The Liar’s Girl

“The convergence of survivor guilt, emotional insecurity, naiveté, and strange coincidences that bridge the past and present make this a taut psychological crime thriller from a young Irish writer who bears watching.” Burlington (NC) Times-News

“Although Howard meanders a bit through the streets and shops and pubs of Cork and Dublin, she picks up the pace when it most matters—and tosses a lovely curveball at the end, too.” Kirkus Reviews

“[As] three accomplished Irish narrators present the story…Alana Kerr Collins portrays a fractured but resolute Alison…Listeners hear her nervous, reluctant voice and her anxiety about opening old wounds. Alan Smyth and Gary Furlong bring to life a mad murderer, the imprisoned boyfriend, a likable police detective, and other characters, using voices that sound genuine and natural. The multiple perspectives fill out the narrative of this engrossing psychological suspense.” AudioFile

“The Liar’s Girl is an addictive page-turner that asks, would you stand by someone you loved if he was accused of murder? The set-up is horribly believable as we toggle between the past and present lives of two adults reconciling themselves to the consequences of their teenage immaturity. Catherine Ryan Howard ladles out the suspense like spoonfuls of sugar, building to a heady rush of tension—and a heartbreaking final twist in the tale.” Jo Furniss, author of the bestselling All the Little Children

“The Liar’s Girl is a haunting thriller about one woman’s attempt to escape a horrific past…and her inability to fully do so. I found myself continually surprised and even shocked by the twists and turns in the plot. This is a fast-moving, crackling good novel.” David Bell, author of Bring Her Home

“This may just be the best book I have ever read! Howard writes an amazingly terrifying story of how one small lie can change the course of your entire life and those around you. I simply cannot say enough good things about this book, it left me utterly speechless!” TheBindingThread (5/5 stars)

“The Liar’s Girl takes us back to the canals of Dublin in a story packed with psychological trickery and playing on the theme of the bad boy, and a very bad boy indeed. What do you do when you realize your boyfriend is a killer?” Electric Lit

“[A] sophisticated psychological thriller…Howard’s portrait of Alison as a bright girl full of hope starkly contrasts that of the woman whose light has been dimmed by tragedy. The exploration of the characters’ inner lives—their jealousy, guilt, misguided chivalry—is as riveting as the crime.” Shelf Awareness

“Slick, smart, and stylish suspense. Characters so real I felt I knew them personally, a plot so taut it squeaked, and deeply poignant nods to the loss of innocence that every teenager craves and despairs. Really clever.” Holly Seddon, USA Today bestselling author

“A meticulous, devious plot, superb writing, and vivid, sympathetic characters would be enough to make The Liar’s Girl a stand-out read, but its dark, sad, inevitable ending makes it a triumph.” Eric Rickstad, New York Times bestselling author of The Names of Dead Girls

“Read The Liar’s Girl with the lights on. A thrilling whodunit with a shocking final twist.” A. J. Banner, USA Today bestselling author

“Catherine Ryan Howard is such a skilled storyteller—every setting was evocative, every hook well-placed, every twist expertly timed. I flew through it! Astonishingly good.” Jo Spain, Irish Times bestselling author

“An absolute belter of a book…[A] stand-out book in the thriller genre. Real and sympathetic characters, a flawlessly paced plot, and a genuinely original premise. I finished it at 2:00 a.m. last night, my heart pounding!” Gillian McAllister, Sunday Times bestselling author

“The author grabs the reader by the scruff of the neck and she never lets go. She transforms Dublin into a sinister city of shadows, building the tension until breaking point…The plotting is faultless and the writing assured. Catherine Ryan Howard is as good as the early Val McDermid.” Irish Examiner