The Lies Between Us

by Jen Bray

'I loved how the fiendishly complicated back story unfolded and then how everything made sense in the end – so satisfying!' Marian Keyes

‘A brilliant story about the cost of family secrets, the powerful bonds of sisterhood and how far we will go to protect the ones we love’ Edel Coffey


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This family lived a life before me. And now I wonder if it was what happened in that life – all those secrets – that tore this family apart . . . not me.

The warring Brown sisters. Lucy. Susannah. Tara. Each is haunted – by disgrace (Lucy), vanity (Susannah) and envy (Tara). Most of all they are haunted by secrets.

Just before a dinner at their mother’s idyllic holiday cottage, Susannah disappears. That same night a young woman is killed violently on a nearby beach.

Amid the confusion the next morning, Lucy discovers a link between Susannah and the murder victim. Lucy must summon all she knows from her short-lived policing career to figure out the connection and find her sister.

But tracking down Susannah means Lucy confronting her own shame. It also means resurrecting ghosts that Susannah, Tara – and their mother – desperately want to keep buried.

Even if Lucy finds Susannah, will the truth destroy them all?

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'Outstanding. An accomplished, clever thriller . . . the three sisters steal the show with their warring loyalties' Jane Casey

‘Jen Bray has perfectly balanced pace with heart . . . beautifully thoughtful storytelling. I loved it!’ Liv Matthews

‘A tense, layered debut about how family ties bind and break us’ Image

‘Gets its hooks into you from the first page and doesn’t let go. Tautly plotted, gripping and suspenseful’ Michelle McDonagh

‘A page-turning tale of long kept secrets and murder' Andrea Carter

‘So well plotted with characters who jump off the page . . . I was hooked from the start!’ Patricia Gibney

‘Tense and twisty’ Sheila O’Flanagan

‘By turns gripping, pacy and emotionally satisfying – blistering’ Claire Coughlan

‘Intriguing . . . the complex relationships between the sisters are beautifully depicted’ Fiona Gartland

‘A tightly woven, twisty tale’ Kitty Murphy

‘I really enjoyed all the layers and intrigue – keeps you guessing' Clara Dillon

‘Accomplished . . . gripping’ Rosemary Hennigan'

'Three sisters and a myriad of complex, volcanic secrets! Intense, twisty and gripping. I loved it!' Vanessa O'Loughlin

‘A wonderfully woven mystery’ Amy Jordan

‘Chock full of family secrets . . . thrilling and twisty’ Catherine Kirwan

‘Beautifully plotted and written, compelling and emotional’ Vicki Notaro

‘Taut, terrific, tense . . . old wounds, secrecy and sibling relationships are tested to their limits in this twisty, unpredictable mystery’ Gill Perdue

‘After reading the first two chapters there was no putting it down . . .

281 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 26, 2026

Reviews

[Aoife Cassidy McM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance proof copy of Jen Bray’s debut novel The Lies Between Us, out February 2026, from Penguin Ireland. I’m familiar with Jen’s journalism with the Irish Times and Sunday Times, and wondered how well her skills would transfer to fiction writing. Very well as it turns out!

This is a family drama/suspense novel mostly set in Dunmore East, Co Waterford featuring three sisters Susannah, Tara and Lucy who have a complex history between them. Susannah has summoned Lucy to the family’s cottage in Dunmore East for reasons yet to be revealed, but shortly after Lucy arrives, Susannah goes missing and a body is found on the beach nearby.

With a timeline spanning 1983, to 1994, to the present day we learn about some of the family’s secrets that have led to the fractures in their relationship with each other. I loved the 1983 timeline in particular - the downtrodden, oppressed housewives of the time (Maggie and Evelyn) are particularly interesting and the intrigue in the book really stems from their relationships at that time.

It took a little while for me to get into the book - a lot of characters, some of whom aren’t that relevant to the story slowed it down a little. I didn’t enjoy the New York chapters all that much. However, once the story got going, it took off like a rocket and I didn’t want to put it down. Cape Fear vibes towards the end! A great debut. 4/5 ⭐️

[Klaudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓑𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓤𝓼

Thank you to Penguin Ireland for an advanced copy, I appreciate it 🫶🏻

Synopsis:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝘆. 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵. 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮. 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 – 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 (𝗟𝘂𝗰𝘆), 𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝘆 (𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮). 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀.

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗶𝗱𝘆𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵.

𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺. 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁-𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵, 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮 – 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 – 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹?

Review:

We follow the story and perspective of 3 sisters - Tara, Lucy & Susannah. Their relationship is strained, and one day Susannah organises for all of the sisters to meet at Dummore East, which is a nice little place by the sea.
Lucy and Susannah are the only ones there. Lucy notices that Susannah is acting weird and had a tense encounter with a stranger. She then goes missing. Then a body is found.

While Lucy searches for Susannah, the rest of the family comes down to Dunmore East where secrets about their life are revealed.

My favourite aspect of this book was the writing and the story development. I really enjoyed the descriptions and the flow of the book, I felt like it was a movie in my head. The story is also set in the past and present, I didn’t find this confusing.

I liked how unique and individual the characters felt, it was clear what their characteristics and personalities were. Also interesting to read about their own motivations !!

I enjoyed the fast pace of the book and the short chapters, I couldn’t put the book down!

[Kelly Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

{AD-PRPRODUCT}

Susannah. Tara. Lucy. Three sisters with a complicated past and dark secrets. One night at their mother's rural cottage when they are supposed to be reuniting, Susannah suddenly leaves Lucy alone telling her to stay indoors and she'd be back soon. The next morning, there's still no sign of her and now a body of a woman has turned up on a nearby beach. Where is Susannah? Who is the woman on the beach?

The Lies Between Us is the debut novel from Irish journalist Jen Bray! I was drawn to the premise of this book straight away so jumped at the chance to review as part of this tour!

Told in three parts, across multiple timelines and points of view, we slowly learn the events leading up to that faithful night in Dunmore East. Once I got into the story I found it hard to put down. Starting out at a slow pace, the narrative gains momentum with each chapter and cleverly comes together towards the end. At times I was wondering what direction it would take but Bray knew exactly what she was doing. Not only does this book deal with the crime/mystery genre but it also touches on the family, complex domestic situations and how toxic secrets can become when they're kept buried.

Thank you so much @penguinbooksireland
& @jenniferbrayinsta for this copy and a spot on this bookstagram tour! The Lies Between Us is a fresh and exciting addition to Irish fiction and comes out next month!

[Mary Carbajosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lies Between Us is an fascinating story of family, hidden secrets, miscommunication and the complications that arise from the choices we make. The central characters are three feuding sisters : Susannah, Tara and Lucy who have a complex family dynamic. Their story is set in present day Ireland, with flashbacks to New York in 2011 and Dunmore East in 1983. Their backstory, and that of their parents, makes for compelling reading and I particularly enjoyed those sections of the book.

Initially I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this one. Maybe it’s me, but I found the story hard to get into, I thought the first half was confusing, and I had no idea which direction it was taking, then suddenly it picked up interest and I was engaged right to the end. The deeper into the book by Jennifer Bray I got the more utterly absorbed I became, as the tension ramped up with carefully revealed secrets.

I loved the way the author developed the plot and sub-plots into one seamless book, spanning the decades. The past and the present were deftly interwoven, tightly unifying the story and everything started to make sense.

This is an accomplished debut from an author whose book I enjoyed and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for their future releases. 3.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟💫

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the advanced copy.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jen Bray’s The Lies Between Us is a gripping exploration of family secrets and the fragile bond between sisters. At its heart lies the tension of a relationship built on love and loyalty, but fractured by betrayal and hidden truths.

Bray writes with emotional precision, capturing the way family ties can both nurture and wound. The story unfolds with a steady rhythm, each chapter peeling back layers of deception and memory, until the reader is left questioning how well we ever know those closest to us.

The atmosphere is taut and immersive: moments of tenderness sit uneasily beside suspicion, and the past casts long shadows over the present. The sisters at the center of the novel feel vividly real—flawed, vulnerable, and achingly human—making their choices all the more compelling.

The Lies Between Us is not just a thriller, but a deeply resonant tale about identity, trust, and the secrets families carry. Elegant, unsettling, and emotionally charged, it lingers long after the final page.

With thanks to Jen Bray, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of ‘The Lies Between Us’ by Jen Bray, due to be published on 26 February 2026 by Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business.

A story of three sisters - Susannah, Tara and Lucy set in Dunmore East, a place that holds past memories and secrets for the two eldest sisters, a place that until arriving, Lucy knew nothing about.

When Susannah goes missing, and the body of a young woman is found murdered on a nearby beach the next morning, long held secrets come to light, with a race against time to unearth the truth.

Featuring jumping timelines - Dunmore East in 1983 and present day - New York in 2011. The backstory is vital to understand the decisions taken and why, leading to heartbreaking events that have had a huge impact on all involved.

A pacy and gripping thriller dripping with revenge, hatred, family secrets and lies - full of twists and turns until the very last page. A recommended read.

[Jennifer TW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author & publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Three Sisters, very different to each other, find themselves back at the place where they spent Easter in 1983. The eldest, Susannah, is an accomplished author, whose latest manuscript reads like a re-telling of that fateful time. Something happened that spring in Dunmore East where two families are drawn together following an almost-drowning of one of their children. Two marriages and two families are intertwined from thar moment on, by tragedy and lust. But when Susannah goes missing her two sisters scramble to understand what happened all those years ago and what bearing it has on Susannahs disappearance now.
A gripping read that requires concentration as the story jumps between timelines, but as a frequent visitor to Waterford, I found the storyline & setting intriguing. Recommended

[Farah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy, Susannah and Tara are a trio of sisters bound together not only by blood, but also their secrets - both shared and solely owned - and the various private resentments that seethe beneath the layers of their interactions.

But the disappearance of one of the siblings, coupled with a violent attack on a young woman nearby, is about to bring everything hidden surging up to the surface...

An insightful and relatable piece of story telling, this is worth reading and gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read. I found it hard to put this down, well drawn characters, great setting and very much enjoyed the writing style. Looking forward to reading more from this author. A really strong debut .
4.5 ⭐️

[Sarah O'Riordan | travelseatsreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come as part of The Lies Between Us book tour on January 30th