Hooray!! It’s book 3 in the DS Grace Allendale series and what a cracker this one turned out to be!! The first few pages set it up to be a thriller from the word go when a heinous crime is witnessed by people living in and near a bloke of flats in Stoke. To begin with I was like “You can’t just describe their reactions to the crime without telling us what it is!” But by no stretch of the imagination did I ever guess what had happened. Thankfully Grace is nearby and the screams that attract her to the crime scene lead her to discover a heartbreaking scene but why won’t any of the witnesses come forward to give statements about what they saw? And why are the family affected by the tragedy closing ranks and denying what really happened? Grace and her team will need to dig deep if they want to uncover the truth…

I’m always really excite when Mel Sherratt has a new book out. Her books are set in Stoke on Trent a place I know well although thankfully nothing like this has ever happened whilst I’ve been there! She takes a few liberties with certain aspects of the city but I can forgive anything for the gripping and addictive crime thrillers that Mel writes with such passion and understanding of this underrated part of Staffordshire. She brings to life the sense of community that exists there whilst also examining themes of family, revenge and possession whilst her characters are attempting to live the best lives they possibly can in circumstances that aren’t always the ones they dreamed off when younger.

As always I devoured this book in a matter of hours as I couldn’t put it down. It was shocking, gritty and downright brilliant from start to finish.

Woah! What a truly gripping start to a crime book. As soon as I picked the book up I was totally hooked. A toddler falling from a balcony had my heart in my mouth. What is worse is that no one dare say anything.

The story flicks between 2010 and 2014. In 2010 we get to see Ruby in her last year of high school, when she meets an older boy and when her life starts to change for the worse. In 2014, things don’t appear to be much better. Although we are kept in the dark as to why.

The area the story is set could be in any major city. Run down area where people try to keep to themselves and crime is rife. You can’t help but feel for the people of advanced years that are almost prisoners in their homes. Even the younger generation, their prospects don’t seem that rosy either.

It’s very much a story about power. The author has created a cast of characters, of which some you will loath and others you will be routing for. I was especially desperate for Grace to catch the culprits and lock them up and throw away the key but the residents at the block of flats don’t make it easy for her.

Liar Liar has one hell of an opening and had my full attention through out. It makes for a tense, nail biting read that was impossible to put down. There were a couple of very unexpected surprises that had my jaw hitting the floor. I love how the author brings this run down area to life and has the reader feeling the fears of the residents. Another fab book in the series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

a child falls from a balcony
another is beaten with a baseball bat

are these two crimes connected

as the police investigate the residents turn away, are they afraid or do they really know nothing...

time is running out and then another accident/murder occurs

i found this book gripping and couldnt put it down, though at the beginning there were quite a few characters to get my head around but as the story progressed you found out who the main characters were...brilliant love how this author writes a good story

I have never read this author before but would definitely read the next one. Well written. Intriguing storyline. Great characterisation. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

3rd book in the series, but how very different. Less detective more back story of the people involved. A harrowing read, as always when a very young child is the victim of anything. As good as anything that Mel Sherratt has written - and I love her books. So many people are telling Grace lies, or half truths, the difficulty is sorting the wheat from the chaff. Are there two events here - the altercation in the car park of Harrison House and the child 'falling' from a balcony, or are they linked?

Loved it - Ruby's back story - wow.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

DS Grace Allendale to the rescue again!

Another possible murder of a young boy starts off a series of violent events with difficult young family situations not helping. Most of the 'action' is set in and around a couple of blocks of flats in Stoke.

Obviously, hardly any of the residents see or hear anything, and there are many lies being told. Grace has to 'wade through' all this to bring the (mainly) young men to justice.

Too many flashbacks from past to present for me, and I probably expected more suspense from the author. Mel Sherratt. Still worth four stars though!

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books for the chance to read and review.

I am sorry but I found this story too harrowing and violent. I could not connect with any of the characters

What can I say just wow another brilliant book from one of the best authors. Love the gangland books definetely feel like you are actually there

Mel Sherratt’s DS Grace Allendale returns in Liar Liar which is the latest book in what is an excellent and engaging police procedural series.

This story starts off with a young boy falling from a block of flats but is everything as it seems to be?

Allendale and colleagues have to work their way through lies, evasion and avoidance to get to what actually happened.

As you would expect with this series there are a number of twists and turns that keep you hooked throughout.

Definitely recommended

Mel Sherratt’s back! with Liar, Liar the third instalment in the DS Grace Allendale series. As the title suggests there’s, so many lies, and half truths, buried within this story, Grace has her work cut out that’s for sure! The book opens with a shocking scene when a young boy falls from a balcony in a block of flats. From the start of the investigation it’s apparent the boy's parents are being evasive, their story doesn’t quite ring true, but why would they lie? Did Tyler fall over the railings? Or is there a far more sinister reason behind his accident? The author leads the reader a merry dance through a tangled web of lies and deceit.

For the residents of Harrison House there’s a familiar mantra around the investigation ‘I never saw nothing, ‘I never heard anything’ seems to be the favourite, residents don’t trust the police, hell they don’t even trust their neighbours! Living day in, day out, alongside crime, the residents have their own code, ‘you never tell the police anything’, after all no criminal wants to be labelled a ‘grass’! The book alternates between chapters that follow one of the main character past, and the present day investigation, sometimes I find that dual time lines get over complicated, but that wasn’t the case with a Liar,Liar, but it’s these past chapters that provide the reader with an insight into one of the characters, and their motivation for the choices they make.

Liar, Liar’s focus is set firmly On the back story of its characters, Grace has a much smaller part to play in this book, which worked really well, as the main plot wasn’t overshadowed by police procedures and the investigation. Thinking about it Liar, Liar felt very different to the last two books in the series, but I mean that in a good way as it’s great to see an author not stick to a specific formula for each book. One of Mel Sherratt’s strengths is her capacity to delve into the darkest corner of the criminal world and create unlikable, violent and authentic ‘shady’ characters. The tension ramps up as the lies begin to unravel, and more crimes are committed. Liar, Liar made for a gritty, hard-hitting read, and although I wouldn’t consider this a fast-paced read, there’s plenty to keep the crime lover eagerly turning the pages.

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog for the blog tour.

Liar Liar is book 3 in the excellent DS Grace Allendale series,Grace finds herself up against a wall of silence after a boy is seemingly dropped from the first floor of a block of flats but no has seen anything ! add to that an assault in the car park and the murder of a resident and Grace and her team are really up against it in trying to find out just who is responsible and just what are the boy's parents Judy and Luke hiding from the police ? Once again Mel Sharratt has come up with great thriller which had me turning the pages well into the night as she always does with her books,this could be read as a standalone book in my opinion but why wouldn't you want to read the first 2 books ? they really are that good.Carry on the great work Mel,can't wait for book 4,a superb 5 star read without a doubt.

Liar Liar is such an intense read by Mel Sherratt. Opening with the horrific scene of a small boy falling from a five-meter high railing, DS Grace Allendale is thrown into a difficult and frustrating investigation. It is clear that there is more to what happened than what first meets the eye, but there are very few people who are willing to come forward to tell the police what they know. Grave even suspects that the boy’s parents are keeping secrets from her. But who has such a tight hold on this community? Why are the boy’s parents, Luke and Ruby so afraid?

What makes Mel Sherratt’s lead detective so fascinating is that she has links to a local criminal gang who are at the top of the pecking order. Some of the ruthless criminals Grace has come across in her career are scared of them. Grace has only recently become reacquainted with her family, and you can see that it is tough for her. This is what makes Grace so intriguing to me, and I’m really keen to see this part of her life develop further. How long will they be able to keep acting harmoniously towards each other? We don’t hear much from them in the latest book in the series, but there are references to them, you quickly get the sense that they are a family not to be crossed with.

Liar Liar is very tightly plotted. There are a lot of lies that run very deep in some of the characters in this book. It’s no easy task for Grace, who has to try and wring them out of the witnesses to piece together what happened to the young boy. I could see just how frightened his parents were, and I wanted to get to the bottom of what was keeping them from telling the police everything. When the reveals did come, I thought they were very convincing. You can tell that Mel Sherratt has put a lot of thought into this and into sketching out the lives of her characters.

A part of the novel I also liked, were the flashback scenes, where we visit Ruby ten years earlier. Mel Sherratt built this part of the plot really well. As I started reading these scenes, my mind kept jumping ahead to what was happening in the present as I tried to work out how the two timelines were going to come together.

The majority of the novel is set in a block of flats called Harrison House. Throughout the entirety of the book, it felt as though a dark cloud was hanging over it. There seemed to be danger at every corner here. Mel Sherratt painted a really gloomy atmosphere, but there is also some lightness and a sense of community, particularly, I thought with Luke and Ruby’s neighbour.

Liar Liar is another absolutely gripping read by Mel Sherratt with great characters who you will be rooting for. Very, very good!

I adore this series of DC Grace Allendale. This time she is faced with a very sensitive case involving a child. On the surface, he'd ostensibly fallen, but had he? Was the accident more sinister than it appeared? I was rooting for Tyler as the plot unfolded. The Ruby, Dane and Finn triangle was a tough one. Ruby was trapped with seemingly no solution to change her circumstances and resolve her problems. It's worrying to discover that so many criminals exact their revenge from inside prison or after discharge. How vulnerable the witnesses to a crime must feel. It's harrowing and made my blood turn cold trying to imagine the constant fear they must suffer. It's a pity a probation officer can't enforce a restraining order of people who could be targetted. Sadly, that would be virtually impossible. Even tagging is not a guaranteed success. Food for thought. Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for such a gripping read.

Liar Liar is the third book featuring DS Grace Allendale. I have enjoyed all of these books and look forward to may more books in this series. I love that Grace is damaged and has the local criminal gang in her family. She is a great character to read about. We didn't learn too much new about her in this book and I hope that this will be explored more in future books,

The majority of this book is centred around the flats at Harrison House. A young boy has fallen from the balcony of one of the flats and Grace and her partner are called to the scene. The parents claim it was an accident and nobody else in the estate will admit to seeing anything. Grace has her doubts and keeps digging. The story jumps between the past and the present and we learn more about the mother of the boy. She has her secrets.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

What a gripping detective thriller ! This is the first book I've read by Mel Sheratt and now I shall go back to the beginning of the D.S Grace Allendale series. The story stands alone but left me intrigued to read her backstory and history with the infamous crime family, the Steeles . It's gritty and well written with believable characters and a powerful storyline . Starting with a seemingly accidental fall from a balcony by a two year old boy, it gradually peels back layer upon layer of lies and deceit yo reveal a world of gangs, intimidation, coercion and murder . Highly recommend

DS Grace Allendale is now heading up the Community Intelligence Team but still helping the major crimes team which is now under Allie Shenton.
Grace is happy living with crime reporter Simon and now she isn’t in MCT she doesn't come up against her step-family, the notorious Steeles, which is a bonus.
When two year old Tyler Douglas falls from the first floor balcony of Harrison House Grace happens to be nearby and on the scene in minutes. Tyler is badly hurt but his parents Ruby and Luke claim not to know what happened. Grace knows they are hiding something but how can she get to the truth when no one will talk.
Ruby and Luke are hiding things not only from Grace but from each other and it could be these secrets that will tear their lives apart.
When an elderly resident found dead at the bottom of the steps in Harrison House it looks at first an accident but soon clear she was attacked and murdered. Has whoever hurt Tyler struck again or is this revenge of a different kind.

Harrison House seems like a nice apartment complex. There is a mixture of elderly, family's, and you couples.
Then a two year old child is dangled over the side of the building and dropped. There's also a young kid that is beaten with a baseball. He has broken ribs and extensive bruising inside and out. Not only that an elderly woman is punched in the face and pushed down the cement stairs, killing her.
What is happening, could all these events be connected or are they individual crimes?
Detective Grace has her work cut out for her. First on the agenda is discovering who would maliciously throw a young toddler off a balcony injuring his head and breaking his foot.
What kind of person does that?

I have to admit a slight bias as this book is based in my home town (well city) of Stoke and Mel Sherratt uses most of the local names and places, bar changing a few names like the local newspaper, to give an authentic air.

I have read a few of Mel Sherratt's books previously but none of the DS Grace Allendale series until now. All the usual Sherratt ingredients are here including strong female characters, a plot set in amongst the city's criminal underworld and a fast pace.

DS Grace Allendale has to cut through the web of lies woven by the family of the young boy who is injured in what seemingly seems an accident. More a crime thriller than a police procedural, as Sherratt focuses more on reactions and emotions of the main characters, rather than the nitty gritty of an investigation.

One of crime writing's rising stars and 'Liar Liar' comes highly recommended.

Being a Stokie myself, Mel Sherratt’s books really hit home with me more than any other author. The story criss-crosses my city, even driving up my street.
Dark and gritty, the 3rd in the DS Grace Allendale Series, and I loved it.
Full review to follow.

Mel Sherratt describes herself as a "meddler of words" and I am not going to argue with her! I would also put her in the category as one of THE best crime writers in the UK that I have had the pleasure to read and one where I have never been disappointed.

Here we have another great story full of mystery and twists and one which I found hard to stop reading way too late into the night. This is book 3 in the series however, I don't think you have to have read the other 2 in order to enjoy this and I certainly feel it works well as a standalone.

Each and every character, both goodies and baddies, are well developed; their circumstances believable and scarily plausible. The setting is perfect and so well described I felt I was there. The pace is fast and engrossing with plenty of action and a fare amount of violence and scenes of peril right from the start however, this shouldn't come as a surprise if you've read the blurb.

The book is written with alternating chapters of the present and the past and rather than this complicating matters, it provided an insight into one of the main characters' motivations and justifications as to why she responds as she does. There are several strands that could all have a bearing on the investigation and rather than cause confusion, added to the mystery and intrigue making this an engrossing book and one which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys gritty, realistic and absorbing reads.

Thanks go to Avon Books UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.