An enjoyable and fast paced thriller. Not my favourite McKenzie novel, but a decent read. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

RATING: 4 STARS
​(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY​)​
(Review Not on Blog)

I knew this was a four star book, but I wasn't sure if it was 3.5 or solid 4. I found this an easy novel to read and enjoyed it for the most part. Even when you started figuring out the plot, the story was engaging enough to continue reading to see how it ended. I liked the documentary angle when they did the interviewing components. The characters were flawed but intriguing. I am looking forward to more by McKenzie.

So many lies. There are enough lies in this book to keep you on your toes while you are reading, and far beyond.

3 women tell their stories following a catastrophic event in Chicago. The stories they tell, however, are pretty far removed from the truth. Cecily is trying to move on after losing her husband. Kate is rebuilding her life in another country. And Franny is looking for somewhere to fit in.

A little slow moving at first, once you get going, this story takes off and becomes a fast paced rollercoaster ride. You won't have any idea of what's happening until the final pages. An excellent read!

My appreciation to the publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC!

It’s not secret that Catherine McKenzie is a favourite author of mine. I have loved EVERY book she has released and The Good Liar was no exception. All the stars for this book.

We were introduced to Cecily, Franny and Kate, one year after a terrible fictional explosion in Chicago. Cecily’s story of grief and guilt, told in the first person; Kate, on the run, told in the third person; and finally Franny, having lost a mother she never knew in the explosion, who’s story unfolds through interview transcripts and through Cecily. I loved concept of the story as well as the way it was narrated.

What a fantastic story! It kept me guessing and then re-guessing. (when I would guess wrong) In addition to all of the mystery surrounding the tragedy, I really bonded with Cecily’s character. What a position to be in - to have to publicly grieve for your husband, while feeling the need to behave a certain way because the public has taken an interest in your life. I think she was entirely too hard on herself, given the circumstances, but I was very happy with how her story developed.

"I don’t feel anything as I watch him write down my lies.
After a yer of telling them, it’s become second nature."


My mind is still reeling after all of the puzzle pieces came together and story played out. I was both surprised as well as not surprised by how Franny and Kate’s stories developed. Even though we never got inside Franny’s head, I think she became quite transparent, both in what she said and what she didn’t say. While we did get to see into Kate’s thoughts, I still found myself walking away from the story with no idea why she did the things she did. I suppose I couldn’t really relate to her motivations and feelings.

Such a great read! If you get a chance, check it out.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Catherine McKenzie for the opportunity to read this great book.
I could not put the book down. All the twist and turns and WOW such an unexpected ending.
Book is very well written and strongly recommend.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie in exchange for an honest opinion. This is one great story. On October 10th, an office building in Chicago explodes, extinguishing the lives of more than five hundred people. The Good Liar is the story of three women whose paths cross and whose lives are changed forever by this tragedy: they are Cecily, Franny and Kate. It quickly becomes obvious that secrets dominate the storyline and all three women will need to tell lies to cope with each of their situations. This is a most fascinating novel and I could not turn the pages fast enough. The plot changes quickly and the suspense builds with each chapter. This is my first novel by Catherine McKenzie and I look forward to reading all of her previous and future books. The Good Liar is a must-read.

Montreal's Catherine McKenzie has left me spellbound again! Three women and their secrets drive this contemporary tale set in both Chicago and Montreal. I REALLY felt early on that I had it all FIGURED out. However, the strong characterization made me want to follow each woman all the way to the end of her story. I guess I shouldn't have been too overconfident because by the end, I was like WHAAAT???

The story focuses on three women following a disastrous explosion and fire in an office building. Hundreds of lives are lost. Cecily inadvertantly becomes the face of the disaster. She was en route to the building when the explosion occurred and her shock was caught by a photographer. This photograph was seen around the world. Kate flees from the city right after the disaster to begin a new life and identity in Canada. Franny had recently connected with her biological mother who unfortunately lost her life in the fire. Cecily and Kate’s stories are told through them but a lot of Franny’s story is told though interviews for a documentary being made about the disaster. Are the lives of these women interconnected and if so how? Cecily and Franny begin a relationship when Cecily realizes Franny is the daughter of her best friend. The question for Cecily is - why hadn't her friend ever told her about her adult daughter? Kate struggles with her choice to flee to Canada and this intensifies on the one year anniversary of the explosion. As the anniversary happens the mystery and secrets of all three women unfolds. This book kept me engaged until the end. This is a character driven mystery with interesting characters. The story was well written and there are some great twists at the end.

The Good Liar is a suspense/thriller. It is my first book by this author.

The book is divided into parts. The narrators are Cecily (1st person POV), Kate (3rd person POV), and Franny (told through interview transcripts). The story mostly takes place in Chicago. But some of it takes place in Montreal.

This story is about an explosion that occurred on October 10th where many people died. This book follows a bunch of characters that either directly or indirectly were affected by this tragedy.

Cecily's husband and best friend were killed in the explosion. She was supposed to be in the building. Franny was the best friend's adoptive daughter that nobody knew about. Kate has left her home and is running away from something.

The start of this book was very riveting. Cecily was always late for things. And because of this she was not in the building when it exploded. I was very intrigued by this, but wondered what would happen next.

It was definitely interesting to tell the story from three different POVs. I prefer first person narration. But it was easier to distinguish between the women by having Kate's story told in 3rd person POV. And it was extremely different to have Franny's story told through interview transcripts.

I was also immediately intrigued by the title. Who was "the good liar"? Was it Cecily? Was it Kate? Was it Franny? Or was it all three women?

My favorite part of thrillers is when there is a big reveal. I liked that the book was divided into parts with big reveals. But I read a lot of suspense/thrillers. I live for big reveals, but I often see them coming. I love it if I can be shocked or surprised. There were lots of twists and reveals in this book. Some of them I definitely saw coming. But there were a few that I did not. Especially the ones at the end.

There is a lot of going back and forth in time (a character thinking about a certain thing and then having paragraph after paragraph of the past). I did sometimes find it a bit confusing.

This book was an enjoyable thriller full of twists. The end was interesting. The epilogue was sort of crazy. But overall it was a good read.

Somewhat of a page turner that offered some good parts but, unfortunately that good was outweighed by the bad. It was a page turner with some interesting unforeseen plot twists and a haunting approach to storytelling where the tale was relayed from the perspective of 3 characters in alternating chapters. The author kept me guessing till the end. But, like many books in the "deeply personal thriller" genre this book suffers from a very bad case of "stupid-people-itis'; which means that the plot only works because the characters continue to make a series of seemingly inexplicable, unrealistic, irrational decisions followed by equally outlandish actions. I didn't hate reading the book; I just didn't like how it flowed with it's storyline and I thought the ending was a little weak.. Overall, it's not going to be a favourite but I'm not disapointed that I read it. Thanks Net Galley.for the advance copy.

This is a thought-provoking psychological thriller that will stay with you long after it is finished. Told in a mix of first person, third person and interview transcripts this is one engaging novel filled with complexity and depth. Unpredictability is one of this book’s qualities, hard to see some of the twists and turns coming.

The story alternates between the perspectives of three women: Cecily, Kate and Franny whose lives were impacted by tragedy. In downtown Chicago a building exploded killing 513 people and injuring many more. In the aftermath, Cecily became an iconic symbol when someone took a picture of her on the scene. Fast forward a year, Cecily’s story intertwines with those of Kate and Franny and they find themselves confronting their sins of the past as the memorial approaches. The fast moving plot reveals more dramatic secrets and more lies you can imagine. With a handful of well-crafted secondary characters, these three women, who could not be more different, are the driving force that propels the story forward.

This engaging story is definitely an amalgamation of lies, deceit and regret. Once into its gripping pages it is one book hard to put aside. Ms. McKenzie can always be counted on to spin a good tale, this latest is no exception.

I received this ARC for review from the Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalleys

4.5 stars rounded up to 5! THE GOOD LIAR was an enjoyable and entertaining psychological thriller that was such an exciting and thrilling book to read. It's gripping, fascinating, intense, and filled with so many unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing right until that cleverly written surprise ending! I absolutely loved this book and it was extremely hard for me to put down. Would recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Catherine McKenzie for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you to the Author, to the Publisher and to Netgalley. Catherine McKenzie has been on my re-read list for a long time, this is the first book of hers that I have read. I read this book while on holidays, and it was a great book to read sitting by the pool. I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I really got to know the characters. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it. I will definitely be moving Catherine McKenzie's other up on the re-read list.

The Good Liar combines modern fears with deep rooted psychological worries, providing a compelling and twisted tale of three women in the aftermath of a tragedy. In this work, as well as her previous novels, Catherine McKenzie deftly ratchets up suspense by creating characters that seem nearly normal initially but unravel slowly before the readers' eyes. The quiet tension in this book left me unsettled in the dark after I finished each chapter and it was hard to put it down as the story unfolded. As Cecily, Kate and Franny are revealed to be utterly unlike the people they want themselves to be, I was riveted. The Good Liar is a nuanced portrayal of grief, loss and deception that will leave you eagerly awaiting the next book by this incredible author.

I loved this book! It was compelling, twisty, and had you guessing the entire time

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for a digital ARC of the Good Liar in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #TheGoodLiar #CatherineMcKenzie #SimonAndSchusterCanada . This author is a favorite of mine. She is on my automatic buy list. One of my favorite aspects of her writing is a skill that she has of bring a unique spin to her plot. I was really entrance by the stories of Cecily, Kate and Franny. The narration was beautifully done, each character has a distinct voice and are wonderfully flawed and so human. Part of the ending was very well executed another part fell a little flat to me. Overall enjoyable read. Would give it 4 stars

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley and Catherine McKenzie for a digital ARC of the Good Liar. Tragedy strikes in Chicago on October 10, with an explosion where 500 people are killed and the story is told by three separate women who have been impacted by this event. The story was well written and kept me entertained for the most part. The three female characters are all lying about something and eventually their stories intertwine. I would classify the book as a “drama” and not a “thriller”. Catherine McKenzie is a great story-teller and I did enjoy the novel, though I found parts of the story to be slow and other parts to be predictable. I did find the three characters confusing at first, trying to figure out who was who, though once I got that sorted out, I was able to enjoy the novel.

What a great read!!!
It is a very twisty kind of book.. love that it keeps you guessing on what is really going on.
Loved this book couldn't put it down had to know what was happening