BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Her Deadly Truth' by L.A Larkin.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for L.A Larkin, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 16th June 2023.

This is the fourth book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'Widow's Island', 'The Safe Place' and 'Next Girl Missing' (First book in this series) which I would also highly recommend. It is also the second book in 'A Sally Fairburn Crime Thriller' series.


I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A gripping, addictive crime thriller, perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Greg Olsen and Melinda Leigh. Be prepared to sleep with the light on…'. I am a MASSIVE fan of all of three of these amazing authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of L.A Larkin and if this is half as good as 'Widow's Island', 'The Safe Place' and 'Next Girl Missing' it is guaranteed to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 62 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is set in Franklin, Tennessee, USA 🇺🇸.


This book is written in third perspective and the main protagonist is Sally Fairburn. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

Wow!!! Yet another fast paced, addictive, gripping shocking and page turning heart racer by this extremely talented author!!!

This book is extremely well written with extremely vivid descriptions that leaves you feeling the heat and leaves you with sweat dripping down your face. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.

The storyline is action packed and very fast paced. Another heart pounding book by this amazing author that had me absolutely captivated throughout!!! In this suspense packed crime book we meet Sally Fairburn, who is an ex police officer, again. In this intense page turner Sally's neighbour Carolyn discloses to Sally that she thinks her own husband Matt is trying to kill her. Several days after Carolyn tells Sally this, Carolyn is indeed dead. Sally is trying to lead a quiet love working in a book shop but wherever she goes drama and disaster seems to follow her. Carolyn's death is extremely suspicious but because Sally no longer works in the police force there doesn't seem to be much that she can do. Sally is living with guilt feeling that she could have prevented Carolyn's death and she is determined to try and get justice for her. Sally's automatic first suspect is Matt but it looks like his grief is genuine. As Sally investigates and feels she is getting closer to the answers she is looking for she knows she is being followed and after her car and home get broken into will she find the killer before they get to her? Is Matt the real killer or is devastation genuine? Is her son Paul safe or has Sally put him in danger?
Grab this explosive book to get the answer to these questions and many more. Yet again, I just couldn't put this gritty and suspense packed page turner down and each and every time I promised myself one more chapter each one ended so I just had to know what happened next. Well it would have been just rude to have put it down so I read one more, then another until I had completely devoured it in one sitting just like I did with the first book in this epic series !!!! The storyline is multilayered with several plots going on and each one just as addictive and explosive as the next. Larkin weaved them all together perfectly and the ending was an explosive twist I would have never seen coming!!! It is getting alot harder to shock me but Larkin blew my mind with this one so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS is in order!!!The storyline is filled with tension, family, heartbreak, fear, stress, suspense, twists and everything that will keep your heart pounding. Please tell me there are more books to come in this series!!! Like LOADS more!!!! There is no way you can torture us by just having two of these epic books and NOT creating more so I really hope your busy writing the next book in this series!!!

Another HUGE success by this amazing author!!! Clear your schedules as you will not be able to put this fantastic page turner down!!!

Although this is the second book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

There was another wide range of strong, realistic and unique characters in this book. I absolutely loved meeting Sally again as I had become completely invested in her in 'Next Girl Missing'. She has had an awful past having suffered from abuse and lost her daughter but instead of wallowing in pity she is determined to fight for families to get their answers, as well as her own. She has gone from an abused wife to police officer to an advocate for victims. She stands up for herself along with those others who are victims. I love how empathetic she is as well as being such a fantastic and strong female lead. I loved when there are strong female leads in books being female myself I always seem to connect more to female leads. Sally is a mum like myself and even though she lost her daughter through suicide she still has her son Paul even though their relationship is frictional!!! I can definitely relate to this being a mum of three boys myself!! I have loved watching Sally grow in strength from the beginning of 'Next Girl Missing' to the end of this page turner and I just completely adore her personality. I really cannot wait to see her continuing to go from strength to strength and learn more about her in the next book in this promising series, hint hint Larkin 😉. I won't say any more as I don't want to give too much away but regardless of how you feel about each of the characters they all came together perfectly to make this a gripping and addictive page turner!!!


Yet another absolutely fantastic read LA Larkin!!! Congratulations on another huge success and here's to your next one 🥂 This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors!!!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and the first three chapters of L.A Larkin's absolutely addictive 'Widow Island' which is another explosive page turner and one I have read myself and would highly recommend!!

Overall a heart racing, fast paced, non stop action packed psychological thriller that will keep you up late turning the pages

Genres covered in this book include Serial Killers, Kidnapping Crime Fiction, Serial Killers, Women Sleuths, Police Procedural, Murder Thriller, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Literary Fiction, Women's Crime Fiction, Serial Killer Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, Murder Thrillers and Crime Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl', 'Behind Closed Doors', 'The Housemaid', 'The Night She Disappeared', 'The Perfect Couple', 'The Family Across The Street ', 'The Family Upstairs', Shari Lapena, Karin Slaughter, Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan, Greg Olsen, Paula Hawkins, Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn, Freida McFadden, Rachel Abbot and anyone who loves an explosive ending!!!


328 pages


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 for the paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!



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Don’t know how I missed this on point day!

Her Deadly Truth is book 2 in A Sally Fairburn Crime series by L.A. Larkin.
I enjoyed this just as much as book one.
Larkin does it again bring us a thrilling new series.
This well-written mystery will keep you in the suspense until the end.
Every page is jam packed with action and intrigue.
This story has the same great pace, interesting characters and so many twists that I couldn’t stop reading until I turned the last page of this book.
The mystery was engaging and I was kept on the edge of my seat.
Suspenseful and intriguing, I was completely enthralled throughout the entire story.
With twist after twist makes this book impossible to put down.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

So the next book in the series interested me a lot more than the first the writing has got better and the plotting of the story i will look forward to reading more

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

When Carolyn Tate moved next door to Sally Fairburn she seemed a nice new neighbour to have. Newly married Carolyn has only recently moved to the US. When she confides in Sally that she thinks her husband, Matt, is trying to poison her. Sally is concerned but bearing in mind that Carolyn is bi-polar she wonders if her meds are off . That is until Carolyn stumbles out of her house & collapses. Her death is at first thought to be heart related, but Sally persuades the coroner to double check for poison & sure enough that was the cause of her death. Sally can't live with herself if she doesn't discover who has done this. Carolyn's friends are not very helpful & Matt seems intent on removing all traces of his wife. Once again Sally finds herself in a dangerous situation.

Having loved the first of L.A. Larkin's Sally Fairburn books I was hoping this one wouldn't be a let down. I needn't have worried, this was every bit as good & kept me glued to the page. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & eview this book. I do hope there are more to come.

Another chilling read follows in this series. Sally has moved on with her life but is drawn into another potential crime. This book has echoes of cosy crime with the small town and the main protagonist's reluctance to become a criminal investigator, but it is much darker than this. Sally and her son become the focus of a criminal putting their lives in danger again. This is an atmospheric story with lots of suspects and a menacing undercurrent.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Sally Fairborn Is fair game for trouble.
Rarely do I get to read the first two books in a new series back to back.
Sally works in a bookshop and is moving on, but her neighbor and a slimy criminal won’t allow her to relinquish sleuthing.
I thought Sally has the cops on speed dial as many times she called them during the week.
The plot was evil and fun to read. Lots of characters to sift through in order to determine who offed whom and how Foster gets his power.
I really want a showdown between Scoot and Sally!

This is the second book in the Sally Fairburn Crime Series and I loved it!

I really enjoyed the first book and started this one as soon as I had finished and it was just as gripping as I had hoped. There is a continuation of themes and characters but I think that this could be read as a standalone as the author does enough to explain the back stories.

This was another well written story. It was additive and had me well and truly hooked. The author’s writing style and the pace of the story were perfect for this genre and she had me turning the pages in to the early hours and I had to find out how it would all end.

As with the first book, I loved the mix of characters and their different personalities. I saw at the end of this book that there is a third to be released and I can’t wait to get my hands on it now as there was a bit of a cliff hanger at the end!

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

As I didn't finish the first book, I didn't want to read the second, my review for the first book is below, sorry

Next Girl Missing – 3 stars

I was quite intrigued when I read the synopsis for this book and was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get into due to the constant flashbacks. I understand we need to know the back story but I felt it was just jumping around and not really explaining what was going on. I am sorry to say that I did not finish this book.

Wonderful! Love this series and thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of my top reads of 2023! Do read this series - if not you are missing out! Just fabulous!

I have read the first book in this series. Her Deadly Truth is the second book in the Sally Fairburn series. I recommend reading the books in order.
Sally gets drawn into another murder investigation that throws unexpected situations at her. It’s a good thing Sally is a stubborn and strong minded lady!
A action packed story that left us once again on a cliffhanger.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second book in the Sally Fairburn series and although you CAN read it as a standalone, you are far better off reading the first book, first :)

Sally is confronted by her neighbour, Carolyn, who tells her that her husband is trying to kill her. Sally is trying to live a quiet life, working in a bookshop, but trouble keeps on following her. Just days after Carolyn tells her about her husband's apparent plot to kill her, she is dead. It all SEEMS suspicious but Sally is no longer in the police force and there isn't much she can do to follow up on this. However, she has still got her instincts as a police officer and her instincts are telling her something is off.

Sally is clearly a talented woman and she loves her son, Paul, fiercely. She is trying to protect him, and herself, from something deadly coming her way, it seems. And of course, Carolyn's husband and friends are not the nicest bunch of people ever so there is a lot to unpack, here.

What is coming for Sally, I am sure we will figure out as we go along.

For me, this book didn't have my heart jumping out of my chest the way the first book did, but perhaps that is just me. Lots of threads coming together but still one or two loose ones ;)

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

4.25⭐

Her Deadly Truth is the second Sally Fairburn crime thriller and picks up about a year after Next Girl Missing.

With Sally and her son Paul still recovering from the shock of finding out who the Poster Killer really is and learning more horrific details about her ex-husband Scott and daughter Zelda's suicide. And whilst Scott is yet to pay for his crimes. Sally hasn't given up hope. Yet, she's determined not to have anything to do with the police or investigating crime. Especially after the notoriety she's earned from her involvement with the Poster Killer case.

However, it's not long before Sally is drawn back into an investigation. As her next door neighbour Carolyn having learnt of Sally's exploits is desperate for her help. As she believes her husband Matt is trying to kill her.

But surely Carolyn is just being paranoid?

Then she is murdered and she's not the only one.

And it soon becomes clear the killer has their eye firmly on Sally.

But why?

And why is the Poster Killer so keen to make contact with her?

And with great mystery and plenty of twists and turns. This was a really enjoyable and engaging read. It just didn't grab me the way Next Girl Missing did.

I would though happily recommend it to crime fiction fans everywhere.

Kept me guessing the whole time!… There were times when I was scared to read ahead… Will have you on the edge of your seat. This book is such an adrenaline rush!… I can’t say enough good things about this book or the author.

The second book featuring Sally Fairburn follows on around a year after the events in Next Girl Missing and finds Sally in a situation where she has left behind her job as a victim advocate. She now works in a bookstore, but her notoriety from solving the crimes chronicled in Next Girl Missing has prompted a visit from her next door neighbour, Carolyn.

The meeting reveals that Carolyn believes her husband is trying to kill her. She wants to hire Sally to investigate the possibility that she is being poisoned. But this is not the life that Sally wants to lead, she’s no investigator and refuses to take the job, a decision she almost immediately regrets when Carolyn dies of apparent heart failure only a few days later.

In the meantime, a man with whom she was instrumental in sending to prison, Richard Foster, has been making contact with her by sending flowers and making phone calls. This is a deeply disturbing turn of events, him knowing her new address as well as her cell phone number. He’s been locked away but somehow he’s able to reach out to her, making it known that he wants her to visit him. He has information for her. The question is: Does she want to hear it?

In this second book in the series, we discover that Sally is continuing to recover after her marriage to a lying, domineering husband who nearly ground her down to nothing. The road has been long but over the intervening time since he left, she has become a far more confident and competent woman who has taken to the role of amateur investigator very well. Between her and her son Paul as well as good friend Margie a strong bond has been formed and they each display great strength of character.

This murder mystery quickly becomes a multiple murder mystery and there’s little doubt that the killer is starting to take a strong interest in Sally herself. The result is a gripping race to uncover the truth in a tension-filled drama involving not only Sally but her family and friends too.

If there is a weakness in the story it would lie at the feet of Sally herself and the inconsistency in her nature. On the one hand she is often paralysed by doubts and insecurities, allowing others to walk over her on minor details. In the other, she rushes into extremely dangerous situations - life threatening altercations - without giving any thought to her own or her son’s welfare. Perhaps this is part of her continuing development and we’re about to see another radical change in what I can only anticipate will be another book in the series.

Overall, Her Deadly Truth is a solid thriller that, for the second time (make sure you read Next Girl Missing first), effectively drew me into the small Washington state community and the dangers that seem to seek Sally out.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital ARC to read and enjoy in order to produce this review.

This is a great crime thriller.
Sally is now well known for catching a killer when the Police had no luck, so she now has people approaching her asking for help.
One of these people is her neighbour, Carolyn, and she tells Sally that she thinks her husband is trying to kill her.
Within days, Carolyn is dead.
Sally wants to find her killer but someone else seems to be following her and breaking into her home causing problems for her and her son.
This is a great crime thriller with a few red herrings to keep you guessing.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

As with the first book in this series I really enjoyed the characters, even the “bad guy” in jail. This one kept you guessing throughout. The depth of this writing makes the characters feel like real people which make the experience totally immersive. This had a nice pace to it and was a great length for the story it told. It had some great suspenseful moments. Overall this was a great read. My one critique is that I was getting really tired of hear how much Sally loved her son, how she would do anything for him, how he was her whole world. This sentiment occurs virtually every chapter. It’s redundant and got to be a little much

Thanks to bookouture and netgalley. What a great second book in the sally fairburn series.. when sallys new neighbour carolyn tate asks to meet her away from the house, sally is intrigued. When they meet sally is shocked to find out that carolyn thinks her husband matt is trying to poison her.. The same day carolyn arrives in the emergency room and sadly loses her life. Is there any truth in what sally was told?. Then lauren, one of carolyns friends is found murdered. She was also hiding something, but what could it be???? Sally wants justice for carolyn, as she digs further someone doesnt want her to uncover the truth. Can she find the killer before the killer finds her and her son?. Great read, rollercoaster of emotions reading through this. There are twists, turns, lies, deceit it has it all, highley recommend. I do hope there is a book 3

Thank you to NetGalley, L.A. Larkin, and Bookouture for an ARC copy of Her Deadly Truth.
Sally Fairburn is back in her ‘Her Deadly Truth’. Prepare to be immersed in a heart-pounding crime thriller that will keep you engaged from start to finish.

Sally's neighbour Carolyn Tate is scared that her own husband is trying to kill her and asks her for help. When Carolyn winds up dead, Sally is determined to seek justice for her death. Although Carolyn suspected her husband, Sally finds no evidence he was involved. And Carolyn’s best friends are strangely quick to defend him.

Her Deadly Truth will leave you sleepless, eagerly turning the pages until the shocking conclusion. I'm excited to read the next book in the Sally Fairburn series and I highly recommend adding this one to your reading list.

Her Deadly Truth by L. A. Larkin is a gripping crime thriller that had me on edge from the first chapter. Larkin vividly describes a taut story of a serial killer, the victims, and the detectives. The suspense and action throughout this thriller were non-stop as the main character, Sally Fairburn stumbles through the clues to solve the case. Larking puts a final spin on the end of this crime novel that you don't foresee.
#thankyouNETGALLEYforthisheart-stoppingstory

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a great read as it really had you wondering who the killer/s were. Sally really risked her life going after people who were really dangerous. I found the ending to be interesting. Would love to read more of this series.