The Liar’s House is #4 in a series but stands on it’s own as a police procedural with several twists and turns.

DI Harte is a lonely women, widow (of her own making), estranged from her daughter, rebounding from a brief relationship with her superior.

After a party, a woman is found dead.  A cross town, another woman receives a birthday card for a friend that went missing years ago, a card that contains a message made from magazine clippings and containing a fingernail from the woman murdered the night before.

Throughout the investigation, the details of DI Harte’s past comes close to being revealed and her connections to the suspects might just end her career. 

This is a slower paced book with lots of red herrings and purposeful false-starts, really ramping up in the last 10% of the book. Unfortunately, I did not find the main character likeable and for a police women, I found her to be painted in the light of the woman who was ruled by her emotions and what others might think of her.   

I feel that the main character needed to be a stronger women in a more positive role.  The emotional reactions from her and the other characters felt a little predictable and empty.

It’s possible that if I had followed the series, I may have enjoyed it more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC In exchange for my honest review.