This story was filled with the thoughts of a fifty-something year-old woman who experienced anxiety issues, loved reminiscing about her earlier years in motherhood, and who was dealing with menopause-related discomfort on a regular basis. But ultimately? Judi was a nag and an attention demon. She desperately fed off the complimentary commentary of her husband, son, and grandsons in order to feel whole. When they stopped focusing on her, she created ways to draw them back towards her, and there was more competition for attention when her son brought home the woman he was dating.

This story started off very strong but then promptly took a nose dive! Judi's overbearing need to be the star of her family along with the slightly interesting side characters (seemingly thrown in for the fun of it) did not make for a thrilling read! Amber was supposed to be the villain of this story, but she wasn't villainy enough for me. She was condescending and antagonizing, but underwhelming and a lukewarm villain at best. While the beginning chapters gripped me, the majority of the story felt chick-lit-ish and I grew bored very quickly.

▣ This book was written in third person and featured multiple POVs. I was hoping for a more intense, creepy, and chilling read with an intensely unreliable narrator, but this book didn't deliver strongly enough. The upside? The last ten percent of this book took a most noteworthy turn.

This book starts out bloody. You're not sure who is hurt, and how they got to that point. My curiosity kept me reading. I went back and forth several times trying to figure it out. While some of my suspicions were correct, I'm starting to think K.L. Slater is a master of surprises. I never figure quite everything out until she clues us in. Her short and snappy chapters are another thing I love about her writing. Just one more chapter never fails to turn into another four or five... or just finishing the book! She also manages to shift perspectives often without making it confusing. My final rating is a 4.5.

Ben and his two young boys have made it on their own since their mother (his lovely wife) passed away. ...Well, maybe not quite. His mother is a large part of their lives. A loving grandmother is a great thing, but she crosses the line into overbearing. She cleans their house twice a week, washes and irons all of their laundry, picks them up from school, and often cooks for them. Sounds like a heavy workload, especially combined with her part time job at the doctor's office. But Judi lives for it. She genuinely seems to enjoy catering to the men in her life. Just reading about everything she does is exhausting!

The whole family has settled into a comfortable routine, making the best of their situation. Until Amber arrives and changes everything. Beautiful and confident, it doesn't take her long to have Ben wrapped around her little finger. Judi is not so keen. She's convinced they're moving too quickly, and worries over the boys. She's clearly right to be a little concerned, because Ben is fairly oblivious and entirely too eager to share responsibilities with his new girlfriend. Used to being taken care of by a woman, he is happy to let Amber discipline the boys and make some changes in their lives. Judi is not.

We know right away that Judi is right to be suspicious of Amber. Her "chance meeting" with Ben was actually carefully orchestrated. She's the perfect girlfriend, but she's playing a part. Why is she so eager to insert herself into their lives?

This is an easy to read story full of tension and twists. The characters are realistically flawed, and I love that it touched on some important topics, like gaslighting, changing family dynamics, and the changes you experience as you become older. K.L. Slater is definitely on my list of authors I watch for new releases from!

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Bookouture, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

This is my first book written by K. L. Slater and it definitely won’t be the last. I loved this story. I was pulled in from the first chapter and couldn’t put the book down, I just had to keep reading. I felt for poor Judi, seeing how a woman whisks away her beloved son and grandchildren. I wanted t shake some sense into Ben, for not seeing that Amber is not who she’s telling him. That it’s way too early and rushed to invite a woman he barely knows into his life, the boys lives. I was suspicious for everything Amber did, knowing that she has her own agenda for the things she’s doing. That she hated Judi was clear to see, but why? Why did she chose to hurt the children, make them sick and let them suffer? What does she really want. And Henry, why couldn’t he reach out to his wife and help her. See how she struggles and try to understand what she’s saying. Believing in his wife, that’s how it’s supposed to be, right! There was such amount of relieve when everything seemed to get back to normal. Ben finally seeing the truth, Henry showing his true colors and Amber on her way out. But then - BAM! Twist and turn, and nothing is like it seems. My jaw literally dropped. I don’t know what to think..... That’s amazing writing. I did not see that coming and I’m reading a lot of psychological thrillers. I enjoyed reading this book and dare you to read it, to find out for yourself how sick some people are without you’ll ever know. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture!

Menacing, intense and eerie!

This story focuses on the unique relationship between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws and highlights the friction, discontent, competition, and rivalry that can exist between the two.

It is, ultimately, a story about control, power, manipulation, deception, obsession, and revenge.

The writing is fluid and smooth. The characters are desperate, devious, damaged, and consumed. And the plot, although a little predictable, does a good job of creating tension, suspense and strife as it methodically unravels revealing all the personalities, complex relationships and dark motivations within it.

Overall, this is a compelling, entertaining psychological thriller by Slater with an opening that will make you think twice, a few twists, and a narration style that will have you rooted to your seat from the very first page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ooo this was dead juicy! I do love a good psychological thriller which keeps me on my toes throughout so this one was a delight to read as it did just that.
Widower Ben has two young sons which his mother, Judi, helps him with. She also does a lot around the home for him too despite her advancing years but, she is more than happy to do this for her son. But then Ben meets and starts dating Amber and she isn't too happy with his mother's involvement and slowly starts to eek her out replacing her with herself. Judi isn't too happy with this and fights back. The gloves are well and truly off now with Judi and Amber pitting wits against each other with Ben being completely stuck in the middle. But the big question is; how far will each go to protect what they want?
There is a lot that was familiar to me in this book. One character being suspicious of another and not being believed by anyone seems to be a popular theme at the moment but, here is is tackled very well indeed with just the right amount of tension and questionable behaviour. There is nothing that is too over the top or added for shock tactics, the most of the psychological stuff being subtle and bubbling under. We already know from the beginning the showdown is coming, but the ride to get there is a veritable roller coaster.
Characterisation is brilliant, especially Ben. I really did feel for him, all stuck in the middle as he was. Trying to move on with his life but at the same time, not wanting to upset his mother who has been there for him and then some. Amber was also delightfully sneaky and duplicitous but Judi wasn't completely without sin any more than Amber was completely bad. There were definite shades of grey about the book regarding the characters which had me alternating my feelings towards them a couple of times throughout as more information came to light.
Atmosphere is tense throughout which went nicely hand in hand with the fast pace of the book. There were the odd quieter moments which I was very thankful for; giving me time to recover before it all kicked off once again.
I am already a bit of a fan of this author having read and enjoyed her two prior books so to say I am looking forward to her next one would be an understatement. Hope it's soon...

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

OMG I have to say that I couldn’t personally have chosen a better week to read this chilling third book by Kim Slater! I’ve loved both of her other books but this one shocked the hell out of me and has now become my most favourite book of hers so far! It had some totally unexpected plot twists and that ending! I defy anyone to see that coming!!

I devoured this book like I devour chocolate at the moment, greedily and very quickly indeed!! I couldn’t put it down, no scrape that…I was TOO SCARED to put it down! I was so emotionally involved with Judi and Ben and The Boys that I couldn’t bare to leave them in the middle of their dealings with the formidable Amber. Now Amber is the girlfriend from hell-the one you hope you’re son NEVER brings home to meet you, especially if you’re an overprotective mother with issues of your own! Every time we are smuggled back into Ambers head, her thoughts and plans for the future scared the hell out of me, especially as they involved Bens small children. Those poor boys had lost their mother but this woman seemed determined to carry out her twisted scheming, involving them all in her undisclosed plans for the future.

From a personal point of view there was a HUGE amount of soul searching involved for me in watching Judi struggle with her life changing experiences. As a woman of a certain age approaching my own empty nest, I felt every hormonal and overcharged emotion that flooded through Judi’s mind and body. There were some quite socially relevant observations here, especially for me, regarding growing older within a long term marriage so I actually found it tough to read at times. I can tell you now, those menopausal emotions and hot flushes can hit you hard just when you are least expecting them and it can affect all of those who are closest to you. I found it so terribly sad reading the paragraphs where Judi is mourning the loss of the closeness she used to share with her husband and how middle age creeps upon us without us realising where the time has gone. But menopause can affect women’s mental health in very different ways which meant that Judi was the perfect unreliable narrator for this thriller!

This book uses the complexity of family relationships in a way that we can all relate to. And that’s what makes it so terrifying!! That your family can fall apart so quickly with the wrong sort of outside influences. Liar will stay with me for a very long time and K.L. Skater has cemented herself onto my list of must read authors. I need more from her NOW!!!!

Liar is the latest psychological thriller from K.L. Slater and in my opinion is her best novel yet. It is utterly addictive.

Liar opens with two obviously strong female characters, who dislike each other tremendously, one on the floor fatally wounded, one with a knife in her hand dripping with blood. "The End" is the beginning of you like...




So back to the actual the beginning...

Single father Ben is lonely after the tragic early death of his wife. His (somewhat overbearing) Mother, Judi, helps him out with his two young sons and his housework, but Ben feels ready to meet someone new.




Luckily enough he bumps into Amber (literally) in the local shop and starts up a conversation. The rest as they say is history...





Amber seems perfect for Ben, a worker at the local children's centre behind the school Ben teaches at, a natural with sons and his Father, in fact the only person who doesn't share Ben's enthusiasm for his new girlfriend is his Mother.




Judi is suspicious of Amber, as she has every right to be. After all she is still grieving the loss of her near perfect daughter in law. But Judi's dislike of Amber runs far deeper than the usual mother in law/daughter in law fractious relationship.

In fact Judi hates Amber, because she wants to break the bond she has with her son and grandsons but these feelings aren't one, Amber returns then and cannot stand Judi's interfering ways. She vows to marry Ben and get him away from his Mother.

But this seems like a cruel thing to do. Is Amber really that cold? Or does she have an ulterior motive for hurting Judi?

Liar is a compulsive read, with some brilliant, and some horrible characters (but these might not be who you think!) and a twist that I didn't see coming in s million years. A must read.

Having LOVED K.L.Slater's previous novel, Blink, I just couldn't wait to get my hands on her new release. The author had set the bar extremely high with 'Blink' in my opinion, so I was curious to see whether 'Liar' followed suit.

'Liar' ended before it had even begun. Yes, I'm being serious. The opening of the book is actually the ending, but of course we have no idea who's involved, how the situation came about, or anything. My thoughts on an ending as a beginning? Absolutely genius. Of course you're going to want to read on, who in their right mind wouldn't? K.L.Slater had set the scene after the scene had even happened, yet for us readers, it's literally a case of 'what the.....' and reading the next few chapters as quickly as possible. Yes, I am talking from experience.

Amber gave me the heebie jeebies from the start as she seemed to come across as such a crazy, and underhanded individual, but it was too soon to know why she was like that. She did bug me - I'm not going to lie. Why was she acting like a lunatic? Why Ben? Why? Why? Why? With the copious amounts of unanswered questions, high levels of uncertainty and a sinking feeling in my stomach, I was well and truly under K.L.Slater's spell. Again. It wasn't that Amber's actions and personality made me scared, I felt more nervous about the entire situation. So much so, for the last few days (I finished the book on the 10th June), I have felt like I was being watched. Obviously I'm not, but it has felt like it days after finishing the book!

Sorry to be majorly blunt here, but Ben needed to grow a pair of balls, seriously! There's being blindsided by being in love, and then there's being completely whipped. Ben, in my eyes, was the latter. I won't delve too much into my reasons for why as I don't want to give anything away, but...just no.

Whilst I obviously have strong opinions about both Ben, and Amber, it is pretty clear that the author has written both characters exceptionally well as she has managed to get a reaction out of me, with valid points. This is what impresses me about K.L.Slater, she can create such vindictive, manipulative, sadistic characters, knowing full well the readers may end up disliking them. Very, very clever.

In terms of the storyline itself, overall I found it to be such an intense roller coaster ride. There were enough shocking moments, underhanded situations, and questionable circumstances to keep me engaged with the plot from first page until the last. However, there were times where I felt as though the storyline had lost a little bit of momentum and the intensity level dropped. I just felt like it was missing a certain spark in those moments. Thankfully the pace picked back up again and I was on the verge of falling off my seat; not all was lost!

'Liar' will leave you questioning every single move, every single motive, every single word of anyone...and everyone. If you like a novels suspense levels to go through the roof, then you're going to love this one. You may end up not believing that they'll go through the roof...but K.L.Slater will have you under her spell once again. Oh, and no, I'm not a 'Liar'.

Thank you Bookouture.

Liar by K.L. Slater reveals Slater as a consistently gifted writer who can write about the ordinary and turn it into the macabre. With Liar she inserts even more drama and strife into an already fraught relationship; that between a mother in law and her daughter in law. With alternating chapters that highlight and expose each of the protagonist's failings and shocking personality quirks, Slater renders a troubling and fascinating character portrayal of Amber, the love interest of Ben. She furthers this rendering by juxtaposing it against Ben's mum, Judi, who is a fascinating character herself. These people are deeply troubled on many levels, making them difficult to relate to, difficult to like. As this relationship plays out, truly horrific actions and histories come to light. As the reader, you don't know who to root for, and that's okay. Slater skillfully adds twists and turns to the narrative, keeping you guessing. A fine addition to the wonderful Slater library, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward again to the next intriguing novel from K.L. Slater. I kindly thank Netgalley.com for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and thank the publisher as well.

Wow! I loved the twist at the end, and just did not see it coming! Fantastic!

Liar is the third psychological thriller from Kim Slater. I found it a little harder to connect with the characters in this one and I'm not entirely sure why.

Ben is a single father looking after his two young sons after the death of their mother. He has had a lot of help from his mother Judi and she has doted on her young grandsons.

When Ben meets Amber and they become close a lot of things start to change. Judi is no longer needed to help with child minding or cleaning. She loses her purpose in life and combined with the menopausal changes she is experiencing it deeply unsettles her.

The story is narrated by both Judi and Amber. We soon realise that Amber doesn't love Ben but has inveigled her way into the family in order to exact revenge. It isn't obvious what her links to the family are from and the unexpected denouement at the end feels a little contrived in light of what has preceded it.

That said it is still a good story and a good read by the pool on your summer holidays this year. It just wasn't quite up to the high standards of Ms Slater's other two books.

Supplied by Bookouture and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication date: June 16 2017. 324 pages.

My Review

OMG what a mind-blowing, psychological thriller it will leave your heart-pounding from beginning to end. Liar is a nail-bitter which will have you gasping for breath. All I can say is KL Slater nailed it.

Secrets, Family, The Past……………Liar

Ben is a single parent of two boys, who lost his wife 3 years earlier to leukaemia, he hasn’t dated, then he meets Amber. There’s something about Amber, she’s beautiful but conniving, Judy doesn’t trust her. Judy loves her family and delves into Ambers past searching for answers, anything to stop Amber from taking her son and grandchildren. No-one understands Judy’s dislike for Amber, but can anyone really see Ambers true self.
Slater has created three very discerning characters. Ben a mummy’s boy who is easily influenced by his mother and appears to do as his mother says until Amber comes into his life. Amber is strong-willed, a risk-taker, doesn’t take no for an answer, always gets her way, all the things that Judy hates. Judy seems to come across as a very doting mother, a typical housewife who will do anything to keep her family together, but to what ends.

Truth Will Come……………Liar

If you want a fast-paced, rapid page-turner and an itch to know more, then this is the psychological thriller for you, grab a copy and scratch that itch, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and KL Slater for an Advance Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed by Liar by K L Slater. I've read and enjoyed books by her before but this one was brilliant.

This book is a battle between an overbearing mother, Judi and her son's new girlfriend, Amber who's trying to work her way into the family. This book is brilliantly written and I found myself hooked from the first page. I was drawn in and felt I lived every page.

There are twists and turns, secrets are revealed and a fantastic ending.

I would definitely recommend this book and would happily give it 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and K L Slater for the chance to review.

Liar by K l Slater.
How far would you go to protect your family?
Single dad Ben is doing his best to raise his children alone, with the help of his devoted mother Judi. Life isn’t easy, but Judi’s family means everything to her and together, they manage.
Then Ben meets Amber. Everyone thinks this is a perfect match for Ben but Judi isn’t sure … there’s just something about Amber that doesn’t add up.
Ben can’t see why his mother dislikes his new girlfriend. And Amber doesn’t want Judi anywhere near her new family. Amber just wants Ben and the children.
The further Judi delves into Amber’s personal life, the closer she gets to shocking secrets that could change everything. And Judi must make a decision that could lead to the most disastrous consequences..
An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Loved Judi but hated Amber. I really felt for noah.what a twist. Just brilliant. Cleverly written. 5*. Netgalley and bookouture.

I loved this books, one of my favorites. Its better than gone girl, and girl on a train. This book needs more attention more people need to know about it!!

I'm considering seeking some kind of intervention. For me K.L.Slater books are some kind of thriller based drug. I should have been sleeping. I was reading this book. I should have been cooking dinner....I was reading...should have been working....well you catch my drift. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is its nigh on impossible to review for fear of spoilers!

Ben is a young widow with two young sons - so young they can barely remember their mother. So it's been Ben's mom Judi that has stepped in. She cooks and cleans for them, collects them from school and cares for them when they're ill. They're her world and she's theirs.....until Ben meets Amber. She seems the perfect match for their family but Judi isn't so sure. There are things that don't add up about this invader of her happy life....and what started as a mild dislike turns to fear and hate as Judi uncovers the truth about Amber.

All the reasons I love this cannot be spoken of because they'll give something away. So instead I present the Deja Read 10 Step Guide To Reactions to K.L.Slater

1 Oooh ambiguous prologue.....interesting, nice set up (settles in, ignores planet)
2 Oh here's our heroine, yep like her.
3 Enter bad guy (booooo)
4 Wait, what just happened?
5 What?
6 Ah yeah I knew that was going to happen. Just as I predicted.
7 Okay got that wrong - was NOT expecting that
9 WHAAAAATTTT????
10 I need a gin and tonic

In short (I know, too late) this is a thriller that has super glue within its very words, it's impossible to put down. A big well deserved 5 stars. And if Ms Slater happens to read this review (as I know many writers do) I just have this to say. Thank you for some great books but I have something to say. Stop reading reviews and getting writing! I need another book before I get withdrawal symptoms!

Thanks to Netgalley and the mighty Bookouture for another great read.

This psychological thriller follows the lives of an overbearing mother and an obtrusive girlfriend.

Recent widower Ben starts dating the beautiful and mysterious Amber. His life is finally getting back on track and his sons have a mother figure back to help guide them through life and help him with raising them. Something just isn't right about Amber though, she just seems too good to be true. Does Amber have an ulterior motive for why she just dropped in to Ben's life and managed to create a rift between the family? Ben's mother Judi definitely thinks there's more to this girl than what she's showing and she won't stop until she proves everybody right and gets her family back.

This book does something no book I've ever come across has done, it gives you the ending first. Yes, you heard right, the ending is revealed to you before you've even started the mystery. It is an anonymous POV which I guessed was Amber's, instantly making me believe her motives are nothing but spiteful and uncalled for. It's hard not to believe she's just a crazy woman seeking destruction on an innocent family. She gave me so much anger, the way she had Ben and his father wrapped around her little finger, her abrupt changes to a home Judi had worked very hard at to make sure it was a cosy family home for her boys and her need to discipline and favourite the boys when they was happily in a routine without her having to interrupt.

My heart really hurt for Judi, after being in her grandsons lives every day since they were born, always picking them up from school, having them over at hers pretty much everyday to then having all of those pleasantries taken away from her because Amber had other 'plans'. Judi can't help feel that she is unwanted in her son's live now he has another woman there to fill the void of his passed wife.

The book cover tells us that this is 'a gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist' and Kim does definitely NOT disappoint with the twist. I had to read the twist over and over again to make sure I was reading it right, everything I had gathered up in my head was completely wrong! I started to question whether I was hating on the wrong people, it just completely blew my mind. This 'shocking twist' definitely lived up to it's standards, I'm still so confused days later!

I would highly recommend 'Liar' to all psychological thriller fans out there!

Ben is a widower and is raising his two sons alone with the help of his parents. His mum Judi plays a big part in both Ben and her Grandsaons lives so when a new woman appears on the scene she realises that she may well be not as needed as she first thought. The opening chapter places us firmly at the end of story only the reader is unaware of who is the killer, only that one of the two women involved doesn't walk away. It's a great opening and certainly sets the scene for the book.

Amber comes into Ben's life not by accident and although the reader doesn't know her intentions, it's clear that Ben has fallen for her. She soon integrates herself into their lives which is not a good thing inthe eyes of Judi. Things seem to rapidly fall aprt on frot of Judi's eyes and it seems there is nothing she can do to stop it. There is certainly a great deal of tension in the book and because the reader knows that something is amiss it seems that each event seems even more underhand than the last, but you never know quite what the end game is.

For that reason alone your attention is captured and I certainly read this book in a very short space of time. There is plenty of pace and a lot going on. Towards the end I thought I had it all figured out but it seems I was way off and that pleased me immensley. The only thing that grated on me was the complete lack of support Judi gets from her husband and son. Although the story sets the scene for exactly that, I couldn't help but think that most people who have been married that length ofg time would have a better sense of support for each other. That small niggle aside this was a fantastic read and I didn't see the end coming. Another great read by K L Slater and I will as always look forward to reading more of her stuff in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview LIAR by K.L Slater.
Tragedy hits a family when a young mom passes away leaving a grieving husband, two young boys, and her in laws. Ben, is trying to raise his sons, and with his mother, Judi, at his side, he is doing ok. Judi is very attached to her family. So when a young woman named Amber enters the picture, Judi feels something is just not right. And her instinct tells her that Amber is not who she says she is - and she just might be right.
Slater goes back and forth with Amber and Judi's character's POV. Well written and very suspensful, up to the exciting ending.
RECOMMEND - 4 stars!

WOW! Another superb thriller from K L Slater! Couldn't put it down! Slater has a real knack for getting you emotionally involved in a story, only to shatter your feelings later with unexpected twists. Liar is a truly gripping read, just what we have come to expect from the Queen of psychological thrillers.