Beautiful Liars by Isabel Ashdown

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for Beautiful Liars by Isabel Ashdown. Beautiful Liars is being published by Trapeze on 19 April 2018.

Beautiful Liars
By Isabel Ashdown
Published by Trapeze (19 April 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley

Publisher's description

Eighteen years ago Martha said goodbye to best friend Juliet on a moonlit London towpath.
The next morning Juliet's bike was found abandoned at the waterside.
She was never seen again.

Nearly two decades later Martha is a TV celebrity, preparing to host a new crime show... and the first case will be that of missing student Juliet Sherman. After all these years Martha must reach out to old friends and try to piece together the final moments of Juliet's life.

But what happens when your perfect friends turn out to be perfect strangers...?

My verdict
I loved Beautiful Liars. This is a chilling read filled with secrets of the past, the dark side of teenage friendships, distorted memories and ultimate betrayal.

The narrative alternates between Martha and Casey. Martha, TV host of a new true crime show, is looking into the disappearance of her childhood friend, Juliet. She has a compelling voice - most of her story is in the present day, but it's dotted with memories containing snippets of the past - revealing that there's a lot bubbling under the surface as the story develops. Casey also has a very distinctive voice. She's sad and lonely, renting the house of Martha & Juliet's other friend, Liv. When she reads a letter from Martha to Liv about the search for Juliet, she's determined to help - or maybe hinder - the investigation.

Beautiful Liars made me gasp in several places, as it's cleverly plotted and suitably twisty, and its tangled web of lies certainly played with my mind. The strong distinctive characters felt very real - all were unreliable and well-drawn - and the setting was very well described.

This unpredictable read left me with a chilling sensation and saying 'ooh' under my breath. Highly recommended for psychological thriller fans.

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