The Liar's Sister by Sarah A. Denzil
Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller
Read: 30th September 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 25th September 2019)
★★★★ 4 stars
Having thoroughly enjoyed both "The Silent Child" and "Only Daughter", I of course had high hopes for THE LIAR'S SISTER. I was not disappointed. Sarah Denzil has the ability to draw you into an isolated existence where there is just you and the handful of characters with all their secrets and lies unraveling before you. It's chilling and yet it's completely riveting.
Ten years ago, local boy Samuel Murray went missing in the small Yorkshire village of Blackthorpe, never to be seen again. On the night Samuel disappeared, 16 year old Heather awoke to her 17 year old sister Rosie stealthily climbing in through their bedroom window, her clothes muddied and her appearance disheveled. Heather watched her sister through the thin cover of her bed sheets, never once letting on that she had seen.
The next morning Samuel's mother came over in tears to tell them that he was missing. Heather was shocked. Samuel was her friend; her best friend; her secret boyfriend...and now he was missing. But then as she was riding her pony through the woods...until a glint of something catches Heather's eye. Rosie's bracelet. Heather knew she'd been wearing it when she went to bed last night. Pocketing the bracelet, Heather made her way back home and quietly walked into their bedroom where Rosie sat on the bed with her headphones in. Rosie watched as Heather crossed to her sister's chest of drawers and without a word, placed the bracelet on top of the cabinet. Neither said a word.
But Heather always remembered that day, replaying it over and over in her mind and leaving her wondering - did Rosie have something to do with Samuel's disappearance? Did she kill him? After all that had happened, she wouldn't be surprised if she had. But the guilt continues to eat away at her and Heather wonders...is her sister a murderer?
Whatever took place that night changed their lives forever. Things were never the same between them again. They went off to university but the sisters drifted apart and Rosie spiraled into a world of addiction of alcohol and drugs. She only returned home when their grandfather died and then their father's funeral five years earlier. Now their mother is dying and is asking for Rosie but Heather isn't sure how to contact her. Her mobile has been disconnected and all she has is an old email address that Rosie never seemed to check with any kind of regularity. But she sends one off anyway and is surprised to receive a response almost immediately. Rosie is coming home.
But neither sister receive a warm welcome from villagers, and when their mother quietly passes shortly after Rosie's return, things take on a more sinister turn. They receive an unwelcome visit from the local police outlining that it might be best if they sold up and left the village. Their presence apparently was distressing the Murrays given the history between their families. But then they receive a threatening note and someone breaks into their house, steals a few items as well as their father's shotgun with which he used to kill himself five years before. Why would their mother even keep that??
The atmosphere in the village is no different. All eyes are on the sisters as everyone seems to pass judgement on them and their presence there. But Heather cannot escape the past. Her memories of what she saw, what she suspected, what she feels - all of it is tied to Samuel's disappearance. Heather knows she must find out what really happened to him, and she believes Rosie holds the key. But how to unlock her sister's resistance is another matter. Rosie appears reluctant to give up her secrets. But Heather needs to know.
However...it appears someone else in the village may not want Heather to uncover the truth. Someone is following her, stalking her, frightening her. Is it Rosie? Or is it someone else? Can she trust her sister?
There are so many secrets and lies buried in the past that when the shocking revelations start to surface, they just don't stop. The tension builds to a point that everything just explodes and enigma of families, betrayal, incest, murder, suicide, abuse and grief are just the tip of the deceptive iceberg that eventually crumbles under the weight of all its secrets and lies.
While some aspects of the mystery may seem obvious, there were a few reveals that even I didn't see coming that just blew me away. The final chapter, which I think would have best been titled as "Epilogue" was an appropriate end to the story...and while it was obvious that it had played a part of that night, all those secrets were finally unveiled within those final pages.
Told in dual timelines between Heather and Rosie, THE LIAR'S SISTER unveils its secrets at an even pace as we progress to the present day, with the revealing chapters dipping back ten years near the end to expose what really happened. The final chapter from a surprising perspective uncovers the remaining truth that will leave you breathless.
Overflowing with secrets and lies, THE LIAR'S SISTER is well plotted and moves at a good pace to keep the reader engaged. With each chapter delivering new revelations, this compelling read will have you so intrigued as its end that you will not be able to put it down until the final pages.
THE LIAR'S SISTER is a heart-pounding twisted psychological thriller that will have you devouring every word on every page until the very end. I have no hesitation in recommending it to fans of this genre - both domestic and psychological thrillers.
I would like to thank #SarahADenzil, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheLiarsSister in exchange for an honest review.
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