This story grabbed me from the start. 10 years ago they thought they caught the Canal Killer but when the same killings begin again, maybe they were wrong. Will, who is incarcerated, will only talk to his ex-girlfriend, Alison. After running from the trauma years earlier, Alison now needs to face Will head on, & perhaps change the way she thought things were. This was a fast paced story that will keep you guessing until they very end!

I really liked this author and this book did not disappoint, it was an appropriately paced, page-turner that will have me hooked throughout the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love murder mysteries and I’m kind of ashamed that I don’t read enough of them, but when I saw this book pop up in my recommendations, I was excited to give it a try.
 I really liked the beginning; it had great potential and had a good hook that kept me going for a while. Unfortunately, it fell rather flat and lost all interest for me about halfway through.
I found the protagonist intriguing enough to stick with the story, but I saw the author made decisions regarding the character’s personality traits that began to raise some flags for me. These only intensified as the story went on and made it a bit of a boring read. I understand what the author was going for, but the story ended up only focusing on the character’s self-absorbed and self-centred nature. 
Too much focus was placed on her inner thoughts, feelings, and only her perspective of the events that are unfolding. At one point I was wondering, if this was still the same murder mystery novel I began in the first place.
I felt confused about what the plot is supposed to be; a murder mystery that gets finally solved or a woman’s journey on how she overcame the trauma of having been a serial killer’s girlfriend. I mean, obviously there is room for both, but in this case it is first a little of the murder mystery and then a whole chunk of the woman’s inner thoughts. 
It got boring and uninteresting. I was frustrated and felt reading this book became more of a chore than something I was looking forward to.
The writing wasn’t bad. The author had a great writing style that flowed nicely. Sadly, this wasn’t enough to ensure an entertaining read.
Overall, I’m afraid I have to pass on this book. As I said before, I love murder mysteries. It is how I relax and unwind. But this book just made me more tense and agitated. I can’t recommend it.

The Liar's Girl 


Catherine Ryan Howard


Alison and Liz have been best friends since grade school so when they both get into St. John's College everything seems perfect. After years spent in a backwater town, they can finally begin their real lives in Dublin. But things don't turn out the way they planned. Within a few weeks of their arrival, Alison falls in love with the gorgeous Will Hurley and everyone else fades into the background, including Liz. Not long afterward, female college students start turning up dead—students they know. When Liz is murdered, a devastated Alison doesn't see how things can get any worse. Until Will confesses to the crimes.


Ten years later the Dublin police show up at Alison's door in the Netherlands. She's fled Ireland and has done everything in her power to forget the past, but now the Canal killings have started again and the police need her help. Will, who has been locked in a psychiatric ward for 10 years, won't talk to anybody but Alison. Is he using her for his own purposes or does he have information that can stop the copycat murders?


Confession: I started this novel six months ago and put it down. I think I'd read one too many “Girl” books and had reached my limit. Also, the first chapters are on the slow side. Recently I made a pledge to catch up on my ARC's so I picked it up again – and I'm very glad I did. Once the story gets underway it becomes harder and harder to put down, to the point where I was practically skimming the final pages. Alternating between past and present, The Liar's Girl is told primarily from Alison's point of view in short, suspenseful chapters. Her meetings with Will are reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs, with the difference that it's not clear how much of a liar Will actually is. Part of Alison wants to believe he's innocent - a good guy who got railroaded into confessing to a crime he didn't commit. Part of her still believes he's a ruthless serial killer who possesses the deceptive, calculating charm of a Ted Bundy. And she's not sure which possibility she wants to be true.


I don't want to want to give away the plot, but I will say I was expecting something like the twist at the end and thought it was well done. I also liked the depiction of Alison's friendship with Liz, as well as her relationship with Will. Catherine Ryan Howard perfectly captures the heady, whirlwind, seemingly miraculous feeling of falling hard for that first guy – as well as the hollow sense when things fall apart (though luckily, my failed relationships don't involve serial killers). Her depiction of Liz is also nuanced. At times she seems more frenemy than best friend but she's more than a 2-dimensional cliche. Her conflicted feelings and the problems they create seem authentic and familiar. I also liked the Dublin setting, especially Howard's descriptions of freshman life at St. John's College. I wasn't suprised to learn The Liar's Girl was shortlisted for an Edgar award and look forward to reading more of her fiction.


Much thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for requesting that book so will definitely read this book someday...looks very interesting reading the book.

Have a great summer!

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this anymore. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

Imagine the man you love being not only convicted of murder but confessing to being a serial killer including the murder of your best friend. That was the position a nineteen year old Alison found herself. Unable to handle it, she left Ireland and never looked back telling no one in her life about her dark past. While her boyfriend and love, Will, is convicted and sentenced to life. Ten years later, the killings start again. Now the police need to talk to Will but he only wants to talk to Alison. So for the first time since her world was blown apart she returns to her home and faces everything she ran from to try and find the truth. 
But what is the truth and what will it coat her to find it? Catherine Ryan Howard spins a beautiful web of a story that has you searching for the truth and the twisted truth revealed at the end will shock you and leave your head spinning. I really liked this story and got through it in two days. Looking forward to more from Catherine Ryan Howard.

I've been on a MAJOR true crime spree for the past few weeks. Hubby and I have spent many an evening binging ID documentaries, 20/20 mysteries, and Netflix's infamous Abducted in Plain Sight. 

Our somewhat nightly routine heavily influenced my decision to FINALLY pick up The Liar's Girl, a thriller I'd IMMEDIATELY requested after falling hard for its synopsis. 

Told in (mostly) dual POV, this Dublin-based murder mystery opens -- like you'd expect -- with a murder. In fact, it opens with a string of murders that eerily resemble the characteristics of the Canal Killer, a serial killer known for drowning his college coeds. The only problem (beyond the deaths that is)? Will, the teenager convicted of these heinous crimes, has been locked away for more than a decade. And as the identical homicides continue to pile up the Gardaí (read: police) are forced to acknowledge they're not only searching for a copycat but also potentially the REAL Canal Killer. Dun dun dun...

The best part? When the Gardaí go to interrogate Will about their active investigation he agrees to help them on one condition: that they bring his former girlfriend to hear his confessions. 

Enter Alison Smith, the ex in question, who reluctantly returns to Ireland in order to put an end to the Canal killings once and for all. Forced to confront the love of her life, Alison's buried doubt rises to the surface and she soon finds herself embedded in the case. 

I don't know about y'all, but I was super sold on that premise. It's a totally captivating concept and I was certain it would deliver. And while there were some truly spine-tingling passages, this whodunit unfortunately left all the intrigue in the synopsis, leaving the story bare and boring.  

From the lack of twists and character development to forced love interests and red-capped herrings this crime novel truly didn't live up to my expectations. The reveals while realistic were missing that page-turning pizazz I crave while cozying up with a great thriller. I wish I was lying, but these are my truths. Luckily, my opinion seems to land in the minority so if the beginning of this review sold you, I'd definitely recommend giving this book a chance. Maybe you'll favor better with the Liar and his girl.

She’s in love with a supposed serial-killer. He may have been wrongly convicted. This is a Beauty and the Beast love story with a twist of violence and crime. All and all good journey between the past and the present!

Interesting read that kept me turning the page. This will be a purchase for our library that I think many of my students will pick up and fall into just as I did.

I always seem to enjoy books that bounce back and forth from the past to the present.  This one did that well without being confusing.  I didn't like the outcome of the bad person.  It seemed out of nowhere and offered no shock or twist.

If you’re ever in the mood for slow burning suspense you have got to check this one out! The initial premise hooked me instantly, the idea of a woman being in a relationship with a serial killer is not only terrifying but also fascinating. The idea of a ruthless killer blending in amongst us never fails to intrigue me, does anyone else ever wonder if they’ve crossed paths with a psycho or is that just me?! Anyway, this one reeled me in right away and my interest never wavered once.

This flips between the present day and then back to when Alison was a fresh faced college student, drip feeding you relevant information at a subtle pace. Though this definitely had a slower pace, don’t mistake slow for boring because it was anything but, there was simmering tension and uncertainty the whole way through. By the time I made it to the last quarter of the book the pace had picked up significantly and the intensity was through the roof. I was utterly satisfied by the end and then when I got to the final chapter I was totally blown away, an intricately plotted twist was revealed that I never saw coming for a minute! Having loved both of the authors books now I’m a firm fan, definitely recommend both of her novels for fans of well thought out mysteries.

The Liar’s Girl in three words: Complex, Steady and Engrossing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating read. The characters were really thought out and so was the storyline. I found the book engaging and kept me turning the pages until the end.

I enjoyed the narration and the timeline pacing in this novel. It was evenly paced and the character development made it easy to follow. The book had the right amount of mystery and I’d recommend to readers who love a non-linear timeline and great character development.

After reading Distress Signals, I knew Catherine Ryan Howard would be an author to look out for. I just love her writing style and was excited to see what she would come up with next. The Liar’s Girl is a great psychological thriller that is fast-paced and entertaining with well-written characters. I highly recommend picking up anything this author writes. 

Thank you NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Howard for the opportunity to read The Liar's Girl. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

Imagine the man you love being not only convicted of murder but confessing to being a serial killer including the murder of you best friend. That was the position a nineteen year old Alison found herself. Unable to handle it she left Ireland and never looked back telling no one in her life about her dark past. While her boyfriend and love Will is convicted and sentenced to life. Until ten years later the killing start again. Now the police need to talk to Will but he will only talk to Alison. So for the first time since her world was blown apart she returns to her home and faces everything she ran from to try and find the truth. But what is the truth and what will it coat her to find it? Catherine Ryan Howard spins a beautiful web of a story that has you searching for the truth and the twisted truth revealed at the end will shock you a new and leave your head spinning. I really liked this story and got through it in two days. Looking forward to more from Catherine Ryan Howard.

I had read Distress Signals (review here) and really enjoyed but I have to admit when I read the opening chapter of this I was hopping around. Because this was fully up my street, heading more into the territory of everyday psychological thriller (kinda Kathryn Crofty for anyone who read her, for those of you who are fed up of me comparing everyone to her, I’m sorry, but she’s my holy grail in psychological thrillers to date).

Our protagonist, Alison Smith, has been called back to Dublin to talk to her ex boyfriend, who is in a psychiatric hospital after admitting to the murder of female students of St John’s University, ten years ago.  With a new killer repeating history Will is saying he has information that he will only tell her. Here is a book that sends you around in circles and back again. You wonder via both Will and the detective on the scene (who actually I wouldn’t mind seeing more of) if there is any chance at all that Will could be innocent and your eyes search out every single word trying to figure out if you’re right or wrong. You also have to take into account that at the time Alison and her best friend Liz, were going through tumultuous times and we wonder why we need to know this ( I guessed why totally wrongly a number of times!!).

I loved both the detective aspect of the book-the perfection found in the expertly done ins and outs of the system (expected of course, from someone who wrote the mecca of all writing manuals, the ‘Self Printed’ spoken of here ) and also the cautionary aspects in terms of social media and student life too (a number of ‘what the frig’ moments in terms of getting information really got me). I hated/ loved following victims knowing where it was leading and wanting to help them, but being unable to (um, because it’s a book and not real life;)).

I have to admit one part that I didn’t quite need was the dark voice of the ‘baddie,’ but that’s just because in general I feel that unless they’re adding something significant to the book by showing us either an actual justification for the crime, or how they do it in a way the protagonist/ police can’t, then they’re just adding a ‘scary’ voice that isn’t necessary (this is more than likely totally me though!). The other thing was the last portion of the book which wasn’t quite for me, after the slow burn the sudden crazy drama just didn’t resonate and when I realised there was so much more to go I guessed the ending. Saying that I loved the book, the everyday, the twists, the turns, setting, marking Catherine Ryan Howard for me as a definite ‘straight onto the to be read list’ author. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5

The Liar's Girl is good escapist reading. It is a quick read, perhaps even a little rushed at times, Ms. Howard made the police just a little too incompetent for my taste.  The characters are well drawn, not extremely compelling. The Heroine wasnt really that likeable for my taste, which is why I resented her sudden skill at crime solving. Ms. Howard uses a technique of multiple viewpoints, also not my favorite. All in all, I think her writing style and my reading preferences werent compatible.  If you are looking for a day's light escape reading, you may find The Liar's Girl a fit.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This was the first book I have read by this author, I cannot believe I haven't heard of her, tis was a great book. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

Alison left and started a new life when her boyfriend turned out to be a serial killer and her best friend was one of his victims, she is called back to hear his confession to help solve similar "copycat" murders, she agrees reluctantly.  The first of this book was a slow burn to the many surprising twists and turns, it set out the details and gave us a feel for our characters, building to a surprise that I didn't see coming.  I love when I cannot solve the case myself. Great book and great creepy read.

Well that was a bumpy ride.

Will Hurley- The Canal Killer, Murdered his girlfriend's best friend, Liz when he was about 19 years old. In a pych ward in stead of a prison. He claims he is innocent and will only speak to Allison, so the Gardaí go find Allison and bring her to him.

Allison-Ex girlfriend to Will. Forced back to Dublin where it all happened due to Will wanting to see her to prove his innocence because of a copycat killer. She does not believe he is innocent and does not know how or if she can help him. She starts to believe towards the end that she ended putting Will in prison because of her statement all those years back to the Gardaí. 

This novel kept me guessing all the way through. At one point my mind was like could Allison kill her best friend? I especially loved the ending of the novel, that was a huge twist that I did not see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

Thanks NetGalley!