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alexsbooksandsocks's review against another edition
3.75
Thrillers. Suspense. Een race tegen de tijd en regelmatig tegen zichzelf. Ik hou ervan en ik zal altijd naar een thriller grijpen wanneer ik zeker wil zijn van een ontspannende, spannende lees. Dus een boek van deze auteur is, tot nu toe, een garantie op succes. De formule van schrijven en de elementen die ze gebruikt om haar verhaal op op te bouwen, is een formule die werkt.
Carla Kovach schreef een sterk vierde deel en zorgt er zo voor dat ze op mijn auto buy lijstje terecht komt. Het verhaal is spannend genoeg en intrigerend met best een actueel onderwerp en ook het hoofdpersonage Gina Harte krijgt weer een extra laag aan haar persoonlijkheid toegevoegd in dit verhaal. De auteur schrijft enorm vlot, met momenten beeldend en zorgt ervoor dat ik heel de lees lang geboeid was in zowel de zaak als in het privéleven van Gina.
Torenhoge spanning heeft dit boek echter niet, maar dat is oké, het verhaal is daarvoor sterk genoeg. Een boek dat een goed doordacht verhaal en plot heeft, met sterke personages en door een vlotte pen geschreven. Ik kijk nu al uit naar het volgende Gina Harte-boek.
robinlovesreading's review against another edition
5.0
Diane has been grieving the loss of her best friend Samantha for seven years. The police were never ever able to find Samantha as their trail went dry. On the seventh anniversary of her disappearance, Diane receives a letter addressed to Samantha. It is actually a birthday card and it has a fingernail in it. The nail is painted with the very same nail polish Diane remembers gifting to Samantha.
Instead of the police using the DNA on the nail to lead to Samantha, it leads to another woman, Jade Ashmore, and the police were able to find her body. There is a connection, however, it is not quite apparent. Instead, as the police investigate Jade's murder they begin to delve deep into parties with one intention in mind.
The police have several suspects and Detective Gina Harte is hot on the trail. The case becomes very personal to Gina and her boss, and one-time lover, worry that this will affect her objectivity. Gina is determined to use her skills and her unfortunate previous circumstances to stay on the case and to dig as deep as possible. As the connection between the current murder and Samantha's long-ago disappearance become more apparent, Gina becomes even more focused.
The Liar's House is the fourth book in the series. I hadn't read the first two, but did read the previous title, Her Pretty Bones, so I was a bit familiar with Gina, her history and her impeccable work ethics. I enjoy her character, her strength and her dedication. This was a compelling read, especially as it delved into a part of marriage and relationships hardly touched in psychological thrillers. This is a book I was able to read in one sitting. I definitely look forward to this series continuing.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Instead of the police using the DNA on the nail to lead to Samantha, it leads to another woman, Jade Ashmore, and the police were able to find her body. There is a connection, however, it is not quite apparent. Instead, as the police investigate Jade's murder they begin to delve deep into parties with one intention in mind.
The police have several suspects and Detective Gina Harte is hot on the trail. The case becomes very personal to Gina and her boss, and one-time lover, worry that this will affect her objectivity. Gina is determined to use her skills and her unfortunate previous circumstances to stay on the case and to dig as deep as possible. As the connection between the current murder and Samantha's long-ago disappearance become more apparent, Gina becomes even more focused.
The Liar's House is the fourth book in the series. I hadn't read the first two, but did read the previous title, Her Pretty Bones, so I was a bit familiar with Gina, her history and her impeccable work ethics. I enjoy her character, her strength and her dedication. This was a compelling read, especially as it delved into a part of marriage and relationships hardly touched in psychological thrillers. This is a book I was able to read in one sitting. I definitely look forward to this series continuing.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
bookswithbibi's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than my previous mystery read, even the lead character who I always have a hard time with. I appreciated that Gina seemed to be self-aware of her issues, as did her supervisor and that she seemed to follow the rules he laid down when things got personal. She has an interesting and sad past, and I am intrigued by the relationship she has with her daughter. She also seems like one of the more realistic detectives I've read, as she does eat and sleep (albeit just a little but it's mentioned, unlike some other books I've read). While I wasn't thoroughly invested in the relationship with her and her team, I could see that they worked well together and did solid police work. I also appreciated the mentions of how long forensics, warrants took etc.
For the mystery itself, it was solid and though I predicted the murderer about halfway, there were some twists that I enjoyed. I also enjoyed how the ending wrapped up, leaving room for more books and possible relationship development.
Overall, a good, quick read with solid characters and a solid story,
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book a lot more than my previous mystery read, even the lead character who I always have a hard time with. I appreciated that Gina seemed to be self-aware of her issues, as did her supervisor and that she seemed to follow the rules he laid down when things got personal. She has an interesting and sad past, and I am intrigued by the relationship she has with her daughter. She also seems like one of the more realistic detectives I've read, as she does eat and sleep (albeit just a little but it's mentioned, unlike some other books I've read). While I wasn't thoroughly invested in the relationship with her and her team, I could see that they worked well together and did solid police work. I also appreciated the mentions of how long forensics, warrants took etc.
For the mystery itself, it was solid and though I predicted the murderer about halfway, there were some twists that I enjoyed. I also enjoyed how the ending wrapped up, leaving room for more books and possible relationship development.
Overall, a good, quick read with solid characters and a solid story,
shiannefouts's review against another edition
3.0
2.5. This was poorly edited. So many mistakes and a misunderstanding of punctuation. Messy.
breejay's review against another edition
4.0
Another great Gina Harte book. I enjoyed this one more than the last. I also am listening to these books in audio format and Tamzin Kennard is a great narrator. I'm feeling terribly sad that the next two books have a different narrator, because books 1-4 were narrated by the same person and it was really lovely to have that consistency.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
3.0
Overly simplistic review: don't they have number block in Britain?
mikimac's review against another edition
3.0
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.
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.
annc's review against another edition
4.0
Another addition in this excellent series. Gina is still struggling with her past and when the crime she’s investigating threatens to blow it into the open things get tense
Not my favourite of the series but a good read nonetheless
Not my favourite of the series but a good read nonetheless
nickikendall's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to #netgalley and #bookouture for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is the 4th book in the Gina Harte series and it didn't disappoint. This book captured my attention from the first chapter. After a neighbourhood 'swapping' party, one of the guests doesn't make it home and is found murdered. Given the nature of the party there are many suspects could it her jealous husband or the partner of the man she had some one on one time with? Another of the guests os getting stalked...is the killer stalking his next victim? Another gritty mesmerizing read from Carla Kovach. Whilst it works as a stand alone read I would recommend starting at the beginning of the Gina Harte series to understand the history of Gina's life in more detail. #netgalley #goodreads #tea_sipping_bookworm #amazon#kindle #litsy #bookstagram #carlakovach #bookouture
bibliotreasures's review against another edition
5.0
***TRIGGER WARNING*** Domestic Abuse
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoture and Carla Kovach for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.
DI Gina Harte and her team are back for the fourth book in this fantastic series and the ominous tone is set from the start.
Samantha Felton is being watched by a man taking pictures at the local social club. She knows he’s watching and is enjoying putting on a show with another man on the dance floor. What she doesn’t know is that the man behind the camera thinks she needs to be taught the error of her ways and is taken by surprise as he attacks her as she leaves the club.
Seven years later Jade Ashmore is making the short walk home after a party when she’s suddenly aware of footsteps behind her. She hopes the person will pass but instead she’s attacked and knocked unconscious. Her attacker is disturbed by a late night dog walker but it’s too late for Jade.
Diane still misses her best friend Samantha and thinks of her often. What happened to her seven years ago? On Samantha’s birthday she finds a card addressed to her friend hand delivered to her house. Inside is a sinister greeting in cut out letters and a finger nail painted in the same shade Samantha always wore. She calls the police and DI Gina Harte attends the call. When the nail is analysed they’re all shocked to discover it belonged to Jade, not Samantha. Could the two cases be linked? Why is someone reminding them about Samantha after so long? And why did they attack Jade?
The two cases become linked when Jade’s finger nail is found in a birthday card addressed to Samantha that was delivered to her best friend, Diane, the same day Jade was killed. But why now after seven years? There are multiple suspects and very few clues in this gripping thriller.
Carla Kovach has done it again. She’s written another riveting installment in what is one of my favourite police book series. As Gina and her team search for the man responsible for Jade’s murder, and possibly Samantha’s disappearance, there seemed to be two or three suspects that emerged. Despite this the team are mostly working with hunches and circumstantial evidence as real clues to the culprit evade them.
At the same time Gina’s personal life is causing problems when a man she recently went on a date with refuses to take no for an answer, won’t stop messaging and keeps turning up unannounced. To add to her problems she finds her past and present are entangled in her latest case and threatening the reputation she’s spent years building.
Themes of domestic abuse and stalking are handled with raw honesty throughout the book. We see the way these men control their partners through fear, using it to coerce them into doing things they don’t want to just to please them. The reader is again shown the long-lasting psychological damage of abuse through Gina’s character, and how even decades after freeing yourself of the relationship you can still be haunted by it. The author is skilled at writing domestic abuse, in all its forms, in a way that helps the reader understand these women, why they stay, why they take desperate courses of action and do the various things we see them do to protect their abusers.
The Liar’s House is what we’ve come to expect and love from this series: complex characters, brutal, gruesome murder scenes and great writing. This novel was particularly skillfully written and ingeniously plotted. I can’t wait for book five!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoture and Carla Kovach for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.
DI Gina Harte and her team are back for the fourth book in this fantastic series and the ominous tone is set from the start.
Samantha Felton is being watched by a man taking pictures at the local social club. She knows he’s watching and is enjoying putting on a show with another man on the dance floor. What she doesn’t know is that the man behind the camera thinks she needs to be taught the error of her ways and is taken by surprise as he attacks her as she leaves the club.
Seven years later Jade Ashmore is making the short walk home after a party when she’s suddenly aware of footsteps behind her. She hopes the person will pass but instead she’s attacked and knocked unconscious. Her attacker is disturbed by a late night dog walker but it’s too late for Jade.
Diane still misses her best friend Samantha and thinks of her often. What happened to her seven years ago? On Samantha’s birthday she finds a card addressed to her friend hand delivered to her house. Inside is a sinister greeting in cut out letters and a finger nail painted in the same shade Samantha always wore. She calls the police and DI Gina Harte attends the call. When the nail is analysed they’re all shocked to discover it belonged to Jade, not Samantha. Could the two cases be linked? Why is someone reminding them about Samantha after so long? And why did they attack Jade?
The two cases become linked when Jade’s finger nail is found in a birthday card addressed to Samantha that was delivered to her best friend, Diane, the same day Jade was killed. But why now after seven years? There are multiple suspects and very few clues in this gripping thriller.
Carla Kovach has done it again. She’s written another riveting installment in what is one of my favourite police book series. As Gina and her team search for the man responsible for Jade’s murder, and possibly Samantha’s disappearance, there seemed to be two or three suspects that emerged. Despite this the team are mostly working with hunches and circumstantial evidence as real clues to the culprit evade them.
At the same time Gina’s personal life is causing problems when a man she recently went on a date with refuses to take no for an answer, won’t stop messaging and keeps turning up unannounced. To add to her problems she finds her past and present are entangled in her latest case and threatening the reputation she’s spent years building.
Themes of domestic abuse and stalking are handled with raw honesty throughout the book. We see the way these men control their partners through fear, using it to coerce them into doing things they don’t want to just to please them. The reader is again shown the long-lasting psychological damage of abuse through Gina’s character, and how even decades after freeing yourself of the relationship you can still be haunted by it. The author is skilled at writing domestic abuse, in all its forms, in a way that helps the reader understand these women, why they stay, why they take desperate courses of action and do the various things we see them do to protect their abusers.
The Liar’s House is what we’ve come to expect and love from this series: complex characters, brutal, gruesome murder scenes and great writing. This novel was particularly skillfully written and ingeniously plotted. I can’t wait for book five!