Zoe has to go back to Calliope, the old house on Eos, where she first met her step-sister Lex. She hasn’t been back or spoken to Lex for twenty five years. Last time they were there another girl, Abigail, went missing. Only Zoe and Lex know the truth about Abigail and they are worried their lies will be found out. I enjoyed the dual timeline, which added to the tension and gradually revealed the truth about Abigail. The characters were excellent and the relationships between them, particularly Zoe and Lex, really shapes the plot. The Greek setting and Zoe’s love for Calliope added to my enjoyment.
Thanks to Penguin Random House & NetGalley for the ARC.

I will start by saying this was a 3.5 read for me but I have been generous and rounded up to 4. Fleet writes this between the present day and flashback chapters to 25 years ago when Zoe and Lex first meet. We know their friend, Abigail went missing but we know no more and Fleet slowly teases out the truth.
I did enjoy this and found the plot had a good pace and there was plenty to keep my attention. The characters were good, I liked Zoe and Lex and exploring their complex relationship. However, I think the supporting characters could have been fleshed out more. Particularly Zoe's husband, Ben, it felt like there was a lot more to explain between them and Fleet only hints at what has happened between them.
The major win for me was the setting of Greece. I loved being transported to a beautiful Greek island and having this as the backdrop provided perfect escapism. Where this book really went wrong for me was the ending, I thought it was weak, not properly explained and did not really do the rest of the plot justice.
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy.

Marilyn, a single mother, meets wealthy, divorced Richard, whilst working as an airline stewardess. They meet whenever possible and he gets to know her fifteen year old daughter Zoe. They are both invited to go and spend a long summer break at his magical hill-top house, Calliope, on the Greek Island of Eos, where they are introduced to Richard’s daughter, Lex, and the two girls become good friends despite the fact that Lex is much more sophisticated than Zoe. Very soon Richard proposes to Marilyn and wedding plans are made. As guests start to arrive Zoe meets the Richardsons - Penny (Lex’s godmother), her husband Alistair, and their three children - two boys and a younger girl, Abigail known as Pabs. She is devoted to Lex and soon becomes a bit of a problem trying to hang around with them, despite them trying to “lose” her. As the wedding celebrations draw to a close Abigail goes missing. Police and islanders search for her but no trace is found. Both girls are interviewed and one of the policemen suspects that they know something that they won’t disclose, but they keep any knowledge to themselves.

Lex and Zoe go their own ways as they grow up. Zoe becomes a teacher, marries and has a daughter, and loses touch with Lex though she hears that she also has a daughter. Twenty five years later Richard dies and the girls are reunited on Eos for his funeral. The police officer is still around and they suspect he will tackle them again. Will they ever reveal what they know?

The perfect holiday thriller! Oh how I with I was on a Greek island reading this!

I really enjoyed the parallel timelines and they helped tell the story perfectly and it never confused me which sometimes happens! The suspense throughout the book kept me gripped and wanting to read more and more, one chapter turned into half a book and before I knew it I was finished! The book had a brilliant ending and perfect for anyone who loves destination thrillers!

I will be recommending this to anyone I can!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review!

I don't usually give five stars to thrillers because there is a certain similarity to them but I really enjoyed this novel from Katherine Fleet. She creates an incredible sense of place with the island of Eos and the house called Calliope which I fell entirely in love with and could imagine despite never having been to Greece. Against this well crafted backdrop are the very real characters of Lex and Zoe, thrown together at the age of fifteen when their parents fall in love and decide to marry. Their emotional teenage rollercoaster feels very real especially when the additional character of Abigail is introduced.
The book is told in alternate chapters of now, as Zoe and Lex return to the island after twenty five years away, for Richard's funeral, and then, the golden summer when they first met and their parents married. That first summer ended suddenly when Abigail went missing and the event has coloured the lives of Zoe and Lex ever since.
The author builds the atmosphere very well and there is no confusion between the two timelines. Suspense builds as more and more is revealed until the final few chapters when the past and the present almost collide to a very satisfying conclusion.
An excellent read that will stay with me for a while.
With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an early copy in return for an honest review.

The setting for this story is a beautiful island and sounds idyllic but holds the secrets of the past. The book flips between the present and the past with what happened 25 years ago being told alongside the preparations for a funeral.

It shows that the past isn't always as it seems and everyone played their part but not as others thought or knew. The blame game is strong and you do hope that everyone gets closure for what happened which wasn't one person's doing.

A great read.

So emotional and twists right until the end!

I am still sad that Richard and her mum missed out on them for 25 years! That really was the killer!

A must read if you like psychological confusion :)

This is the perfect vacation thriller you have been waiting for! A frightening past disappearance of a friend haunts the main character to this day, especially when she returns to where it all began… So good!

Delicious Drip Feed Suspense..
Secrets, lies, familial ties, rivalry and memories combine as past and present collide amidst a stunning Greek island backdrop in this beautifully crafted slow burn suspense come familial drama. Delicious prose dances throughout and contrasts with a simmering underlying vein of continuous suspense. With a tantalising drip feed plot populated with a deftly drawn and credible cast of characters and a well imagined sultry setting, this is both engaging and compelling. Atmospheric and stylish.

Very enjoyable read - I thought it built up nicely with the dual time frames and the conclusion was satisfying. The Greek location sounded idyllic and it was a great book to read on holiday. Recommended

The Liars by Katherine Fleet

Publisher Michael Joseph

Time to read less than a day

Stars 4

Review

This is a totally new author for me. I will look out for further books from Katherine Fleet

The advance reviews showed it was perfect for fans of Lucy Clarke which I am and the advance wording was certainly not lying. I really enjoyed this. I could not put it down so thank you once again for the opportunity to lose myself for a couple of hours

I totally devoured this book and I was totally engrossed. Would Def recommend to all. It kept my attention from the first to the last page

Thank you Netgalley and Michael Joseph for the opportunity to review.

Beautiful prose but SUCH a slow pace. The story is told in two time frames, which worked really well. The location is beautifully portrayed and you can almost feel you're in Eos as you're reading the book. But the plot itself meanders far too slowly and the ending, when we finally get there, is really quite a disappointment. Such a shame as the writing is lovely but not for me, I'm afraid!

What a twisty thriller that I couldn’t put down.
I really really enjoyed this it was intense gripping and dam right. Brilliant
It was well written the characters had so much story they felt real.
Definitely a must read for 2024

I did enjoy the writing style and the descriptions of Eos made me want to jump on a plane there asap!
I did like the past and present storytelling
The pace was slightly shower for me and there were twists to speak of but overall I did really enjoy the story.

25 years ago half sisters meet on the Greek island of Eos ahead of their parent’s wedding. As the story unfolds... A funeral and a disappearance not yet solved.

Perfect read for those who enjoy:
- Destination thriller
- Dual timeline
- Lies
- Slow burn

With thanks to Penguin Random House, Michael Joseph and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This wasn’t for me it was too slow had to wait forever to find out what happened to Abigail although it was well written and the description of the Greed Island was very good but not enough to keep on reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC

When I finished this book I did two things, looked up the beautiful Eos and considered how this book had made me ask so many deep questions about the characters.

Hell of a read, Zoe and Lex are stepsisters that last met years ago. The book delves in to their lives as teenagers and where that left them in the future.

Clever, skilfully observed and one not to miss.

The secrets held here really build up the suspense and tension especially as we learn more about what happened to Abigail that night.

I loved the writing style in this book, it was beautifully descriptive and I really felt immersed in the story. The descriptions of Eos were beautiful and I could picture it so easily. The characters were very well fleshed out and felt like real people. I liked the 'then' and 'now' storytelling and it was interesting to read about how past events affected the characters in the present.

The only things that stopped this from being a five star read for me were that I did think the pacing was very slow, and there weren't any twists.

Overall I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

Unnerving what happened Thriller. ........

Zoes Mum marries Lex's Dad so they become ½ sisters., and meet on a Greek Island where the rich Dad and the Air hostest are staying in his Cottage/ Villa., the island they will get married on. One has managed to escape his West Ham routes the other is about to. But this is love and its real the thriller is on the girls story both 15 and Abigal is as well whose mum is Lez's God mother and you wouldn't wish that on anyone.or worse still Abigals fate to hand her as her real mum!!!!!

The story is split between the time they met and 25 years later when the 2 sisters return for Richards funeral (the Dad). This is where we begin to understand what happened 25 years before and why Abigal disappeared whereabouts still unknown. A thriller with some great twists some horrendous characters thrown in but the girls and patents are wonderful floured like us all but you'd like them in teal life unless you Penny the Greek translation in this case world be unprintable in most respected places. I didn't like Liam either but you can make your own mind up on him.

The story flows really well and I certainly didn't want to put it down but it's not a one sitter size book for me so bewarned. You may have to put it down to sleep eat etc. We'll sleep anyway.

I feel this can only be a 5 star rating I just loved it I got you agree.