The Liar’s Daughter by Claire Allan

☆☆☆1/2
ebook, 372 pages
Expected publication: January 23rd 2020 by Avon Books UK
About the Book:
Joe McKee – pillar of the Derry community – is dead. As arrangements are made for the traditional Irish wake, friends and family are left reeling at how cancer could have taken this much-loved man so soon. But grief is the last thing that Joe’s daughter Ciara and step-daughter Heidi feel. For they knew the real Joe – the man who was supposed to protect them and did anything but. As the mourners gather, the police do too, with doubt being cast over whether Joe’s death was due to natural causes. Because the lies that Joe told won’t be taken to the grave after all – and the truth gives his daughters the best possible motive for killing him.

This was an highly emotional read, often uncomfortable due to the subject matter of abuse, but Claire Allan does a fantastic job of dealing with things in a sensitive and genuine manner. Sexual abuse is never an easy subject to discuss or read about but it’s a valid issue and one that was handled with care here.

What was unique about this one was that you not only hear from Laura and her step-sister Ciara, you hear from Joe as well and see what he’s thinking and feeling. It was a disturbing look inside the mind of a pedophile but it was also interesting to see what he was thinking. Heidi was such a sympathetic character, she’s never told anyone about the abuse. I was so empathetic towards her, she broke my heart and had been through so much, including her mother dying when she was so young.

This was one of those books that makes you think and if you can stomach hard hitting subject matter then I can definitely recommend it. Claire Allan is a gifted writer and this was an emotional read that I won’t soon forget. My only complaint is it was a wee bit repetitive.

Thank you NetGalley, Claire Allan and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#NetGalley