“The Abbotts’ new lodger Luke hasn’t told them much about himself, but they can’t expect to know everything about a stranger who’s just moved in.

But Luke keeps asking about their family photos and looking through their things. Why does he want to know everything about them? And why does daughter Jen think someone is watching her?

Then, suddenly, Mum Mel texts the family to say she needs a break. But Mel has never gone away alone before. And now it’s been days, and no one has heard from her.

The Abbotts’ house is full of secrets.
They say people never tell the whole truth.
They’re right.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Liar by Louise Jensen. The Liar will be published by HQ on 24th April 2025 and will be available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Liar but that has in no way influenced my review.

A new Louise Jensen book is a very exciting prospect indeed! I’ve been a fan of Jensen’s writing since her debut, The Sister, published way back in 2016. Since then, I’ve read every thriller Louise has written. I love the family dynamic she creates. I love how she takes a fairly ordinary family and puts them, sometimes due to circumstances beyond their control, sometimes due to a family member’s own selfishness or stupidity, into the most difficult and tense situations. There’s a real feeling of ‘yes, this could actually happen to you’ about Jensen’s books and I love that! This latest book, The Liar, is no different. Bad decisions, being far too trusting, and the most powerful emotion of all, fear, send a normal family, doing the best they can, into a real-life nightmare situation.

Mum Mel Abbott decides to take in a lodger to supplement the household income. Twenty-six-year-old daughter, Jen, really isn’t too sure. She doesn’t like the idea of a stranger living in their house. She wants to leave her underwear drying on the radiator without having to consider the lodger’s feelings. Whereas younger daughter, Amy, takes her Mum’s decision in her stride. When Luke, the lodger, arrives much later than expected to meet the sisters, Jen instantly finds him attractive and starts to come around to the idea. After all, it might be nice to have a man around the house. But Luke is secretive and seems a little on edge. When Mel sends a text telling her daughter she’s going to be away for a few days, Jen is immediately thrown. It’s unlike her mother to leave them in the lurch, especially with a stranger moving into their house. But Mel has done so much for their family, Jen wants to give her all the time she needs. Everyone needs a break now and then! But several days after Luke’s arrival, no one has heard from Mel. Who is the stranger living in the Abbotts’ house? Why is he so interested in the family’s things? How much of a threat does he pose to Jen and Amy? And perhaps most importantly of all, where the heck is Mel…?

The Liar is another cracking family-based thriller from Louise Jensen. There is so much going on in this book. Secrets and lies, half-truths and poor, poor decisions. Catastrophic even. You think you have the measure of the family. You think you know the direction the plot is going to go in. But you don’t. You don’t even know the half of it! There are so many secrets to unpick. Why, at the very start of the book, does Mel receive a threatening note? Who is Andy? He keeps being mentioned by Jen but who is he and what connection does he have to the Abbotts? Why is Jen so nervous around the police? And who (worst nightmare for any parent) is thirteen-year-old Amy messaging online? But that’s only the beginning. As the reader progresses through the book even more questions are raised. Everyone seems to have a devastating secret they would do anything to keep. And in amongst the chaos and upheaval, the lies and deceit, when her daughters are floundering and need the support of their mother, Mel is nowhere to be found.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Liar is a beautifully twisty, highly readable tale which I flew through. Promising myself ‘just one more chapter’, only to discover I had read half of the book! There are quite a few characters in the book, but it was easy to keep track of who everyone was. Alongside the family and lodger, Luke, there is also Jen’s best friend Camilla and her four-year-old son, Mason. Mason really brings the cute-factor and adds moments of light humour, along with a Thomas the Tank Engine obsession (!), in amongst the overarching darkness of the novel. There is always something going on in the story and it doesn’t really let up which means the reader is absorbed into the narrative and able to read, as in my case, half the book without really noticing. This is exactly what I want from a thriller. I want to be hooked. I want to be completely immersed, and I want to live the story alongside the characters. There are several threads running throughout – some the reader is aware of straight away, some are revealed as you progress through the book. Keeping a tight rein on all these subplots and how meticulously Jensen brings everything together is a masterclass in thriller writing. Marvellous! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading The Liar. Immensely readable with bucketloads of intrigue. Secrets and lies galore, chock-full of deceit and overflowing with suspense. Another cracking addition to this author’s catalogue of work.  I remain a Louise Jensen fan, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us readers next! Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Liar. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Liar by Louise Jensen was published in the UK by HQ on 24th April 2025 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Louise Jensen has sold over a million English language copies of her International No. 1 psychological thrillers ‘The Sister’, ‘The Gift’, ‘The Surrogate’, ‘The Date’, ‘The Family’, ‘The Stolen Sisters’, ‘All For You’ and ‘The Fall’. Her novels have also been translated into twenty-five languages, as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Her next thriller publishes in Spring 2024.

Louise has been nominated for multiple awards including Goodreads Debut Author Of The Year, The Guardians ‘Not The Booker Prize’, best polish thriller of 2018 and she has also been listed for two CWA Dagger awards. All of Louise’s thrillers are currently under option for TV & film. She has also written short stories for various publications including ‘My Weekly’, ‘Hello’, ‘Best’ and ‘The Sun’, as well as having stories featured in multiple anthologies.

Louise also has a penchant for exploring the intricacies of relationships through writing heart-breaking and uplifting stories under the pen name Amelia Henley. ‘The Life We Almost Had’ and ‘The Art of Loving You’ were international best sellers. ‘From Now On’ is her latest Amelia Henley release.

Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers.