Catherine Ryan Howard | THE LIAR'S GIRL

Plot (via Goodreads):

Will Hurley was an attractive, charming, and impressive student at Dublin's elite St. John's College-and Ireland's most prolific serial killer. Having stalked his four young victims, he drowned them in the muddy waters of the Grand Canal. Sentenced to life imprisonment when he was just nineteen, Will is locked away in the city's Central Psychiatric Hospital.

Freshman Alison Smith moved to the Big Smoke to enrol in St. John's and soon fell hard for Will Hurley. Her world bloomed ... and then imploded when Liz, her best friend, became the latest victim of the Canal Killer-and the Canal Killer turned out to be the boy who'd been sleeping in her bed. Alison fled to the Netherlands and, in ten years, has never once looked back.

When a young woman's body is found in the Grand Canal, Garda detectives visit Will to see if he can assist them in solving what looks like a copycat killing. Instead, Will tells them he has something new to confess-but there's only one person he's prepared to confess it to. The last thing Alison wants is to be pulled back into the past she's worked so hard to leave behind. Reluctantly, she returns to the city she hasn't set foot in for more than a decade to face the man who murdered the woman she was supposed to become.

Only to discover that, until now, Will has left out the worst part of all ...

Review:

Last spring I had the pleasure of reading DISTRESS SIGNALS by Catherine Ryan Howard and was floored by this novel. It was so twisty, suspenseful, and fantastic for any novel, especially a debut. I was so eager to get my hands on more novels from Howard that I quickly found information that I have been waiting for for almost a year. Her new novel. The wait was worth it and more.

THE LIAR'S GIRL starts off like a hangover...literally. It makes the reader vulnerable, anxious, and overwhelmed. I was absolutely floored how Catherine Ryan Howard forces the reader to dive headfirst into this glorious story - there is no warning of what is to come. From the first page this read is devilishly deceitful and spooky, sinking its teeth into your skin and not letting go. The plot to this novel is not only wonderfully crafted, it's unique in its prose, and eerie with its revelations. Not one word goes unnoticed as Howard's writing hypnotizes you, leaving you lost in a trance and wrapped up into a story so glorious, it's difficult to focus on anything outside of this novel. One thing I found to be an exceptional example of how unblemished Howard's writing is was within the plot to this novel. While it's definitely a gritty and psychologically terrifying novel, I was pleasantly surprised with how I was effectively spooked reading this novel given how light it is on the violence. While some rather bold and graphic details about previous murders are released, it is never overboard. 

The characters in this are sensational. Both flaws and strengths glimmer off every description and word from every single personality in this novel. I found myself so invested with these characters that I felt myself wondering what the ones not present in certain scenes were doing and/or thinking. I especially loved how well Howard did writing these characters, noting the diligent detail in showing how they have evolved given the circumstances. I especially enjoyed how well Howard is able to write men and women of all ages seemingly effortlessly. 

Bottom line, this is a story I cannot get out of my head. This isn't a novel that you sink your teeth into, it's a novel that sinks its teeth into you and is relentless, brooding, and explosively suspenseful from beginning to the final chapter that is like a punch to the gut. Catherine Ryan Howard and her writing ooze perfection and she can write one hell of a sensationally crafted story. I don't know what is next for her, but I know one thing - I am officially calling her the next best thing in crime fiction. Congratulations to Catherine Ryan Howard. This is easily my new favorite thriller and I will say it; it's the best ending to a thriller I have had the pleasure of gasping over in a long time. I read it three times, that's how much I enjoyed it - and I gobbled up every detail each time. 

*Special thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5