This was truly an excellent book. Beautiful written, elegantly plotted, and gorgeously executed. The narrator was also absolutely wonderful. What a performance! I'm astonished that I hadn't heard of this author before now. I will be searching out her books from now on!

I absolutely loved this book!
The story is powerful, has twists and turns, ups and downs, it tugs at your heart and makes you want more!
Highly recommend this book and author!!

An adolescent goes missing at the start of WWI, and is not found.

In 1920, the once rich Stilwells live in their estate home, Darkacre Hall, unable to care for it properly, and the men suffering the effects of the war. They are Maurice and Ida Stilwell, a married couple, Leonard Stilwell, Maurice's brother, badly maimed in the war and confined to a wheelchair, and their friend Victor Monroe, a longtime associate of the brothers. Maurice spent time in Craiglockhart, treated for shellshock after the war before returning home, while Leonard loathes his damaged boy.

Inspector Hume arrives one day, asking about the missing boy, with all claiming no knowledge of his whereabouts.

Not long after, a young woman answers an advertisement from Ida for a housekeeper. Sarah Hove was a nurse during the war, and is not put off by Leonard's many needs, and is hired instantly.

She quickly and competently takes over, and gradually learns more about the frustrations and angers that are both driving the family apart, and the experiences during the War that tie them irreparably together. At the same time, Maurice begins claiming he is hearing and smelling things that no one else can, with the family convinced his shellshock has returned.

A Sergeant Verity shows up to continue to ask questions. He, too, has been maimed during his service, and Victor and Ida, both intolerant of any disability or imperfection, are uncomfortable and increasingly angered by the man's persistence. It becomes clear that perhaps the family knows more about the boy's disappearance than was thought, and the effects of Verity's presence, as well as the phantoms Maurice continues to experience, cause tensions to rise, while even quiet Sarah becomes suspicious to the family.

This was a wonderfully claustrophobic novel, with author Anita Frank showing the family, already shaky and isolated, beginning to crack and turn on each other with the reopening of the 1914 case, and Verity's sinister hints and questions.

The Stilwells and Monroe are uniformly self-absorbed and of varying degrees of unlikeable. It's clear they're keeping secrets, tied to actions taken in 1914 and during the war, but what they are, when revealed, are emblematic of people who feel themselves better than and above others. It's easy to dismiss Sarah's quiet competence as she keeps things going in the background, but she herself seems to be keeping secrets.

Frank does not shy away from showing readers the horrors of the war, and its subsequent trauma, whether from what we now call PTSD, or from depression and suicide.

The atmosphere is heavy and dark, and it's a shock and relief when all the unresolved anger and violence explodes. Frank ably creates a chilling story fraught with lies and unsaid things, and populated well drawn characters. I loved the constant feeling of danger and the great prose, and greatly enjoyed this book.

I also listened to the audiobook, and voice actor Kristin Atherton does a terrific job inhabiting all the characters. Her Maurice is great as he seems initially like a happy puppy, but as events progress he comes apart, with her voice conveying his desperate hold on his sanity. Her Sarah's quiet voice always seems to hint at great emotions, while Victor's dry, sneering tones allowed me to perfectly picture him looking bored and frustrated with everyone around him.

Thank you to Netgalley, HQ, and HarperAudio Adult for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

The Good Liars is a wonderful cozy mystery with plenty of twists along the way. It's clever and timeless, with a decidedly Agatha Christie feel, while also managing to keep the reader at the end of their sea from chapter to chapter. The end will leave you shocked!

Posted on Goodreads - 12/9/24

This book would be perfect for anyone who enjoys historical mysteries and family drama. This book takes place after World War 1, and reveals that the past doesn't always stay buried. Frank does an amazing job of describing life after the war, and how it changes people. With that being said, if you are sensitive to things such as shell shock/PTSD, the book may be a bit overwhelming for you. Overall, I found it to be a captivating book that keeps you wondering till the very end.

The revenge plot on this one was so good. I knew no one could be trusted, they were all unreliable narrators, hiding things from each other and the reader, from the past and the present, and when it all unravels the ending was a good pay off.

I will say I wasn’t expecting war injuries and PTSD to play such a big part of the plot. I figured they’d be *some* discussion, but not that’d be central themes.

Overall, the characters (though some were quite unlikable) were well developed and the story is well written. Nothing groundbreaking, but an enjoyable story nonetheless.

Audiobook — the narrator did a fantastic job with the different POVs.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of the audiobook

Admission: I kept listening to this WWI - centered British mystery when I was distracted. I almost made a serious mistake! I almost decided not to finish it. There are so many fine books out there to read and so little time. But I decided to be fair to "The Good Liars" and to start over and pay more attention. I am so glad I did.

The Good Liars has the feel of a retro-locked room mystery at times, with several members of a less wealthy than thy used to be family. The residents of Darkwood include Morris,, a not quite all better from severe shell shock veteran who inherited the property because the oldest son, Hugo, died in the war. Ida, Morris's wife is gorgeous and has notable regret about her choice of marriage. With the death of her father-in-law followed by Hugo's death, they had double death tax duty to pay and her expectation of a life of ease is not being met. Morris's best fried from back in their school days, Victor, has lived with the family for years. The reasons are unclear, but he is the take charge guy, the fixer when things go wrong. Then, there's the youngest, Leonard, who has lost two legs and the use of his left arm in the war, depressed, suicidal and cared for at home because Morris insists. Ida, spoiled and selfish and beautiful cannot understand why it is unacceptable to send Leonard away, but when she finally finds a new housekeeper willing to work for the meager wages she can offer, things start to look up. Sarah, the new housekeeper was an army nurse and can cook and clean with a kind and pleasant manner. She brings some light to the household. And then they receive a visit from a detective/inspector about the disappearance and likely death of a 17 year old local boy. Jimmy disappeared six years earlier., the day before Morris and Leonard were setting off with the regiment Hugo already joined. It was a local regiment, full of townspeople.

As the police begin to investigate newly received clues about the boy's disappearance, we get to know the family well. Do we like them? Each member seems complex. Both sympathetic and problematic. They talk about various things related to the missing boy and terrible experiences in the war that both horrify them and make them very dependent on one another. Morris is reliving some nightmares. Leonard wants to kill himself. Victor is there to take care of … who? There's an African Parrot, a candlestick telephone, a phonograph, gas lights and electricity in their hodgepodge postwar existence in rural Great Britain.

The atmosphere is thick as a knife, Yet this is not gothic, nor a horror story. It has ghost story aspects with all the death they have experienced in the short time before they went to war and returned. Parents died. 23 people in the small town died at war. Good Liars is beautifully written and the narrator, Kristin Atherton was fabulous. She captures the various personalities in the voices, even the lisp of a police sergeant who only has half a face, with the other half covered in a metal mask. That sent me down a rabbit hole reading about these prosthetic masks for disfigured soldiers, developed in part by sculptors. Look up pictures. They were pretty well done.

This was a well plotted novel and pretty much everyone felt like a suspect before anything even happened. Their inner thoughts reveal character more than information and so it's fair to say that everyone is a good liar. Great plot. Great characters. Wonderful writing. I'm so glad I listened to this. And I commend it to you.

This book was ok. It felt like the suspense was on the entire time. No build up just ominous until the very end. That made me less invested in the characters, meaning I didn't care who did what by the end. This could've been a good story but it fell flat.

I expected to love this but I really loved it. I mean it was fabulous. It is sad and creepy. I felt all the emotions. It was a whole experience. I loved the narration!
This was a good listen.

Anita Frank’s The Good Liars is a masterfully atmospheric tale of crime, deceit, and murder set in the early 1920s. From its richly detailed setting to its intricate and unique plot, this book pulls you into a world brimming with secrets and betrayal.

The story is impeccably crafted, with layers of suspense and heartbreak that build steadily to a finale filled with shocking revelations. While the pace slows slightly in the middle, the payoff is well worth it, rewarding readers with twists and turns they’ll never see coming. Frank excels at immersing readers in the era—her descriptions are so vivid, you’ll feel as though you’re walking through the haunting streets and shadowy corners of post-World War I England. The audiobook read by Kristin Atherton was very well done and highly recommended.

This is a gripping read that will linger long after you’ve turned the last page. If you enjoy historical mysteries with emotional depth and unexpected surprises, The Good Liars is not to be missed.

Six years after a young boy disappears in an English village, and two years after the end of the Great War, the police are knocking on the door of a dilapidated estate home with evidence that they believe links the occupants to the case. The arrival of a detective sergeant coincides with the hiring of a new housekeeper and caregiver, who finds herself swept up in the family's drama as dark secrets come to light.

This story was so unique and compelling, a real cat-and-mouse mystery that kept me listening intently. Anita Frank did a great job of describing the characters, setting, and action in a way that I could picture in my head (something that isn't always easy for me when I'm reading). I really liked the audiobook -- the narrator was outstanding, especially during the really suspenseful, action-packed scenes. The ending was really satisfying, after many twists and turns that I did not expect.

I would happily read more from this author!

While the historical setting and intricate character backstories are compelling, the story ultimately failed to fully capture my interest. Detective Sergeant Verity's investigation into a boy’s disappearance and the unraveling of the Stilwell family’s secrets held potential, but the pacing and atmosphere didn’t quite deliver the suspense or engagement I had hoped for. Despite its intriguing premise, the narrative lacked the gripping tension needed to make it truly memorable.

This was interesting. The narrator was great. I enjoyed the paranormal aspect and the setting. I haven’t read many hf set around wwI.

Thanks to Harper Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What really sold me on this book was the voice acting - Kristin Atherton is superb. You're never left wondering which character you're listening to.

The story itself is quite good and well-written (although I feel like some of this ground has been tread in a previous Maisie Dobbs novel?). Sarah Hove is the new housekeeper at Darkacre, an old pile of a manor that's starting to crumble from lack of upkeep. Its residents are brothers Leonard and Maurice Stilwell, Maurice's beautiful wife, Ida, and their longtime family friend Victor. The three men have all been in WWI together, and Leonard has lost both legs and an arm; Maurice clearly has PTSD, and only Victor has had just mild injuries and no shell shock. They have lost the oldest brother, Hugo, in the war, and both parents are dead. Ida has made enemies in the town center by having passed out white feathers to underage boys, encouraging them to join up by suggesting they are cowards. Sarah is meant to be taking over Leonard's care, and it's not long before the police are sniffing around, asking about a boy who went missing in 1914. New evidence suggests that he was last seen in the woods around Darkacre; do the residents know anything about that?

Adding to the feeling of dread are some spectral visions and smells, most associated with the late Hugo. The group can smell his favorite pipe tobacco, or can they? Maurice goes into a decline in his mental health after hearing Germans whispering in his room in the dark while he's trying to sleep. And, apparently, Sarah can see, and perhaps communicate, with the dead.

The most compelling character is Sergeant Verity, who arrives day after day, finally needing to stay at Darkacre after the bridge to the manor gives out in a violent storm. Verity is also an injured WWI veteran, as evidenced by his face, partially covered by a galvanized copper painted mask. His injury has left him with a strange, lisping voice, which he puts to good use carefully interrogating the house's inhabitants.

I was a little let down by the ending (the twist was subtle, and in retrospect, quite obvious), but the richly detailed plot more than makes up for it, and Atherton's performance is a revelation. 4 stars

It starts slow and there were a few times I had to listen again to some parts because it moved so quickly. It’s an excellent look into the lasting horrors of World War I and how a family secret can poison everything. A delicious historical mystery. While half the characters are unlikable, it makes it all the sweeter when things begin to happen.