Published August 15th, 2024 by Michael Joseph
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
Welcome to my review for the The Liars, the unnerving thriller by Katherine Fleet, which was one of the SquadPod Featured Books in August. Thank you to Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
EAD THE INTENSE, EVOCATIVE DESTINATION THRILLER FOR FANS OF LUCY CLARKE AND WILL DEAN
Two sisters. One missing girl. An island full of secrets . . .
‘Compelling and utterly transportive, a scorching summer read’ LUCY CLARKE
‘Beautiful writing and characterisation and a gripping plot. Such an atmospheric read ‘ SARAH PEARSE
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I thought I saw her today. Down by the water. It was her hair I noticed. Do you ever see her, Lex? Does she haunt you too?
I haven’t been back to Eos since I first met my step-sister, Lex.
It’s been twenty-five years since that summer.
Since we went from strangers to sisters.
Since Abigail went missing.
Since we told the first lie.
Now we’re back together on the island.
So much has changed since we were teenagers.
We’ve both tried to move on from the past – from each other.
But the island won’t let us escape our secrets.
Only me and Lex know the truth about Abigail.
We’ve been living a lie for so long.
And if the truth comes out – neither of us will survive it . . .
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MY REVIEW:
A cold case that has never been solved. Teenage friendship and insecurities. A sun-soaked summer of memories and secrets. A missing girl. The Liars has all this and more, making it the perfect scorching summer thriller.
Still haunted by memories of the sun-soaked summer she met Lex, Zoe hasn’t returned to Eos for twenty-five years. That summer wasn’t just one of teenage fun, friendship and insecurities, it was also when a girl went missing and her two friends swore to keep a dark secret forever. But now, Zoe is back for her step-father’s funeral and finds that the ghosts of that summer never left the island. And they’ve been waiting for her to return…
Atmospheric, intense, unnerving and addictive, this escapist thriller is not to be missed. Told in dual timelines, Katherine Fleet has packed a lot into these pages: heartbreak, grief, friendship, insecurity, anxiety, envy, secrets, lies, romance, and self-discovery. Her writing is skillful and captivating, a sense of uneasiness and foreboding woven through the story while darkness simmers beneath the surface. There is also a strong sense of place, Fleet transporting me to the island of Eos so evocatively that I could feel the sun rays hitting my skin, hear the waves and smell the suncream. From the start we know that something bad happened twenty-five years ago. A secret that Zoe and Lex had vowed to always hide and was so terrible it tore them apart. Chills ran down my spine and I was on the edge of my seat as I tried to guess what had happened to Abigail.
Zoe narrates the story in both timelines, offering the reader a glimpse into her psyche and showing us the other characters through her lens. This obviously makes it a biased account of events, but you get the sense that Zoe is a reliable narrator. Fleet’s characterisation is spot on, perfectly capturing the bittersweet teenage years with all their rebellion, angst, confusion and insecurity. She also perfectly captures the dynamics of teenage female friendships with all their drama, rivalry and jealousy.
So if you’re looking for a suspenseful and intriguing read you can escape with this summer, The Liars is for you.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Katherine Fleet is a writer and author coach for The Novelry. As a journalist, she wrote for The Guardian, Sunday Times, Red, Stella and Grazia. She lives in a Cotswold valley with her two rescue dogs, where she writes and coaches full-time. A trip to the small Greek island of Paxos was the inspiration for The Liars.
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BUY THE BOOK:
Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx
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