House of Lies by D.S. Butler was a fabulous read that had me totally gripped from the start.

This is the 4th book in the series featuring DS Karen Hart, set in Lincolnshire and I picked up the series with Don't Turn Back (book 3) which I also thoroughly enjoyed. The fantastic plot-line and brilliant characters made House of Lies a superb and compelling tale that held me captive throughout.

With innumerable twists and turns, there was a barrage of suspects to select from which satisfied my armchair detective propensities and the swift pacing meant there was no room for boredom or tedium. It was an impeccably crafted story and the absence of possible motives at the beginning of the story when the hunt for the missing girls, school friends Cressida and Natasha started, helped to create the tense atmosphere. Complete with a high-stakes ending, this compulsive and highly entertaining police procedural should not be missed!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Having read Don't Turn Back I was really looking forward to the next DS Hart book and House of Lies didn't disappoint. Two teenage girls go missing from a residential study course at Chidlow House. As DS Hart begins to investigate she discovered that during this course s teacher has also died after falling from the roof. Stories of ghosts also emerge. With lots of suspects and no real leads it is a race against time to find the girls. Another great read face paced and totally unputdownable.

This was my first book with Detective Karen Hart, despite it being book 4 in the series. I'll now be buying books 1 - 3 as I loved it. Detective Sergeant Hart is a hero I felt invested in. She is a credible and likable character and I wanted her to succeed, not just because the crime needed solving but because I was taken with her as a person. I enjoyed the relationship between her and Morgan and would like to find out the story about the death of her family. The main thrust of the plot with Cressida and Natasha was well thought out and cleverly executed. The book starts at a cracking pace and doesn't flag at all the whole way through. A great detective story that's easy to read and connect with.

The story is fresh, with a number of twists and turns, but the highlight for me is the characters. Their struggles outside of their police work makes them real and endearing to the reader. From Rick's concern with his mom's dementia, to Karen's fight to get beyond the past, all contributes to the feeling that we are following real people solving real problems.

The fourth Detective Karen Hart novel, and I’m enjoying this series. A chilling tale of the disappearance of two teenage girls, this kept me guessing to the very end.

House of Lies! Wow,this story written by D.S.Butler! Where to start? Exciting, drama, mysterious this is just some of many emotions you find in this story. A detective story of two missing girls,accidents happen ing,a house that whispers,why do strange things keep happening and they did before these two girls disappeared. Detective Hart,she is so determined to find these girls but it's not as easy as she thinks it will be. Too many people covering up things, too many things lead to many different reasons and people and then the girls at this school,what is not only not making sense but is the school that's is a very old house keeping secrets ,what is the house trying to tell her! Follow Detective Hart as she takes the leads that are given to her! The characters in this story they have so many things to tell and not and so many different and exciting personalities. Find out with the rest of them on what the house has to hide,and why these girls were taken and why is everyone fighting her when they say they want the girls back! Are they still even alive? Hold on to your seat and be prepared to be scared and try to figure out the mystery of it all!! Received from Net Gallery! I thought a really good read and the questions you have they will be answered but not what you are expecting!

The cover and title sounded spooky enough for October. A mansion’s owner lends his home (with a dark reputation) for a study week for privileged high-school students. A teacher falls from the roof to her death and a few days later, two girls disappear. Because these girls are the daughters of wealthy, influent people, Detective Karen Hart is sent to investigate right the next day. She’s a good policeman, but she has trust issues after a betrayal that had cost her her husband’s and child’s lives. Ouch, talk to me about heavy bagage.

The story was alright, but the writing felt flat and every thought, action or suspicion was over-explained. I really hesitated to drop the book altogether but at 30% the pace picked up and I simply wanted to know who did it. I wished for a bit more “show don’t tell” in this 4th installment of a series. I felt I was missing out by not having read the previous ones. I didn’t guess the resolution of the mystery, but I found it was a bit diluted by the overall plot arch.

This is book number 4 in the DS Karen Hart series. Two teenage girls disappear from a school course at Chidlow House, which is rumoured to be haunted. Several of the people at the house seem to have something to hide, and Detective Hart has a difficult job ahead of her in investigating the disappearance.
I started this book not realising it was in the middle of a series, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I absolutely loved it, and will have to go back and read the preceding books. It is really well written and suspenseful, with likable characters. The book doesn't focus too much on the supernatural, but that gives it a nice, creepy feeling.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I am enjoying this series, it gets better with each book. The story kept me guessing till the last page, I am looking forward to reading more

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* wow yikes, kinda saw that coming but wasnt sure, pretty good series looking forward to more books!

House of Lies by D. S. Butler is the fourth Detective Karen Hart story in the series.

After a teacher falls from the roof in a suspected suicide or 'accident' two girls, Cressida and Natasha disappear, Detective Karen Hart is called to investigate.

I was kept engaged through out and very one was a suspect! As a fan of British Crime Dramas, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of House of Lies.

This was a really good book to read and was enjoyable.

It starts with a mysterious death of a teacher overseeing a study week for students.

Then two of the students disappear and Detective Karen, has to work out if they are connected.

Kept me guessing to the end and was well written

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

DS Karen Hart is back. Every story is a fast-paced, whodunit kind of thing. And this time we get a haunted house. Chidlow house has a history. Women who live there drown themselves in the lake and the story is that their ghosts roam the halls. Spooky. So spooky it scares a young teacher helping to supervise a study week. So spooky she ends up dead from a fall from then roof. That is not what brings our friend DS Hart to Chidlow House. Days later two teenagers disappear.

The story itself is has plenty of twists and turns but I was hoping for a little more progress on the cliffhanger from the previous book. I guess I will have to read the next installment for that. There were some new characters that I do hope we see again. My only complaint would be how easily the detectives are sometimes lead. No seasoned detective should be surprised that a teenager would lie to impress their friends, for example. There were enough bad guys to go around, though. Kept it interesting.

House of Lies is the fourth instalment in the DS Karen Hart series, set in Lincolnshire, England. When one of the teachers, Alison King, working at a week-long intensive study retreat held at Chidlow House falls to death from a rooftop, after apparently following a shadowy figure, no one knows whether it was an accident, suicide or something even more sinister. The following day, two 17-year-old girls on the course, Cressida and Natasha, disappear, after leaving the camp to have some forbidden fun. Detective Hart and her superior, DI Scott Morgan, are called in to investigate the strange goings-on pretty rapidly as one of the last people to see the girls was the son of a senior police officer and this leads to Hart being under pressure to recover the girls alive wherever they may be. They begin to hear stories about the house being haunted as there had been a tragic drowning there, and Karen, who was sceptical at first, begins to believe it might be true when she hears mysterious voices and the sound of dripping water. As they begin to interview those present at the estate, they come to realise that there could be several suspects, as many are keeping secrets.

This is a thoroughly riveting, action-packed and absorbing thriller/procedural and from the opening pages, it had me hook, line and sinker. I must admit I was on the edge of my seat, despite it being cliche, but I really found it tense and brilliantly twisty. It moves at a rapid-fire pace as DS Hart and DI Morgan try to work out who is telling them the truth and who is spinning them a line. It's an impeccably crafted story with an engaging cast and protagonist in central figure Karen who is an intelligent, tenacious and justice-driven Detective. The fact that the girls came from money and the police feeling under pressure to find them because of that really rung true as I've seen that happen a lot in true crime cases. Just about everyone is a suspect and this kept me guessing right until the end. An immensely gripping and highly entertaining police procedural with an engrossing high stakes race against time. Strap yourself in and enjoy the nail-biting ride. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Amazon Publishing for an ARC.

While DS Karen Hart is trying to figure out why the case against DI Freeman has stalled, she lands a new case. Not long after a teacher falls to her death from the roof, 2 students on a week long intensive study week at Chidlow House go missing. Her team must piece together what happened to the girls.

While this isn’t the first in the series, the main story is stand alone. I highly recommend this novel for the crime lover.

There's heart-pounding suspense as D.S.Butler's latest novel takes one right inside a spooky, reputedly haunted mansion.
The plot is gripping and carefully structured, keeping one guessing right to the very end.
A look at the dark side of what being super rich can mean and how easy it is to lose everything, and the cost it can bring in human misery and death. So much better than many crime novels I have read recently.

Days after a young teacher falls to her death from the rooftop of the mysterious Chidlow House, two young girls leave for a forbidden night out and do not return. DS Karen Hart and her partner DI Scott Morgan are called to investigate.

The disappearance of the girls, Natasha and Cressida, from the week long study program at Chidlow House, gets special attention from the police not only because the girls’ parents are privileged and wealthy. Ethan Grayson, the last to see the girls, is the son of the Chief Constable John Grayson. Feeling pressured to solve the case quickly, Karen and Scott interview students and other potential witnesses. They question Graham Doyle, the smarmy course director, Lord Chidlow, a totally unlikeable character and Mike Harrington, the brooding groundskeeper. Then there is a huge break in the case but it’s a break that does not lead to the expected answers.

House of Lies is a tightly plotted, satisfying police procedural. D.S. Butler has created a must read series and I look forward to the next Karen Hart mystery. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and D.S. Butler for this ARC.

DC Karen Hart is called to the scene after two girls disappear while on a weeklong study program at Chidlow House. Earlier that week, a teacher fell from the roof of the same house. Are the two related or just a terrible coincidence? Not all is as it seems with those who are in residence at Chidlow and the deeper the detectives dig, the more secrets are uncovered.

This is an interesting enough tale, though it seems a bit slow to me even though it takes place over only a few days. The story is repetitive with information at multiple points. The characters are a bit confusing to sort at times. While the main characters are fine, Lord Chidlow and the man running the education program, Doyle, are eye roll worthy stereotypes. The setting is described well and engaging.

Overall, it was a fine read, but nothing I would put in the must read category.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Story of murder intrigue, two girls 17yrs old are at an education retreat along with a few students all with rich parents and its taking place at Chidlow House said to be haunted very old and bleak with grounds and lake to match, and comes with a lot of history. The lord of the manor is not happy that his home is being used but penny-pinching needs the income it brings. First one of the teachers falls to her death is it suspicious? then the two girls decided to sneak off out to the local pub only one comes back, where did the other girl go,? and can Cressida the one to return shed some light on Natasha's whereabouts. DI Scot Morgan and DS Karen Hart are investigating and Karen also has baggage as she lost her husband and child in a car accident or was it? and is still looking for answers, so these young adults are a priority for her to find the truth. Good procedure although I did think it strange that Karen was asked by the Chief Inspector how the case was moving, usually the SIO does that, and that being DI Morgan, and did get a bit slow at times but none the less good read have read this author before and always found her a satisfying read.
Would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy to read and review

House of Lies by D.S. Butler is the 4th in the Detective Karen Hunt series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, 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.

Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DS Karen Hart lost her husband Josh and her daughter Tilly in a car accident. Years later, she can't move on, especially since she discovered that their "accident" had been covered up by the police.  She is determined to find the corruption in the force.  She works with DI Scott Morgan,  DC Sophie Jones, and DC Rick Cooper.

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

Two teenage girls disappear while on an educational trip to Chidlow House, a reportedly haunted mansion.  It seems odd that their teacher had just fallen to her death from the roof a few days ago.

Karen and her team search the many rooms, and the vast grounds, calling in underwater specialists to search the lake.  Meanwhile, they have a lot of people to interview.  Between the other students, the program manager, the owner and the caretaker, there are definitely some interesting characters.  They also have some interesting stories, but Karen isn't sure everyone is telling the truth.  She's also not sure the missing girls were too reliable.

Meanwhile, Karen is still rather concerned with the lack of progress being made in the corruption case against DI Freeman and associates.

My Opinions:   

These books are a fast read, and I think this was the best in the series thus far.

I like the characters surrounding Karen Hart, and wish for more information about them.  The author is slowly allowing Karen to trust her co-workers again, and the pace for this feels right.

There were a number of suspects, and although I had an early idea of the identity of the perpetrator, and even the reasons behind the crime, the method of discovery was interesting.  As well,  the pace and plot flowed smoothly, and everything was fully explained.

Although these books are not "deep", they are interesting and I find them an entertaining light read.  I am enjoying the series, and will continue to read them.