucked back into the past. She will not involve Will. She will not allow Alison or Dominic to ruin it for her.

Mia has a strong feeling Alison knows exactly what happened to Josie. Josie is one troubled, messed up gal with a past of horrors; abuse, both verbally and physically. Zach sympathized. Alison and Mia— your feeling will change from the beginning to the ending.

“Who knows what is within us?”

Unreliable narrator (s) and red herrings. A tangled web of deceit and lies. From obsession, jealousy, suspicion, mental illness to justice. The author keeps you guessing until you are not sure if any character is trustworthy. Nothing is as it appears.

Do not ever think you have gotten away with something. Karma is a bitch. The silence and the past will come back to haunt you. You are not safe.

No real likable characters here. Not one of my favorites of Crofts; however, entertaining. Some readers may come away feeling a little cheated or let down while some may like the 360-degree twist. A perfect title.

If you have read Alessandra Torre's The Ghost Writer, you may see a similarity, with a different twist.

A special thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

My Review

Five Years. 
Five Words. 
Mia delves into the past looking for the truth, does Alison hold the key to Silent Lies.

A seemingly perfect life, shattered into a million pieces when Mia becomes a widow after her husband Zach, apparently commits suicide. Struggling for a number of years as a single parent eventually becoming a counsellor, finds love again with Will then Mia is dealt another blow, Alison a new client, drops a bombshell…… Alison believes Zach didn’t commit suicide.

Should Mia believe her?

What’s the evidence?

Why is Alison revealing this information now?

How far will Mia go to expose the truth?

After reading Silent Lies by Kathryn Croft I have deduced that there is four main questions which have built up this fantastic psychological thriller and each one was embroiled in a web of lies, half truths and at the centre of it all the truth. I loved having to pick my way through the hints, sometimes slamming into that proverbial brick wall, when I ultimately took the wrong turn, but that added to the thrill of the chase, hunting down the truth to the Silent Lies.

I looked hard at Mia while reading wondering did I like her, feel sorry for her or did I think she deserved what was coming to her, it took a while for me to settle on my opinion of Mia. I came to the conclusion that Mia was a tad materialistic especially while Zach was alive but upon his death she changed, went in the opposite direction and became a commitaphobe especially when it came to Will. The character of Alison is a whole different ball game, I found her to be very emotionally dependent, unstable and volatile all just scratching the surface of her mental health issues which become apparent the further into the book I read.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the ease of reading Silent Lies, it was very well written, not over described and it had no complicated vocabulary that needs a dictionary to decipher which is always a bonus. If you want a nice straight forward but twisted plot the Silent Lies is the one for you.

Silent Lies is a brilliant psychological thriller which will tense up your mind, flood your senses with apprehension and leave you sitting in a heap on the floor wondering what the hell happened there.
 
Thank you to Bookouture, Kathryn Croft and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Silent Lies in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a Kathryn Croft fan since her first book and so I always look forward to reading her new releases. Silent Lies grabbed my attention before I even started to read it though! The cover and tagline intrigued me to the point where I had to bump this one up my TBR pile as every time I opened my kindle, this was the cover that called to me the most.

To lose a husband before expected must be devastating enough but for Mia, she has to cope with the knowledge that not only did her husband take his own life but that something happened beforehand to instigate his suicide. And now Mia and her young daughter have to live with the consequences and the knowledge that they will be forever judged by Zachs actions. Her new partner Will is so supportive and understanding that sometimes he seemed a little bit too good to be true but finally after 5 years Mia is trying to move on. But then she meets new client Alison who is about to make Mia question everything she thought she knew about the night Zach died. But can Alison be trusted? She seems to know more than she should but can Mia trust this damaged young woman?

So Kathryn Croft definitely caught me out here! What a twisty, dark and unbelievably brilliant thriller this is! I was driven by an intense desire to know exactly what had happened to Zach and the plot threads leading up to his death were just so riveting that they made for compulsive reading! The author teased by giving just a few grains of information but then pulled back until I was desperate to uncover the truth! Mia was a great protagonist but from the start she didn’t half do some stupid things by putting herself in danger until I was tempted to scream at her “Your daughter has lost her father! She can’t lose you too!!”

I absolutely loved this emotional rollercoaster of a read and was desperate to discuss it with someone as soon as I had finished it! Everything worked for me, especially the ending, and I couldn’t read it quickly enough although now I’m sad that it’s all over and I have to wait once more for a new Kathryn Croft book. It takes a lot to fool me but Silent Lies shocked the hell out of me! Unputdownable and unbelievably gripping, this is a must read for fans of this genre. Highly recommended by me!

Once again, I am so pleased that I don't read the blurbs of books before I start reading them as I probably wouldn't have been so stunned by this storyline if I had read it beforehand.

Anywhoo, what an addictive read! The storyline is split between then and now, as well as two different characters. I must have been exceptionally slow but I couldn't work out what the connection was to the two females at first! What a numpty. It didn't take me too long to figure out the connection....luckily. Funnily enough, things started to make more sense once I had!

As soon as Alison was introduced to the storyline, something about her made me extremely uncomfortable and I couldn't work out why. All I know was that I marked her card straight away. Just in case.

There was also another character who at times I felt incredibly sorry for, even though I didn't feel as though they fit into the storyline as well as the others. Which, once you've read it, you might understand where I am coming from. For such a prominent character in the book, I felt as though the they were a last-minute addition to the storyline instead of being immersed into the situation like the others.

Apart from that, I was absolutely hooked whilst reading 'Silent Lies'. The storyline reeled me in straight away, leaving me guessing until the very last page - literally! I formed my own opinions along the way, trying to put the pieces of the jigsaw back together again. Whether my opinion was correct or incorrect, I won't divulge. Let's just say that 'Silent Lies' left me with my mouth hanging wide open.

Overall, 'Silent Lies' kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the book - there were times where I didn't know who or what to believe! Hell, I even struggled to believe my own name!

'Silent Lies' is a well crafted, addictive, and fast paced read which will leave you questioning absolutely everything. So many interesting and secretive characters make up this suspenseful storyline...but which one is telling the truth? Never mind Jeremy Kyle and a lie detector test - the lies in this book are far too powerful for good ol' Jezza to take on.

I am rather looking forward to reading what Kathryn Croft comes out with next. After reading 'Silent Lies', it's safe to say that the author now has a fan for life....and no that's not a Silent Lie.

Thanks Bookouture.

This is my second book by Kathryn Croft, I was super impressed with While You Were Sleeping and I’ve been eager to read more of her work ever since. I loved the premise of this, the idea of not truly knowing your spouse always hooks me and knowing that Mia had zero closure after her husband’s death both saddened and fascinated me. Knowing full well that Croft would have several tricks up her sleeve just added to my anticipation and I’m happy to report that this was another amazing read!

This is told via alternating timelines, first you have Mia today and then Josie five years previously in the months leading up to her disappearance and Zach’s death. The chapters are not super short but the pacing is spot on, almost every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, then it flips to a different time period so each time you’re desperate to find out what’s next for Mia or Josie. It was a clever tactic that kept me flipping pages quickly and I found myself desperate as well to untangle the web of lies and discover the truth myself!

This keeps you on your toes, it was a constant guessing game and I had my suspicions about every single character at some point. I kept changing my mind and second guessing everything which I always love in a psychological thriller. The ending was a total surprise and really well executed, I do love a killer twist and this one delivered.

Each time this author releases a novel I anticipate how well her writing improves with each book.

Her characters are likable and memorable and her stories are well written

I really enjoyed the beginning of Silent Lies it really does set off a chain reaction that made for a gripping story. I enjoyed the glimpses into the past that slowly but surely reveals what happened five years ago. This way of writing the story creates a wonderful feeling of tension. The different timelines really help to build up the story revealing more information but also posing more questions. It really was a great way of drawing the reader in. I loved that as the story goes on it becomes a case of who can be trusted and what are the secrets they are keeping.

This isn't necessarily a fast paced thriller but more of a slow tension filled story that will have you questioning everything. By doing this Kathryn Croft developed the characters properly giving you chance to get to know them. The characters in Silent Lies aren't necessarily likeable but I actually never mind this. In fact it pretty much always makes them feel more realistic after all no one is perfect. I was both curious and suspicious of the characters so much so that I couldn't stop myself from reading especially as I got closer to the end. The story grabs you and refuses to let go until you discover the truth.

With thanks to Noelle at Bookouture for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.


Mia is a widow caring for her little girl. It is five years since her husband college lecturer Zach's apparent suicide and the disappearance of one of his students Josie.

Mia has moved on with her life with a new career as a counsellor and a romantic relationship with Will. She is visited by Alison, Josie's former flatmate who informs Mia that Zach didn't kill himself and she has information about that night and what really happened to Zach.

This story alternates between the present with Mia's story and five years previously with Josie's story. Josie is trying to improve her life through attending university and her writing. She suffered a violent abusive neglected childhood with her nasty mother Liv. This story was told very well and I really empathized with Josie. Mia unfortunately left me cold, she seemed to make stupid decisions and ran towards danger with no thought for her own safety.

The first 80% of this book was very enjoyable, The author is a talented writer and kept me engaged. The story was full of twists and I liked the different POV's. Unfortunately the ending totally spoiled this book. Yes it is a huge shock but it made me just shrug my shoulders and think NO NO NO this makes no sense. It felt rushed and left me wanting more answers. Maybe that was the idea but it was frustrating

Silent Lies is such an apt title for this novel – the hidden lies are awesome! I’ve read a few psychological thrillers of late so you would think I might possibly be able to work out what’s happening? No, not a whiff of it! This is an impressive and enthralling thriller which will leave you breathless!

When Mia’s daughter was only two, she lost her husband who committed suicide after murdering another girl. She survived the hate that she was on the receiving end of – because who would believe she didn’t know he had a relationship outwith their marriage? Five years on and focusing only on Freya, she has successfully moved on, running her own business and even has a new man in her life who adores them both.

Then someone from the past comes surfaces, bringing with them more questions than answers. We begin to follow the story ‘then’ and ‘now’ and slowly, piece by piece, the picture of the past is revealed alongside present happenings. The climax to this story totally came out of the blue. Not for one minute had I even considered the line it took – it blew me away. I was pole-axed!

This is such an easy novel to read. The writing is fluid, polished and draws you in. Before you know it you really care about the characters – good and bad. The people, the places, the situations are all completely plausible and believable and I have a clear mental image of all places – house, park and flat. That flat is so vividly described that I hope I never, ever have to live anywhere like it!

I have no idea how I have managed not to read Kathryn Croft’s other novels, but after this taste of her writing she is firmly on my list of authors to read more of. Such a stunning read deserves to race up the charts.

My sincere thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the arc of this novel in exchange for my honest, original and unbiased review.

Five words that change everything - "Your husband didn’t kill himself."

This is a tense British psychological thriller that is told from different points of view and different timelines.

There is Zach, the professor, who gets too involved with a student. There is Josie, his student, There is Mia, Zach's wife. And there is Alison, Josie's unstable flatmate.

Five years ago Zach is found dead in Josie and Alison's flat and Josie is missing. Because of the blood found in the flat, it is assumed that Zach killed Josie and hid her body and then killed himself.

This was a very good thriller that had me speeding through the pages and kept me tense all the way through. And I did not see the ending coming.

I received this book from Bookouture through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Silent Lies is the fourth novel of Kathryn Croft I have read. So I was looking forward to her latest novel.
Mia’s husband Zach was a university lecturer and they were living the perfect life, with their daughter Freya. When Zach committed suicide, the same night that one of his students Josie goes missing and he is somehow involved in her murder. That was five years ago.
Five years later, Things are getting back on track. Mia has a new man in her life Will and he loves daughter Freya. Life is good. Mia now a counsellor, agrees to see Alison who tells her that Zach didn’t kill himself. As time progresses, things are revealed about the past, but can Mia trust Alison. As she meets Alison’s partner Dominic who was a colleague of Zach’s at the university. Alison has accused Dominic on abusing her. But things are not as they seem, as Dominic says that she has some mental issues and she doesn’t always tell the truth. Mia’s go out to discover the truth.
This is another unputdownable book from Kathryn croft. There are lots of twists and turns and it will keep you guessing and the ending. I wasn’t expecting that.
Thank you Bookouture for a copy of this book.

Very interesting book. I was gripped to find out what happened. The truth is often hidden behind lots of lies, like an onion peeling back the lies (skin) to find the truth.

We start five years ago, with Mia at the funeral of her husband Zach. The graveyard is empty, except for a small number of people there who tell Mia (and us of course) that her husband is a monster. We don’t know why, or what he’s done, and we are off. The start totally sucked me in and I was thrilled to be back to a Kathryn Croft book, an author who has never disappointed me, and who at this stage has to be my favourite thriller writer of all time.

Fast forward five years, and Mia is settled with her partner, Will (although we are told they live quite separate lives) and Mia is still on edge, having endured years of abuse at the hands of an unforgiving public, who won’t forget what Zach did. Mia has her own counselling business, which ingeniously leads us to a character, Alison, who seems to have answers to Zach’s demise. As always I loved the way the everyday was done so well, in particular Mia’s time with her daughter and Will brightened things up, but with dark undercurrants always trickling through.

Of course we are constantly wondering what Zach has done and to give us our answers are sent back in time to the beginning of the end for him as he tries to help a girl named Josie. I was rooting for Zach the whole time and wondered how things could turn so bad for him. The story jumps between both timelines, looking at Josie’s story, someone who has been led to believe she will never make anything of herself but is out to defy all the odds, that of Alison, and of course Mia. I loved that the way the timelines were interspersed, it made you suddenly be distracted from an explosion about to happen and then, boom! You were hit with it. Saying that there were some occasions the time spent in the past moved a little slow for me, but not enough to budge my opinion on the book in any way!

The characters were likable where they needed to be (a special mention to Josie’s lovely little brother Kieran, who I adored!) and unlikable when that was required of them too (a lot of boo, hisses for the REALLY unlikable ones!). Josie, who was on the run from something, gave us some real nervy moments, and then when some of the stories started intertwining I was ridiculously excited! Ms. Croft has got to be the queen at trying to make you guess who to trust and here was no exception, with an exceptionally intricate web of mistrust and paranoia! To the very end of this book I had no idea whodunnit, and then the ending … well, all I can say is that I would ADORE to have read on, I really really wanted the aftermath in full glorious technicolour! An excellent mix of great characters, unsettling goings on amidst normal settings, and twisty events that always had me sitting up straight in my seat. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Note: You may want to check out my other reviews of Ms. Croft’s excellent books: The Girl With No Past here , While You Were Sleeping here and The Girl You Lost here (all very much recommended!)

I really enjoyed this book and was totally drawn in to the story.
I sympathised with Mia who has been left a widow with a young child, following the apparent suicide of her husband.
His death is linked to the disappearance of a student he taught at University and as the story unfolds we get to learn more about Josie and Zach.
There are two main points of view in this book - Alison's from five years ago and Mia's in the present.
The story leads you one way but there are so many secrets that come out it’s hard to know what is the truth.
This is a grest psychological thriller that I would highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me an advance copy to read.

This book starts off fantastically and alternates between present day with Mia and five years ago with the student Josie. It seems like Mia has moved on following the tragic suicide of her then husband Zach, and subsequent dissapearance of student Josie Carpenter on the same night. Mia has her new life with boyfriend Will and it's all going well until Alison appears in Miia's life and tells her that Zach didn't coommit suicide.

This certainly has the traditional feel of a ppyschological thriller and I certainly enjoyed the writing but I admit I initially struggled to connect with Mia. That aside the story had me gripped and the tension was ratcheted up to the maximum from very early on. As a reader I was questioning everyting and it felt like Mia was on a knife edge as she tries to discover what really happened to Zach and how he came to be dead on that fateful night.

I certainly didn't see the outcome as it actually happened and that was a hugely pleasant surprise. I also felt like that last wuarter of the book was the best and I read that part of the book in one sitting. I think not connecting with a character was a minor flaw for me because by the halfway mark it didn't even enter my head as I was swept along with the story. Certainly a gripping read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed!

4 Stars - Mia’s husband, Zack, was a lecturer at a university. Five years ago they found his body in one of his students' house, Josie. Police decided he killed himself and they never found Josie but based on the blood on her house they think she is dead, too. Five years later, Mia is a counselor and have a partner and a seven-year-old girl. One of her clients claims Zack didn’t kill himself and she knew Josie but this woman is disturbed, so Mia can’t trust on her words. Therefore, she determined to find the truth herself!

Well, I liked this story and I enjoyed it except for the ending. I mean at the end we know all about the secrets but I need a neat closure in my books, just this! The writing was really good and I liked the characters so much. they were brave and smart. The story was unpredictable for me. Actually from the beginning I didn’t know what to expect!

Told in dual POV (Mia/Josie), 1st person, alternating between the past and the present chapter to chapter. It’s a stand-alone novel. It was an enjoyable read for me, hope you like it s well!

Thanks to Kathryn Croft, Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.