A scary, dark and wholly gripping story! Who is Adam, Why does Susana feel like she knows him - where has he come from!!! Read and find out!

The Liar's Room by Simon Lelic is a deep and dark psychological thriller. I did find it a little difficult to first get into it as the reader does not know any background to the main character nor why she takes the actions she does but my interest was piqued and I am glad I persevered. The dialogue/action mostly takes place in a room between two of the main characters but the story also develops with the help of recollections from other people involved in the chain of events over a number of years. I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

Susanna Fenton has a secret. Fourteen years ago she left her identity behind, reinventing herself as a counsellor and starting a new life.

It was the only way to keep her daughter safe. But everything changes when Adam Geraghty walks into her office. She's never met this young man before - so why does she feel like she knows him?

Adam starts to tell her about a girl. A girl he wants to hurt. And that's when Susanna realises she was wrong.

She doesn't know him.

He knows her.

And the girl he plans to hurt is her daughter.

This novel was a solid read but a bit slow burning for me, Susanna annoyed me with her untruths and her slightly simpering personality, I loved her best friend though.
I would have liked to have read more about Susanna’s daughter, hearing about her personality would have made me feel more sympathetic towards her character and immersed me into the storyline a bit more.
The plot itself, coupled with the clinical setting was quite intriguing, there was a bit twist at the end that I didn’t really see coming.
All in all, worth a look but it could have been so much better.

The Liar’s Room hits you with the intrigue of its storyline from the first page. There was very little easing into it or wondering whether I was going to enjoy it - it went wham from the get go and had me absolutely hooked!

Susanna is a counsellor who has spent many years trying to escape her past. When a young man, Adam, arrives for his first appointment with her she is struck by a sense that she knows him but quickly brushes it to one side. Not long into the appointment it becomes very clear that he knows an awful lot about Susanna and her daughter Emily and that both are in great danger.

I really don’t want to give anything else away plot wise on this book. It is so cleverly written that I would rather you discover it for yourself without even the tiniest of spoilers. I did guess at one big point a way in to the book but if anything that heightened the reading experience. Set in the present with flashes of the past, what emerges is a story of trauma, heartbreak and guilt that has shaped and broken many lives and it is so good and very very readable.

A definite recommendation from me, I look forward to reading other works from this author.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinUK for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I'm not quite sure where to start other than to say that make sure you leave enough time when you pick up this book to read it in one go! There is such an addictive feel to the plot with so many questions not only about Adam but Susanna too. There is a tense and pretty chilling vibe to the story as everything slowly unravels revealing secrets and lies that kept me glued to my Kindle.

I'm going to be pretty vague about the plot as it is so worth discovering all the little twists and turns for yourself. What I will say is that The Liar's Room is heavily concentrated on just the two characters but what compelling characters they are flaws and all. They managed to hold my attention throughout as the past is very much brought out into the open. I was constantly trying to guess what would happen next and I loved being kept on my toes.

The Liar's Room had some shocking revelations and it could be disturbing at times but there is also an emotional edge as you get to know the characters more and see how their pasts have played a part in the future. Simon Lelic has created a very clever and compelling story that will capture your attention with some tense and dark moments.

Fast paced, claustrophobic and dark!

Five stars from me!

Susanna Fenton has a secret. Fourteen years ago she left her identity behind, reinventing herself as a counsellor and starting a new life. It was the only way to keep her daughter safe.

But everything changes when Adam Geraghty walks into her office. She's never met this young man before - so why does she feel like she knows him?

Then Adam starts to tell her about a girl. A girl he wants to hurt.

And Susanna realises she was wrong.
She doesn't know him.
BUT HE KNOWS HER.
AND THE GIRL HE PLANS TO HURT IS HER DAUGHTER...

I felt it had a slow almost vague start I found it compelling and in comparison the latter half of the book really does pick up the pace and the intrigue as well as the sense of danger. And as the dots started to be connected I started to get a better idea of what was going on, in a sense I started to see the bigger picture. It is when I realised how deceptive the story actually was that the author had very cleverly woven. Predominantly set in one room, this book is the definition of claustrophobic. It’s definitely a thrilling page turner. Simon Lelic’s writing is incredibly immersive

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK) for an advance copy for a fair and honest review

Susanna is a counsellor, well she is now! But she has a past that she is trying to hide from her friends, her daughter and also herself. Adam comes to Susanna as a patient, he has never visited her before but something about him is unsettling.

This is a book that took me a while to get into as I struggled to really find my feet with what the story was about and where it was going. It is only now as I write this review that I realise that this was probably a little bit how Susanna felt when this stranger turned up. What was he about, what was his problem, did he have a problem? But even though it did feel a little slow to get going I was so glad I stuck with it. There was something quietly compelling about it that held my attention.

As the story of not only Susanna but also Adam started to be made known the sense of “there is something going on here” starts to make its shadowy presence felt. All is not as first appears. A lie told years ago raises its head, it was told to protect loved ones, does that make it right? Can telling a lie ever be justified? The author does a great job of teasing and taunting the reader, I felt as if I was being manipulated as the truth of the story gradually snaked its way out.

Even though I felt it had a slow almost vague start I found it compelling and in comparison the latter half of the book really does pick up the pace and the intrigue as well as the sense of danger. The as the dots started to be connected I started to get a better idea of what was going on, in a sense I started to see the bigger picture. It is when I realised how deceptive the story actually was that the author had very cleverly woven.

This is a book I would definitely recommend to readers who like psychological thrillers with an emphasis on family, secrets, and lies. A book that I think would raise some interesting talking points for Reading Groups.

This is a very dark psychological thriller, where noone is what they seem. The themes are quite upsetting, but are dealt with in a thoughtful way, and you do feel for both Susanna, and to some extent, Adam. I will definitely search out more books by this author.

Very tense and very dark. I was pleased there wasn't too many characters bogging down the gripping plot.

Un-put-a-downable !!
What a fabulously tense, shocking thriller and a gripping read from start to finish

I have just read this book in one sitting. The intrigue from the start and throughout the book held. my attention. Curious as to wher this plot was going and anxious about the outcome. A very tense gripping read .

I read this in one weekend and it did keep me engaged.
I couldn't describe it as a thriller as it's not edge of the seat stuff but it is a sad story, superbly told.
I enjoyed the style of writing and found myself sympathising with both of the main characters, each of whom were flawed personalities, expertly explained.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity.

The liars room by Simon Lelic.

ONE ROOM.

TWO LIARS.

NO WAY OUT.

Susanna Fenton has a secret. Fourteen years ago she left her identity behind, reinventing herself as a counsellor and starting a new life.

It was the only way to keep her daughter safe. But everything changes when Adam Geraghty walks into her office. She's never met this young man before - so why does she feel like she knows him?

Adam starts to tell her about a girl. A girl he wants to hurt. And that's when Susanna realises she was wrong.

She doesn't know him.

He knows her.

And the girl he plans to hurt is her daughter.
This was a good read with likeable characters.  Little bit slow in places but still a good read. And what an ending. 4*.

This book was not the easiest to read but if you keep going it is worth it. The ending was not rushed and was set at the right pace, keeping the reader gripped until the end. Well worth a look if you like suspense novels with a twist. I can't give this 5 stars as it is not the best book I have read this year, but it certainly in my top 20

I started this book unsure but quite quickly I was gripped and couldn’t put it down!!!! It was intriguing....who was this man ? What was the story? It unraveled and I was hooked! Thanks, an excellent read

I read The House by this author and I’ve got to say I had high expectations. I’m glad to say the author reached my high expectations and more as I really enjoyed this story.

The plot of this is so good. It’s well thought out and executed. Each chapter was like another part of the jigsaw, another step towards getting answers to the questions whizzing around in my head.

I’m not gonna go into the storyline. This is a story that needs to be read without spoilers.

I found this to be a creepy kinda read in that I could watch it on the tv...one of those movies where you wanna watch it but afraid of what’s gonna happen.

This is definitely gonna be one of my favourite reads this year. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

Wow, I absolutely loved this book. This was really grabbed my interest and just didn't let go. I read this in 1 day. Such a gripping read with an amazing plot full of twists and turns. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to give away the plot. I cannot recommend this book enough. You will definitely not be disappointed. Wow wow wow, fantastic. Well done Simon Lelic. Another fabulous read!!!

SImon Lelic, with "The Liar's Room", gives us a truly chilling and fast paced novel. Full of unexpected twists and turns you are guaranteed an excellent read. The story is based around that extraordinary bond that exists between mothers and their children and how this bond can lead to both good and grim outcomes. In this novel we have two mothers, a suicide, a son with murder in mind, a daughter having a secret affair. It raises the question do mothers ever really know their children and what they get up to outside the home? Lelic, cleverly and cohesively uses these elements to put together an all-too-believable scenario. Certainly not an easy read but immensely gripping and enjoyable.

I find it disappointing when the synopsis of a book has me gripped, but then the book fails to deliver. Sadly, ‘The Liars Room’ is one of those books.
The book starts well, but then doesn’t deliver anything. Both of the main characters, Susanna and Adam are, as the title says, liars and also very dislikable. I found it very hard to care what was going to happen at the end of the book as I couldn’t really care if neither of the characters got out of the room alive. It was only the supporting characters and storyline which kept me reading until the end, and I am not sure it was really worth reading until the end to reach that conclusion.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Good in parts and unbelievable in others. It was just an ok read. Quite good premise but fell down for me with some of the storyline. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.