I was thrilled to be asked to take part in the blog tour for Little Liar by Clare Boyd and published by the lovely peeps at Bookouture. I'm a big fan of psychological thrillers and after reading the blurb I knew this would be something I'd like to read.
The perfect family... or the perfect lie?
To the outside world, Gemma Bradley has it all – a doting husband, high-flying career and two delightful kids – but inside the four walls of her tastefully renovated home, she is a mother at her wits’ end who has given too many last warnings and counted to ten too many times.
When a child’s scream pierces the night, Gemma’s neighbour does what anyone would do: she calls the police. She wants to make sure that Rosie, the little girl next door, is safe.
Gemma knows she hasn’t done anything wrong, but the more she fights to defend the family she loves, the more her flawless life begins to crumble around her. Is the carefully guarded secret she’s been keeping suddenly in danger of breaking free?
When Rosie disappears, Gemma thinks she only has herself to blame. That is, until she discovers that Rosie has been keeping dark secrets of her own in a pink plastic diary.
Distraught and terrified, Gemma doesn’t know where to turn. The only thing she knows is that her daughter’s life is in danger…
Little Liar is a heart-in-your-mouth psychological thriller about the people we choose to trust and the secrets we keep behind closed doors. If you loved The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl or anything by B.A. Paris you’ll be totally and utterly gripped.
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Gemma Bradley seems to have it all, a gorgeous home, a loving husband, two wonderful children and a high flying career, but is she a victim of her own success?
Working all the hours god sends to live the lifestyle they’ve all become accustomed two and sacrificing time with her family, Gemma is finding it hard to juggle her home/work balance. Her children seem to spend more time with their nanny or Gemma’s mum than they do with their parents so is it any wonder that daughter Rosie starts to act up?
Being a handful is what children are good at from time to time and Rosie is certainly no exception. Not only is she pushing the boundaries, she’s also and pushing mum Gemma to her absolute limit.
Neighbour Mira as had enough of hearing Rosie’s blood curdling screams coming through the walls and after one particular incident she decides that enough is enough and it’s time to call the police, accusing Gemma of abuse but things soon spiral out of control.
But Mira has her own story and secrets that even her husband, Barry, knows nothing about and because of this she believes she’s doing the right thing by reporting Gemma.
I really enjoyed the story, slowly discovering Mira’s secret, feeling Gemma’s frustration with Rosie for her tantrums and also with her husband Peter for his lack of support and the insights into Rosie’s world via her entries in her magic pink diary.
Little Liar is a well written and thought provoking book and author Clare Boyd does a really good job of ramping up the tension and showing just how easy it is to misinterpret situations when you don’t have all the information. I do feel that this is more of a domestic noir novel rather than a psychological thriller, but that said it’s still a cracking read and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.
Author bio
Clare lives with her husband and their two daughters in Surrey, where her little green shed at the bottom of the garden provides a haven for her writing life. Before becoming a writer, she enjoyed a career in television, as a researcher in documentaries and then as a script editor in drama at the BBC and Channel Four, where her love of storytelling took hold.
You can follow the rest of the tour with these fabulous blogs:
With kind thanks to Kim Nash at Bookouture for the review copy and my spot on the blog tour.
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