Oooooh, the start of a new series is always exciting so I was keen to start reading this book, from a new-for-me author.

Maggie is the new police chief in a tiny town. The locals don't know her past, and that is just as well, it is a colourful one. Even her partner Steve doesn't know everything, but then again, he has his own secrets too.

A body is discovered and trying to find out who killed him is tricky. The main suspect is accused of this murder and another but he swears up and down that he didn't kill one of them. What on earth is going on??

Heather is a teenage girl from a bad background. The author's description of the environment in which Heather and her baby sister were living, gave me the shivers. Unfortunately, I can picture it all too well.

Somehow, Heather and Maggie make a connection and Maggie swears to help Heather as much as she can. However, what is Heather's connection to this dead body?

A thrilling and sometimes heartbreaking tale.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

What would make a super smart detective relocate to the backwaters of Maine? Hollinger parses out little tidbits of Maggie’s reasons just enough to whet my appetite. I was also hungry for Steven’s story.
For a small town it has huge secrets and deception.
I thought it was funny how the state police were referred as staties.
There are several sub stories that stemmed from a central plot and all ends were tied up nicely.
Next stop, book 2.

Fast paced and suspenseful. Psychological thriller that keeps you on edge throughout. Loved Maggie and Steve. They both balanced each other perfectly. Maggie's instinct are sharp and clever. A very skilfully told story that only give readers just enough at just the right moments. It's the suspense and tension that make you turn pages faster. I would love to read more about Maggie's past secrets. Glad there are two more books following up.

This is the first of 3 books in the series that I downloaded and as soon as I finished the first I started the second one. You don't have to read them in order as they update about on what happened before in chief Maggie's life.
Maggie Riley is a very good detective who has her hands full trying to find out who is going around killing.
She is running away from her past and hopes that her boyfriend Steve doesn't find out what she is hiding.
When he comes across some boxes and looks inside he knows her secret, but Steve also has a secret, one that he hopes never gets out.
I am really enjoying these books and am now into book 3.

The Girl Who Lied is the first book in the new Chief Maggie Riley series. It lets us get to know a bit about Maggie and her background. Well, by the end of the book you know more about her background. She has lots of past secrets for sure. I think with each book we will find out more about what makes Maggie who she is.
I am not sure why I had some issues reading the story. I think there was just so much going and so many characters, it started to get confusing. That’s not saying I didn’t enjoy the book. It actual kept me pretty engaged throughout the book.
Definitely a great start to a new series.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a new author for me bit is definitely one that will be going on my 'To Look Out For' list!

This book has SO much going for it and so ,much I love in a book including a strong female main character who is tough, smart and fiesty. I also seem to be drawn to series that are set in small towns across America, this one is set in Coyote Cove in Maine where the winters can be unbearable but worth putting up with once the flowers start to bloom in spring.

Chief Maggie Riley hasn't relatively been in her role for very long and like a lot of small towns, hasnt been welcomed by all with open arms. Engaged to the mysterious Steve and cohabiting with her two pups, Maggie doesn't let the opinions of the towns folks stop her doing her job, alongside her deputy Dale Murphy, even if she doesn't always follow the rules.

When the body of a man is discovered out in the woods surrounding the town with a young girl stood near screaming, Maggie has to bring in outside forces to help investigate. Thankfully due to the fact Maggie is renowned for her previous role as a Detective, the other State authorities mostly treat her with the respect she deserves.

Alongside the investigation of this stranger to the town, Maggie is trying to figure out why the girl, Heather, was also present. Are they connected? Is Heather the killer?

Both Maggie and her fiance Steve are holding secrets close to their chests and from each other and as the book progresses we start to learn what these are and the author worked wonders weaving these in throughout the story. I loved just how intriguing each character was, nothing was as it seems and everyone has secrets.

Told from numerous POVs, unlike alot of books told in this format it wasn't hard to keep on track with. Each POV was narrated clearly and concisely and more importantly was relevant (I've found alot of books in the past put in too many POVs that aren't actually needed).

This was one hell of a start to a series with just the right amount of twists, turns and revelations to keep you constantly second guessing and playing amateur Detective. It had me sucked in from the very beginning and didnt let up until the very end.

Fantastic start to a new series!

Huge thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

This is a brilliant start to a new series and I can’t wait to read the next book.
Chief Maggie Riley has moved to Coyote Cove to escape her past. She’s a highly renowned Detective but has taken the role as Chief in this sleepy town so she has a quiet life.
All is going well until Maggie finds the body of a man one night and a murder investigation has to take place. Outside forces are brought in and one of the Detectives knows Maggie was a brilliant Detective so gives her the respect she deserves, but the other one is just rude.
There’s a young girl at the scene when Maggie finds the man and we gradually learn what happened to her that night and why she was there.
This is a gripping crime thriller that I really enjoyed.
If you’re looking for a fast paced crime series, this is the book for you.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was a multiple character point of view. The author did a good job with character development. I enjoyed Heathers character the most. She had a hard life and just wanted to be loved. It had really good twists. There was a murderer on the loose and it kept you guessing about who it was until the end . I would’ve given this book a 5 star review but there were many unknowns left that kept you hanging on til the end of the book until it ended with no answers. The title should probably be tweaked a bit. The cover is great! I do wish more character development would’ve been utilized for Murphy’s character. I’m still confused a little about him. It was also strange he’s POV was the only one where is wasn’t first person. Besides the many questions that are still unknown (maybe they will be explained in the second book) I would recommend this book to other readers.

This is book 1 of new series, and it comes out swinging! You really don't know as a reader what Maggie's past is, or why she has taken a small town job. You know she seems intelligent, and knows how to work a case, but he's also dealing with back woods attitudes and perceptions. When she takes in a teenager, in order to save her, it adds to the sense of Maggie as a really good guy. But is she? What is in her past that might be affecting the case at hand? It's a very twisted web of deceit and lies, that will leave you shocked and going back a couple of chapters, to see where you missed a red herring or two. A super debut for the series, I can't wait to rad more in it!

3.5 stars. A good new Police Procedural to keep your eyes out for! I'll be checking out book 2 on this one.

The Girl Who Lied is extremely twisty and has a heap of POVs. Chapters are short and I thought it was too many characters with brief chapters to start, but Hollinger has done it very well with each character distinguishable.

This has a lot of mystery and is intriguing. I think some of the twists were a bit left of field but it was fun and unpredictable.

This book has one of if not the worst lines I've read in a fiction book that is very offensive or inappropriate. I won't re quote it here again but I'm hoping it's corrected before publication. It has reduced my rating. I found it extremely hard to get back into this for about 4 days because I was just completely shocked that anyone could allow it in a book, whether or not it's an ARC or not. IMO, it has no place in even first drafts. My other gripe was a bit OTT feminist references it got to a point of "ok, we get it, move on".

Anyway, that aside, it was enjoyable and I'll check out book 2.

Anticipated publication date: 2 August 2023.

⚠️ Check TWs online - there are some extreme ones re: babies/births etc. ⚠️

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Bookouture for my eARC in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

The woods are hiding more than Chief Maggie Riley could ever imagine. Including her own worst nightmares…

There’s a blood moon rising over the tiny Maine town of Coyote Cove. Chief Maggie Riley is driving home ahead of a storm when she comes across the body of a man, blood seeping from stab wounds into the damp forest floor. And Heather, a local teenage girl, standing terrified, a silent scream on her lips, beside him.

The story is easy to read, twisty and full of intrigue to find out the secrets that everyone is keeping. It's told from multiple POVs which works really well as the story progresses.

I really enjoyed the characters especially Maggie. This book sets up for a great start to a new series, one that I will definitely want to continue reading. I have no idea who I can trust in this series or how dark their secrets go.

I would recommend for anyone who likes detective/crime novels.

4 stars.

This booked just hopped around a little too much for me, well written but for whatever reason, I just couldn't get into it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a good, small town mystery set in rural Maine. The pace is fast, with a few interesting twists along the way, and the characterisation is believable. I loved the two dogs and the character of Heather, I felt quite sorry for her and the life she had. The story was told from multiple view points, which worked very well but it just failed to keep my interest until the end. A fair start to a new series though. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

The Girl Who Lied (Chief Maggie Riley Book 1) by Shannon Hollinger is a gripping thriller. I actually liked the format and the different character perspectives for each chapter. It seemed to work very well with this book and how the author told the story.

Coyote Cove is an intriguing, atmospheric locale, almost a character of its own.

The story mentions being unable to escape reality as it will find you wherever you try to hide, which is so true.

The storyline was addictive, and I liked getting to know these characters and their stories. It was pretty page-turning and a very satisfying conclusion with good twists.

I would recommend this book and this author.

#TheGirlWhoLied #NetGalley @bookouture

When Maggie Riley. moved to Coyote Cove, Maine to become the Chief of Police she expected to have a quieter life than she did in Florida but then.....She discovers a murder victim in the woods and then Heather, a teen girl, emerges from the trees with bloody hands. That's only the start because there are more victims out there (many more than one would expect under the circumstances). Maggie's a good protagonist but the story needed a tad more editing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, An interesting start to a new series that show potential.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy for my honest review. While this book hopped around a bit, then would suddenly come up with an outlandish scenario, totally out of sync with the previous chapter, it has a decent ending that made the rest worth it to get to the finale. Hoping the other books in this series are a bit more grounded and in sync, and looking forward to reading those.

When police chief Maggie Riley is headed home one night, she stumbles across a dead body. Nearby is troubled teen Heather. Most people in town believe her to be the culprit. But when Maggie discovers another body, she isn’t so sure.

I liked the story here but the way the characters were written, especially internal dialogue, was just not for me. It felt a little over the top/heavy handed. A decent mystery despite that though!

So good!!! EVERYone has a secret!! This book is full of twists and turns. Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't! I am definitely a Maggie fan!! Bring on the next one.

This book was addictive I swear every time I picked it up I’d stay up till the early hours of the morning because I couldn’t put it down. I’m excited for the next book in the series and seeing what chief Riley will do next

Book One Gripping start to this thriller with Chief Maggie Riley.
Coyote Cove and a full moon the night of the murder as Maggie rolls up in her jeep thinking it's a drunk that has passed out having to call in Murphy then the sky opens up and the flood begins.
Heather Gillis is out wandering in the small town in the rain and she's alright but Maggie thinks she's hiding something.
What a gripping mind blowing book this is and I loved reading and loved the character Maggie, bring on more in the series