The Liar’s Daughter by Rona Halsall | Book Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Liar's Daughter by Rona Halsall
Published by Bookouture on April 26 2021
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 305
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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The call comes on an ordinary Sunday afternoon to say your sister has been admitted to hospital with a serious head injury. But you don’t have a sister… do you?

You’ve never doubted your parents. You’ve loved them without question your whole life. But your stepmother is uncharacteristically speechless, and your father isn’t well enough to understand.

So you get in your car.

Turn the key in the ignition.

Knowing everything behind you is a lie.

Not knowing what lies ahead: the truth… or something far darker?

A deliciously dark and twisty tale of deception, secrets and family ties, The Liar’s Daughter is perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window and The Family Upstairs.

Well holy moly was this a ride and a half.  The Liar’s Daughter was as I expected, swift and nerve splitting.  Rona Halsall’s novels always get my heart racing, and her new release undoubtedly would be no different.  A prologue that had me sweating bullets and asking questions without coming up for air.  Paramedics arrive at a remote farm in North Wales, the women they attend to has had a severe knock to the head and is only just conscious.  Its an injury that they doubt she has done to herself but she’s insistent.  The only thing is, why can they hear someone else in the house?

The title and the cover had me intrigued…the darkness, the intensity of it all.  It’s a story that must be devoured.  Its fodder for the imagination.  Imagine your stepmother receiving a phone call to tell you that your sister has been involved in accident, the point where you discover you have a sister no-one told you about.  The emotions running through you would be confusing, right?  The shock, the disbelief and the disappointment at years lost.  This is exactly Eva’s reality in The Liar’s Daughter.  A story that careens to an explosive finish. 

Eva has wanted a sister her entire life.  She begged and prodded her parents to give her sister, but it just never happened.  She’s a graduate in Wildlife Conversation but has had to put her career on hold to help her stepmother care for her father who has been diagnosed with Dementia.  He’s in sharp decline and care must be split between them, a harsh reality for someone so young.  After receiving the phone call regarding the news of her long-lost sister, Nancy, Eva takes it upon herself to go and look after her until she has recovered from a serious head injury.  The vast range of emotions and fears are laid bare and Halsall injected butterflies in MY stomach.

The Liar’s Daughter at its core is a story about family ties, betrayal and trauma.  The author has done an exquisite job in her portrayal of mental health and gas lighting…executed with class and dignity.  The story is told in dual POV’s, between Nancy and Eva.  The atmosphere had me instantly, I could imagine the rolling hills of Wales and could almost feel the wind blowing through my hair.  I was there and the immersion of the story was at a completely different level. 

There’s a lot to this story – so many layers to pull back and examine.  You are given snippets of people’s lives.  Halsall has written something that is so naturally flowing, the characterization isn’t forced, everything is just so organic. 

The Liar’s Daughter is superb.  The pace is liable to give you whiplash if you aren’t careful.  The feeling of powerlessness builds to a crescendo.  Another belter from Rona Halsall.

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ABOUT RONA HALSALL

Rona is the author of Best Selling psychological thrillers published by Bookouture. Her books have hit the top 100 in the UK, USA, Australia, and Canada.

Her challenge is to find domestic storylines with twists that her readers will never guess.

Born in Nottingham, she grew up near Blackpool and went to college in Leeds. A decade later, she moved to Snowdonia, North Wales where she brought up her family while working as a business mentor. She now lives on the Isle of Man with her husband, two dogs and two guinea pigs.

Rona is an outdoorsy person and loves stomping up a mountain, walking the coastal paths and exploring the wonderful glens and beaches on the Island while she’s plotting her next book. She has three children and two step-children who are now grown up and leading varied and interesting lives, which provides plenty of ideas for new stories!

You can find out more about Rona Halsall on:

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Rona is represented by Hayley Steed of Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV and Film Agency.