Very good psychological crime novel!

18 years ago, Martha, Liv and Juliet were best friends, energetic teenagers. Until Juliet went missing.
Now, TV personality Martha is trying to solve the case with her programme and reconnect with Liv, too. Unbeknownst to her, someone else is also trying to reconnect.

What I love about this novel is mostly the very well written psychological observations and details about the characters. Everybody is somehow damaged by the elephant in the room, the mystery of Juliet missing, but also the other circumstances and even secrets of that time, some long forgotten and/or buried down deep in the psyches of the characters. I find the guilt, shame and fear of these people very well observed.

What I am unhappy about is the ending. While I find it believable (and there are even few nuggets of the truth hidden within the novel when looking back), I simply do not like these kind of endings, plus I think that the writing has lost some steam towards the end.

But overall I have enjoyed this novel immensely and I will follow this authoress from now on.

The author has done a great job in crafting well-developed characters. I truly enjoyed reading Beautiful Liars and highly recommend it.

Synopsis:
In the photograph, Martha Benn has kept for two decades, three girls lounge on the grass during a school field trip. Besides Martha, there’s Liv, petite and wickedly funny, and Juliet, their unofficial leader, brave, kind, and effortlessly beautiful. Back then, they meant the world to each other. But when Juliet disappeared, the bond between Martha and Liv unravelled too.

Martha was the last known person to see Juliet alive, and she still has no idea what happened after the two said goodnight on a towpath beside London’s Regent’s Canal. The next day, Juliet’s abandoned bicycle was discovered, but no sign of Juliet. Without witnesses or clues, the investigation fell apart.

Beautiful Liars is a perfect name for a psychological thriller when you think about it, those type of books are full of liars that you have to wade your way through to find the truth. This book by Isabel Ashdown fits the mold and is told in a dual point of view style.

The main character in this one is Martha Benn who is now a famous television celebrity who has taken on the hosting duties of a new show that will investigate cold crimes. Who would have been a better fit than Martha who can open the show investigating a crime she herself had been very close to in her past.

When Martha was young she was best friends with two other girls, Juliet and Liv. That all fell apart when one night Martha and Juliet had been out with Martha returning home but Juliet to never be seen again. After Juliet’s disappearance Martha and Liv grew apart but now Martha wants to return and finally get answers as to just what happened that night long ago.

Beautiful Liars is the second book I’ve read by Isabel Ashdown and I have enjoyed both quite a bit. The story is easy to follow along with the changing point of view and was quite compelling as I dived into it. There are plenty of twists and turn along the way as the decades old secrets are uncovered with the disappearance. Definitely an author I will try to come back to in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

(See all of my Book Reviews) - Author Isabel Ashdown published the novel “Beautiful Liars” in 2019. This is the 7th novel by Ms. Ashdown. 

I categorize this novel as “R” because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in the contemporary UK. The primary character is TV celebrity, Martha Benn.

When she was a teen her best friends were 17-year-old Juliet Sherman and Olivia 'Liv' Heathcote. One day Juliet disappears. Then the day after middle-aged David Crown, a man all three girls know, disappears as well. Police could find no trace of either one. They finally give up the search assuming that the two ran off together.

After nearly 20 years, Benn is going to reopen the investigation. She is part of a new TV program that will look at 'Cold Cases' and the first one will be the disappearance of Juliet. She interviews people and discovers new evidence. She hopes to find the truth about what happened to her friend.

Benn talks to old friends and discovers things about her friends she was not aware of. Her investigation does not go unnoticed. Some close, very close to the disappearances are watching her.

I enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 320-page mystery novel. There was the expected suspense, plot twists, and a touch of danger for Benn. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Beautifu Liars

Author: Isabel Ashdown

Genre: thriller

Rating: 5

In the photograph Martha Benn has kept for two decades, three girls lounge on the grass during a school field trip. Beside Martha, there's Liv, petite and wickedly funny, and Juliet, their unofficial leader, brave, kind, and effortlessly beautiful. Back then, they meant the world to each other. But when Juliet disappeared, the bond between Martha and Liv unraveled too.

Martha was the last known person to see Juliet alive, and she still has no idea what happened after the two said goodnight on a towpath beside London's Regent's Canal. The next day, Juliet's abandoned bicycle was discovered, but no sign of Juliet. Without witnesses or clues, the investigation fell apart.

Martha, now a TV celebrity preparing to host a show investigating cold cases, finally has a chance to get answers. As Martha tries to piece together what happened to Juliet, she realizes that her memories of those long-ago bonds may not tell the whole story. And someone else may know more about Juliet's fate, and their friendship, than she could ever have imagined . . .


My thoughts:

Would I recommend it ? Yes

Will I read more by this author?yes

Once I started reading it I just couldn't stop, because the first few pages had me hooked and wouldn't let go. As for the author herself she has a way of writing a story that weaves an atmospheric, gripping, and character driven psychological thriller that is non stop with twist and turns and characters that make you either like them or hate them , as well as some that just comes off the page as down right creepy and crazy .With that said I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read and review it .

This book is a great mystery which spans 18 years and has plenty of great little surprises thrown in - in both storylines. Many of which I was not able to see coming.

Martha is a TV presenter who pitches a new series about cold cases, with the first episode to focus on the case of a missing 17-year-old girl from 18 years ago. She was presumed to have run off with an older mentor, who disappeared the next day after being interviewed by police. And she happened to be one of Martha’s best friends, Juliet. Martha wants to solve the case for closure - but things are not at all what they seem, including, perhaps, her friends.

The main “trio” of girls - Martha, Olivia and Juliet - were really great to get to know and the mystery of what exactly happened to Juliet is really intriguing. She literally seemed to be there one moment and gone the next. And the resolution was really spectacular. I did not see it coming at all.

There were, in fact, many moments that I was left open-jawed at some of the twists the author threw in there. It was very well done.

Martha was a great character in that she developed so much over the course of the story: from a hard, cynical person to someone who has opened up and really let us readers and her coworkers into her world. I really grew to be rooting for her as the story went on.

Also, this was a very accurate description of what it is to be a journalist chasing a story. That is really refreshing, since many depictions have journalists acting as pseudo-detectives or police officers. Martha and her team interviewing people, changing the story as facts became known but still following basic standard-of-practice (using sources, interviews, etc.). I enjoyed that.

Overall, get this book if you’re looking for a great mystery with some intriguing twists and a cast of characters you won’t soon forget.

4-5 stars! A very well written book, which was developed amazingly and done in a way that made it completely gripping. Very intense, shocking, and twisted. Fellow thriller lovers are sure to enjoy!
Ill make sure to rave it up!

A murder from the past is investigated by a television journalist who was once friends with the victim. Isabel Ashdown’s latest has all the right ingredients for a suspense: complex characters, fast-paced dialogue, and multiple twists. Unfortunately, I did find the twists to be predictable and was not at all surprised by anything that happened. Still, a fun, worthwhile read. 3 1/2 stars rounded up.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Kensington Books, and Isabel Ashdown for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I've just finished this book and it was pretty much perfect. From the introduction that made me raise an eyebrow at a particularly creepy child to the end that came full circle and made me raise an eyebrow at a creepy grown up. Without giving too much away this story centres on a missing persons case, Juliette vanished at age 17, apparently running off with a man old enough to be her dad. Both vanished within 24 hours of each other, never to be seen again and leaving behind a trail of broken family and friends. 

Without giving too much away (because I hate to give spoilers and because this is the type of book that being unspoiled suits) there are twists and turns in this story. I''m not normally a fan of the twists and turns that seem to be standard for psychological thrillers but they absolutely work in this book. Not only that but the writing is fabulous, characters believable and well developed and the pacing really good. 

I am genuinely delighted to discover that Ashdown is not a new author. Mostly because I am away to see whether I can get her back catalogue from the library!

I received a copy of the egalley from the publisher through Netgalley.

What an amazing novel! The character development was incredible, the story line flowed seamlessly and I was captivated the whole time. Highly recommended!

What. A. Book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the different POV's that we see it through. Ashdown succeeds in keeping you strung along, not suspecting what's really going on until it hits you in the face. Definitely recommend!

It has been eighteen years since one of Martha's best friends, Juliet, disappeared on a trail. Martha, now a famous television personality, has just enough influence to prepare a crime show. This pushes her to find out once and for all what happened to Juliet.

More than Martha and Juliet were best friends. There was also Liv, so Martha sends her a letter to ask for her help. Martha is more than pleased that Liv wants to help, especially since they haven't seen each other in all of that time. However, Liv has moved away and another woman receives the letter, and then decides to act as if she is Liv.

Martha and another member of the show, Toby, with the occasional help of a retired cop, begin asking questions. Among other people, Martha locates Juliet's father and the wife of the man suspected of kidnapping Juliet. The deeper Martha digs, unfortunately, the darker things become, so much so that her very life just might soon be threatened.

The prologue leads the reader on a rabbit trail, to be sure. All we know is that a child died at the hands of a sibling, but who was it? As the story jumps right into Juliet's disappearance, this very question stirred in the back of my brain while reading this thrilling book.

There is no surprise as to the name of this book, Beautiful Liars, as there was a large net of doubt cast as to more than one character. Having unreliable and quite nutty characters definitely worked for this book. Things being the way they were most certainly led to sharp twists, along with a few surprises, in this story. It was a compelling read and I love the fact that I was shocked as to who the killer was.

Many thanks to Kensington and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Perfect psychological thriller! It moved at a fast pace with twists and turns throughout! I couldn’t put it down! Highly recommend!

I was originally drawn to this book by the cover. I am glad that it caught my attention as the author is a new one to me.

Martha Ben is a television personality who is starting a new show regarding cold cases. The first case she wants to cover is of an old friend, Juliet, who disappeared as a teenager. She doesn’t agree with what the police decided happened to her and wants to get answers for Juliet’s ill father. Martha was the last known person to see Juliet alive, and she still has no idea what happened after the two said goodnight on a towpath beside London’s Regent’s Canal. The next day, Juliet’s abandoned bicycle was discovered, but no sign of Juliet. Without witnesses or clues, the investigation fell apart.

Martha reaches out to her and Juliet’s other best friend, Liv, to try to find more answers. The book alternates between the past and the present. It is told from mainly the perspective of Martha and a woman named Casey. The book has a lot of twists and turns and is great for any fan of suspense.

* I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. *

Originally the title of this book is what drew me to it. I've also been really into books about missing teenage girls as of late (which sounds really creepy now that I put it down on paper), so it was a no brainer that I would pick this one up. As of today, Beautiful Liars was published eight days ago, so if my opinion isn't enough, be sure to check it out yourself. Also, this is the second book of Ashdown's that I have read.

The back story to this novel involves three teenage girls who go out one night, but only two of them return. No one knows what happened to the third friend, or who her secret relationship was with, though it was assumed an older man had something to do with it, but he is gone as well. So technically we don't even know if the friend is dead. Years later, Martha, one of the original three friends is preparing to host a crime show, and their first case is going to be her missing friend Juliet. (This show reminded me of Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke's series with the same premise-- not a bad thing just a similarity.

I won't go into too much detail for fear of spoiling the story. I will say though that I figured out the secret relationship pretty early on, and while the twist at the end threw me for a minute, I can't necessarily say that Ashdown didn't sort of give it away-- and whether or not you catch it is up to the reader. I was a little unsure about how the same sex relationship in this book was handled. For the time period it was written in, I understood the premise, but I still don't necessarily feel like the whole "if you don't come out to your friends you'll die" message was the best one to send. I have however seen it handled way worse though.

All in all this was a pretty good book that I can see being a hit among the thrill lovers in our library.

This is the story of 2 remaining friends after the mysterious disappearance of a third friend. Martha has decided, as part of her investigative reporting career, to try and find out what happened to Juliet. Through her research, the reader is given snippets of the past. Meanwhile, Martha is communicating with the other woman of the trio, Liv. Too bad a nutjob, Casey, has purchased Liv's house and decided to impersonate the friend! This is but the first of several solid twists in the story, some of which the reader can easily figure out ahead of time and others that are good old surprises! The book makes for some good reading!

Beautiful Liars is an engrossing read that Isabel Ashdown has constructed. Will keep you turning pages until the last one.

This was one of those books where I knew I was going to finish it quickly! Isabel Ashdown did a fantastic job at making those words come to life and also the fact that the characters were fantastic. The story line was one for the ages!

This was an intriguing story. I greatly enjoyed the premise of the book and the overall story line itself. Beautiful Liars is more of a mystery than a thriller for me. It moved along at a steady pace, building evidence and giving your opportunities to think about what was coming together. Great if you are looking for a thought provoking mystery.

Martha seems to only readily remember the happy parts of her past. Mentally blocking the ugliness that consumed most of her life. When she decides to revisit old wounds she isn't as prepared as she thought she was. Learning new information and remembering bits of her own, she really needs Liv to help pull everything together. To help her remember the events leading up to Juliet's disappearance.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This book as crazypants. The first half a bit slow, then flying of the rails. I just felt tired after. The antiheroine protagonist did win me over it’s her creepy ass self. Solid three