This is the 4th book in the Detective Karen Hart series by author D.S. Butler. I have done it again started a new series from book 4 but to be honest it didn't spoil the read one bit. An instant hit for me, good characters, good plot and generally an excellent police procedural series.

A teacher is killed falling from a roof at an educational retreat in Lincolnshire. The verdict is out, murder, suicide or accident. Not long after two female students go missing from the same retreat at Chidlow House.
One of the students is the son of a senior police officer so it is not long before DS Karen Hart and her team are under pressure to get results. Rumours of ghosts etc are common surrounding Chidlow House due members of the Chidlow family drowning in the past. There are plenty of suspects and motives for DS Hart and her team to figure out in this twisty crime.

Another great read from this author in a thrilling crime investigated by DC Karen Hurst who some readers may know from a previous read (although perfect to read as a stand alone as the story is different). Really believable characters and as you get to know DC Karen Hurst you really get to feel supportive of her. Unexpected twist to the conclusion and although you will have a few guesses as you read as to who did it you will most probably be wrong. Loved reading this one.

When two girls, Natasha and Cressida, go missing whilst on a study retreat at Chidlow House, it falls to D S Karen Hart and her team to find the girls. There are plenty of suspects, Lord Chidlow, whose stately home is hosting the study retreat, Mr Doyle who arranged the retreat, the surly groundsman, Mr Harrington and Ethan who has a major crush on Natasha. This is a stunning read and unputdownable. Lots of twists and turns. The characters are brilliant and believable. My first book by D S Butler and I will be reading the earlier novels featuring D S Karen Hart. Recommended.

A murder mystery with a touch of the paranormal. Two girls are missing from their boarding school and it is upto DS Karen Hart and her team to find them, and the clock is ticking. Deep Dark secrets, lies and so many twists and turns. This read had me constantly holding my breath and changing my mind. A really good whodunnit.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Loved this book. Love the karen heart series. I found it quite eery. ,and fantastic storyline. If you have never read a book by d.s. butler Why not? She is fab. There are twists and turns everywhere in this storline. Couldnt put it down.

An excellent fast paced, gripping novel that had me asking myself again and again - “who dunnit?”.

Cleverly written, this is part of a series featuring DS Karen Hart. I have not read any of the others- this works well as a stand alone novel - I will definitely go back to the beginning now!

D.S. Butler delivers another harrowing story to the Detective Karen Hart series.
Emotions are running high for Detective Karen Hart and her colleagues has they tackled an interesting case involving two teenage girls. But things are not always what they seem. The characters in the book where quite intense, the social issues tackled in the book, were a little unnerving. Being that they hit close to home. An intense read, that will have you enthralled in no time.
Waiting anxiousness for the nest installment.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley
#houseoflies

This is apparently a book in series but that wasn't made clear by the title or synopsis, so I felt at a little bit of a disadvantage not having the history, but the characters were easy to get to know. This story centers on 2 teenage girls who disappear while on a week-long study trip at an old mansion. It's a police procedural with Karen as the primary detective working on the case.

This was a good and fast paced mystery, with a number of suspects. Though there were many people involved, they were easy to keep straight and I could easily picture/believe their characters based on the author's description. The story itself was a good one with a couple of twists, and though I had an inkling of who the villain was, I wasn't sure, and when it did come out there were much deeper reasons for what happened than I had pictured. Karen's focus on doing the right thing and her easy banter with her boss and fellow offices made her a likable and believable character.

Where I got a little lost was in the backstory from previous books that I had not read. There was a decent amount of time spent on Karen seeking justice for a police corruption situation that apparently killed her husband and daughter (no spoilers- this is revealed in the first couple of pages) and I still do not understand what happened, who was responsible, or why it wasn't being handled. I could have done without the entire storyline but am sure it would have been much more engaging if you had read the previous books.

All in all, a good police procedural and mystery, and I may just have to go back and figure out Karen's backstory in the previous books! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This fourth book in the Hart series brings back feelings of a good Agatha Christie novel; you have characters that may not be likeable, you have all your potential suspects and victims in one house, you have a Gothic exterior, and you have a lot of secrets. As of secrets start coming out, more understanding of what could have happened to the two girls evolves. Then one comes back, and things are not as they should be. This is a page-turner that will keep you reading long until the night, and a good entry to keep the series evolving. it is definitely a standalone read, and a good introduction to the series, don't miss this one!

I enjoyed this book so much, I can't even describe it! Two girls disappear and their disappearance is investigated. Chidlow House is haunted, or is it, and it sets the tone for a very entertaining read! I did not see the plot twist at the ending!
Highly recommended.
TB

A solid police procedural that follows DS Karen Hart. In an ongoing story arc from previous books, Karen is trying to root out the corruption that led to the deaths of her husband and daughter while maintaining an active case load. Interesting main character and a complicated mystery combine to make an engaging read that was difficult to put down.

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK for access to a digital arc via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. Detective Karen Hart is called in to investigate the disappearance of two girls during a study week at Chidlow House. I loved the character development in this story. Butler presented many different suspects who all had a strong possibility of being the culprit. I was left guessing all the way to the end. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Book 4 in the Detective Karen Hart series, but don't worry, if you haven't read any of the previous ones you will easily engage with the characters and enjoy the flow of how the book is written. Very clever plot, putting several players in the mix and revealing an unexpected guilty party. Very enjoyable.

My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me to read and review honestly.

I love a good Detective series and this did not disappoint! DS Karen Hart is back with her team to investigate the disappearance of two teen girls on a study course at the spooky Chidlaw House. The storyline was catchy and kept me guessing, there were so many suspects, just as you begin to think you knew who the suspect was, another twist! More evidence to lead onto someone else. The ending was a surprise that I would never have guessed! Can't wait for the next one!

This is #4 the DS Karen Hart series. I had not read the first three so wasn’t sure how much I missed.
Story is described as a police drama and starts with a study session at Chidhow House (a historic mansion that is rumored to be haunted) when a teacher mysteriously falls from the roof ~ suicide or accident? Soon afterwards two young girls who were part of the study group go missing.
Detective Karen hart and a team is sent to investigate. Soon Karen is hearing whispers and water dripping ~ Hmmm is this mansion really haunted?
I actually like boarding school mysteries so this kept my attention. Not a pager turner but, of course, the tile title kept me curious. I liked it … didn’t love it … but will read another Butler ~ D.S. Hart story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 29, 2020

First encounter with D S Karen Hart and the other members of her team, a gripping storyline, keeps the reader engrossed, lots of twists and turns throughout, keeping the reader guessing leading to a totally unexpected outcome. Looking forward to more from this author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of House of Lies, the fourth novel to feature DS Karen Hart of the Lincolnshire Police.

When two teenage girls disappear from an intensive study course at Chidlow House Karen and her boss, DI Scott Morrison, are asked to investigate. The house is creepy and supposedly haunted and Karen is sure she can hear voices whispering but that won’t stop her hunting for Natasha and Cressida, a task made more difficult by the secrets and lies everyone seems to harbour.

I thoroughly enjoyed House of Lies which has an interesting plot and several twists and turns. It is told from the investigative point of view so the reader gets to guess along with Karen. I got a few of the lesser details correct but generally it was surprise after surprise as the secrets were uncovered. Mostly it works well with a gradual build up to the denouement but some parts, notably the attempted frame, were clunky and it was hard to believe that the savvy Karen would fall for it, especially after her success in rooting out the cause of the voices, that, I thought, was one of the stand out moments in the novel being clever, believable and amusing.

I like the new Karen Hart. She is no longer obsessed with investigating the death of her husband and child, but is now concerned with gettIng justice. Fortunately this rumbles in the background, allowing her to unleash her attention and formidable investigative skills on her cases. I really liked the way she goes about her work with both feet planted firmly on the ground.

House of Lies is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Police procedural,two girls disappear from a study course in a haunted mansion. Lots of strands to untangle. Good characters and lots of twists.

House of Lies by D.S. Butler is the latest DS Karen Hart Mystery. The story is set in a historic mansion called Chidlow House located in Lincolnshire. Some people believe the house is haunted due to the three wives who have died in the lake because of the misery in their lives.
There are some teenage students staying at Chidlow House as they participate in some advance classes. One of their instructors dies in a fall from the rooftop balcony. Then two students, Cressida and Natasha go missing on a rainy evening after they slip away from the property. DS Hart has a house filled with suspects, strange whispering in the hall, and the sounds of dripping water. As the investigation starts no one wants to be questioned and the house owner acts as if he is above being included with the suspects.
Cressida is found in a traumatic state but says she can not remember anything about the evening or what has happened to Natasha. I was surprised that DS Hart was not allowed to continue to question Cressida. It seemed as if the investigation went slowly, as far as achieving results. I won't post spoilers, but I do enjoy reading the DS Hart series. In House of Lies DS Hart continues to pursue the corruption of the department in regard to the death of her husband and child.
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

House of Lies is book four in series of which I have not read the first three, but that did not really seem to be an issue with jumping in here. DS Karen Hart is called in to look into what is initially a missing person case and seems somewhat premature as the girls are almost adults and they have not yet been gone 24 hours. Natasha and Cressida are staying at a Manse turned convention center currently hosting an expensive cram session for children of well off parents who want to give their kids a leg up on exams. They had purportedly decided to take a night off of cramming and hit the town and simply not shown up for breakfast. Suspicious characters abound and soon the case does turn into a murder investigation.

This was a really interesting case with many twists and turns. The characters were all nicely developed. The resolution was very well done. I would want to read more in the series. A very good police procedural.