Member Reviews
This was another fabulous, addictive thriller from this talented author. Based around a work place fire the reader is taken through the events leading up to it from the point of view of three different employees (Janie, Laura & Mia) who all have different reasons to hate the company they work for. Of the three I found Laura’s story the most interesting as I could relate to it a lot more as having someone take my job whilst on maternity leave was one of my biggest fears. All three stories and the investigation into the fire were very interesting though and I found it fascinating to learn more about them all.
The pace of the book does start off slow but gets faster as we learn more about what has been going on. The tension in the book also increases until it is very hard to put the book down. There are lots of twists and revelations which meant I kept changing my mind about who was to blame which was very enjoyable.
Huge thanks to Rachel Kennedy from Arrow publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you like addictive whodunit type books then you’ll love this book.
I was really excited to read another book by Heidi Parks and this definitely hit the spot!
I loved the style of writing and was immediately drawn into the world of Laura, Mia and Janie. This is very cleverly written in sections before the first and then in interviews after the fire.
There are many complex thoughts working through this book Laura is struggling to ‘have it all’ after the birth of her baby. If leaving her precious baby behind at six months wasn’t enough, she returns to work to find her biggest customer has been ‘stolen’ by Mia and she is devastated, she wants it all, but can she have it?
Janie, on the other hand, appears to have everything she could ever want, a stay at home mum to her two beautiful daughters, both in private schools, a beautiful home complete with swimming pool and as much spending money as she wants. On the surface, she enjoys coffee with her friends and a busy life running around the children and school activities. Though underneath she appears to dislike everything about her life aside from her daughters!
Mia clearly has an ulterior motive; she has read Laura well and tricked her into leaving her role while she is on maternity leave. While she’s been gone Mia has ensured that everyone in the office loves her and she gets to keep her role and Laura’s biggest client. With a secret home life and difficulties there her motive doesn’t become clear until the very end.
Everything becomes clear at the end of the book, with a great twist!
Three perfect liars is an emotional journey to follow with many more lows than highs but it’s not a depressing read at all. This was a great page turner that kept me hooked until the very end as I’ve come to expect from Heidi!
Heidi Perk's first book 'Now You See Her' is one of my favourite ever books, so I was really excited to read this - her third book.
This was another addictive read with an unexpected twist that I really didn't see coming. When a body is pulled out of an office fire, three women are first line for questioning. It could be Laura, whose boss seems to prefer her maternity cover. It could be Mia who's clearly desperate to work there - permanently. Or it could be Janie, wife to the CEO, who gave up her own career for her husband.
The narrative is split between pre-fire, with chapters written from the point of view of one of the three 'liars, and post-fire in the form of police interviews with the various members of the company. Unlike their colleagues, all of whom were either team Laura or team Mia, my allegiances and sympathies switched regularly between all three main characters, as regularly perhaps as the narrative revealed different things about each of the women.
The back stories of these three were also cleverly and unexpectedly woven together. And, I also really enjoyed the sub plot of previously work-obsessed Laura's return to work after maternity leave. Laura's conflict of feeling like she needed to work even harder to prove herself, as Mia had been doing such a great job in her absence, whilst struggling with the guilt of leaving her son and the realisation that perhaps work wasn't her number one priority anymore.
Sadly, though once the connections were revealed the motives and plotting seemed a bit forced, which was a great shame in an otherwise addictive plot. I'd also say this was well-paced rather than fast-paced and more about the slow build-up to an unpredictable reveal. It was definitely an intriguing and captivating read but for me somewhat lacked the drama and suspense of 'Now You See Her' disappointingly.
Overall I really enjoyed this and would totally recommend to anyone. Whilst it might sound like I've been slightly critical of this it's only because I loved 'Now You See Her' sooo much.
Three Perfect Liars was definitely my kind of read, somehow knowing from the very first pages that this was a novel I could devour with relish. Once started, I didn’t want to put this book aside until the very end, immediately caught up in the lives of three women, Laura, Mia and Janie.
Set in Lymington, although to be fair I don’t think location is important as this novel centres around the offices of advertising mogul Harry Wood and his staff and could take place in any part of the country. Laura who has recently returned from maternity leave and Mia, her temporary replacement are the main focus of attention whilst Harry’s wife Janie, has taken a backseat role in quitting her job as a defence barrister to facilitate the family’s move to set up this office down south. The building of these offices causes much furore within the local community at the time of construction but the sight of them have become part of the landscape. However, as revealed in the opening pages, this building in on fire and the immediate questions are whether this is an accident or deliberate and if there are any casualties, who they might be.
I loved the style and presentation of this storyline which starts at the end and tantalisingly reveals nuggets of information filling the reader in with all the relevant background that has ultimately lead to the night of the fire. The storyline is told from the perspective of these three women and interspersed with snippets of interviews conducted by detectives with a number of Harry’s staff, which is a brilliant way to hook the reader’s attention and reel them into the heart of the matter. I was so eager to discover whether this was a case of office politics gone a step too far or if there was something more sinister at play.
Laura, Mia and Janie are well developed, intriguing characters who all elicited my sympathy for one reason or another. Laura is the epitome of a woman struggling to maintain a high flying career whilst negotiating motherhood, relying on husband Nate to be a stay at home daddy. Her initial shock at finding her temporary replacement Mia still in situ upon her return sees Laura gradually unravel, her self esteem and confidence shattered in tandem with her growing guilt over being a fleeting presence in her son’s life. I think her situation is completely relatable to many but provides much in the way of discussion around the whole work/parent dilemma. It seems she’s the character portrayed as someone we should have empathy for as opposed to Mia who is portrayed as someone not to be trusted, a liar, a snake in the grass and this is what keeps the reader on their toes, trying to guess who will win the office battle for top dog. It’s also a terrific way to divert our attention and make assumptions that may or may not necessarily be true. Janie’s background makes for equally compelling reading, revealing an intelligent woman not entirely happy in her marriage and finding life as a homemaker, doing the school runs etc rather unfulfilling which again is relatable on so many levels. Clearly these three women are connected by their relationship with Harry but is there a further deeper connection that unites them and gives cause to suspect any one of them capable of starting the fire deliberately?? You’ll have to read this fantastic thriller for yourself to answer that question and I promise you won’t be disappointed! The writing is so engaging and teasing and the plot cleverly crafted so whilst three quarters of the way though you can guess the common denominator that links Laura, Mia and Janie, it’s much harder to understand why. All the strands are eventually brought together, without being confusing or convoluted or implausible although I’m not quite sure how I felt about the ending. With one final twist I felt immense sadness for these characters, one in particular as well as thinking that Three Perfect Liars wholeheartedly deserves a five star review.
I love the constant guessing game this thriller engenders in addition to the insight into the psychology of these women and the office dynamics making it addictive and compelling. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Highly recommend and as always my thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.
The idea behind this book is a good one, and the story is clever, but I struggled with the book. It seemed quite disjointed, and I couldn't really warm to any of the characters, so they didn't really come alive for me.
I simply loved this book. There were three main characters who had the motives for starting the fire where a body was found and for each one motives were made very clear.i felt that I understood the characters As they were described so well and they felt alive. The book was clearly written in sections of before the fire and after the fire with separate sections on the main characters and their intermixing within the office environment. This brings a new meaning to office politics and had a very twisted ending. As much as I could relate to the three Main women characters I considered that Laura was socially inept, Janie was too weak and needed shaking to wake up and face life. Mia was just downright evasive and not likeable at all. To write these three strong women with differing lifestyles into one great story was wonderful.
Oh wow. This is going to be a hard one to review… I was literally drawn in from the first few pages. Hooked. Great opening. The story focuses around three female characters Mia, Laura and Janie who have all crossed paths. Not friends. Not enemies. But each aware of each other. Until they are forced together at the end. Who started the fire?
The story is set out perfectly where each character gets their own part throughout and within we learn alot about their characters, family and personal secrets and past. In between these chapters we have the interviewing of suspects over the fire which breaks it up perfectly. Brilliantly written. Clever plot. Unexpected outcome I would never have guessed. But just how do these women link together?
Towards the end the author has brought in a bit of love and sacrifice which I liked! But ends with a bit of DUN DUN DUN… Left for the reader to think what happens next. A well deserved four stars from me. Highly recommend. Brilliant read.
I’d like to thank Random House UK Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Three Perfect Liars’ by Heidi Perks in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
The offices of Morris & Wood burn to the ground and a person carried out on a stretcher. Three women are at Lymington Quay on the evening of the fire, Laura Denning and Mia Anderson who work for Harry Wood, and his wife Janie. What are the women doing there and could one of them be responsible for starting the fire?
‘Three Perfect Liars’ is a thought-provoking thriller with an intriguing plot that relates the events from two months prior to the fire to the evening it happened. As DC Emily Marlow interviews the employees of Morris & Wood we’re given an in-depth understanding of the characters involved and what has caused someone to commit arson. I’ve especially enjoyed the story as it’s set in an area I know well and I thought the description of the area to be true to life. This is a tense and dramatic thriller with a cleverly thought out plot, credible characters, and so many twists and turns that I couldn’t stop reading, devouring it in less than a day. When I reached the conclusion it came as such a surprise and not what I was expecting. I’d like to thank Heidi Perks for giving me many hours of enjoyment. I can wholeheartedly recommend her story and can’t wait for the next.
#ThreePerfectLiars #NetGalley An easy to read book told from the perspective of three different women plus the police. It kept you guessing until the end the who what and why. I feel I would have enjoyed this book if I could have warmed to any of the three leading ladies but I didn't like any of them and so it left me feeling a bit like I wasn't really interested in who dunnit! A well written story nevertheless.
I found this hard to get into.
I wasn’t a fan of the switching between past and present tense that was used here.
I expected a tense whodunnit style novel but it all felt a little flat to me.
I couldn’t get along with any of the characters, none of them were likeable.
A very slow moving story with multiple narrators
Thank you Netgalley for a ARC of this book.
This story centres around three very different women who are all connected to a successful advertising agency in its extravagant offices - a building that the local residents fought hard to stop being built years ago. We begin by discovering there has been a fire at the building - but who did it, and why?
We have two timelines - Before and after the fire - and three women’s perspectives - Laura, who loves her job and has just returned to work after 6 months’ maternity leave to find that her replacement is still there; Mia - Laura’s maternity cover who has settled herself into the company and made herself too invaluable to be let go; and Janie- the wife of the company CEO, Harry.
The story flits between the lives of the three women before the fire, culminating with a dramatic party at Harry and Janie’s house, and police interviews with various characters taking place after the fire.
Why is Mia so intent on staying at the company when she insisted she only wanted something temporary? Why did Janie give up her high-flying job as a lawyer to move to this sleepy town? And why is Laura so threatened by Mia?
All three are shown to have motives for starting the fire but I was kept guessing right until the very end in this twisty and intriguing story.
Amazing book! I started this not sure what to expect as had been a while since I had read the blurb. However this hooked me in totally and there was no way to predict what the outcome was going to be!
Fantastic read and well worth every moment!
Well written whodunnit that keeps you hooked.
The way it’s written from the different perspectives made me question what I thought I knew!
This book is amazing. I literally could not put it down. Lots of hints are given throughout the book about grudges and things from the past but I did not guess what transpires at the end. I loved Laura and hated Mia although I ended up feeling sorry for her at the end. Nothing is what it seems. Office politics take on a new level in this book. My favorite read so far this year.
I felt like this was very a very slow burn book and seemed to drag on a little bit. One of the things I think made this feel so long and drawn out were the 3 main female characters. Laura has just come back from having a baby and was struggling with trying to balance her job, her marriage and her relationship with her new-born son. However, her freak outs over Mia just seemed ridiculous and she started to really annoy me which made me not care that much for her. I didn’t have much to think about Janie and she was probably the one out of the main three who didn’t annoy me and whose perspective I could see and understand the most. Mia was sort of an in between – the constant hinting towards something else was really annoying instead of being mysterious and feel like it was perhaps overused before it was released.
This was told in two timelines – before the fire where we get the three women’s perspectives and then after the fire where we see transcripts of police interviews with all members of staff who worked at the office that burned down. I’m not really sure how much extra the interviews added. I feel a lot of them just confirmed what we’d already found or being told in the timeline before the fire.
Overall this was an ok read. I didn’t see the twist of who set the fire and why, but with how the story was ramping up beforehand, you already had an idea of who it could be and even the reason why didn’t have that much shock value. There wasn’t particularly anything wrong with this book but I just didn’t find it gripping or thrilling enough to keep me really hooked and wanting to read more and not want to put the book down.
I was very excited to read a new book by Heidi Perks, and this one didn't let me down. The author built up a clear picture of the 3 suspects, and made you feel very sympathetic to each in turn, so you weren't sure who to root for. This book has the ability to keep you guessing all the way to the end, and was very hard to put down.
Harry Woods, the head of a London advertising firm, decides to build a new premises in Lymington much to the consternation of the locals. His wife Janie, a big shot Lawyer from London moves with him for reasons which aren't clear at the beginning of the book, but it's clear she has something to hide.
When Laura has to go off on Maternity leave from her high powered job in the firm, she deliberately picks Mia to replace her for the 6 months maternity cover as Mia categorically states that she doesn't want this as a permanent job, and she wants to leave after this time. Unfortunately Mia has secrets of her own and she makes sure that she is made permanent before Laura returns to work, taking Laura's largest client, and leaving Laura feeling pushed out. Laura has problems of her own - feeling guilty at leaving her son with his father for long hours. She finds she is keeping secrets too.
When the offices go up in smoke, and a body is pulled from the fire, Janie, Laura and Mia are questioned as suspects, as well as the Police interviewing many of their colleagues and friends.
The tale is told by interviews from the Police after the fire, and by the 3 women during the time leading up to the fire. Cleverly woven, and just giving enough information to keep you intrigued.
Another wonderful page turner from Ms Perks, peopled with believable characters and relationships, and clever twists it was difficult to put down.
Thank you to netgalley and Random house for an advance copy of this book
This was a real page turner for me ! I identified with a lot of the themes too which was perhaps one of the reasons I liked it to much. I could never tell which character was the baddie either! The structure of the book reminded me of Big Little Lies with some of the chapters describing the interviews between the police and the suspects. I loved the ending.
The problem with three perfect liars was I didn’t care enough about any of the characters. They just weren’t likeable and so who set the fire and why was irrelevant. It was right at the end when you find out why Mia started working for Harry and that she was really after Janie that things got interesting and at that point the book was ending. The author missed a trick there, it should have been more about the why in great detail and less about a bitchy workplace.
Not a winner for me this one,
Heidi Parks always has me hooked from page 1 and this book is no different
Three women Janie married to the owner of the business, Laura his once best worker back from maternity leave, to her safe job
After all she picked the girl to get her Mat leave job Mia only wants a temp job so works for them both although Laura suddenly realises whilst she has been away Mia has gone from temp to permanent and is now dealing with the client Laura has prepped and should be back working with
The business is not well liked in the community as a lot of locals objected to where it was being built
The business is ashes someone is dead all 3 woman where there as it burnt but who has best motive ??