Member Reviews
LIAR LIAR by Mel Sherratt is the third book in the DS Grace Allendale crime thriller series. The story takes place in England and the author brought this reader a gripping, intense and intriguing story.
When a young boy falls from a balcony, DS Grace Allendale and her partner DS Frankie Higgins are nearby on another police matter so they are quick to arrive, but no one seemed to see anything and the parents say it was an accident. Grace and Frankie work to find out the truth, but that is more easily said than done. Meanwhile other police-involved incidents happen in the area of the same block of flats.
What is going on? Are the events related or not? Who saw what and who is lying? The plot switches back and forth between two different timelines and this detracted a little bit from the overall flow. However, by the end of the book, it made total sense as to why the author did this. There are lots of twists and turns in this engrossing, shocking, and suspenseful book. Themes explored include murder, assault, family, gambling, deceit, lying, gangs, the criminal underworld, and much, much more.
The characters were compelling and three-dimensional with clear goals. The secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. The stakes and tension were high throughout most of the story making it a true page-turner.
Overall, I enjoyed this well-written novel and recommend the series to those that enjoy crime thrillers and police procedurals. It is the first book that I have read by this author and I am already looking forward to reading the first two in the series. This is an amazing “new to me” author.
Thanks to Avon Books UK and Mel Sherratt for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Amazeing I loved it soo much I love grave allendale but I would like more about her and her family I loved all the characters from the estate and how they all battled with there conscience about what they saw and what they hear. I loved all the theists and turns which you don’t see copeing carnt wait for the next one
# Liar Liar # Netgalley
Once I started the book I knew I would not be able to put it down. In fact I knew prior to reading it, I would be totally hooked,. oh how I am awe of the amazing author. Once again a new book is released and completely knocks the socks off of you. This third book on the DS Grace Allandale series, That just gets better and better.. A real fast paced gripping, , keep you at the edge of seat thriller.. A you boy falls from the balcony in a block if flats, no one no’s nothing. It’s one of those types of places that take you to the criminal world. So no one ever admits to seeing anything, all that said I’s it’s a accident. During a weeks period what goes of is just none stop accident or criminal activity. Grace wants to find the truth. Although Grace herself is related to one of the biggest crime families in the area the Steels. It’s taken time for DS Grace Alkendale quite awhile for her to have proven herself with her police colleagues., it’s a genius masterpiece of writing,. Once again from Mel Sherrat. With so many twists and turns, that will take you on a rollercoaster of a ride. I recommend as a must read. Although I would say you can read it as a stand-alone thriller. However if you read the first 2 in the series you would get a better understanding of Grace herself. If you don’t read this book, as and when you hear about it. You will regret it. It’s a must read. Praise once again to Mel Sherratt,
I always look forward to a new Mel Sherratt book and I wasn’t disappointed with Liar Liar, the third book in the DS Grace Allendale series.
DS Grace is called to Harrison House where a boy has accidently fallen over a balcony and injured himself. It is supposedly have been an accident but, when DS Grace and her team call for witnesses most of the residents say that they didn’t see anything. Things just don’t add up. Even when DS Grace interview the boy’s parents, she senses that they are not telling the whole truth. Grace goes out of her way to find out the truth about the accident and all the goings on at Harrison House.
This is another gripping story from Mel Sherratt that I didn’t want to put down from start to finish. I think this is better than the others in this series. It had great characters and plot with lots of twists and turn to keep you engaged through out. 5 stars from me.
This is the third book in the DS Grace Allendale series and can be read as a stand-alone. The narrative is engaging and full of thrills from the very first page. Mel Sherratt provides a full cast of enigmatic characters that all seem to have something to hide. Sherratt’s writing is fast paced as she hosts a fully dynamic main character. The reader follow DS Allendale through all the twists and turns it takes to uncover the hidden truth surrounding the death of a young boy. Loved it. 5 stars.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #LiarLiar which was read and reviewed voluntarily by Tarrah Marie (@wayward_readers)
It was basically a good story, but I got frustrated when it kept flicking backwards and forwards over the years.
There was an awful lot of characters that made it a little hard to follow. Not one of Mel's best books for me I'm afraid.
Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. x
Another brilliant crime thriller in the Grace Allendale series . I have now read them all in the series so far and none of them have let me down .this was another heart racing and addictive story line that kept me engrossed all the way through to the end . This is a book and series I would recommend
This third book in the Grace Allendale series is possibly the most gripping one in the series so far. With what appears at first to be a tragic accident, a young boy is seriously injured after being thrown from a balcony in a block of flats, Grace is determined to get the truth, only some people have gone to extreme lengths to keep their secrets hidden, but to keep her children safe, Ruby, mother to the injured boy, is going to have to put her trust in Grace and open up.
There’s less to do with her infamous crime family, the Steeles in this one, although they seem to have a knack of having their fingers in a lot of different pies, but with some brilliant characters and several linked stories involved, believe me when I say there’s plenty to keep you hooked!
Another excellent one from Mel, definitely one I’d happily read again and again.
Another good read from Mel Sherratt following DS Grace Allendale. A gritty story begins when a little boy falls, or does he, from a balcony of a block of flats. His mother Ruby is one of the main characters, and has had a tough life. There follows a story with many twists about her, and others who live here. A bit of repetition was a bit annoying, that Ruby had kept something incriminating which I think could have been handled better, but still a good read.
A complex thriller with multiple layers. Who's telling the truth,no-one it seems in this gritty police procedural. Twists and turns,gangs and violence.
The story was repetitive and didn’t move at all till upto two thirds. The characters were all stupid that made it unbelievable. Since there are so many 5 stars reviews, maybe the fault is with me. I feel the pace would have been better if the pages were cut short. Only the last one third was good. 3.25 stars
My first book by the author and I just couldn’t stop reading!
It’s engaging from the first chapter and it makes you want to know more and more about what happened in the parking lot and what each of the residents of that building has seen because apparently everyone has a different story to say.
It’s gripping, holds your attention for the whole time and you’ll want to stay up all night to read it.
Oh my god what a book! I weaved between being horrified, annoyed & shocked all the way through. I couldn’t put it down- and I didn’t! Finished in two sittings
The good
writing. While not perfect, the writing managed to keep me interested, it flowed nicely on the page, it wasn’t too heavy nor too light. The imagery was also really, really good. The book unfolded in my mind just like a movie, everything smoothly falling into place while reading.
characters. They were too good for their own sake but we’ll talk more about them at the bad section, sadly. Interesting, promising, attention grabbing, brave and flawed.
plot. I think this is what I liked most to be honest. It was interesting and while I could tell what will happen, the details and whys of it took me by surprise. At some point I remember exclaiming “nooo way, whaaat?” while reading. That’s good in my books.
story. The story itself is good, I liked the idea of having every one lie and behave in a way that actually I can see happening in real life! I liked how she alternated the present and past and how she slowly revealed the connections between the crimes.
The bad
characters. Okay, there’s not anything BAD about them, they are all very promising actually. Which is the problem. They are promising but not delivered, you know? I mean we have amazing characters in the police force, in the apartment building, the negative ones are also really scary.. which is precisely why I wanted to know more about them! I would definitely read a second book or a prequel to get more into this world.
repetition. There was unnecessary repetition of elements that were going to be revealed in the future, like let’s say object x. We’re told about object x a thousand times before object x actually coming into play. It’s good to mention something that will be revealed in the future once or twice, but let us have the “ahaaa” moment when you finally reveal it instead of a ” finally!” moment. Trust us readers a bit more. It felt like the author wasn’t sure we were paying attention.
some unnatural actions. 90-95% of the actions these characters take are perfectly fine. However, some of them are plain stupid. It’s fine to have one uninspired character but to have 3+ of them.. makes me think you’re altering the plot to get to the story you want to tell, which feels artificial.
The conclusion
Overall, this was a good book. I gave it 4 stars because while it has its weak points, it has enough strengths and I really enjoyed it. Should you cross paths with it, I recommend you read it 🙂
This is a well written mystery but the galley sheets make it difficult to read. Without clear chapter headings, the reader gets a headache keeping track of the action. I assume this is going to be a series and Grace is a likable detective. There are just so many similar novels available that fir me this one dud not stand out.
Another absolute favourite from Mel Sherratt. This book was amazing. Dark, gritty and at times terrifying. Highly recommended
When a small boy falls from a balcony and no one saw or heard anything, DS Grace Allendale is on the case. While the boy’s parents claim his fall was an accident, Grace is not convinced. Meanwhile, trying to get information out of the residents is like pulling teeth, but Grace is determined to get to the bottom of the incident.
Another good book in the DS Allendale series, it follows Grace as she tries to find the truth out about the “accident,” all while keeping her dodgy family at arms length. I look forward to the next book in this series.
I love a good Mel Sherratt thriller and found Liar Liar impossible you put down. Immediately you are drawn into the action. It’s fast paced and punchy starting with DS Grace Allendale witnessing a shocking event. The parents tell the police it was an accident but Grace suspects otherwise trying to sort the truth from the lies. Brilliantly written with some great characters you will find yourself totally immersed from beginning to end.
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books and the author for the chance to review.
Another brilliant book by Mel Sherratt. I have read all of hers so couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. It was as amazing as all her other books, I don’t know how she does it but her books just keep getting better. I am so happy she does though!! I highly recommend this book to everyone. Hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next.
this author has done it again brilliant story . a little boy falls from a balcony or was he pushed the same evening other stuff going on in the estate both his parents have secrets .d.s grace there when it happens what is everyone hiding they all have secrets a must read