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WOW! An addictive story from an author I hadn’t read before, and it takes off like a rocket! I didn’t just read this mesmerizing book, I inhabited it. One Of Us Is Lying is one of those rare stories that grips you until the early hours. With such glowing star ratings and testimonials from happy reviewers, I was longing to read this much anticipated book.

Book Description:

Tia never harmed anyone. So why does someone want to destroy her?

Tia is walking home with her children, along the lakeside of their quiet, safe town, when she realises something is wrong with her five-year-old daughter, Rosie. She seems troubled, not at all her usual happy self.

But when Tia finally coaxes Rosie to open up, she wishes she hadn’t. Because her sweet daughter asks a question Tia never thought she’d hear.

‘Mummy, why did you kill someone?’

Tia knows how rumours spread around her small town. She just can’t understand who would have shared such a horrible story. Or why.

It can’t have anything to do with what happened. Only her two best friends really remember that…

Tia thought she could trust Fiona and Kelly with her life. They’ve been through so much together. But when she’s sent photos of herself that could tear her whole world apart, she starts to wonder. Someone is determined to punish her. But who? And will her friends stand by her, or will the past destroy all of their lives?

Print Length: 299 pages

Publisher: Bookouture (April 3, 2020)

Publication Date: April 3, 2020

ASIN: B083QH6VS2

It’s a well-crafted mystery about three friends living immaculate lives and dealing with the inevitable emotional and psychological trauma that occurs with a few threatening texts. Tia, Fiona and Kelly form the narrative in this cracker of a story in alternating points of view, each with their own tale to tell.

Tia is horrified when her daughter alludes to a terrible rumor. A few boys at school say she killed someone, an allegation Tia hotly denies. Not to mention a few photos that could easily destroy her marriage. Kelly, recently widowed and with a recklessly bleeding heart, allows a stranger to stay with her — a stranger who is escaping a violent husband. Fiona, impossible to read and somewhat mysterious, is an interior designer who is being audited by the HMRC. An ambitious woman who wants to enjoy her career without the burden of kids, at least for now.

The book hurtles onwards and can only be described as a heart-pounding, page-turning, can’t-put-down, adrenaline-pumping novel. Each character is drowning in a mire of someone’s making and their carefully ordered lives are turning into a tangle they never expected. The book examines the obliterating trauma that comes with keeping secrets and their aftermath.

Each chapter goes back in time to provide the reader with an inviting summary, shaping each woman a contour at a time. As silhouettes begin to transform, it becomes clear that envy sits center-stage, and someone is threatening them. In such a small community, there is nowhere to hide. Dialogue provides a discrete eye into who they are and what they’re about. But the burning question throughout the book is who is targeting them and why is the past returning to bite them? Their lives are irrevocably damaged and things become chaotic in a very small space of time. The pace ramps up when Kelly receives a text to meet someone at the boathouse in Ashridge Falls, Fiona receives a message that intimates Mr Taxman will disappear, and Tia sees a text that assures her the photos will be destroyed — but it’s not all plain-sailing and the ending will have you tied up in knots.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this novel. Many thanks to Bookouture, Shalini Boland and Negalley for the privilege of reading this book. And to Sarah Hardy @sarahhardy681 for organizing the tour.

What people are saying:

‘Totally mesmerising! I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor… had my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst! Totally amazing and brilliant!… a definite must-read author!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Fantastic, suspenseful… so, so good. I really didn’t want to put the book down and finished it in one day.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Another stunner… 5 stars all the way from beginning which hooked me to the very last page… I already want more!!!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow… thrilling… worth each and every minute’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Enthralling… leaves you gasping for air… If you haven’t read anything by this author, then you really should. Be warned though as her books are highly addictive… you won’t be going anywhere until you get to the last word.’ Bytheletterbookreviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Fantastic… thrills us with twists, turns and suspense… tense, gripping… captivating and addictive… I’m already looking forward to the next one!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Oooh!!… Another stunning read from the very talented Shalini. Boy has she done it again!’ Nicki’s Book Blog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the Author:

Shalini Boland is the million-copy, USA-Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers: ‘THE GIRL FROM THE SEA’, ‘THE BEST FRIEND’, ‘THE MILLIONAIRE’S WIFE’ (optioned for TV by Legendary Studios), ‘THE SECRET MOTHER’, ‘THE CHILD NEXT DOOR’, ‘THE SILENT SISTER’, ‘THE PERFECT FAMILY’, ‘THE MARRIAGE BETRAYAL’ and ‘THE OTHER DAUGHTER’.

Her titles are published by Bookouture, Grand Central (USA) and Tantor.

Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between school runs and endless baskets of laundry).

She is also the author of two bestselling Young Adult series as well as a children’s WWII novel with a time-travel twist.

Be the first to hear about her new releases here: http://eepurl.com/b4vb45

http://www.facebook.com/ShaliniBolandAuthor
http://www.shaliniboland.co.uk

Tweets by ShaliniBoland

Other books by Shalini Boland

WOW! What a fabulous reading year! Thanks to authors and publishers who have allowed me to not only read their fabulous books, but have provided an advance reader copy before publication. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel!

In this list you’ll find slick psychological thrillers, deliciously dark that keep you guessing until the end. Police procedurals with flawed but completely relatable characters and heartbreaking women’s fiction with resolutions and twists you don’t see coming. All of them exceptional. Un-put-downable. Highly addictive and superbly written.

This list is by no means complete. I had to pick out ten that stuck out in my mind and wouldn’t let go. But there are others I would have gladly added. So next year, instead of blogging in December, I’ll be blogging in June too!

Books and Descriptions:

Oh, I just finished The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. WOW, bloody WOW! It blew my mind, and should also be added to this list. But there isn’t room, so I’ll cheat and add it here instead.

It was only meant to be a game . . . None of us ever agreed on the exact beginning. Was it when we started drawing the chalk figures, or when they started to appear on their own? Was it the terrible accident? Or when they found the first body? Print Length: 342 pages. Publisher: Penguin (11 Jan. 2018).

After The End by Clare Mackintosh – From New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh comes a deeply moving and page-turning novel about an impossible choice—and the two paths fate could take. Print Length: 400 pages. Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons (June 25, 2019)

Violet by SJI Holliday – When two young women – strangers – end up sharing a cabin on the Trans-Siberian Express, a strange friendship develops, one that can only have one ending … a nerve-shattering psychological thriller from bestselling author SJI Holliday. Paperback: 276 pages. Publisher: Orenda Books (November 14, 2019)

The Marriage Trap by Sheryl Browne – My husband has been keeping secrets for a long time. He thinks I don’t know what he does outside of this house. But I know everything… Print Length: 300 pages. Publisher: Bookouture (July 30, 2019)

Nine Elms by Rober Bryndza – From the breakthrough international bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice, a breathtaking, page-turning novel about a disgraced female detective’s fight for redemption. And survival… Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her greatest victory suddenly turned into a nightmare. Print Length: 392 pages. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (December 1, 2019)

Our House by Louise Candlish – On a bright morning in the suburbs, a family moves into the house they’ve just bought on Trinity Avenue. Nothing strange about that. Except it’s your house. And you didn’t sell it. Print Length: 426 pages. Publisher: Berkley (August 7, 2018)

Cage by Lilja Sigurdardottir – The prison doors slam shut behind Agla when her sentence ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her. As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed. Print Length: 276 pages. Publisher: Orenda Books; None edition (August 17, 2019)

Dead Inside by Noelle Holten – The killer is just getting started… When three wife beaters are themselves found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet. Print Length: 293 pages. Publisher: One More Chapter (May 31, 2019)

Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver – When strangers take part in a series of group suicides, everything suggests that a cult is to blame. How do you stop a cult when nobody knows they are a member? Print Length: 276 pages. Publisher: Orenda Books (September 14, 2019)

Dead Memories by Angela Marsons – She ruined their lives. Now they’re going to destroy hers. ‘Someone is recreating every traumatic point in your life. They are doing this to make you suffer, to make you hurt and the only possible end game can be death. Your death.’ Print Length: 400 pages. Publisher: Bookouture (February 22, 2019).

I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll – Every Wednesday, like clockwork, the terror returns. It seems like an ordinary Wednesday, until the phone rings. A mysterious caller with a chilling threat. Journalist Alice Henderson hangs up, ready to dismiss it as a hoax against the newspaper. But the next Wednesday, the stalker makes another move—and it becomes clear that this is all about Alice. Print Length: 317 pages. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (October 10, 2019)

My reviews on each of these amazing book are available on this blog under the book title. All of them are high star reads and highly recommended. I hope you enjoy them too!

Special thanks go to the Blog Tour Organizers, Sarah Hardy (@sarahhardy681) and Anne Cater, (@annecater) who have tirelessly and professionally given up their time to support writers, and @Netgalley for providing readers with a place to request copies to try out new authors.