Oh, and another present-tense narrative. Sigh. And my opinion hasn't changed. It still does not work. One star knocked off.

This is one of those thrillers where the two main protagonists know what's going on, but the reader doesn't. Which is tedious and tries your patience. That said, it is compelling.

Susanna Fenton is a counsellor and single parent to teenager Emily. She has spent fourteen years with a new identity, but when Adam goes to see her for an 'appointment', it's a consultation like no other. He seems to know an awful lot about her, her past and worse…Emily.

It's quite addictive at first because what does Adam want from Susanna, how does he know her, of her and what is his interest in Emily? But then it gets very overplayed. The reasons for Susanna's dramatic change of life and the reasons for Adam's taunting are underwhelming, if I'm honest. Neither is guilty of anything very much other than being victims of tragedy. I suppose it's a testament to the quality of writing that you are nonetheless enthralled by the unfurling of the past, what Adam wants from Susanna and if Emily is in any danger.

The strangulating present-tense narrative means the past, in order for the present-day events to make any sense, has to be revealed via Susanna's memories and Emily's diary, which is all a bit contrived and clumsy.

Notwithstanding the clunkiness, ghastly present tense, few characters that are actually likeable and the painfully slow reveal, you do find yourself unwittingly caught up in the tension and suspense.

I liked this book a lot. The Liar's Room was gripping, chilling and shocking; all around just a solid thriller.
In this book our main character Susanna is having to recount her old-life, a life she tried to keep secret, while trying to work out why it is important to the man who is asking, and how he knows so much.
Right from the first page I knew I just had to know more and the story kept me guessing right up until the very last page.
Set mostly in one room this thriller was claustrophobic, I was hooked, constantly looking for a way our main character could escape but, as though my mind was being read by the author, we were always out-smarted by the 'villain' so-to-speak.
Usually with books that have two timelines I find that one is more gripping or interesting while the other lacks or has me wishing I could skim without feeling guilty but that was not at all the case with this book; both when the past was being recounted and when the present added little bits that made me wonder 'but what about afterwards?' I was just hooked, needing to know what would happen next and what that would mean for the story and the characters I had grown to understand and sympathise with.
I love a book that can make me wonder what I would do in the situation depicted and this book was perfect for this.

The liars room intrigued me from the very start I loved it. I was hooked and struggled to put it down. Kept me guessing and loved the brilliant twist.

Great and interesting read. Susanna had an awful choice to make and did the best she could. I enjoyed guessing what Adam was trying to get across and finally worked it out a little before it was revealed in the story. I would have liked to know a little more about what Emily went through and her reaction when she discovered the secret. Overall it was a good book and I would recommend to friends and family

I just didn't feel like this book went anywhere, it seemed very flat throughout. Really not my cup of tea

This had the makings of a fantastic book, but there were a couple of things that lost a star for me.
I found it quite difficult engaging with the characters, especially Susanna. I also found a couple of the scenes really disturbing.
Well written, and the drip feeding of information kept me guessing. Not a bad book at all.

THE LIAR'S ROOM is a dark and unsettling thriller about a woman's secret past that returns to haunt her.

A great psychologicaI thriller which I couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and turns which I love. It kept me hooked to the very end. Loved it.

Amazing book. I couldn't tell what the twists were going to be. The author did an amazing job with the writing

Not sure what it was about this book, but I just couldn't get into it. Something just didn't click for me. Maybe it just wasn't the right time.

This had me scratching my head the whole way through, I just couldn't figure out the characters motives. There were times which were so intense that my heart was literally racing.

I received a digital arc of #TheLiar'sRoom from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story takes place over a 4 hour period in Susanna's office. As such it does feel a little claustrophobic because for the majority of the time, there are just 2 characters conversing. That said, the flashbacks do help break it up a bit. The blurb for this book intrigued me. I was desperate to know what caused Adam to visit Susanna in the first place, and who makes it out of the room alive.

We start this amazing book with someone held captive, she can remember a man hurting her but she does not know where she is.

Susannah a counsellor has a new client, he is called Adam and is a teenager. Susannah thinks he looks vaguely familiar. Adam talks about wanting to hurt a girl and shows Susannah a photo of the girl, but the photo is of Emily her 14 year old daughter. How does he know her and why would he want to hurt her?

This book is brilliant. What happens next is a cat and mouse game between Adam and Susannah. Adam seems to know everything about her life, including the secrets she has worked hard to conceal. Neither of them are who they say they are!!

Susannah has ran away from her past and started a new life with her daughter. She had a son Jake who did something terrible, which caused Susannah to flee.

Adam wants her to tell him everything that happened with Jake . But how is Adam connected to her family?

This book had me on the edge of my seat, totally gripped with no concept of where this story was going. Although for most of the book we are in Suzanna’s office, it somehow makes the story more menacing and chilling.

A must read book that kept me awake until late at night, as I was so desperate to find out the ending!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Over a decade ago Suzanne took her daughter and ran. In her mind, it was the only way to escape her history and protect her daughter. Now her daughter. Emily, is 14 and has no idea about her past or even who she really is. One day an oddly familiar young man, Adam Geraghty, enters Suzanne's office where she works as a counsellor. Its obvious to her he needs help, but she has no idea how much. He reveals he wants to hurt a girl he knows and shows her a picture. It's Emily and he advises Suzanne her daughter's safety relys on what she says now...


This is addictive reading, playing out like a literary tennis match, as the narrative is bounced between the protagonists. I saw, in some ways, what was coming but not the repercussions. The steady build to the reveal of just how bad the secret from Suzanne's past is becomes more and more tense as the story continues, and so kept me firmly in its grip.  Be prepared if you read this to not move once you start reading.

This is the story of when two people are aware of information that the other doesn't about the current situation and the game of cat and mouse that this can lead to ensue. The tension drips from every page and keeps you guessing how it will end.

I was send this book as an ARC thank you so much to the publishers for sending it to me

Susannah has got her life together and is settled and happy and then along comes a young man who needs her as a counsellor

He basically holds her hostage in her office while he uses the past and her innocent daughter to terrify her

If you like gritty thrillers this is for you I couldn’t work out anyone’s motives right until I was literally reading it

Cleverly written and nail-biting the hostage thing made me feel quite nervous!!

Well done Simon brilliant book

The Liar's Room is a complex and claustrophobic psychological thriller. A therapist and her new teenage client confront each other during a tense and dangerous session. This is a dark and absorbing novel.

This book is wonderfully written and very gripping.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller!!

When Adam Geraghty books an appointment with counsellor, Susanna Fenton, little does she know the terror the next few hours will hold. Adam somehow knows all about Susanna and her daughter and they are both in danger.

I thought this was a well written psychological thriller but I had a few issues with it. First of all, the scene of animal abuse - I thought it didn't really do anything for the plot and it felt gratuitous. I'm just lucky that I worked out what was coming before it happened so I could skip a couple of pages. Secondly, although the author showed the double standards in the media when it comes to certain crimes, by the end of the book it was still a woman who was made to bear the emotional cost and guilt of what happened, even though there were other (male) figures involved. That rankled a bit to be honest and because of this and the animal abuse, I am rating it 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Penguin Books (UK), for the opportunity to review an ARC.

This is a bold and interesting book as for the most part it essentially focuses on a conversation between two people. It is (deliberately) claustrophobic and tense but at the same time did occasionally feel repetitive. I was intrigued by the motivations and secrets of the two lead characters and there were some more action packed events recounted in the second half of the book. There was unfortunately a sense of inevitability with the final reveals but maybe that is due to me reading too many similar genre books. Having previously enjoyed The House, I would look out for more from Simon Lelic. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK) for the ARC of The Liar's Room.