Jen and her family take in a new lodger, Luke, however become concerned when he keeps looking through their things. Meanwhile Jen’s mum Mel suddenly goes away, which she has never done before. Soon it is days later and no one has heard from her. Who is hiding secrets?

I read The Intruders last year and really enjoyed it so was keen to read this one. This took me a while to get into but once I did I was glued to the pages wanting to find out what would happen next. I enjoyed the family dynamics and the characters were interesting, with the story being told in different points of views. Occasionally these turned into past thoughts which stopped the flow and made it slightly confusing, however I soon picked up on the overall storyline again.

I enjoyed all the twists and turns, some were surprising. I did find that some of the subplots didn’t seem to really go anywhere major and I would have been interested to see these expanded, while they also seemed slightly disordered. However, this was a complex, solid mystery overall and I look forward to see what the author comes up with next. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

This is the 10th book by this very clever author and I think that it the best yet.The tory is full of suspense, family complexities and and many twists and turns throughout. It seems to be slow at the start as it setting the characters in place but it becomes addictive very quickly, A very tragic and emotional story.

Full of twists and turns, this thriller is full of suspense and will keep you turning pages. The complex relationships between Camilla, Jen and Amy will break your heart. Not to mention Mason. I found the start jumped around a bit but keep going and it's a great book that you'll not want to put down. The formatting on my kindle was a bit off which I think was why the beginning felt disjointed rather than the writing. I'll be looking for more books by Louise Jensen.

Thank you to netgalley for letting me to review this book. So many secrets and lies and twists and revelations that I was not expecting and was completely blown away. This book was impossible to put down with the nice short chapters that made me keep saying just one more until I finished it.

No family is perfect and the Abbotts have many secrets that are exposed in this book in a delightfully written suspenseful novel, starting with Mel going missing, a new lodger showing up shortly after, and ending with murder, mistakes, accidents, and dark deeds galore! It is thrilling, dark, tragic, and I loved it all! This is one great twisty suspense filled ride that I highly recommend.

I will definitely be looking into more books from this author.

I really enjoyed this novel. There are more secrets than you can shake a stick at and the plot grabs you immediately. There’s twists and turns galore and you will be unable to put this novel down as it catapults its way to the dramatic conclusion. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

So many twists and turns in The Liar, and so much deceit to unravel. Once again Ms Jensen manages to keep the reader gripped with what appears to be a story about an ordinary family, but one that harbour secrets. Single mum Mel needs to take in a lodger to supplement the family income when her 'adopted' daughter Camilla and 4 year old son, Mason, leave home. But she isn't around when lodger Luke turns up, to be welcomed by younger daughter Amy, but distrusted by elder daughter, Jen. When Mel messages Jen that she is going away for a few days, something she has never done before, her daughters are thrown. Where is Mel? Does Luke have anything to do with her disappearance? The twist towards the end does not disappoint. There is a large cast of characters but the book is easy to follow despite all the suspense. I read it in one sitting!
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review The Liar.

Another trademark twisty novel from Ms Jensen, full of family secrets and revelations. Her books are always fun to read and manage to wrongfoot this reader which is always a good thing and keeps me up late to discover the ending
Thank you to netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of this book

What a delicious twisty turny thriller read.
It's a slow burn to start us off, but then it really cranks up and makes you wonder just who is telling the truth.
The chapters are told from each character, which is a nice touch letting us really get to know them more.
The ending was a big shock, but just what I'd expect from a Louise Jensen book.
A RECOMMENDED read.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the Arc.

Louise Jensen weaves a wicked tale of deceit in her newest thriller! If you are in the market for a scary novel with a twisty plot, this is my recommendation!

Oh my days… A mind blowing story of sheer thrills and intrigue.
Twists I simply didn’t see coming and the most brilliant finale I’ve read in a long, long time.
Utterly Brilliant, chilling and a plot to die for.
Highly recommended with a well deserved 5 Stars.
This is my second book by Louise Jensen and I’m absolutely hooked.

I chose to read a free eARC of The Liar but that has in no way influenced my review.

A new Louise Jensen book is a very exciting prospect indeed! I've been a fan of Jensen's writing since her debut, The Sister, published way back in 2016. Since then, I've read every thriller Louise has written. I love the family dynamic she creates. I love how she takes a fairly ordinary family and puts them, sometimes due to circumstances beyond their control, sometimes due to a family member's own selfishness or stupidity, into the most difficult and tense situations. There's a real feeling of 'yes, this could actually happen to you' about Jensen's books and I love that! This latest book, The Liar, is no different. Bad decisions, being far too trusting, and the most powerful emotion of all, fear, send a normal family, doing the best they can, into a real-life nightmare situation.

Mum Mel Abbott decides to take in a lodger to supplement the household income. Twenty-six-year-old daughter, Jen, really isn't too sure. She doesn't like the idea of a stranger living in their house. She wants to leave her underwear drying on the radiator without having to consider the lodger's feelings. Whereas younger daughter, Amy, takes her Mum's decision in her stride. When Luke, the lodger, arrives much later than expected to meet the sisters, Jen instantly finds him attractive and starts to come around to the idea. After all, it might be nice to have a man around the house. But Luke is secretive and seems a little on edge. When Mel sends a text telling her daughter she's going to be away for a few days, Jen is immediately thrown. It's unlike her mother to leave them in the lurch, especially with a stranger moving into their house. But Mel has done so much for their family, Jen wants to give her all the time she needs. Everyone needs a break now and then! But several days after Luke's arrival, no one has heard from Mel. Who is the stranger living in the Abbotts' house? Why is he so interested in the family's things? How much of a threat does he pose to Jen and Amy? And perhaps most importantly of all, where the heck is Mel...?

The Liar is another cracking family-based thriller from Louise Jensen. There is so much going on in this book. Secrets and lies, half-truths and poor, poor decisions. Catastrophic even. You think you have the measure of the family. You think you know the direction the plot is going to go in. But you don't. You don't even know the half of it! There are so many secrets to unpick. Why, at the very start of the book, does Mel receive a threatening note? Who is Andy? He keeps being mentioned by Jen but who is he and what connection does he have to the Abbotts? Why is Jen so nervous around the police? And who (worst nightmare for any parent) is thirteen-year-old Amy messaging online? But that's only the beginning. As the reader progresses through the book even more questions are raised. Everyone seems to have a devastating secret they would do anything to keep. And in amongst the chaos and upheaval, the lies and deceit, when her daughters are floundering and need the support of their mother, Mel is nowhere to be found.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Liar is a beautifully twisty, highly readable tale which I flew through. Promising myself 'just one more chapter', only to discover I had read half of the book! There are quite a few characters in the book, but it was easy to keep track of who everyone was. Alongside the family and lodger, Luke, there is also Jen's best friend Camilla and her four-year-old son, Mason. Mason really brings the cute-factor and adds moments of light humour, along with a Thomas the Tank Engine obsession (!), in amongst the overarching darkness of the novel. There is always something going on in the story and it doesn't really let up which means the reader is absorbed into the narrative and able to read, as in my case, half the book without really noticing. This is exactly what I want from a thriller. I want to be hooked. I want to be completely immersed, and I want to live the story alongside the characters. There are several threads running throughout - some the reader is aware of straight away, some are revealed as you progress through the book. Keeping a tight rein on all these subplots and how meticulously Jensen brings everything together is a masterclass in thriller writing. Marvellous! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading The Liar. Immensely readable with bucketloads of intrigue. Secrets and lies galore, chock-full of deceit and overflowing with suspense. Another cracking addition to this author's catalogue of work.  I remain a Louise Jensen fan, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us readers next! Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Liar. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

[Review will be published on 22nd April 2025]

Oo so many lies and twists and turns, this thriller keeps you guessing throughout!

Mel, Jen and Amy have been living with Jen’s friend Camilla and her son, Mason, as a happy family unit. However, it is now time for Camilla to move out, be independent, and start a life for her and her son.

Mel decides to earn some extra money by renting the spare room out to a new lodger. She arranges for the girls to meet the lodger and gain their approval before he joins the household. Mel, then visits her brother but does not return, leaving a message that she needs some time.

The girls are ok, as Jen is an adult and a teacher at Amy’s school. They meet the lodger and decide they like him and bite the bullet, inviting him to move in.

At this point, so many questions arise that we are on a rollercoaster of a ride. This was an absolutely, brilliant read. Short chapter reads with cliffhangers, what more can you ask for? I did not manage to guess all the twists and thoroughly enjoyed the read. Totally recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, HQ and Louise Jensen for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Due to be published on 24 April 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Another fab read from this author! Like her previous book this was brilliantly gripping, intense, and had an unexpected twist!

A very small niggle I had was that it started to feel a tad confusing in parts with the amount of POV changes and the characters in the story. There were a lot of parts in the second half where a characters name was mentioned just as one line, and I couldn’t work out if it was a POV change or just added in?🙉😂 It was still a really enjoyable read though and I loved how fast paced the book felt.

Towards the end, the book became heart-stopping and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough 😍 There was a beautiful epilogue and satisfying ending too. Very nearly a 5 star but just something missing for me. If you enjoyed the intensity and addiction of The Intruders, then you’ll love this one! Not quite as dark twists but a great read nonetheless!

Highly recommend adding this one to your TBR! It’s out 24th April as e-book and paperback.

A huge thank you to @netgalley @hqstories for the advanced copy!

The Liar started off as a bit of a slow burn for me, but I really enjoyed how the characters were developed and how their dynamics unfolded. That careful buildup made the second half even more gripping—I flew through it in one night. And that twist? Completely blindsided me. I never saw it coming, and I loved it.

The Liar Louise Jensen

5 stars

Louise Jensen is one of my 'must read' authors. Her style is so easy to read and really brings you into the lives of her characters. Her plots are full of twists and turns and always with various shocks along the way.

Mel Abbott, a social worker, is living alone with her 2 daughters, Jen, a 26 year old teacher and Amy, 13 who is at the school where Jen teaches.

Money is tight as Camilla and her 4 year old son, Mason, has just moved out Camilla has always been like another daughter to Mel and a sister to Jen and Amy but has decided to try and live on her own. Mel therefore arranges for a lodger, Luke, to move in with them but when he arrives, Mel is away visiting her brother and sister-in-law. Jen is not happy dealing with this on her own but becomes even more concerned when she catches Luke looking at her sister's school yearbook. She then discovers that her mother had left her brother's house a few days before but cannot be found.

Everyone in this story has huge secrets and I cannot really go into any detail about them as they will spoil the book for those still to read it. Suffice it to say that the secrets keep on coming and we discover that a lot of the current problems stem from 5 years before when the scene is set for what is to come. The book switches from the present to the past as we gradually learn about what has happened to all the main characters in the book.

I loved this book and read it in a couple of days, I managed to guess fairly quickly one of the twists but had to keep on reading to see what happens. Louise Jensen only seems to be getting better as a writer of this type of book, long may she continue writing!

Karen Deborah
Netgalley

I flew through this! As addictive as all Louise's other books. I really enjoyed the characters in this one, and I thought the plot was really well layered.

Amazing book, everything you want from a thriller! I wasn’t expecting this book to make me emotional but it really did make me feel every emotion possible! Always love a Louise Jensen book, 100% recommend.

Okay. So this book is hard to review without giving away some of its secrets, but I will try my best. This is a fabulous psychological thriller with secrets at its heart. In fact, it feels like there isn't anybody who isn't keeping a secret from the other people in their life. Whether is it Mum, Mel, who receives a threatening message that leave her preoccupied and nervous, eldest daughter, Jen, who is very clearly nursing some secret from her past that leaves her permanently on edge, especially when she thinks she spies someone from earlier in her life. Even youngest child, Amy, has a secret that she doesn't want to share, something that feels clandestine and altogether quite worrying given what we know about modern life. Add in brand new lodger, Luke, who seems quite cagey and certainly not all he appears to be, and it all means that Louise Jensen has us, as readers, permanently on edge, wondering just what might happen.

And that, really, is the question. When Mel takes off on a 'break' it immediately set my ind whirring., Given everything that had occured in the few short chapters prior, that edginess and sense of impending danger and, dare I say it, doom, that the author creates, you know that this is no ordinary episode of 'going to find myself'. I was completely intrigued. I wanted, or perhaps needed, to know the whats whys and wherefores of it all. And with some of the revelations that occur quite early on, it just made me all the more curious. It is certainly a story where the tension never lets up, and where the strange behaviour of the characters left me with more questions than answers for quite some time.

I liked the way in which Louise Jensen has framed the narrative of this story. Whilst the majority of it is told in the present day, it is necessary to delve into the past to varying degrees, be it days or years, to understand the full context of what is happening. Scenes from Jen's university days come to inform the current narrative in surprising ways, and make some of the events all the more tragic in the way they unfold. It really is a book that screams out the old adage 'honesty is the best policy' and, for a family so undeniably close, I was left thinking about how different things could have been if only they had been more open with each other.

The story does contain themes of abuse, and not just as a result of Mel's career as a social worker. There is a sadness so some of the characters and their stories, a melancholy that underpins the suspenseful nature of Mel's disappearance from her family's life. the pacing of the book is just write, the author getting the balance between then need to drive the narrative on and still be able to share their backstory spot on. And she introduces a few bends in the road to supplement the detours to the past, leaving me a little surprised at times by what came to pass. Ultimately this story is a kind of tragedy, one that tugs at the heartstrings at times but which still manages to finish with a small amount of hope too. Fans of the author will eat it up. Recommended.

The Intruders was one of my favourite books from last year so when the arc popped up for this I couldn’t wait! I read this over a few hours on a Saturday couldn’t put it down! The story revolves around social worker Mel, her two daughters teenager Amy and teacher Jess and surrogate daughter Camilla. When new lodger Luke moves into the family home he appears to be asking more questions than he should, starts snooping in rooms and Jess can’t shake the feeling that there’s something off about him. She’s had the feeling that she’s being watched and when mum Mel suddenly texts to say that she needs some time away and a break Jess knows that’s there’s something wrong. The Abbots house is full of secrets and one by one they all come tumbling out.

A real page turner I couldn’t put down. It looks at how decisions can span the years in ways you could never expect and have consequences that no one would have wanted. A great who done what thriller.

This book by Louise Jenson will have you engrossed and wondering what twist in the tale is going to happen next. The Abbot family, including Mel, Jen and Amy, plus close friend Camilla and her son Mason, appear to be a normal happy family, however when Mel goes missing secrets from the past start coming to the fore. Secrets that have shaped their lives and can unravel them oh so easily. The twists and turns gather pace the further into the book you get but the author very clearly explains them in different points of view and timelines.
I give this book 4 stars in my review as I feel it tapered away right at the very end but wholly understand why. It's still a must read