Very interesting book. I was gripped to find out what happened. The truth is often hidden behind lots of lies, like an onion peeling back the lies (skin) to find the truth.

We start five years ago, with Mia at the funeral of her husband Zach. The graveyard is empty, except for a small number of people there who tell Mia (and us of course) that her husband is a monster. We don’t know why, or what he’s done, and we are off. The start totally sucked me in and I was thrilled to be back to a Kathryn Croft book, an author who has never disappointed me, and who at this stage has to be my favourite thriller writer of all time.

Fast forward five years, and Mia is settled with her partner, Will (although we are told they live quite separate lives) and Mia is still on edge, having endured years of abuse at the hands of an unforgiving public, who won’t forget what Zach did. Mia has her own counselling business, which ingeniously leads us to a character, Alison, who seems to have answers to Zach’s demise. As always I loved the way the everyday was done so well, in particular Mia’s time with her daughter and Will brightened things up, but with dark undercurrants always trickling through.

Of course we are constantly wondering what Zach has done and to give us our answers are sent back in time to the beginning of the end for him as he tries to help a girl named Josie. I was rooting for Zach the whole time and wondered how things could turn so bad for him. The story jumps between both timelines, looking at Josie’s story, someone who has been led to believe she will never make anything of herself but is out to defy all the odds, that of Alison, and of course Mia. I loved that the way the timelines were interspersed, it made you suddenly be distracted from an explosion about to happen and then, boom! You were hit with it. Saying that there were some occasions the time spent in the past moved a little slow for me, but not enough to budge my opinion on the book in any way!

The characters were likable where they needed to be (a special mention to Josie’s lovely little brother Kieran, who I adored!) and unlikable when that was required of them too (a lot of boo, hisses for the REALLY unlikable ones!). Josie, who was on the run from something, gave us some real nervy moments, and then when some of the stories started intertwining I was ridiculously excited! Ms. Croft has got to be the queen at trying to make you guess who to trust and here was no exception, with an exceptionally intricate web of mistrust and paranoia! To the very end of this book I had no idea whodunnit, and then the ending … well, all I can say is that I would ADORE to have read on, I really really wanted the aftermath in full glorious technicolour! An excellent mix of great characters, unsettling goings on amidst normal settings, and twisty events that always had me sitting up straight in my seat. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Note: You may want to check out my other reviews of Ms. Croft’s excellent books: The Girl With No Past here , While You Were Sleeping here and The Girl You Lost here (all very much recommended!)

I really enjoyed this book and was totally drawn in to the story.
I sympathised with Mia who has been left a widow with a young child, following the apparent suicide of her husband.
His death is linked to the disappearance of a student he taught at University and as the story unfolds we get to learn more about Josie and Zach.
There are two main points of view in this book - Alison's from five years ago and Mia's in the present.
The story leads you one way but there are so many secrets that come out it’s hard to know what is the truth.
This is a grest psychological thriller that I would highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me an advance copy to read.

This book starts off fantastically and alternates between present day with Mia and five years ago with the student Josie. It seems like Mia has moved on following the tragic suicide of her then husband Zach, and subsequent dissapearance of student Josie Carpenter on the same night. Mia has her new life with boyfriend Will and it's all going well until Alison appears in Miia's life and tells her that Zach didn't coommit suicide.

This certainly has the traditional feel of a ppyschological thriller and I certainly enjoyed the writing but I admit I initially struggled to connect with Mia. That aside the story had me gripped and the tension was ratcheted up to the maximum from very early on. As a reader I was questioning everyting and it felt like Mia was on a knife edge as she tries to discover what really happened to Zach and how he came to be dead on that fateful night.

I certainly didn't see the outcome as it actually happened and that was a hugely pleasant surprise. I also felt like that last wuarter of the book was the best and I read that part of the book in one sitting. I think not connecting with a character was a minor flaw for me because by the halfway mark it didn't even enter my head as I was swept along with the story. Certainly a gripping read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed!

4 Stars - Mia’s husband, Zack, was a lecturer at a university. Five years ago they found his body in one of his students' house, Josie. Police decided he killed himself and they never found Josie but based on the blood on her house they think she is dead, too. Five years later, Mia is a counselor and have a partner and a seven-year-old girl. One of her clients claims Zack didn’t kill himself and she knew Josie but this woman is disturbed, so Mia can’t trust on her words. Therefore, she determined to find the truth herself!

Well, I liked this story and I enjoyed it except for the ending. I mean at the end we know all about the secrets but I need a neat closure in my books, just this! The writing was really good and I liked the characters so much. they were brave and smart. The story was unpredictable for me. Actually from the beginning I didn’t know what to expect!

Told in dual POV (Mia/Josie), 1st person, alternating between the past and the present chapter to chapter. It’s a stand-alone novel. It was an enjoyable read for me, hope you like it s well!

Thanks to Kathryn Croft, Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.

‘Silent Lies’ by Kathryn Croft published 25/10

‘Your husband didn’t kill himself’......

I was looking forward to this book as I have read all the authors previous books and enjoyed them.
‘Silent Lies’ did not disappoint, no fuss or pages of pre amble but straight into the story and the action and what unfolds is a tense, dark psychological thriller, good characters who are easy to ‘get to know’.........some you will love, some hate!!!
The story really maps out well but fooled me!!! a couple of times I thought I had guessed the outcome and who, what, when, where, why and how.........THE TWIST( and it is a twist!!) proved all these wrong and its great when your an avid reader and a twist still gets you, this one did
A very enjoyable read and up to the standards I expected from this great author, I would definitely recommend it, thanks Bookouture for letting me read and review this

This is my fourth book by this author. The first two I loved, the third not so much but not enough to write the author off; not at all. So, when this one came out, I wiped the slate clean and dove right in and am glad to report that this book put the author back on track for me.
So, Mia, Zach and daughter Freya are a happy family unit. Until that is, the day that Zach committed suicide. On the same day that one of his students disappeared. Obviously the authorities and indeed the press considered these two events as not coincidental and Mia suffered the backlash quite hard. Five years later she has her life pretty much back on track with Will, a new love in her life, and a career as a therapist. Ticking along nicely until, one day, Alison books a session with her and, out of the blue, tells her that Zach didn't kill himself. Reeling from this shock information, Mia has some choices to make. Should she dig deeper and try and find out what Alison knows or thinks she knows? I mean, who exactly is Alison and what is her motivation for doing what she is doing? With so much more to lose, should Mia take what she has now and forget the past, let sleeping dogs lie? Maybe she should, but can she? When the truth is getting closer? Or is it the truth? What exactly is Alison's agenda and is she friend or foe?
Well, I simply raced through this book. I followed Mia through every twist and turn as she stumbled to uncover the truth. As she exposed each secret and lie, as she peeled back every layer on a life she thought she had left behind. Yes, OK, I did scream at her at some of her decisions and the reasoning behind doing what she did, especially as some of the things that she discovered took her to some pretty dark places. But, you know what, who am I to judge? How can I possible say how anyone would or could react given these circumstances, never having been faced by them myself. She's just a normal person, she followed her heart. I guess, given her current job, she really craves closure and suicide hardly ever gives a loved one that. Given a chance, a lifeline, a possibility that it wasn't suicide well, given that ball, who wouldn't run with it?
It really helped that the plotting was tight. With the cast of characters presented, all with their own secrets and lies, some connected to our story, some just personal to them, I spent the majority of the book in sheer disbelief as I really didn't know who to trust. That also meant that I didn't really fully commit to liking any of the characters but that's OK, I don't need to like them, as long as I get some kind of connection with the majority. I also had quite a bit of fun guessing the motivation behind certain characters' actions.
As I raced towards the ending I was quite conflicted. On one hand, I really wanted, needed to know what actually happened that night, but at the same time, I really didn't want the story to end as I was having so much fun reading it. But, all good things must come to an end and the end, when it came, completely blew me over. I already said it was well plotted but plotting is only as good as the conclusion where it is all wrapped up and in this book, that was simply sublime.
All in all a great story played out by some really well described characters that kept my attention nicely throughout and left me completely satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This book is the story of Mia, whose husband committed suicide 5 years earlier, on the same night one of his students was murdered, of which it was thought he had done.

As 5 years has passed, Mia is now learning to trust again and put the past behind her, until one day the past comes roaring back with answers to questions that she didn't know she had....

This was my first book of Kathryn Croft's but certainly won't be my last. It was an intricately woven plot, with an ending which even I didn't see coming. Highly recommended!

Kathryn Croft has a writing style that I enjoy and this one has alternating timelines from present to past with two characters POVs where you feel like a fly on the wall as the story unfolds!

The story is told through Mia and Josie, two women who had a relationship with Mia's husband, Zach. He is a college professor and Josie is one of his students and is rumored to have had an affair with him, but Zach really does love his wife Mia and their daughter Freya. Would he really jeopardize his family who he truly loves?? He is a responsible adult, right?

Police have concluded that Zach committed suicide while in Josie's apartment, but where is Josie? She disappeared that night and no one has her since. Has she been murdered? Is she involved in Zach's demise? What does her roommate Alison know about that night? Did Alison see or hear something?

Mia has always accepted the police finding....until one day Alison walks into her office five years later and whispers..."Zach did not kill himself". Alison was Josie's roommate and she could know something!! Alison could have even been home!

Everyone has secrets and something to hide. Mia is committed to finding out what happened to her loving husband, but what it will cost her? Who does she trust? After all, Alison may have a motive in her little revelation.

I enjoyed this book and the constant guessing and analyzing of who to trust!! I went back and forth several times trying to see who the truth teller was! Loved the way it ended. Never saw it coming...
What just happened??

I think those who like K.L. Slater novels, will really enjoy this one as I did! Fast-paced and mind bending.

This is a definite must read. The book was well written, fast paced, characters were likable and a believable story line to follow. There were a lot of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. It kept me on my feet the whole time. What more do you want from a book. This author did a great job.

I really enjoyed this book. Great storyline, wonderful main characters and a very good read. I would recommend this book.

Like I’ve mentioned many times, I absolutely love a good mystery. An epic story that keeps me on the edge of my seat is my favorite way to spend time, besides being outside with my camera.

Kathryn Croft’s book, Silent Lies, sounds perfectly creepy and suspenseful.

Take a look:

Five years rebuilding your life. Five words will destroy it again. Mia Hamilton lived the perfect life with her husband, university teacher Zach, and their two-year-old daughter, Freya. But everything changed when Zach committed suicide on the same night one of his students, Josie Carpenter, vanished.

Five years later, and Josie is still missing but Mia has finally found some happiness with new boyfriend Will. Until one day when stranger Alison walks into her life and tells Mia that her husband didn’t kill himself. Desperate to find out what really happened to Zach, Mia is forced to put her trust in Alison. But she soon discovers that Alison has her own agenda behind exposing the details of Zach’s death. Can Mia really believe anything Alison says?

Mia must decide how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth – even if she risks losing everything she loves.

A complicated and deep story with an unexpected ending.

Five years after her husband supposedly kills a woman and himself, someone shows up to tell Mia he didn't do it. Great idea for a book except that none of the characters felt trustworthy or likeable. Mia has a boyfriend she keeps at arms' length because her faith in men was destroyed by her husband's actions? Fine, except not five years later. And if that really is the case, why have a boyfriend? And Will, the boyfriend, needed to get some self-esteem. The moping along behind Mia waiting for dropped pieces of affection grated on me. So, combine the dislike and distrust of the characters and that made the story annoying rather quickly. Sadly, this meant that the twists that might have excited me were drowned out by my easy acceptance of anything said or done by the characters. If the book had ended with them flying to the moon I wouldn't have been phased. Somewhere these characters lost all sense of plausibility and it ruined what could have been a really good read from an author I have really enjoyed.

Silent Lies by Kathryn Croft is narrated through two POVs and timelines. One timeline follows Josie's story and the events that took place five years ago. At the time, Josie was a student until she disappeared. In the present timeline, Mia is trying to rebuild her life after her husband committed suicide on the night that Josie disappeared. All seems well until Alison walks into her life bringing up the past.

This was a suspenseful read and right from the start, I couldn’t guess what had happened to Mia and Zach. Alison who seemed to have the answers was an unreliable narrator hence making it hard to fully trust her. What is interesting though, I didn’t have any suspects. I just couldn’t guess what happened that night leading to Zach’s suicide.

The characters in the story are well crafted though I didn’t like most of them. Interestingly, my opinion of different characters changed as the story progressed. I liked most of them at first but their actions soon turned me against them. One I disliked and ended up liking towards the end. I struggled to connect with any of them although I did find Josie’s narration to be quiet addictive. Perhaps this is because I knew that it was going to end with her disappearance and Zach’s death. So I kept turning pages to find answers.

Kathryn’s writing is great and the story has an interesting premise but I took longer than expected with this book. I can’t say for sure if it’s my lack of connection with the characters or perhaps the fact that the middle section felt slower for me or maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood. However, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I liked turning pages trying to find answers but something felt amiss.

If you are interested in this title, I suggest that you read other reviews especially on goodreads. Most readers enjoyed the book so I am in the minority here. As I said, it could be a personal issue and not the book so don’t let this review deter you from checking it out.

The beginning of this one reeled me in right away. Interesting storyline: the main character, Mia's husband committed suicide 5 years ago on the same night that one of his students disappeared. Mia has worked to get on with her life since with her career, a new boyfriend and being a good mother to her daughter now seven, A stranger comes to see her one day as a patient and tells her that her husband is still alive. The story alternates viewpoints between Mia in the present and Josie (the missing student) in the past. Mia starts to question what she has been led to believe all this time in spite of Allison's instability. Great story which kept me turning the pages and I did not know who to trust as the story progressed. Twist at the end was quite a surprise possibly leaving an opening for sequel....which I would love to read as well! My first book by this author but will look for more!

From the get-go, this book snapped me up in a whirlwind of action, leading me along with Mia and Josie. The characters were very well written and I found myself itching to find out the next actions they would take. We follow the story of Zach, Mia’s husband, who committed suicide Allegedly due to his relationship with a student (Josie). With many twists and turns and some awesomely dysfunctional characters, this book held my attention till the last page. Very pleased with this new release from Kathryn Croft!

This was a very well written psychological thriller, and I read many of them and they rarely are so good. I figured out a small part of the endig, but not the major twist until a few pages before it was revealed (and this is good for me) but in the end I had to go back and re-read some of it because I was sure there must be some contradictions. I didn't find any, but what I found out was that people were not only lying to each others, but even to themselves! So, we normally take for granted that unless there is some mental problem people would be sincere at least in their own minds? Don't do that. Every single word could be a lie.
Other than that I really enjoyed that novel, I would have probably read the second half in one sit if I didn't have to go to work, I loved the twist, but not the consequences of it. Some innocent people will suffer. Some more than all the ones that already had. So if there is hope for someone who deserve it, there is also someone who will pay for something that was not his/her fault at all. That's sad but.. it happens when we believe and love..somene who lies!
Overall this is like it always is with Kathryn Croft. I love her books...I can't stop reading, but in the end I feel a bit confused.. Why didn't I see it coming? So I will pause for a day or two, and then probably hurry to read another one of her books hoping that time I am more prepared to the final twist! But guess what? I'm not!!

This story was told from the present and Mia's perspective as well as from the past and Josie's perspective. Both stories meet at the end. This book is definitely about Silent Lies, everybody has a secret that they are keeping or lying about something. The whole time I was changing my mind about the killer and what happened to Josie. The end was a big surprise to me and I can normally predict what is going to happen. I liked the way the story was told and the description of the characters.
I look forward to reading more books by Kathryn Croft.
Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for the copy.

4 Stars.

This is my second Kathryn Croft book I have read.

I did not see the ending coming. Full of twists and turns. It was pretty good. I really wasn’t sure who I could trust. The book is told in alternating POVs, which I love. Past and present.

Five years ago, Mia Hamilton’s husband took his own life. He was found in an apartment where one of his students lived. The students’s blood is there but she is missing. The police believe that Zach had something to do with Josie’s disappearance and out of guilt killed him self.

Five years later, Mia is trying to get on with her life until a woman named Allison seeks out Mia and tells her Zach did not kill him self. Hmmm, what really happened?! Twisty!

Again, I found it hard to trust anyone in Silent Lies but I did enjoy this one!



Thank you, Netgalley and Bookouture