Cover Image: Liar Liar

Liar Liar

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Member Reviews

Another brilliant read, the title says it all as Grace has no idea who is telling the truth when a small boy is found badly injured on the grass outside a block of flats. Did he fall or was he pushed? was it an accident or deliberate? Once she starts with her inquiries is soon becomes apparent that something is definitely being covered up. There is so much going on in this book, it's the kind of book you just don't want to put down.

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The story was filled with suspense in both the present and the earlier period covering how Ruby got to where she was. Told in alternating time periods, it was easy to follow when you were in each. The characters were believable, the story flowed at a nice pace and I enjoyed the read from beginning to end. I would recommend it to all who enjoy crime novels and look forward to more in the series.

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When a young child is thrown from a balcony of the flats, DS Grace Allendale is sent to investigate. Life on most estates mean that the Police are not someone you talk to. No one will say if they saw anything and are saying it's an accident.
Grace knows that people are telling lies, including the boys parents but she needs to figure out why and what actually happened.
As always this was a thrilling read from a very talented author. I've found each book in this series somehow gets better each time. This is one of those books you really don't want to end. Yet you can't stop reading which means the end comes around all to soon.
i've never yet felt let down by one of Mels books and this one is as goodd as all her others. A great addition to a brilliant series.

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Liar Liar is the third novel in the DS Grace Allendale series by author Mel Sherratt. It’s a British police procedural.

DS Grace Allendale is now living with Simon, a local journalist, and has had her job focused on community relations in Stokes. She’s estranged from her family, reigning crime bosses of the city, and has a new, recently promoted partner.

The story begins when a young boy falls from a balcony in a block of flats, the Harrison House. Quickly, foul play is suspected. However, no one in Harrison House seems ready to come forward with information, and the parents themselves insist that the fall was an accident. It appears that Harrison House is under the thumb of a violent young kingpin wannabe, Seth Forrester. No one wants to get on his bad side.

The reader is however informed that both parents think they’re at fault for what happened to their son, and for different reasons they keep from each other.

Two stories run concurrently: the troubles at Harrison House, that keep piling up, and the troubles the mother is in, on which the reader is slowly let in by flashbacks to her past. The protagonists either don’t talk, or lie. And when they’re caught lying, they answer with more lies. All this explaining the book’s title, and making the investigation quite difficult for DS Allendale and her partners. It’s made a little easier for the reader. We are indeed provided with more information, and the main culprit can be guessed before he’s finally revealed by the author.

Liar Liar is a quick light read, and possess all the qualities we expect from such a British police procedural. It’s a series I will no doubt keep following.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

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When a little boy falls from a first floor flat, nobody in the block of flats had seen anything. Did he fall or was he dropped? DS Grace Allendale and her partner, DS Frankie Higgins have a tough case to solve, not helped by the wall of silence and the lies surrounding the case.
This is the third book in the crime thriller series. The chapters do switch between the present in the story and the past but it does explain a lot of what goes on and makes complete sense.
There is plenty to keep you interested in the story, there is gambling, gangsters, murder and lots more. The twists in the storyline are good and the characters are great, whether you like them or not! A well written and tense story.

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Mel Sherratt has a well deserved reputation as an author of strong police procedurals. I’ve been a fan of all her various series. This, the third in the Grace Allendale series, has Grace investigating a young toddler who “falls” from the balcony in a block of flats. We know that several folks saw something but no one will admit to knowing anything. Even the parents will only say it was an accident. At the same time, there was some sort of commotion going on at the car park. I love that we’re kept clueless about whether the two incidents are related or not.

The storyline hits home as “no snitching” seems to be the mantra on both sides of the pond. Sherratt does a great job of projecting the fear behind the silence. We hear from each of the characters, which helps to move the story along at a brisk pace. It also gives us insights that Grace doesn’t have.

This is a series that works best if read in order. Actually, it even makes sense to read her Allie Shenton series first as the gangster family, the Steeles, make their first appearance there. And Allie is now Grace’s boss but her appearance in this book is minimal.

Another well done book to add to Ms. Sherratt’s resume.

My thanks to netgalley and Avon Books for an advance copy of this book.

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Right from the start I was sat ready pint of coffee and Bon bons at the ready for what I knew was going to be an awesome thriller read. The boy's can sort themselves for dinner they're over 25!

When something happens and you desperately need answers,but nobody "has seen anything, heard anything no no no." Doesn't it just get under you Damn skin? You KNOW they know something but you just wanna squeeze it out of them grrrrr#£@?%$
I know Mel Sherratt has done her awesome job RIGHT THERE lol.
I'm in hook ,line and sinker.
This book was D.S. Grace Allendales third book and Me Sherratt has given us punches in abundance with this one. To e able to create Tension when no on else is in the room is a pretty clever thing for a writer to do!
Do not miss this! You will love it! It's yet another hard hitting, soul searching questioning read from an awesome author

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Whoop whoop we are back with the third book in the DS Grace Allendale series, this series is going from strength to strength, my first book of 2020 and what a start.

Grace is no longer on the murder team and has taken a side step as a community intelligence officer. Just as Grace and her DC, Frankie are leaving one of the flats in Harrison House, they hear shouting and then a scream, Grace runs towards it and what she sees leaves her heart in her mouth, she cannot unsee it, a toddler boy, Tyler Douglas has fallen from the balconies onto the ground, there is a faint pulse, the mother is beside herself… its an anxious wait for the ambulance. Grace didn’t see how it happened and is unsure if it was quite the accident his parents make it out to be and begins to investigate.

As is usually the case in Harrison House, nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything… Tyler’s parents are clearly not telling the truth either but are one of them capable of dropping their child over the balcony? Grace wants, no Grace needs to get to the bottom of it.

This book is told in both the past and the present, that of Ruby who is a young girl who fell in love, got pregnant and all that ensues and the hardship that unfolded thereafter, a heart wrenching tale and that of Grace.

As has been the case with the Allendale series, I was completely gripped from start to finish, so many stories and eventually intertwining but how you cannot foresee, some twists and nastiness thrown in to boot!!! What more could you want from a detective series… outstanding.

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A apartment complex full of people and a little boy thrown from a balcony. But the parents say it was a accident. Yet Grace doesn't believe it. And she sets out to discover what happened. The book is riveting and the plot was very well written.

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What a great way to start 2020! Mel Sherratt's series featuring DS Allie Shenton was very good and this spin-off series, in which Allie has a small role, is equally impressive. DS Grace Allendale has moved from Manchester to Stoke to restart her career but is still troubled by having family who are criminals. Liar Liar is a fast-paced and somewhat violent novel in which several strands interlink in an intriguing way; the principal characters are well-depicted and the setting is convincing. Very enjoyable.

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The third book in the Grace Allendale crime series is another winner for Mel Sherratt. A child has fallen from a balcony and grace and her colleagues are called to investigate. The book jumps between two timelines, which distracted me at first, but it worked really well The characters were well developed,the plot drew me in and there were plenty twists in this thriller. An author to follow and a book which I would definitely recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

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#LiarLiar #NetGalley
Deliciously frightening.
A young boy by the name of Tyler Douglas fell from walkway if the first floor in Harrison House. DS Grace Allendale is assigned to the case. Everyone is saying that they saw nothing but Grace didn't believe them. Tyler's parents Ruby and Luke told Grace that their son is fell by accident and assured her that there's nothing suspicious. Grace started interviewing each of them one by one but everyone gives the same statement that they saw nothing. Grace wasn't convinced and keep digging for the truth.
Ruby on the other hand was a troubled girl when she was young. Her mom died and she used to live with her dad. She fell in love with a guy named Finn who was the friend of her best friend's brothers'. They started living together and Finn told her about his work and promised her that he would start a new life with her very soon. Ruby got pregnant and Finn disappeared one day.
Told from three POV's, one of Grace, one of Ruby and one of describing Seth, the bad one, this story holds you till the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advance copy of this awesome crime thriller.
DS Grace, Finn, Seth, Ruby and Luke are excellent characters while others are good.
Narration of the story is good and engaging.
A must read.

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Absolutely amazing- another brilliant book from a brilliant author. It is the 3rd book in the Grace Allendale series and it doesn't disappoint. I found it hard to put the book down once I started reading it so I would recommend only starting it if you don't need to be up early.

I have read all of Mels books and can't wait for the next one.

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When a young boy falls from a balcony nobody heard anything or saw any thing .
Gracie is more than fit to found out with who ever did it .
I got an ARC

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DCI Grace Allendale is back in the third of this series. When a little boy is found on the ground, suspected to have fallen over a first fall balcony of a block of flats, questions are asked whether he was pushed or whether he fell.
The boy's parent's seem to be hiding something, but Grace isn't sure what as she has to unravel the mystery.
This is a fast paced book with lots of twists and turns that keep me reading. As other events on the housing estate unfold, we will eventually learn what happened to Tyler that fateful night.

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I really enjoyed this book, couldn’t put it down once I had started it. Lots of twists and turns that kept me gripped until the end. Definitely worth a read!

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Liar Liar is the third novel in the DS Grace Allendale series and is as excellent a read, as the previous two. Since meeting her last, Grace has switched roles and is now on the community intelligence team and is no longer directly involved with murder cases. In just this role Grace and her DC, Frankie Higgins were just finishing off their final call of the day at a block of flats called Harrison House, when suddenly they hear shouting coming from the car park. Then, a horrific scream, when they look over the railing they see a very young boy flat on his back. Instantly they run to help and discover that Tyler Douglas, two years old, has fallen over the walkway rail and landed, unconscious, on his back. Suddenly Grace is right back in the middle of an inquiry. From the beginning Tyler’s parents seem evasive and their story not quite ringing true, how did Tyler get up and over the railing all by himself? Was it an accident or is there something more sinister? At the same time this was happening a young lad was beaten with a baseball bat in the same block of flats’s car park.
Once again I found myself so instantly engrossed in the characters and the unfolding story. The writing is so beautifully put together and engaging that I felt as though I was on an emotional roller-coaster. Holding my breath at one moment and then swiftly moving to holding back tears as I felt the anguish of the characters.
This wonderful third novel in Mel Sherratt’s series left me hankering for the next time I will meet DS Grace Allendale.

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This was a good storyline, and had great potential , but I got frustrated with it when it kept flicking backwards and forwards over the years.
There was an awful lot of characters that made it a hard for me to keep up with at times!
Not a bad read, and the 3rd in a series, so I will be looking out for number 4.

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I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Liar Liar’ by Mel Sherratt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

A two-year-old boy falls from the first floor balcony of a block of flats called Harrison House and although people saw what happened nobody’s saying anything, not even his parents Ruby and Luke. DS Grace Allendale, Head of the Community Intelligence Team, arrives seconds afterwards but her questions are thwarted by a wall of silence from the residents, apart from an elderly lady Mary who would only say that it wasn’t an accident. Grace’s investigation to uncover the truth brings her into conflict yet again with local criminals Eddie and Leon Steele.

‘Liar Liar’, the third in the DS Grace Allendale series set in northern England, is a gripping police thriller filled with drama, suspense, twists and turns, and a number of dubious suspects. The story progresses smoothly from 2010 when Ruby is fifteen and meets her first boyfriend Finn, to the present time when she needs to be strong to protect her family. I like how the characters of Grace and her team are developing and how Simon and his daughter Teagan are now part of her life. This thriller has been well-written with an absorbing storyline that’s easy to read. The excitement kept me involved and as the tension increased I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. I hope there’ll be a fourth in the series.

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I have never read this author before but certainly intend to in the future.
Grace is a detective drawn into a case where initially it appears that ruby and likes son has fallen from the balcony outside of his flat in a residential block. However the parents do not seem to be telling the truth around what happened and the many neighbours 'saw nothing.
We learn about ruby as a 16 year old falling in love with a man older than her but also embroiled in trouble with a gang. We see how her life is never safe and she is forever looking over her shoulder whilst trying to find a place of safety. This continues right up to the current day where her family are in danger again.
A brilliant book that has you racing to the end, would highly recommend.

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