The Good Liar

Author: Catherine McKenzie
Genre: Suspense, Canadian
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
First Published: April 3, 2018
First Line: "I'm late again."

Book Description from GoodReads: Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.

Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

My Rating: 3 stars (aka 'a good read')

My Review: The Good Liar is based around a fictional, 911-type tragedy set in Chicago that devastates the city. The story is told via the alternating narratives of Cecily, Kate and snippets from the interview that Teo, a documentary maker, has with Franny, a young woman trying to find her birth mother. This tragedy links these three women and as their stories progress, readers see the truth revealed.

This book has good bones - solid premise, emotional situations and part of it is set in the beautiful city of Montreal (I love it when Canadian authors keep their stories in Canada). But the three women were hard to keep straight in the beginning and I can't say I was connected to any of them. Too much time was spent on their daily lives and not enough time spent developing and maintaining the tension.

Overall, The Good Liar is well written and kept my interest, but I was expecting more suspense and a bigger build-up. Readers who like domestic drama with a side of suspense will enjoy this book and the ending will make readers question who really is the Good Liar.

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.