There's a claustrophobic vibe to the story from the beginning. It impacts intensifies, as the plot reveals its secrets. The suspense builds steadily to a shattering conclusion, as all the dark secrets are revealed, but will justice prevail?

A dark story of abuse, and unforgivable betrayal of trust. Joe is dying and he wants his family with him, but why are they so reluctant to come? Why does he want them to?  Is it to share what time he has left? Or to ensure their continued silence?

Heidi and Ciara are both emotionally damaged, they share a bond of hate, mostly directed at each other. As the story progresses they have more in common than they realise.  Told from multi-points of view, in the past and the present day. Mostly from Heidi and Ciara's but also Joe, Alex and Kathleen's. The reader becomes immersed in their anger and pain. The setting is beautifully described and the culture and traditions add an extra layer of tension in an already fraught and intense environment.

The plot is not overly complex, what draws the reader into this story is their empathy and in some cases disgust for the characters, who are both authentic and relatable. I guessed the twist, but the sense of dramatic irony, of knowing something the characters in the story didn't, gave the story an added twist, rather than spoiling it. 

The last chapters are both emotionally draining and satisfying. It's not a story you enjoy but is one that you can believe in.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a multi-layered psychological story that is cleverly told. First, you feel sympathy for a character only to have the rug pulled from under your feet and then it's all turned on its head again. In fact, just about everyone has a motive in this book and just when you think you've worked it out, you find you are mistaken. It is only after Joe's death that the truth can emerge and it's a story of lies, cover-ups and grief. It's the story of a small, close-knit community and what goes on behind closed doors. Very clever but not pleasant reading as so many people are touched by the events in this story, a story that is all too closely reflected in real life.

Joe McKee lay dying. The last stage. He had a daughter and a step daughter. Ex wife, sister all around but the atmosphere was so dark, so heavy, so ominous that from the first page you knew that everything was awry.

For atmosphere you can give this book a hundred percent. For deep down anger and sadness and the inability to throw these feelings off was very hard to read about. I almost gave up mid way as the book made me angry and mad at family who were blind, and in the end not just blind but actually wicked.

Ciara and Heidi are the two girls involved and their story is told in alternate chapters. They detest each other, with and without reason. Despite being adults the feelings of animosity and hatred have not gone away. The story builds up to a crescendo between these two with plenty of emotion provided by secondary characters.

Round and round and round. Too much round for too little payout and too much to swallow (pedophilia). 

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Liar's Daughter by Claire Allan is another compelling and emotionally engaging read from an author who has remained a steadfast must read for me.  I am always excited to get my hands on a new release from Ms Allan, and I was not at all disappointed by this latest offering.

Joe McKee has terminal cancer and it falls upon his stepdaughter Heidi to provide the bulk of his care, a task she undertakes begrudgingly.  Following the death of her mother years before, Joe became her legal guardian, and Heidi makes no bones about the hatred that she continues to harbour for the despicable man.  When Joe's biological daughter Ciara is informed of her father's health battle, she adds further fuel to the flames, bringing her long held resentments against not only Joe but Heidi, too, back into an already fraught situation.   When Joe dies, suddenly and unexpectedly, aspersions are cast on the two daughters who so clearly despise him.

This is a gripping story that will keep you guessing up until the final pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.

Well, The Liar’s Daughter is certainly a dark dark dark kinda story; it’s actually my first taste of this author’s work, and when it comes to my thrillers and crime reading, I like dark – the darker the better, in fact, so this has a thumbs up indeed from me.

Joe Mckee, highly regarded member of the Derry community and all round good and honest man is dying from cancer and with his final months ahead his family gather round to take it in turn to care for him…

However, Joe’s daughter Ciara and step-daughter Heidi know the real Joe and he’s anything but the doting and protecting father he should of been to them.

From the opening pages it’s clear to see that both Ciara and Heidi are damaged women. There’s certainly no love lost between father and daughters, yet what soon becomes apparent is there’s also no love between the two sisters. When Joe dies, the police begin to have doubts over whether his death was in fact from natural causes. Did someone/would someone of killed Joe – he was already a dying man anyway – did someone really hate him that much? There was five people in the house the day he died and the sisters certainly have motive to kill – but what other family secrets has he taken to the grave?

I would personally class The Liar’s Daughter more of an incredibly dark family drama. As I keep saying, it is extremely dark, and most uncomfortable, disturbing and emotional at times due to the subject of abuse and self-harm; it’s long lasting effects which are most apparent throughout. Handled with care and sensitivity, though, I believe these stories do need to be told, and Allan did that in her writing.

Being told by the perspectives of both sisters gave me a great depth into their personalities and who they were – both VERY different, however, when it came to their past life trauma they are without doubt linked together.

For me, I greatly enjoyed the clever ‘whodunit’ storyline. The mystery isn’t that itself of an already dying man’s murder – it’s the fact that you only have a handful of suspects and it has to be one of them – despite the bleak storyline this does create a little bit of fun mystery aspect to it. They all have motives; they all had ample opportunity to commit. Whilst everything sounded as it should be when reading, I always had that niggle that it wasn’t, of course it wasn’t, was it? Because someone was lying to me and HAD murdered Joe!

The Liar’s Daughter is a dark, chilling and emotional family tale about two daughters who despise their father. It’s a novel that will take you on a whole journey of feelings, from sadness and pity, to disgust, fury and horror.

Whoa, quite a different read involving a dead father, a daughter and step-daughter bound together in secrets.

Joe was supposed to be an upstanding citizen. He died. Police marked it unnatural and both the daughter’s seemed shocked. But were they really?

My third book by author Claire Allen, I was quite taken aback at the tough issues she had interweaved in the story. The characters were different and unlikable, especially Joe. He was quite crafty and evil, and only his daughters knew the real ‘him’. I hated him and was not surprised that somebody offed him.

Both Ciara and Heidi had their own lives, they seemed to be hiding their secrets. The writing told me their story both in present and past. They seemed to have had tough lives. I shuddered when I heard their final truths.

This was a murder mystery at the core with the truths slowly crawling onto the page. The suspense was slow, but quite stolrong in its motivation. It was easy to dislike everyone yet be interested in their secrets.

Tapping my kindle to keep the story flowing was all I did, the rest was done by the author whose ending made my vengeful heart scream in victory. How wicked could people be!! The end was totally justified. I felt vindicated.

Quite an evocative and emotional thriller which played with my mind completely.

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end!it was super thrilling and kept throwing all kinds of twists and turns. This book has some subjects that could be difficult for some readers including child abuse. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Heidi's stepdad's days are numbered. He's dying of cancer and wants to spend his last months with his estranged family.
But neither Heidi nor Ciara, his biological daughter, are happy to be anywhere near the dying man. They can't wait for him to die.
But when he finally does, much sooner than expected, it soon turns out that it wasn't his illness that killed him...

I have previously read The Apple of My Eye, which I loved, so when I reached for this one, my expectations were set fairly high.
And it was a good read indeed, I really enjoyed it, but I regret to say that neither did it have me at the edge of my seat nor madly turning the pages.
I was battling with myself all day whether it deserves 3 or 4 stars, and while it was a pretty gripping story, I think that the cons outweigh the pros.
For one, it's utterly unbelievable that Heidi was even legally allowed to stay in Joe's care, he was after all a stranger.
Secondly, Ciara's constant changes in demeanor didn't sit well with me. She was painted as an unlikeable person for most of the story, then she suddenly changed only to revert to her old self a the drop of a hat.
It also seemed pretty implausible that for all these years, never once did it cross her mind that Heidi might have been going through the same ordeal.
The ending, with its promise of friendship between the two women, felt unsatisfactory to me, especially considering how bad Ciara had treated Heidi in the past.
On the plus side, I was wrong in my estimation of who the killer was, so it was a surprise when it was revealed.
Overall it was a really good read, but because of the faults I've listed, I'm leaning towards 3 stars.

A really good gripping read. Parts of this story were hard to read. Joe had carried out some horrific acts in his life. Ciara and Heidis stories were heartbreaking in places. They had both been through so much. Everything was written about sympathetically and with empathy. I would definitely recommend this book and any other book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Oooh, this was a dark, dark story. I have read one other book by Claire Allan, and this one was so much more different! Whilst I found the story a bit slow to get started, Allan creates an intense atmosphere that builds and builds throughout this “who dunnit?” narrative.

The subject matter is very dark and disturbing. The book I picked up after this was decidedly lighter to help brighten my mood! With themes of paedophilia, rape and child abuse, this is a book that you need to be in the right frame of mind to consume. Once you are prepared for this darkness, the story itself is completely absorbing. Although it took me a while to get into the narrative, I soon found myself racing to the finish, desperate to know the final revelations.

Set mostly in one house, Allan creates a very claustrophobic atmosphere. Coupled with the fact that several adults all have a seemingly obvious motive for murdering Joe, this atmosphere becomes fraught with tensions and paranoia. My compass was swinging permanently in trying to guess who was the culprit to the crime and I enjoyed how Allan gradually reveals motives and also the events of the fateful night.

Whilst this is a dual narrative story that switches between the dark past and the death of Joe in the present, readers are also presented with a story that moves between Ciara and Heidi’s perspective. This added another depth to the story, particularly as these women are so different in personality yet, linked by deep, dark traumas in their past.

The ambiguity of the title was clever. Not only does it refer to Ciara, Joe’s daughter, it also encompasses Heidi – whom Joe cared for when Heidi’s mother passed away. I liked this ambiguity because it meant that it was never clear who was the real perpetrator of the crime.

Set in Ireland, I enjoyed reading about different funeral traditions and the significance of the funeral wake. Indeed, I was even more surprised when I saw reference to Dylan Thomas’s poem, ‘Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night’ – a poem I often study with my students. At last! I have proof that it is not some dusty piece of text, but has been quoted in modern literature!

This was a good read and very pacey. The short chapters helped alleviate the intensity of the subject matter; I could easily take a break from the narrative before the negativity swamped me too much. That being said, it definitely did not take me long to sweep through this story, desperate to find the answers as much as the characters themselves.

With thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I didn't like this Claire Allan book as much as I've liked her other ones. It wasn't much of a thriller -the main secret is revealed right away- and while yes, there is a murder, it's kind of incidental to the story. The themes are very dark and disturbing and include child molestation, although no details are given, it is a major theme. This one was 2 1/2 stars for me.

This book grabs you by the scruff of the neck and throws you right into the chaos! I really enjoyed reading this book, it did keep me guessing, although I don’t see the bombshell coming. Thank you for letting me review this title

Psychological thrillers are never easy reads - probably why they’re so popular. Most people lead busy lives but compared to the thriller, propped against their knees, they’re a doddle.  This one is fraught with emotive issues but manages to deal with them with sensitivity. Joe is dying. We learn from the very start that Joe isn’t either a nice man or indeed the man the community think he is. He’s also hiding secrets - secrets his daughters help keep. Joe dies. The police suspect foul play. That’s where the fun really starts. Allan is fast making a bit of a name for herself In this genre - it’s easy to see why.

Characters and story line are easy to follow and quite predictable but you will read on. Conversations and thoughts of each person was well executed. The author was able to convey the anger and frustration of adults after suffering childhood trauma. Sensitive subject matter was handled quite well without a lot of detail, focusing more on emotions and after effects. It is easy to guess the nature of the issues at hand and the 'who dunnit' but does not deter one from going forward. Not a deep thriller, but is thought provoking. 
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an unbiased review.The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the ARC.

Joe McKee has cancer. He's not got long to live. His daughter and stepdaughter don't seem to care. They both despise him. They have their reasons to. But when he dies, the police are called in. They suspect it was foul play that killed him.

This is an emotionally disturbing read. There were five people in the house the day Joe died  five suspects. But which one of them is guilty? How wasnt thenrespecta le man the local community thought he was. He has some dark secrets. There are some sinister themes  ut they've been written with compassion and clarity. This will be a difficult book to read for some people due to its content.  This is another well written and page turning whodunnit. I loved it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author Claire Allan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Wow! A really good and emotional read! 

"Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death"

"I wanted to scream that I didn't deserve this. But it was like there was a tiny voice, or a chorus of voices, whispering that this is exactly what I did deserve. In fact, I deserved much, much more."

Joe is dying. His body is riddled with cancer. He has been giving 3 to 6 months. Heidi has to look after him but she can barely stand being in the same room as Joe. He is estranged from his daughter Ciara who reluctantly goes to see him before it's too late but she also hates him with a passion. Both these woman are damaged in so many ways. Then Joe dies but was it of natural causes or not? Will his death heal them in some way or will everything boil over?

This is a story that might upset sensitive readers. It tackles some really difficult and upsetting issues of abuse and the consequences of keeping quiet. At times its tough to read because although I cannot put myself in the shoes of these woman, I can feel the pain and loneliness and frustration. It also makes you think.... how well do you really know people close to you and how quickly do you judge people who act out without knowing the real reason for their behaviour. 

A book I will definitely recommend to my customers and a story that will stay with me for a while.

Thank you to netgalley and AvonBooksUK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I found The Liar’s daughter a compelling read, devouring it in just two sittings. Whilst immensely readable, I was disappointed that I didn’t find the actual storyline as gripping as I’d have liked.
This psychological thriller revolves around the death of Joe and his last  days being cared for by his step daughter Heidi and his other estranged biological daughter Ciara. There’s no love lost between Joe and his daughters or between the sisters themselves which is evident in the very first pages. It’s easy to guess the reason why Heidi despises Joe so much, making it all the more strange yet commendable that she is caring for him in his dying days. The author is portraying Heidi as a damaged, increasingly unhinged individual, hinting at her miserable childhood, grieving for her mother Natalie whilst being brought up by Joe against her wishes. The reasons for bad feeling between Heidi and Ciara are obvious since Joe left Ciara and her mother Marie to set up home with Natalie and Heidi and clearly Ciara has never forgiven her father for walking away. Now they are both adults it would be reasonable to think that these two could set aside their differences and let bygones be bygones. However when Joe dies quicker than his prognosis would have led the family to believe, tensions are never far from the surface especially when his death is discovered to possibly be the result of foul means. Is there a murderer amongst those present the evening Joe passed away and will fingers automatically point the blame at Heidi??
Whilst the words flowed easily I wasn’t totally convinced by casting Heidi under suspicion simply because of her troubled childhood which her husband Alex is seemingly unaware of. Yes she has a strong motive for his death certainly and Ciara, a cold hearted woman, is keen to frame Heidi for their father’s premature demise. So although I suppose the reader is led down this route, anyone who reads a great deal of psychological thrillers will see this red herring and perhaps find it relatively easy to guess the culprit. Admittedly I only half guessed who is to blame and definitely not the intricate details which do make sense when the final threads are brought together so the author has achieved her aim of throwing the reader off the scent. There is a sense of unease throughout which adds to the overall tension. Personally I didn’t find either Heidi or Ciara likeable characters despite what had happened to them in the past and overall there just wasn’t enough of a WOW factor for my liking. As psychological thrillers go this was quite an average read, despite me racing through the pages but I would definitely continue to read other titles by this author. Just on this occasion I was left feeling rather underwhelmed.
My thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

No one deserves to be taken before their time. Do they?

Joe McKee – pillar of the Derry community – is dead. As arrangements are made for the traditional Irish wake, friends and family are left reeling at how cancer could have taken this much-loved man so soon.

But grief is the last thing that Joe’s daughter Ciara and step-daughter Heidi feel. For they knew the real Joe – the man who was supposed to protect them and did anything but.

As the mourners gather, the police do too, with doubt being cast over whether Joe’s death was due to natural causes. Because the lies that Joe told won’t be taken to the grave after all – and the truth gives his daughters the best possible motive for killing him…

Claire Allan really knows how to pull her audience in and in her latest book, The Liars Daughter, she succeeds once again when she tells a tale about a man who isn't what people think he is, but because his daughter and stepdaughter have kept their secrets buried, Joe goes to his grave an honoured and much loved man, but every picture tells a story and all it needs is these two girls to reveal all.

The story is told mainly from Ciara and Heidi's perspectives and, as the story unfolds, you can see why they have issues with each other and with Joe, and I felt for both of them when their secrets emerged and could sympathise with them both if either one had killed him, but all is not as it seems and the ending took me by surprise. It's a very dark plot and a hard subject to write about but Claire Allan covered it perfectly, with emotion in all the right places. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend.

I'd like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

The Liar's Daughter by Claire Allan 
As a fan of Claire Allans previous books I was looking forward to reading this book and I really enjoyed it. The story is told by Heidi and Ciara and between the past and the present.  Joe is father to Ciara and stepdad to Heidi, and Joe has died, as the family prepare to bury him secrets start to emerge, then the police arrive,  did someone kill Joe? 
While reading the story of the family dynamics which were very well written it is almost easy to forget the police investigation as the story was so interesting. I flew through this book and enjoyed every page.