Member Reviews
My rating: 2.5 Stars
Max took on a new persona A new life. When Susannah, a young widow and single mother, meets Max, she thinks she has done well by marrying Max. He is an accomplished artist and terrific speaker, so Susannah is sure that she and her son will be happy. Life will be perfect.
However, she finds a note on her door saying: I know who you are. And another note, Did you get away with it. Susannah begins to seriously worry about Max. Then his new friend mysteriously dies while on a run with Max. Susannah really doubts that it was an accident. She strongly senses things are not right with him.
Meanwhile, Susannah has secrets of her own. There are things she talks about with her therapist that could easily unravel their marriage and even their entire life. Will either of their secrets be exposed? More importantly, will Max's identity ever be exposed?
Admittedly I was intrigued and did keep on reading. Dual points of view help readers really get into the minds of both Max and Susannah. As if this story isn't chilling enough, the ending just might throw you. Oh, I just have to mention Susannah's therapist Joseph. He really was something! I just cannot believe any therapist could go to the extremes that he did. Those that read this book just might remember "the white bear". I quit when it comes to my rating. Then I cannot believe Max could take on a new life and get away with it for years.
On a positive note I will will say that Thomas Christopher Greene is indeed the the bestselling author of The Headmaster's Wife, which I have not yet had the opportunity to read.
Many thanks to St. Martins Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.
How well do you know your spouse? I enjoyed this book. It had many twists and turns that I did not see coming. The main characters were unlikable many times but that added to my enjoyment as sometime you just want to root against them. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
The Perfect Liar... I’m really not 100% sure on how I feel about this book. I’d say it was ok... nothing too suspenseful or thrilling really but it was a good story. I was also surprised by the ending. However, I do feel like it was a bit bland even when revealing the surprises it felt very anti-climatic to me. The writing itself was fine. There were a couple editing mistakes but that is common occurrence and I can mostly overlook them.
With it being described as a “thrilling novel” with a “shocking climax that no one will expect...” well, I just expected more of that pulse-pounding feeling and I didn’t get that at all. I do love reading about the beautiful state I live in (Vermont) and authors close to me but this one missed the mark for me. Not horrible but I don’t really think I’d recommend it to people looking for suspense or thrills. I will say that I did finish it so if you’re looking for a book with a messed up family, you might enjoy this one.
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.
very suspenseful, great pace and writing style. i really enjoyed it :) want to read more from the author in the future!
Now this folks is a psychological thriller. The Perfect Liar is quite frankly the perfect title because I didn't know who was lying and what they were lying about. I had it figured out about four different times and then well, I was wrong. I was in the dark all the way until the end. Which is my kind of book!
Susannah and Max seemed to have it all. The perfect family, marriage, careers. Or was it all a facade? It is amazing how someone can create a persona for the public and yet they are entirely a different person in their private life. Secrets, murder and weird twisted stuff fill the pages of this page turner.
I flew through this in less than 24 hours, it was hard to put down. This was one wicked couple. You won't know who to trust, they each have their own kind of crazy going on. For a quick, twisted suspense filled read, I recommend you pick up a copy. Happy pub day to The Perfect Liar which is out today!
Many thanks to Thomas Christopher Greene, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my ARC!
I felt anxious through quite a few parts, but the good reading anxious not bad real life anxious. What was going to happen type of anxious.
Probably closer to a four.
Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you St Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Susannah comes home to a note on the front door that says “I know who you are”. She’s quite suspicious about this as her and her most recent husband Max have a past that maybe they really aren’t able to hide from. A second note comes at their door saying “Did you get away with it?” Now, it’s getting personal. Max has a darker past than Susannah and he doesn’t want her to know about it. He is suspicious of one of his coworkers…does he know what happened? Does he know his true identity? What lengths will he go to cover his tracks?
I must say, this book had me saying “what the heck?!” out loud quite a few times. While I was left in confusion, I really could not stop reading it. I just had to know what Max was going to do! I couldn’t walk away from it even with my frustrations on where the story was going. I’m still left thinking about it days afterwards. I have so many lingering questions! I’d love to chat with you, those who have read it or do plan to read it. My head is spinning on this one. I especially want to talk about that fox scene (you’ll see what I mean).
2.5/5 Stars
Susannah is married to Max W. They live with her son, Freddy, age 15, in a lovely home in Burlington, Vermont. They met not long ago in New York where Susannah, a widow, worked at an art gallery. Max began giving talks about art that made him an overnight sensation, and now he is in high demand to give talks everywhere.
Today, Max is away giving a talk, Freddy is at school, and Susannah has just returned from her daily run. On the front door of their house is a note saying: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Panic hits Susannah and she can’t wait for Max to get home.
Max has a secret past and now someone knows about it. When a second note is left, Max realizes he must be ready to protect himself and his family. How far will he go to do so?
I have mixed feelings about this book. While the plot itself is good, some of the things that happened and their outcome just simply aren’t feasible. How can Max W be known by just that name? Did no one ever check him out? Susannah is wearying in her "pathetic little helpless one" mode. I liked Freddie because he was a typical teenage boy and he made me smile. Finally, some sanity! And lastly, who confronts someone while they are standing on the edge of a gorge? Duh. All in all, it’s a very descriptive novel which was a plus. I know reviews are mixed and I will be interested to see what other readers think of this one.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Susannah and Max are considered the perfect couple. This is her second marriage (her first husband died) and brings son Freddy with her. They seem to have it all .. a beautiful home, a great job, plenty of money to live comfortably.
Susanna finds a hand-written note on her front door .... I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. She immediately calls her husband who dismisses it as a prank. A few days later they invite a couple to their house for dinner. Days later the man is killed in a tragic accident. The next note to show up .... DID YOU GET AWAY WITH IT.
And then the third note .... I SAW WHAT YOU DID.
Both Susannah and Max are keeping secrets from the world and from each other—secrets that could destroy their family and everything they have built.
So what did Max do? Why?
The story premise is exquisite .... highly suspenseful, full of secrets and lies, twists and turns. Step by step the reader learns what those secrets are..But it's the ending that grabbed my attention. It's riveting and so unexpected.
Many thanks to the author / St Martin's Press / Netgalley for the advanced digit copy of this psychological thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
This book is a slow starter, but as you get more and more into it, it surprises you by hooking your attention with a grip hold! It’s desperate housewife’s meets dexter (a friend wrote this about another book, but this one fits it even more), but which is dexter, and is it a good dexter or a bad dexter! Shows spouses should either never lie or never ever tell the truth! Highly recommend!
Will use in a challenge, buzz up, and highly recommend in Chapter Chatter Pub!
I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. This is the note Savannah finds on her suburban doorstep one morning. Just when she thought she had created the perfect life in suburban Vermont, her world becomes jostled by one simple note. Widow and single mother to her fifteen year old son, Savannah rebuilt her life with artist and public speaker, Max. But this new life isn't based entirely on truth, and both Max and Savannah are hiding secrets from one another. Now, when the note appears on their doorstep, fear develops within both of them. Then, when an accident occurs, truths begin to surface. Which one of them is hiding the biggest secret? Who has been found out?
Before I even begin my thoughts on the book, let's talk about my thoughts on the title. This is the perfect title because it is so layered, so much so that until you read the story, you just can't understand how perfect it actually is.
This one started out strong for me. In fact, it was an overnight read. I felt an immediate connection with Susannah, and an equally immediate dislike for Max, her husband. I couldn't help but feel a kinship with under appreciated wife and mother, Savannah, as she worked hard to create the perfect family life in Vermont suburbia.
ill admit that the middle of the novel slowed down a bit for me, but once that "bit twist" happened, I couldn't put it down. The plot is well developed. It leads the reader to have suspicions towards Savannah, but because she is so likable, it's hard to come to terms with the possibility that she's a liar. Just when the reader starts to wrap her head around it, new suspicions arise, and a new "liar" surfaces. And as for the ending- the only thing I could say was, "No. Way."
I know that at times you need to distance a novel from reality, but The Perfect Liar seems so far from reality that it was hard to imagine Susannah and Max as a normal couple. They had so many secrets from each other and when one of them would call the other one out, they just told more lies. It was hard to be on one of their sides because it was so over the top.
I did love all of the secrets though. And boy was there so many of them. It was hard to tell at times who was the perfect liar. I also didn’t see the ending coming at all! Talk about jaw dropping!
3 stars out of a potential 5. If you are a reader that can suspend belief then I think you will really enjoy this novel!
Secrets are the theme of this thriller. Susannah, and Max seem to have the perfect marriage but they are keeping secrets from each other. Max (Phil) has built a life on a con. He was appointed to a three year professorship at a college that takes them away from the busy New York life that they have. All seems perfect until notes start to appear on their door. But who is the object of those notes - Susannah or Max? Could their secrets destroy their family and everything thing they have built?
3.5 stars Listen. I don’t even know where to start. This book held my attention the entire time even if my face looked like this 🤨
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It was a solid 3 for me throughout the majority of the book and gained a half star towards the end. It’s crazy and while not everything came together for me, the most important parts were wrapped up. If you pick this one up, go in with an open mind for sure! While it’s not totally unpredictable, there were still a couple twists I didn’t guess!
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
What a roller coaster of a ride. This book was a thrilling psychological mystery. We all have secrets we keep, and some of us more than others. This book goes to show that you never truly know someone. I did feel that there were some things could have been explained better and divulged on more like Susannah's back story and even more details on Max. It was an easy read that kept me engaged, but there were so many parts that left me wanting more. Overall, I can give this book 3 stars.
Wow, I DID NOT expect this roller coaster of a psychological thriller! I loved the shocking turn of events and the characters were so crazy and wonderful. Susannah and Max were both deeply flawed and keeping so many secrets from themselves and each other and it made for such an interesting read. I was hooked from the first page, and was so engrossed in the book that I finished it in one sitting. I loved the unexpected ending!
5 out of 5 stars The Perfect Liar by Thomas Christopher Greene.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I was captivated by how Susannah and Max handled the notes being left on their door, I was never drawn in by these characters. I found myself not quite connecting with them. We, the reader, learn deep, dark secrets about Max and how life brought him to the point he's at today. Susannah hasn't lead a pristine life, but her soul isn't dark. I felt like some things I saw coming, while others came out of left field. I have mixed feelings about this book. This was an interesting read, but it was hard for me to get into it. While I would recommend this book, I wouldn't tell someone to put it at the top of their TBR list either. Maybe you will find yourself drawn into these characters and this read better than I was.
This book has many layers that are slowly peeled back. Max has a secret and there is no length he will go to to keep that secret. He is a charismatic chameleon and an up and coming newbie to the art world when he meets Susannah. Susannah is a widow with a son, she has her own secrets but they aren't revealed until 3/4 of the way into the book and they make things a bit more intriguing. She seems fragile and a little off. They have a good marriage even though it isn't exactly based on honesty.
This book had some holes, and things that just jumped the shark for me. I was really excited about it but things just spiraled out of control a bit too fast for me and leaps were made that I don't think Max would have made so quickly since he is such a controlled man. The book is told from the alternating points of view of Max and Susannah each sharing their past and how they got to this moment. Susannah's son is barely a character until later in the book. I really wanted to like this book but the ending didn't sit right with me and neither did some of the other big moments. They just didn't make sense to me for either of the characters.
This was the kind of compelling book that makes you keep reading long into the night. The clues about what is going on between Susannah and Max are there, but they are subtle so that the reader has trouble believing the truth when it is finally revealed. There are so many lies in this novel! There are outright lies, deceptions between husband and wife, deceptions between their son Freddie and them, and deceptions with the couple and the whole world. Max is not who he seems and the reader knows that from the beginning. But neither is Susannah, and teen Freddie knows more than either of them is aware of. The whole novel is a mixture of subterfuge and survival within the boundaries of this lies. Who is the best liar, the one whose lies are so well done that no one can figure it out? Readers from psychological suspense will be surprisesed at the conclusion and enjoy the entire book!
I was excited to read The Perfect Liar. Everyone seemed to have a secret! Susannah is busy raising her son on her own after her husband and therapist passes away. She meets Max W. At a party. As the story evolves I am hooked by what the lies might be and how the story will resolve itself. This is when it falls apart for me, There does not seem to be a likable character. The plot begins to drag and I lost the feeling of wanting to love this story. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book.