I was totally absorbed into this book from the first few pages! It was truly exceptional and I couldn’t put it down. I was compulsive reading and I couldn’t stop and had to read to the end!

It was a gut punch of a thriller. Luca Veste delivers a fast-paced, unputdownable read with a twist that blindsided me and made me gasp out loud! I can’t wait for next book!

Luca Veste is back where he should be, in the Pool of Life! Yes, his new novel Liar Liar takes us back to where it all began, the wonderful city of Liverpool, and we are reunited with the duo from his early books, Murphy and Rossi, albeit in new roles. Disgraced cop Mark Fletcher wakes up beside a corpse and he must fight to prove his innocence while being pursued by his er stwhile colleagues and friends. Superb setting, great characters, tremendous plot, fabulous!

Liar Liar is pulse-pounding, gritty, and deeply unsettling. Veste’s writing is as lean and mean as ever. I went in thinking I had the twist figured out by the midpoint—I was dead wrong. If you like your thrillers with a side of moral ambiguity and a breakneck pace, this is your next obsession.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Luca Veste and Avon Books UK📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

Liar Liar is a taut, propulsive thriller that drops you straight into the wreckage of a man’s ruined life and never lets up. Mark Fletcher, once Liverpool’s golden‑boy detective, is now a pariah — disgraced, discredited, and drowning under accusations that have stripped him of everything he once was. That fall from grace gives the novel its emotional weight, because when he wakes in a hotel room beside a dead body, with no memory of the last twenty‑four hours, you feel the panic and disbelief right alongside him.

The setup is classic but handled with a sharp, modern edge. The evidence is damning, the timeline impossible to piece together, and the force he once served turns on him with chilling speed. What follows is a breathless cat‑and‑mouse chase through Liverpool’s criminal underbelly and its institutional shadows, where Fletcher must rely on instinct, fractured memory, and the remnants of a detective’s intuition to stay alive. The tension comes not just from the danger stalking him, but from the gnawing question of whether he can trust his own mind.

The novel shines in its moral complexity. Fletcher isn’t a clean‑cut hero — he’s bruised, bitter, and carrying the weight of past choices that make him both sympathetic and unpredictable. The city’s most notorious crime family looms over the narrative like a dark tide, and the possibility that Fletcher was framed — or manipulated — adds a delicious uncertainty to every encounter. Each twist feels earned, each revelation tightening the net around him until the truth becomes the only thing that might save him.

There’s a gritty, lived‑in quality to the writing that makes the chase feel immediate: back‑alley tension, institutional betrayal, and the sense of a man fighting not just for justice, but for the right to be believed. The hunter‑becomes‑the‑hunted arc is executed with real finesse, building to a finale that lands with both clarity and impact.

Dark, relentless, and full of razor‑edged suspense, Liar Liar is a gripping ride for readers who love flawed heroes, twisting loyalties, and thrillers that keep you questioning every character on the page.

With thanks to Luca Veste, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

Former police detective Mark Spencer has had a tough year - once he was considered Liverpool's hero after taking down a serial killer, but one bad decision changed everything. He chose to help a member of the area's most notorious crime family and lost everything - his girlfriend, his job and his reputation.

When Mark wakes up next to a dead body, with no recollection of how he got there or whether he even killed the stranger, but he knows how his former team works - and that he has only a few days at most to clear his name.

This was my first book by Luca Veste and I quite enjoyed it! The book was full of twists and turns, but the only thing really that stops me making it a 5* book is that I'm not sure anyone was particularly likeable in it. 4*.

An outstanding and unputdownable read that will be one of my top reads of the year. A superb crime thriller
with tremendous characters,

I really enjoyed this read. It’s based around Mark who has been suspended from the police force but then finds himself in a very tricky situation - the main problem is who can he trust?

After being suspended most of the team haven’t kept in touch so he doesn’t know if he can trust them or whether they’ll just let him go to prison for something he hasn’t done.

I loved how it all unfolded and the twists along the way, I was on the edge of my seat towards the end. And I will admit that the ending was not what I was expecting!

I must say that I do also feel like it’s a bit of a teaser for what’s to come next and I hope I’m right!

4 Stars from me

Mark Fletcher is a respected detective, with a bit of a hero complex. He literally stops at nothing in his quest to help people and bring criminals to justice. 

Unfortunately, despite this, his latest attempts to do good have gone horribly wrong and he finds himself firmly in the murky underworld that he has fought so hard to clean up.

Faced with a series of unwinnable situations, and mortal danger at every turn it is hard to see how he can even begin to convince his old colleagues that he is innocent. Waking up next to a dead body isn't a good look for anyone, let alone a disgrace ex-cop. 

Friends and allies are thin on the ground, whereas enemies and traps seem to be there for him in abundance. This is a fast and exciting read that will satisfy fans of thrillers - it reminded me a little of the early Simon Kernick books - so if that's your bag then I think you'll enjoy this one.

My thanks to the author, Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Once upon a time, Mark Fletcher is hailed as one of Liverpool’s finest detectives but a mistake made out of concern leads to an accusation of being in the pocket of one of the city’s most powerful and notorious crime gangs,the Bonuccis. His life is on the skids, reputation and home life are gone but it’s going to get a whole lot worse when he wakes in a hotel room next to a dead man with zero memory of how he gets there. The evidence strongly points to him but he knows he didn’t do it and so he has to prove it if he’s going to survive.

This is a well connected, gritty and dark mystery thriller with danger seemingly around every corner, with threats that are tangible and situations that go from bad to worse for Mark. At times there’s a sense of strong claustrophobia his understandable paranoia, and panic are palpable. His scattered thoughts and speculations about his circumstances are done very effectively. Mark is a flawed character but my sympathies head entirely in his direction because his heart is in the right place although he treads a very fine line in order to save himself. Other characters both within the police force and the OCG (Organised Crime Group) feel authentic with shades of Scarface and The Godfather with the latter, probably inevitably! It’s very good on the dynamics within the crime organisation with all its ambitions, envy and menace in plain sight.

Liverpool and its surroundings provide an atmospheric setting and are most effectively in the plot. It’s an immersive, tense, suspenseful and twisty read, feeling like an action movie because there’s never a dull moment. It ramps up towards the end where everything falls into place. To be continued.

Overall, if you’re into thrillers then this is a good, addictive one.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Avon Books U.K. for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed Luca Veste’s previous books so I was happy to be able to read “Liar Liar”, his newest one, which is set in the city of Liverpool where many of his earlier novels were based.
Mark Fletcher is a suspended Police officer who has made some bad decisions but when he wakes up in a hotel room next to a dead body with no recollection of how he got there he knows that he is in big trouble. Unsure whether to call his ex colleagues or try and work out what has happened he makes the rash decision to go it alone which sends him running across Liverpool, not knowing whom to trust.
Running out of options and with the city’s biggest crime family on his heels he has to try and solve the murder before the police or the bad guys catch up with him.
This was a fast paced read which drew me in from the very first page and the descriptions of Liverpool really made the city come alive for me.
I liked Mark, a flawed character but someone who was trying to do the right thing. I also enjoyed reading about Jack, Murphy and Hashem, Mark’s former colleagues who were looking into another organised crime murder in one of the the houses owned by the “mafiaesque” family running the underworld of Liverpool. As the two cases coalesce, the story picks up pace and I raced to the end, wondering how it would all pan out for Mark.
The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and I shall certainly be looking out for the next book in the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

After the death of a member of a well-known criminal family, Detective Mark Fletcher finds himself suspended from duty, accused of some level of involvement. Life for the detective is spiraling out of control so when he wakes up in a hotel room with no recollection of how he got there and a dead body next to him, survival instincts take over. He knows he didn’t do it, but how can he prove his innocence? With his former colleagues looking for him alongside members of the infamous Bonucci family, can Mark really trust anyone to help him uncover the truth?

Liar Liar is the first in a new series from Liverpool author, Luca Veste, set in his home city. Luca certainly draws on his knowledge of the city and his own Italian heritage to create a tense, gritty thriller which, at times, had me holding my breath. Mark Fletcher is a flawed character who, despite his shortcomings, you want to see succeed. Although I did not agree with some of the decisions he made, you could see how he felt totally isolated, not knowing who he could trust.

Fans of the author’s previous Liverpool series will be thrilled to see a couple of cameo appearances from some very familiar characters. One, in particular, I am really intrigued to see the role they play in future books. The plot is fast-paced and had me hooked right from the start. I was not sure where we would be by the end of the book and was totally blindsided by the ending.

This is Luca Veste at his best and I hope that this is the first of many books to come!

I thought this was a suspenseful read, meeting the promise of being a thriller and having the right balance of descriptiveness to twists.

Thank you Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Luca Veste was a brand new author for me, not only had I never read anything by him, I'd never heard of him either.

What a fantastic book Liar Liar was!! It drops you right into the action from page 1 and was full of twists and turns but was also a slow gradual story that just kept building. Each time I thought I knew where it was going, I'd be taken in a completely different direction. I read it mostly in big chunks as it was so difficult to put down.

I loved the authors style of writing the descriptions really painted a picture in my mind and brought the story to life for me.

I found the characters likeable, well most of them but there are a few you're not meant to. In particular, the 2 main police officers had good chemistry and an easy way between them.

I'll definitely be looking up Luca Veste's back catalogue as I need to read more by this author.

This was a gritty crime read that felt as though it had very established background with the characters backstories to the extent that it felt as though there had been a previous book on the series even though this is the first. Mark is suspended from the Police for breaking the rules when he tried to help a member of the problematic Bonucci family in the hope she would give him information to bring them down but it backfired badly when she was murdered. Months later he wakes up in a hotel with no knowledge of how he got there but is certain he wasn't the one who killed the man laying dead next to him.

This takes place over a short time frame but with some flashbacks to explain how he found himself in this situation. Meanwhile his former colleagues Kirkham and Hesham are trying very hard to do everything by the book when investigating a body found buried in a back garden. There's some great descriptions of the different parts of Liverpool and the family dynamics within the Bonucci family add to the drama with two grandsons vying for their place at the head. As this mostly focuses on Mark's struggle to unravel what has happened and vindicate himself it does have a different feel to most crime reads but does make for a good series start. This definitely didn't go how I expected so I found it quite shocking in parts and it's definitely set up well for the next book.

Liar Liar is a gritty crime thriller set in Liverpool and centred on disgraced Detective Mark Fletcher .There is danger round every corner the Italian Crime Mob that rule Liverpool are chasing Mark. I know this is the first book in the series but I did feel that I had missed things from a previous book .At times the plot is suspenseful and exciting with an ending that suggests more is to come .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

This is the first book I've read from Luca Veste and it definitely won't be the last. I really liked the writing style and it did keep me intrigued throughout. A couple of parts of the ending didn't really hit for me but I definitely didn't see the twist coming. Overall this was a very enjoyable read.

If you like fast paced thrillers that keep you guessing this one's for you

Huge thank you to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher for the ARC

Review of ‘Liar Liar’ by Luca Veste, due to be published on 4 June 2026 by Avon Books UK.

Book 1 of Liverpool Crime Series.

Detective Mark Fletcher has spiralled since he made the wrong decision, crossing a notorious crime family, the Bonucci’s, and getting himself suspended from work. When he wakes one morning in a hotel room he has no recollection of going into, with a dead body next to him, he panics. The evidence points to his involvement, but his gut knows he isn’t capable. Not knowing who to trust or where to go, Mark decides to run and try and clear his name. He finds himself hunted by those colleagues he called friends, the very people who have turned their backs on him. 

This was a stunning start to a new series.  You become completely invested in character outcomes, urging Mark on in his quest for answers.  

Detectives Jack Kirkham and Abs Hashem are well written, torn between helping a friend and following the rules. Set in Liverpool and the surrounding areas, locations are descriptive and up the tension levels. 

This is so much more than a police procedural.  It’s a high octane, dark and tense thriller with edge of your seat and breath holding plotlines. It’s exceptionally good! I can’t wait for the next instalment in this fabulous series.

One moment your top of your game everyone looks to you as a hero and the next your whole world tumbles around you. Can it get any worse for Mark. Well the answer is yes. Mark needs to figure out what happened before his colleagues get involved but is this possible

Really fast past. It kept me on the edge of my seat It certainly did not go the way I thought it would

Really throughly enjoyable read

Liar Liar is the first book in a new series by Luca Veste set in Liverpool and is an enjoyable crime thriller that bodes well for future episodes.

The story moves along at a decent page and the ending tees up book number 2 well.

Well worth reading.

***Contains Spoilers*** - I couldn't find a way to review it properly without them

This is my first of Luca's books but I have been intrigued ever since I took part in the cover reveal.

I'd read a few books before this that, whilst were okay, were a bit disappointing, so this had a lot of pressure on it to live up to the hype.

It's dark and tense and very atmospheric. We follow a handful of protagonists and whilst they're all morally grey - some closer to morally black - I was interested in their stories and thought they were written well.

Whilst it is a new story, there are apparently cameos from characters in other books and past cases mentioned, which meant I felt a bit on the back foot at times, like I had to read the others to make full sense of it.

I do wonder at times if there was too much going on. There's lots of substories going on, and then we've got his overarching, Godfather, mafia vibe that didn't quite hit the mark.

I am notoriously rubbish at working out the endings of thrillers and whodunnits so I didn't even try with this one, and I didn't feel the need to work it out because I enjoyed the route to get to the reveal. It's a good ending and it promises more to come. It wraps up most of what's gone on previously, but it suggests there's going to be more and it gets you excited for book two - which I am.

My must admit, I was a bit confused. The blurb and cover comments refer to Mark being blamed for everything and everyone thinks he's guilty and he struggled to persuade anyone he's not etc. But I didn't get that. For me, it felt he is worried about other people thinking he's guilty, but for the most part anyway, there's no real evidence of that. It's all in his own head. Which confused me slightly as the story then didn't match what I was expecting.

It's not the best thriller I've ever read, personally there were a few niggles. But I still very much enjoyed it and it had so much going for it. I would recommend it to thriller fans, particularly those that like books set around the criminal underworld. And I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for his other books.

This was a gripping read from start to finish. I was hooked really quickly and didn’t want to put it down.
The pacing is spot on, it keeps moving without losing you, and I found myself constantly trying to work out what was really going on. Just when I thought I had it figured out, it shifted again.
What stood out most for me was the ending. I genuinely didn’t expect it to go in that direction at all. It completely caught me off guard, which doesn’t happen often.
It’s dark, tense and keeps you questioning everything and everyone.
A really strong thriller that stays with you after you’ve finished. Definitely a 5 star read for me.

Liar liar is set in my second city in the UK. The book is brilliant and being able to see it unfold under the backdrop of familiar streets was the icing on the cake!

Liar Liar is the gripping first instalment in the Liverpool Crime Series. Detective Mark Fletcher is at a point where both his career and personal life are beginning to unravel. Suspended from work and struggling to hold things together, Fletcher is a person you quickly find yourself rooting for as he searches for answers to clear his name.
From the start the novel moves at a sharp, fast-paced rhythm that immediately pulls you in. Veste wastes no time in building tension, and with each chapter the stakes rise, creating a gritty, strong crime read that’s hard to put down. It’s also a real treat to see returning characters from earlier reads.
The introduction of the Bonucci family the Italian crime mob adds an extra layer of intrigue and menace, while the Liverpool setting gives the book a strong sense of place. Veste’s talent for character development shines throughout; he creates people you genuinely connect with, making the danger feel all the more real.
A standout element is the dynamic between Murphy and Hashem. Their chemistry is fantastic, and their banter provides welcome moments of lightness amid the darker themes.

Tense, twisty, and packed with surprises especially towards the end.Liar Liar delivers a satisfying conclusion while setting things up perfectly for book two. A great choice for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted, character driven crime thriller.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the Arc.

Reminded me very much of the recent drama This City is Ours about Liverpool gangsters and I loved that programme! Fast moving and tense throughout, I loved the LIverpool setting and the characters involved. Poor Mark, he went from one crisis to another, the man couldn't catch a break! Quite a few twists as you find out where people's true allegiances lie. I also loved the references to Liverpool soap Brookside which I am currently rewatching! I will definitely be reading the following books in the series.

It’s been a long time since I read a novel by Luca Veste, so I was keen to get my hands on this latest offering. Like his previous books, this one is set in Liverpool, and his knowledge of the city really shines through – with his vivid descriptions he creates an atmosphere you can almost feel. Liar, Liar is gritty and somewhat dark in places, with ample peril and desperate situations it had me on the edge of my seat. Being the first in a new series, there are a host of fresh characters (and a couple of old favourites…) to get to know. The dominant plotline is fascinating, and I really enjoyed the ‘Godfather’ element with each of the Bonucci family oozing menace and mayhem.

Aligned to the principal plot, there are frequent references to old cases, which whilst interesting, did at times make me feel as though I was missing some vital background knowledge. I wanted more detail particularly in relation to the key characters and their backstories, which are so intrinsic to the plot.

Overall, the book is well written and that cliffhanger ending has me geared up for book two.

Liar Liar by Luca Veste is the first novel in a new crime thriller series called, “The Liverpool Crime” series. Our protoganist is one Mark Fletcher, a former detective and now a man on the run, after he wakes up in a hotel room, beside a dead body with no recollection of the incident. DI Jack Kirkham and DS And Hashem, former colleagues and friends of Mark’s must now investigate and track him now. A gritty crime thriller, that is well-paced and makes for a compelling read. I thoroughly enjoyed Liar, Liar and am excited for the next book in the series.

Reading the blurb for “Liar Liar”, I knew the premise of having someone wake up by a dead body wasn’t new, but it was where it would go from there that mattered the most. A disgraced officer is the perfect person to face this situation. The premise had me interested. The writing is what hooked me.

Veste takes us on quite the adventure. Especially considering the cops investigating are not exactly quick to presume innocence. But once again, where it goes is what matters. And where Veste takes us had a shocking moment towards the end. I literally did not see that coming. You will know when you read it. It is not one of the popular contrived twists that is so frequent in today’s mystery/thriller genre. No, this one is a natural progression, but you won’t be prepared for it. On top of that, the emotional writing that follows is exquisite. Absolutely superb.

I’m definitely looking forward to the continuation of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for an unbiased review.

Okay. So. Confession time. I haven't read Luca Veste's Murphy and Rossi books. There. I said it. I know now, having read Liar Liar, his brand new Liverpool set police thriller, I need to remedy that sometime soon. If, like me, you are a newby to this particular world of policing, then never fear. Whilst there wil be a few names in this book familiar to many, and for whom it will no doubt be a welcome return, this book is self contained and not having been introduced to Murphy in advance was no hindrance. The name was vaguely familiar, and I understand now why, but he is not the star of the show. Not this time around.

The honour here falls to Mark Fletcher, a Detective who achieved some renown for capturing a serial killer but who has now found himself very much on the wrong side of the law. We meet Fletcher very early on in the book in a somewhat compromising situation and are faced with two very clear questions. Just who has (potentially) set him up and why the heck does he think going it alone to prove his innocence weill stand him in greater stead than leaning on the might of his colleagues in the police force to sort out this darkest of puzzles. Well the why of the latter question is answered very quickly, and the more we learn about Fletcher's personal circumstances, the more I understood his desire to go it alone. And, to be fair, it makes for a much better, and more actioned packed, threat laden story as a result.

I really enjoyed this book, tore through it in no time in fact. Police thrillers are one of my favourites when it comes to crime reads and Luca Veste has created a cracking team and a really fascinating case for the start of this series. I was glued to the whole story from the very first page and whilst Fletcher's arrogance in thinking he could outwit the bad guys caused many a raised eyebrow at times, there was a really part of me that was invested in his future and wanted to see him come good, even if I didn't believe he could. Luca Veste pitched his personality, his desperation and determination, just right and had me mentally cheering him on every bit as much as I was branding him a fool and willing him to turn to his friends for help. There are reasons why that is problematic, and it adds tension to an already perplexing and on edge case, but still. Going rogue never works out well for anyone, does it?

I liked the characters in this book, particularly DI Jack Kirkham and DS And Hashem who find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to track down a colleague and former very close friend. I'll admit it took a little time to warm to Kirkham perhaps, but largely because I was rooting for Fletcher and knew that Kirkham's black and white view if the investigation and the rights and wrongs of Fletcher's past were going to put them at odds. that said, I like how the author played this and as the police investigation progresses, there is a moment in time when things turn and my opinions, and theirs, turned with it. They do make for a compelling partnership and I look forward to seeing how this develops over the course of the next few books.

This is a clear crime gang themed story and I was caught unawares at times just how twisted a tale this was. Not everything was as it seemed on the surface and the author pulls more than the odd blinder in the delivery of this case. A story of misdirection and retribution, it had me from the start, stunned me at the end and had me very excited for book two. Definitely recommended and if you are a long term fan of the author from his early days, I think you are going to love this.

Oh my goodness. What an amazing read. A great storyline about the police and the Liverpool underworld. I was hooked from the beginning and have binge read it, never really wanting to get to the end, but desperate to know how things turned out. It was so well written, and such a carefully constructed plot. Worth more than 5 stars. I shall be certainly exploring Lica Veste’s back catalogue.Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.