The Liar’s Sister is the second book I’ve read by Sarah.A.Denzil and definitely didn’t disappoint.
This is a thriller set in dual timelines and works very well leaving you very clear from the start of each chapter which time your in. This is a very twisted thriller with a lot going on and a lot of lies and deception getting tangled with the truth. Who do you trust in this small town thriller, well I for one wasn’t trusting anyone by a quarter of the way in. Upto about three quarters of the way in this is a good thriller, each chapter pulling back the layers and exposing a new truth or lie and I enjoyed this style of writing. The last quarter is everything you thought you knew being turned on it’s head and leaving you with a totally different feeling for the majority of the characters. The characters were well formed and the two sisters, Rosie and Heather were good lead characters with both having different flaws in their characters making them interesting to read about.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

All the way through this book, the mantra ‘What a tangled web we weave …” kept repeating itself on a loop, in my head! And this is a tremendously tangled web!

The book opens with a letter being written by Heather, to her older sister Rosie. She never intends to send this letter. It’s meant to be more of a catharsis than anything else. The sisters grew up in the relatively small, and somewhat parochial sounding village of Blackthorpe. However, after being close when they were younger, that all changed ten years previously when their friend Samuel Murray disappeared one night and was never seen again. Heather is sure that Rosie knows more than she claims to and the sisters distance themselves from each other.

But now Heather is back in Blackthorpe as their mother is dying. She reaches out to Rosie to return to the village and to see their mother before it’s too late. She’s aware that Rosie has had a troubled time in recent years and feels that they need to bring past hurts and possibly even some secrets, into the open. Little does she know that what she is about to unleash will be absolutely devastating to everyone involved.

Told from the points of view of both sisters, in both the present and the past, this is a gripping story overflowing with twists, secrets, shocking and unexpected surprises (mostly unpleasant!). Denzil cleverly ties it all together into an astounding and stunning crescendo.

The author’s focus throughout is on her plot. Readers are provided with rudimentary facts about her characters so that we can form basic opinions based on these. We never really get to know them in-depth – and truth be told, this isn’t actually vital to the plot, which is what is of major importance here. Usually, I like to be provided with fully rounded characters, but I found that here it really didn’t matter, which was quite a unique feature. Knowing about the main players and where they were in their lives right now was of no relevance, as anything of significance was based on their past.

This is a fast-paced 4-star read, and I raced to the finish, desperate to know not only what had happened, but how it had all played out! I kept jumping around in my head, trying to guess at different scenario’s. Every single one was wrong – but then, isn’t that half the fun of books like this?

OMG another small town mystery filled with twists and creepy characters. I do enjoy these kinds of settings though such books do make me fear small towns.

The story introduces us to estranged sisters, Heather and Rosie who go back home when their mother falls ill. However, the two soon find out that they are not wanted in the town. Buckthorpe is one of those towns where everyone knows everyone and their business. It seems that there are people holding grudges against the sisters and this is not the kind of place where you would like to have enemies. This is a town where secrets are buried for decades. It is also a town where people own shotguns which they are not afraid to use to ensure that the secrets remain buried.

The setting for this mystery was befitting. It helped in escalating the tension in the narrative. The hostile town with so many gun owners and crooked sheriffs had me tense wondering where the story would go.

I love how the author revealed the secrets through the chapters by peeling back layer by layer. With so many secrets, I could only guess some of them. Most made my jaw drop.

This is an entertaining, captivating, twisty read full of secrets and lies.

In this new psychological thriller, two sisters are forever altered when a boy they both know disappears one night.

Thoughts:
The book opens with a letter from Heather to her sister Rosie. A letter that tells Rosie that her sister knows what she did – that she knows Rosie is a murderer. However, Heather never actually sends that letter to her sister.

The disappearance of Samuel Murray changed everything for both sisters. Soon after high school, Rosie leaves home and rarely comes back. The once straight-A student changes and goes down a self-destructive path. She comes home for their father’s funeral and then leaves again for 5 years. However, years later their mother is now gravely ill and Heather knows she must attempt to find her sister to let her know.

Once Rosie comes home memories begin flooding back for both sisters prompting various conversations about the past. The members of the town also learn of her return and soon it becomes clear that Rosie is unwelcome. They universally blame her for the disappearance of Samuel. In fact, the town itself is very eerie – neighbors acting oddly at times, strange stories regarding certain residents within it. A town full of myths, legends, and creepy songs.

The story is mostly told from Heather’s point-of-view, whose story is from the present day perspective. Rosie’s story isn’t as frequent and shows us what has occurred in the past and how the sisters originally met the Murray family leading up to the night of the incident.

For about 70% of the book it was a nice story, but didn’t excite me. It was a fine, readable story, but that was all. Then, the ending starts to occur. As it is occurring and the excitement builds, you feel like you have a good handle on it, but then the ending begins occurring again. Not a repeat, it’s more like the ending gets more added on to it. As a result, part of me likes the ending and the drama it brought and part of me thinks there was a bit too much.

Overall, I think many will enjoy the book and especially enjoy the twists that come at the end. I myself liked it just fine, but it’s not necessarily one that will be memorable for me.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed every one of this author’s books that I’ve read but this was the best yet! Addictive, fast-paced and heart-stopping, I devoured it in just a few hours. I was never really sure what would happen next and there were so many twists it made my head spin. I love a thriller where you don’t feel sure where it’s going and feel a bit bewildered when you’re reading it and this one did both of these things while keeping me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Moving flawlessly between dual timelines and told by two narrators, on the surface this is a mystery about what really happened the night Samuel Murray went missing. Heather has held suspicions about her sister Rosie’s involvement since that night but has never confronted her, instead allowing it to become a wedge between them and their relationship to drift apart. While that is a huge part of this story, this is also a book with many layers that also looks at the complicated relationships between sisters, family and friends, the damage caused by addiction and the grief of losing someone you love.

The sisters each narrate a timeline so we get to know both of them pretty well. I liked that the author kept it to one sister per timeline as it created a greater sense of mystery about events in the present day as until we reached the climax we never knew what Rosie was thinking of what her involvement was the night Samuel went missing. There are numerous other characters in the story, some of whom are quite unnerving, some who seem to have an axe to grind, and all of them are well developed and well written. Of the sisters I felt most invested in the life of Heather. The author vividly conveys the agony of her complex feelings for both Rosie and Samuel and her torment over what to do for the best. While Rosie was the chaotic, troublesome child and seems to have a hard shell around herself, Heather was the good girl who always did the right thing and feels everything intensely. Not only is Heather’s world turned upside down after their mother’s death, but a lot of what she believes to be true begins to shatter when Rosie returns and she is left not knowing where to turn or what to think. Her pain was palpable and I found myself feeling everything along with her each step of the way.

Enthralling, atmospheric, suspenseful, creepy and brilliant, this book held me hostage right up until its jaw-dropping conclusion. For anyone who enjoys mysteries and psychological thrillers, Ms Denzil is an author I highly recommend and I would say that this book is a great place to start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoture for the chance to read and review this novel.

Another twisty, addictive thriller from Denzil! With secrets and lies, grief and trauma, the story unravels delicately and intricately at first, ramping up tension as we race to the shocking conclusion in order to find out what really happened to Samuel and if Rosie was involved the night he disappeared.

A quick, page-turning read with dual POVs that seamlessly moves from of one sister to the other, past and present, The Liar's Sister cleverly unravels the truth layer by insidious layer until it reaches its heart-throbbing conclusion.

One day I was browsing through Netgalley books in order to find a good thriller because I was really in a mood for that genre.
Out of all of the novels in that category (and may I say, it’s the most popular category there) The Liar’s Sister was the one that sounded the most appealing to me.
The cover is attractive, but the premise is what got my attention, so therefore I knew it was a winner.

My feeling was right, because not only did I like the story in the book, but I also fell in love with the atmosphere, people relationships and interactions within the story. All the secrets and mystery that were not visible at all made me appreciate this piece of fiction so, so much.

This small community, spooky atmosphere was my absolutely favourite thing about this book, and with all the creepy characters and events it really gave a life to the place, it felt like the village was it’s own character.

As a cherry on top, there is a writing style that can simply be described as high quality.
Beautiful writing is always welcomed when it comes to fiction, but to me this one really stands out.

The novel is written in first person, from Heather’s POV.

After finishing the book I found out that Sarah A. Denzil is very popular author, but somehow I haven’t heard about her before (once again, this is the proof I live under a rock). I would really want to check her other work, especially Silent Child because from others’ reviews, it seems to me that that is the most loved one.

I would recommend The Liar’s Sister to everyone who is in the mood for a good thriller.
With it’s cold atmosphere, it is a perfect pick for cold nights during October.

Wow what a read. This is the story of two sisters whose lives are changed forever when a neighbour’s son goes missing. Heather couldn’t understand what her sister did to Samuel her boyfriend who disappeared after being accused of attacking Rosie. Their lives were never the same and Rosie’s life went into self destruction as she drank to try and forget. It’s not until they both go back to their childhood home after the death of their Mother that Heather will finally find out the truth of that night all those years ago. With lots of twists and turns along the way this book will grip you until the very end.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

The Liar's Sister is definitely a quick, easy read. the book is written in the the past and the present day... i like ths style honestly, it makes it easier for me to keep interest in any story.

The characters are well-developed & easy to like. The storyline is unique and easy to follow. The writing is fantastic. The author is clearly talented.
I can't wait to read more by her!

This book is about two sisters and tells their story set in the here and now and in the past. There are many lies and secrets that are uncovered. I think some parts of the book are a bit slow, mostly the parts about the past. I love the unexpected twist at the end. I didn't see that coming. I enjoyed the book.

I absolutely love this author so was very excited to read her latest book. I have to say that I was not disappointed.

The opening chapter is a letter written by Heather to her sister Rosie. Within the letter it becomes clear that Heather believes Rosie killed someone when they were teenagers but is this the truth ?

The book is written in the present day and also the past, so we gradually discover the events that led to Heather writing the letter.

Although I had some theories I can honestly say that I didn’t guess the truth and I would be surprised if anyone does. The story is a complex web of lies and secrets all taking place within a small village where it is thought everyone knows everyone else’s business ....... but do they ?

If you love psychological thrillers that are full of twists and turns you will absolutely love this one. A fantastic read that needs to be added to everyone’s reading list !!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The Liar’s Sister by Sarah A. Denzil is a mystery novel.

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. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Heather and Rosie are back home in the small village of Buckthorpe, after many years away.  Their mother is dying, and although Heather was back regularly to care for her, she has a life as an accountant in the city.  Rosie has stayed away, a lot of her time spent in rehab.

On her death bed, their mother insists that they sell the house immediately and move away.  They soon find out that most of the villagers want them gone as well.

Memories of their childhood resurface.  Heather longs to know what really happened to her first and only love, Samuel Murray, who disappeared 10 years ago, and was never seen again.  Rosie, on the other hand, wants to forget Samuel Murray.   Heather knows that Rosie is hiding something.  A lot happened around that time and Rosie still doesn't want to talk about it.  They may be sisters, but trust has become an issue.


My Opinions:  

The story is told from the perspective of both sisters, in two timelines.  In this way we learned the about the events that changed their lives.  It read very smoothly, and was a very fast read.

The book is about lies, and secrets, and love.  It is about sisters who grew up best friends, only to have their friendship severed over an event that they never discussed.  Only the death of their mother brings them back together to face things head on. I found the family dynamics to be somewhat realistic. Sisters do, indeed, fall out with one another, and it can take something quite large to get them back together.  As well, once trust is lost, it is hard to get it back, and tempers will flare.  I did not, however, like their mother from the start.

I also found the actual event and hostile environment to be a little far-fetched, even for the sake of the story.  An entire village turning against two girls sounds a little unbelievable.  As well,  although I enjoyed the twists, I think there was one too many.  

So, although I enjoyed the book,  it just lacked something for me.  However, this will not prevent me from reading future offerings from this author. 

For a more complete review of this book and others (including author information and quotations), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

A missing boy. A girl’s fear that her older sister knows what happened. Ten years later, after limited contact, the two women return home due to their mother’s illness. That’s when they realize that secrets don’t stay buried forever.

The Liar’s Sister is a twisty, suspenseful story that will keep many reading long into the night. It is intense, twisty, and oh-so compelling. The story itself is well-written, the characters are interesting and well-developed, and the atmosphere the author creates is perfect. I highly recommend The Liar’s Sister.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This is a tricky one to review. On the one hand, I read it quickly, I was intrigued by the storyline, and the ending had a few solid twists. On the other hand, the storyline dragged at times, some of the twists were glaringly obvious, and the characters were quite one dimensional.

The tone was also quite odd. At times, it felt almost like a fairytale, with all the references to a mysterious character lurking in the woods, and the regular, horror movie references to the dangerous nature of a small town. I did at times ponder whether it was going in the direction of some sort of cult, then thought that was far too silly for a psychological thriller. The ending actually ended up being even more absurd.

I don't know, I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. It was an ok way to pass the afternoon, but I wouldn't pay for it.

Sarah’s books never cease to amaze me. I am always shocked by the twists at the end and I absolutely love it. Was so excited to read this and just like her others it left me so satisfied and shocked. I can’t wait for her next book! Thanks NetGalley.

After loving two of the author’s previous books, I started this thinking I would love it as well, but I ended up being slightly disappointed. Though not a bad book by any means, The Liar's Sister didn’t grab me from the beginning as the other two did. I think the main reason was I was not very interested in the mystery aspect of it and the far-fetched over the top ending didn’t manage to change my mind. My favorite things were the complex dynamics between Rosie and Heather and the small village setting. The author keeps being brilliant at writing atmosphere and in here she manages to make the village and the wood that surrounds it feel really oppressive and spooky.

Though not my favorite, I will certainly keep reading Sarah A. Denzil’s backlist titles and look forward to her new releases.

The opening of the book is perfect. 1001 scenarios fly through your mind, but which one is the correct one? Or does scenario 1002 fit here?

Relatives should be able to trust each other unconditionally, right? But there is so much deceit and there are so many lies in the world that you sometimes start doubting the ones that are the closest to your heart.

Once trust is gone, is it possible to find a way back?

The author shows us a situation that's often not fictional at all. People assume something and the longer they think about it, the more they are convinced that this is how it all happened. Talking about it would resolve so much heartbreak. 

Sometimes silence is golden because you believe you do it for the right reasons : to protect someone, but in the end, when the truth comes out it might not have been the best solution at all.

The story takes us from then to now, with both sisters telling us the way it was, through their eyes in alternating chapters.

Love, deceit, lies and family relations are a few of the ingredients the author has cooked with to serve us this delightful dish. 4 stars.

Thank you, Sarah A. Denzi and Bookouture ( via Netgalley).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and raced through it in just two sittings spanning less than 24 hours. Narrated (more or less) alternately by sisters Heather and Rosie we discover what happened in the woods and the bluebell field a decade ago. Brought back together by the death of their mother, the two girls seek to reconcile their estranged relationship. Heather, the sister who has always been the 'goody-goody' and Rosie, the sister who went off the rails with drug and alcohol addiction, come together to make sense of the past. Who is telling the truth? Why did their father die? And can anyone locally be trusted after a note is left threatening the girls with a menacing request to leave Buckthorpe?
With plenty of twists, this is a fantastic read as the author unveils what really happened to 16 year old Samuel Murray, aided by a cast of great characters.
I would definitely read more books by this author.

I have read and enjoyed Silent Child by this author, so I went into the story with a strange anticipation, wanting my cells to buzz with the dark energy that a book which messes the mind did.

The story took time to build up. Two sisters Rosie and Heather reunited after many years on their mother's deathbed. On the surface they seemed disconnected, but there was a nervous energy binding them. Secrets abounded in their past about their missing friend Samuel Murray. What did happen 10 years ago?

Sarah Denzil took time to fire up my blood with this book as the sisters seemed spaced out. I never did understand why Heather couldn't directly confront Rosie. But the writing soon built up the excitement insidiously one page after the other, there were times I tapped the Kindle softly so that nothing would crack through the aura of the book and disturb the perfect built-up

The people of the village added to the overall disquiet as they wanted the sistes to leave. I loved that the author made my mind burst with its questions, and I couldn't help racing through the book to get to the secrets. The secrets, those delicious secrets, they turned the story around. As I always say, can open, worms crawling. Man, this time these tiny buggers were zapping and swooping me off at every turn. Whoa!!

The exciting end to the story made this an absolutely rocking midnight read.

Another great piece of work from this author!! This one had so many unexpected twists and turns, I loved going on such a crazy journey as I read! I finished this book in just two nights because it was so good!