The Liar’s Girl

Reviews

“A very satisfying and twisty tale.”

“A twisty read in which the tragedies extend beyond the murders. Has a man’s life been ruined by a crime he did not commit? If so, why did he confess?”

“The Liar’s Girl takes us back to the canals of Dublin in a story packed with psychological trickery and playing on the theme of the bad boy, and a very bad boy indeed. What do you do when you realize your boyfriend is a killer?”

“[A] sophisticated psychological thriller…Howard’s portrait of Alison as a bright girl full of hope starkly contrasts that of the woman whose light has been dimmed by tragedy. The exploration of the characters’ inner lives—their jealousy, guilt, misguided chivalry—is as riveting as the crime.”

“Slick, smart, and stylish suspense. Characters so real I felt I knew them personally, a plot so taut it squeaked, and deeply poignant nods to the loss of innocence that every teenager craves and despairs. Really clever.”

“A meticulous, devious plot, superb writing, and vivid, sympathetic characters would be enough to make The Liar’s Girl a stand-out read, but its dark, sad, inevitable ending makes it a triumph.”

“Read The Liar’s Girl with the lights on. A thrilling whodunit with a shocking final twist.”

“Catherine Ryan Howard is such a skilled storyteller—every setting was evocative, every hook well-placed, every twist expertly timed. I flew through it! Astonishingly good.”

“An absolute belter of a book…[A] stand-out book in the thriller genre. Real and sympathetic characters, a flawlessly paced plot, and a genuinely original premise. I finished it at 2:00 a.m. last night, my heart pounding!”

“The author grabs the reader by the scruff of the neck and she never lets go. She transforms Dublin into a sinister city of shadows, building the tension until breaking point…The plotting is faultless and the writing assured. Catherine Ryan Howard is as good as the early Val McDermid.”

“[In] this exceptional thriller…Howard keeps the reader turning the pages right through to the shocking and satisfying resolution.”

“Readers of Paula Hawkins, Tana French, and Ruth Ware will love this exceptionally well-crafted thriller.”

“Howard toggles smoothly between past and present and between Alison and the perpetrator, revealing the extent of the lies only in the final pages. Another impressive writer to watch in the thriller genre.”

“The convergence of survivor guilt, emotional insecurity, naiveté, and strange coincidences that bridge the past and present make this a taut psychological crime thriller from a young Irish writer who bears watching.”

“Although Howard meanders a bit through the streets and shops and pubs of Cork and Dublin, she picks up the pace when it most matters—and tosses a lovely curveball at the end, too.”

“[As] three accomplished Irish narrators present the story…Alana Kerr Collins portrays a fractured but resolute Alison…Listeners hear her nervous, reluctant voice and her anxiety about opening old wounds. Alan Smyth and Gary Furlong bring to life a mad murderer, the imprisoned boyfriend, a likable police detective, and other characters, using voices that sound genuine and natural. The multiple perspectives fill out the narrative of this engrossing psychological suspense.”

“The Liar’s Girl is an addictive page-turner that asks, would you stand by someone you loved if he was accused of murder? The set-up is horribly believable as we toggle between the past and present lives of two adults reconciling themselves to the consequences of their teenage immaturity. Catherine Ryan Howard ladles out the suspense like spoonfuls of sugar, building to a heady rush of tension—and a heartbreaking final twist in the tale.”

“The Liar’s Girl is a haunting thriller about one woman’s attempt to escape a horrific past…and her inability to fully do so. I found myself continually surprised and even shocked by the twists and turns in the plot. This is a fast-moving, crackling good novel.”

“This may just be the best book I have ever read! Howard writes an amazingly terrifying story of how one small lie can change the course of your entire life and those around you. I simply cannot say enough good things about this book, it left me utterly speechless!”

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