This is the fourth book I’ve read by Kathryn Croft though she’d (also) written two books before I discovered The Girl With No Past in 2015.

The last four have been released in pretty quick succession over the past couple of years, which keeps me happy, as Croft authors the kinds  of psychological thrillers that are my reading bread and butter. 

Silent Lies
by Kathryn Croft
Published by Bookouture
on October 25th 2017
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Psychological Thriller
ISBN: 9781786812834, B074YGZTPB

Goodreads

Mia Hamilton lived the perfect life with her husband, university teacher Zach, and their two-year-old daughter, Freya. But everything changed when Zach committed suicide on the same night one of his students, Josie Carpenter, vanished.

Five years later, and Josie is still missing but Mia has finally found some happiness with new boyfriend Will.

Until one day when stranger Alison walks into her life and tells Mia that her husband didn’t kill himself.

Desperate to find out what really happened to Zach, Mia is forced to put her trust in Alison. But she soon discovers that Alison has her own agenda behind exposing the details of Zach’s death. Can Mia really believe anything Alison says?

This book opens just as Mia is about to meet the client who blows the life she’s managed to piece together, apart. She realises pretty quickly her new ‘client’ isn’t who she says she is and is determined to get to the bottom of the events of five years earlier once and for all.

She decides, however… not to tell her new partner Will or anyone that she’s looking into the past and unsurprisingly she realises too late that she’s in too deep.

This book unfolds in the present, from Mia’s point of view and the past (from Josie’s point of view). Mia’s very likeable, though somewhat dogged in her pursuit of answers.

Josie is less likeable. Initially anyway. We soon learn she’s come from a difficult background and had to battle to get where she is. She doesn’t believe she belongs at University and struggles with confidence. Mia’s husband Zach offers Josie support when she most needs it, but it’s obvious there’s an attraction between the teacher and student.

And then there’s Alison. Mia’s new client and – we learn – Josie’s former roommate. The pair did not get on AT ALL and their relationship doomed from day one by their prickly behaviour towards one another.

In the present Mia’s a little suspicious that Alison has ended up married to a colleague of Zach’s and when Alison appears frightened of her husband Mia steps in.

Croft’s books are always pretty twisty and this is no different. We’re left guessing for quite a while and there are a few surprises thrown in towards the end.

Given what we later learn about all of the players I was left wondering if there were any hints I missed along the way.

And then there’s the slightly open-ended ending, which is interesting because readers are left to ponder if justice has been served in any way and if we’d prefer things end differently. Cos it’s implied things may well change.

Silent Lies by Kathryn Croft will be published by Bookouture and available from 25 October 2017.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes.