About the Book
Eighteen years ago Martha said goodbye to best friend Juliet on a moonlit London towpath.
The next morning Juliet’s bike was found abandoned at the waterside.
She was never seen again.
Nearly two decades later Martha is a TV celebrity, preparing to host a new crime show… and the first case will be that of missing student Juliet Sherman. After all these years Martha must reach out to old friends and try to piece together the final moments of Juliet’s life.
But what happens when your perfect friends turn out to be perfect strangers…?
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received via Netgalley.
Beautiful Liars is the first book that I have read by Isabel Ashdown and after finding this book impossible to put down it won’t be the last.
Apart from a chilling prologue, which had me wondering just how it could be linked, the rest of the novel had two narrators. Martha is a successful TV presenter who is researching a cold case for her new TV show. This cold case is very close to her heart. Juliet was a very close friend when she was a teenager and both her and another friend Liv have always felt guilty over her disappearance. The other narrator is Casey, she bought Liv’s house and when she receives a letter addressed to Liv from Martha she assumes her identity.
Casey was one of the most compelling characters that I have come across. I have never felt a combination of fear, a little revulsion and a lot of sympathy for one character before. I had to look past her actions to understand the reasons why she was behaving the way that she did and gradually the feelings of revulsion faded.
I find cold cases fascinating. The determination of a handful of people, whether they are police or media to solve a murder and bring peace to friends and family is humbling and is shown brilliantly here. Especially with regards to Juliet’s father and the guilt shown by both Martha and Liv. Some of it I guessed correctly, but only a small part. I was duped very convincingly.
Recommended.
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