From the title you automatically know that everything you read is to be taken with a pinch of salt, after all everything has the potential to be a lie between these pages. Maybe it is that fact alone that sets you in to the right frame of mind to forensically examine every single interchange, every casual observation as you are reading. I certainly felt my brain cells being given a good workout throughout the book. We start off with Susanna who has become a counsellor after some trauma in her past - initially we aren't entirely sure what it is except that it revolves somehow around her family life. We know she is estranged from her husband and lives with their, now teenage, daughter Emily and that there was a son, Jacob. We also know that she has some big secret, something that she psychologically tortures herself with every day. Today she has 2 new patients at her counselling practice, maybe it will be a good day? Then we meet Adam, new patient number one. Adam is a bit of an enigma at first and we struggle to understand what he is doing at Susanna's offices at all, he isn't exactly forthcoming in his reasons. As he begins to tell Susanna about his reasons for being there even she suspects that all is not what seems and that he is spinning her a line. Adam soon shows his hand, a hand wrapped around a knife blade, as he confesses he has her teenage daughter and that Susanna better answer his questions "or else..." The beauty of this tale is not really in the characters, it is in the atmosphere and the plotting. Really we only have Adam and Susanna for the majority of the book and it is clear that neither of them can be trusted in what they say. Mr Lelic knows how to create tension on the page, tension so think that you can feel your breath catching in your throat and the sweat leaping in to your palms. The plotting is so well constructed that just when you have formulated a theory some tiny, insignificant fact is revealed that causes you to curse and stomp moodily back to your mental drawing board. The claustrophobia of the meeting between Susanna and Adam is occassionally lightened by snippets from Emily's diary, brief forays in to Ruth's (the dentist that Susanna shares the building with and who is her best (although really only) friend) view of what is happening from the outside. There are also the off flashback to life with Jacob and Neil and what exactly happened to Jacob. In some ways these dissipate the tension but you are always aware of that lurking menace around the corner - this is particularly the case with the sections dealing with Jacob and the build up of little incidents that led to "the thing". This is a real page turner of a book and I found myself becoming completely absorbed in the plot. To be honest I couldn't really tell you much about the characters as people or how they develop on the page. The plot is the characater and the character is the plot, so to describe one is to spoil the other. Hard, hard book to review without spoilers and as there are so many misdirects thanks to the lies our 2 protagonists tell it is very important not to spoil the plot. A terrifically engaging read that you need to clear your schedule to read because it will suck hours from you as you keep turning the pages just to find out how your latest theory stacks up - it won't, although I did get a plot point fairly early on it was just a lucky guess. THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM THE PIGEONHOLE.

The Liar’s Room is one of my top reads of 2018. I couldn’t stop, I kept guessing, and I was just chilled at some of the things I read. Simon Lelic wrote a book that kept me up at night, had me finding times to read when I really should have been doing something else, and talking about this book to all my friends. There are so many secrets that Susan was keeping. It was obvious from the beginning that things with Susanna were not as they appeared. With each twist, turn, and reveal I had an ah hah moment. One more piece of the puzzle was put in place, one more thing that was said made sense, and one more reason for Adam’s visit. With each puzzle piece that fit I was more shocked, in awe, and wondering what would happen next. Simon Lelic wrote a book about family drama, secrets kept, and the lengths that mother would go to to keep her daughter safe. Pick up this book immediately. Again, it is one of my top read of2018.

Good, not what you expect, gripping and challenging. Thought provoking, easy to read and different. All things I like in a book. When I thought maybe the book was taking a predictable turn it then did a u turn and went in a different direction. I like that the language and writing style wasn’t to challenging - I don’t, personally want to read anything to high brow for pleasure. Highly recommend.

This is the second book I have read by Simon Lelic having read and loved The House .The Liars Room doesn't disappoint ,it is a very gripping and compelling thriller full of dark secrets and lies and sadness as well .Two people in one room ,both liars both not what they seem to be .The story unfolds very cleverly and just when you think you understand it ,the story twists again and more secrets are exposed .Brilliant I loved it .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

"The Liar's Room" is the follow-up to Simon Lelic's fantastic debut entitled "The House". Again, Lelic has taken a unique concept and setting and created a truly chilling read. How fortunate, as that happens to be my favourite type of thriller - disturbing and claustrophobic in nature. Kudos, Mr Lelic! This book is literally chock-full of lies, manipulation and misdirection which added to the tension and kept the suspense building steadily throughout the story. Well written, accessible and easy to get into, this was an exhilarating read that will feature in my end-of-year lists I am certain. Sensitive topics are present here but the author deals with them excellently and with tact. Undoubtedly one of the best psychological thrillers i've encountered in recent months and I read a lot in this genre. The premise features Susanna Fenton, a therapist, who takes on a new client named Adam. It soon becomes clear that Adam is no stranger to Susanna, he happens to know her darkest secrets and the life she had run away from. But how exactly does he know all of this? From that point on it's a race against time in order to discover who the boy is and what he wants from her before someone gets hurt. Can Susanna keep her daughter safe from Adam Geraghty or will she be too late to stop the inevitable? Fast-paced, absorbing and leaves the reader uneasy and on the edge of their seat - a seriously enjoyable book. I intend to go back and reread "The House" and I will be eagerly anticipating Lelic's next thrill ride! Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.