Single mother Nadine Fitzmaurice and her daughter Becca have been at loggerheads recently. Now that she is eighteen Becca wants space from her mother, and the friends she is choosing to spend time with are not the sort of friends any mother would like their daughter to associate with. So when Becca phones Nadine she is pleased to hear from her at last. But the call does nothing to reassure her. In fact the call terrifies her. Becca tells her she is in grave peril as she has murdered someone. Nadine hears Becca sobbing with regret as she tells her mother she is being held as a hostage. Then the phone calls start telling Nadine she must pay back a favour before they release Becca. They tell her that she must not involve the police and that if she does not help them both mother and daughter will be killed.
Nadine is determined to save her daughter’s life. However, nothing prepares her for what happens next. At first the gang test Nadine by sending her on errands collecting and delivering packages. Then they up the ante and give her instructions for what she must do. She is totally shocked but she feels so afraid the she must do what they want. What they want her to do will make her a criminal, and betray her workplace, but what else can she do? She has no choice. However she had not expected Detective Sergeant Wren Moore to arrive at her house, asking her questions and frightening her to the very core. She must be strong and make no mistakes. This is Nadine’s story of mother love, desperation and coercion.
This story is a mother’s worst nightmare. The action gathers pace from beginning to end. It’s like a runaway bus with failing brakes hurtling down a bank. Disaster is imminent and just like the title tells the reader; everyone is protecting themselves for one reason or another. Unreliable Narrators misrepresent what is going on to conceal vital pieces of information. There are multiple spills, thrills and shocks and all the time the tension and suspense is gathering momentum. The story is robust and the storyteller has a fantastic quality of writing. The characters are carefully and sometimes evilly portrayed, adding to the suspense. This novel is certainly a page-turner. The storyboard is laced with organised crime, domestic abuse, blackmail, love and loss, mental health issues and deception.
I received my copy from NetGalley and publisher Hachette Books Ireland in return for a fair and honest review. Thank you so much for this gem of a novel. I was astounded by the intricacies woven into this novel and the action was evil beyond all reason. It was exciting, terrifying and oh so enjoyable. I loved seeing the vulnerability of a mother on the edge verses the revenge, greed and hatred of the underground gangsters, both matched so equally. If you enjoy your reading matter to sizzle with energy and surprise you again and yet again, this is definitely a story to savour

It was one of those story that keeps on the edge and reading as you want to know what the next step will be.
The author is an excellent storyteller, the characters are fleshed out, the solid plot is twisty and full of surprises.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Dilemma To Die For…
When Nadine recieves a frantic telephone call from her daughter, a traumatic catalogue of events is sparked which throws life out of all control and thrusts Nadine into a spiralling situation of nightmare proportions. With a wholly credible and well crafted cast of characters and a compulsive and immersive narrative this is a tautly written, tense suspense that doesn’t let up until that final page. A dilemma to die for.

It’s the stuff of every parent’s nightmares. Nadine Fitzmaurice gets a frantic call from her daughter Becca with some news – she’s killed someone. Nadine struggles to take in what Becca is saying, hoping it’s not true but terrified for her daughter’s safety. Becca is being held against her will because someone wants her to pay for her misdeeds. Nadine, understandably, is willing to go to any length to save her daughter and shoulder the responsibility. After all, haven’t we all done things of which we are not proud? She begins undertaking a series of covert messages, frightened where they’ll take her but desperate to get her daughter back. Remembering a longtime game of Truth of Dare, she gains the attention of the police… but will they listen to what she has to say? And how is 18-year-old Becca’s sad story connected to a missing teenager from Nadine’s youth? The plot jumps back and forth and lies and truths get tangled in such a satisfactory way for a reader. Louise’s books are powerful and I urge you to fast become a fan.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this brilliant book. With a brilliant, gripping storyline this book hooked me from the beginning and it was unputdownable right to the end. Really well written characters and with plenty of twists and turns, this is a riveting read and I will be recommending it left, right and centre!!

I absolutely loved this book. What a read. I was completely absorbed in the story from start to finish. The characters were fantastic and all fully believable. If you enjoy fast-paced, action-packed, thrillers, you are going to love They All Lied. Filled with unexpected twists and an ending I never saw coming.

Nadine is a phenomenal character and so well written that I wasn't sure whether to believe what was happening to her or not. When her daughter calls to tell her she's killed someone this sets in motion a series of events that pulls Nadine into a nightmare that makes her relive the past and there are some truly terrifying moments in this book. I was on tenterhooks turning the pages and wondering what was going to happen next.

The story flowed and Phillips is a master at setting tension levels so high that I couldn't put this book down. In fact, I wished I could have read it in one sitting, only I couldn't keep my eyes open and ended up reading very late into the night only to immediately pick my kindle back up the next morning.

If you're looking for a riveting read that you won't be able to put down, I highly recommend this unpredictable thriller.

This was such a riveting read that I couldnt put down. I was gripped right from the very start until the very last sentence. It was well written with a compelling and chilling storyline and well developed characters that each added something to the atmosphere and layers of the story. It was twisty, mysterious and unpredictable. I loved it. I can't wait to read more by this author.

I can't believe I have never read any of Louise's books before, this was a great story to get involved in. Once I had sat down with it, I found it very hard to get up as I just wanted to continue to read it. It was thrilling to the point where I told my husband to be quiet just so I could savour all the twists that came with this story that I will not forget. There are parts in the story that make you think what would I do in that situation and there are parts where it is very cleverly written with twists and turns where you least expect it. Now I need to go on a hunt and pick some more of Louise's books up. This one was really good.

From the first to the last page I was well and truly hooked. I read this book in one sitting and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. Yes this book is that good. This book has everything from gangland wars, domestic abuse and so much more. Full of tension and suspense, shocks and surprises. I finally came up for breath as I finished this book. A must read and I am a very happy reader.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

What’s the sign of a good book?

For me, it’s one that grabs my interest from the first page and I want to just down everything and keep reading

Despite having a very busy week I finished this book in 3 days

Yes, it is that good!

The characters are well depicted and, as a reader, you really get to ‘know’ them all. This book has everything from gangland wars, domestic abuse, coercion, loss and love. These are ordinary people who are unwillingly caught up in others crimes. The lies they all told continue right up to the very end and it was only then I stopped, looked up and took a breath

I would not hesitate to recommend this book, take some time out, sit and enjoy

With thanks to NetGalley, Louise Philips and Hachette Books for an ARC in return for an honest review

#TheyAllLied #NetGalley
A great story.
Nadine Fitzmaurice, a manager in an insurance company, gets a distressed phone call from her eighteen-year-
old daughter, Becca, telling her she's killed someone, Nadine's life is turned upside down.Now Becca is being held against her will and, determined to save her daughter, Nadine finds herself dragged into the
underworld of organised crime - and under the scrutiny of Detective Sergeant Wren Moore. But the more Nadine gets sucked in by those holding Becca, elements of her past, and a 'TRUTH or DARE' game that went terribly wrong years before, come to the surface.
Eighteen years earlier, teenager, Evie Nolan went missing. She never came home.
One day Becca was there, and now she is gone too.
But can Nadine help her daughter before it's too late?
Awesome characters were there with nice twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette UK for giving me an advance copy.

My first read by this author and one I really enjoyed. Told largely from the viewpoint of two of the main characters, Nadine Fitzmaurice and Detective Sergeant Wren Moore, this is a cleverly plotted thriller with twists and turns that had me suspecting everyone. One of those books that I read quickly as it grabbed onto me and I needed to find out who the guilty party was.

Briefly, Nadine‘s daughter Becca has gone missing. Then Nadine receives a distraught phone call from her telling her that she’s killed somebody and that Nadine has to do something for the people holding Becca. After testing her with a small job they finally reveal what Nadine has to do to get her daughter back. Nadine is fragile, having long suffered with mental health issues, and is struggling to hold herself together. Under duress she does share some of the things that been happening to her, but no one seems to believe her. When DS Wren more becomes involved she quickly realises that there seems to be a tenuous connection to an 18-year-old girl who went missing years earlier; and possibly even to the death of Wren’s mother when she was a child. Can they find Becca before it’s too late?

This is a fast paced read with multiple red herrings and connections to a children’s game many years earlier. It’s heartbreaking to see the terror and vulnerability of a mother trying to save her child. I really felt empathy with Nadine and the physical and mental struggles she faced in this tense story. This is quite an intricate tale and at times I did feel like I might be losing the thread a little bit but it soon all becomes clear. This was a very good read and I will definitely look at this author again ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I love a book that grips you from the beginning, but it’s not all that often that books do that from the very first page. However, this is one of those few and once it had hold of me it didn’t let go until the very end!
The author has a wonderfully engaging storytelling technique and the characters were so well created that I found myself feeling really invested in them.
This is, in short, a great book that I highly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.