Originally published: 31 May 2019 (ebook) 14 November 2019 (paperback)

Author: Jenny Blackhurst

Published by: Headline

Genre: Thriller

Length: 319 pages

Reading dates: 5-7 June 2019

The book begins several months after the events that led to Erica Spencer falling from a tree house and breaking her neck at a lavish Halloween party in an exclusive gated community.  Her friends where she lived seem to have come to terms with her death and have moved on with their lives.

Until one day,  while they are gathered at a community event, a post on the school’s website announces there will be a podcast to expose what really happened on the night of the accident. Six suspects are named, with the podcaster promising to reveal the murderer by the end of the series.

Everyone in this community has secrets to keep, and one of them is already a killer…

What great fun this was, so many twists and turns until I had no idea who I should suspect any more!  It reminded me a little of Liane Moriarty – a huge cast of characters, all with something to hide. We have:

• The victim, Erica herself, married to Jack with two children, a local hero and all round giving and community minded mum;
• Best friend Mary Beth, a quietly spoken and diplomatic estate agent who tries to keep things going after Erica’s death;
• Mary Beth’s husband Peter
• Young single mum to twins, and successful business woman Felicity;
• Glamorous Karla and best selling author Marcus, self made millionaires and celebrity couple;
• Miranda, chair of the PTA yet struggling to belong with the other residents of Severn Oaks.

The author and voice of the podcast reveals he (or maybe she) has access to Erica’s diary and seems to know an awful lot about the residents of Severn Oaks. As the podcast, gradually, week by week starts to reveal the friend’s secrets, soon the police have to consider whether Erica’s fall was a tragic accident as first believed or if someone deliberately killed her.

I have to admit, with quite a few characters to keep track of, I did have to do myself a little crib sheet at the beginning to keep track of everybody.  We hear from all the main suspects throughout the book, none of whom are particularly likeable – there is a lot of backstabbing and bitchiness but that added to the fun!  I was consistently surprised as each secret was revealed – a gripping and suspenseful thriller, using the medium of social media.  I really hope this gets made into a TV series!

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a copy and to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour.  Be sure to checkout the other stops below…

About the author:

Jenny grew up in Shropshire thinking that authors were rock stars and that she needed to get a real job. After being made redundant she decided to write a book, then another, then another and at some point writing became her real job. Someone is Lying is her fifth book and she is now unemployable in any other field.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JennyBlackhurst