One Fatal Night. One Deadly Secret. One Huge Regret.
Wendy and Nell have been best friends since childhood but when someone threatens to ruin their relationship, tough decisions must be made. Nell leaves for France while Wendy embarks on marriage and motherhood.
Both keep in touch, sending letters baring all, or are they?
They hide the truth that homesickness, violence, loneliness and murder form the backdrop of their lives.
Some truths are too hard to face and, as time goes by, shame and fear keep Wendy and Nell apart.
But when a twisted, deceitful face from the past turns up, obsession and heartbreak wreak havoc on their lives. Someone is seeking revenge and recompense. And someone is a killer.
It’s time for Wendy and Nell to face their demons and the truth. But can the bond that has held them together for three decades survive or, will the seismic repercussions of buried secrets break them forever?
I live in Sheffield, UK. I am retired and have recently fulfilled my lifelong ambition of becoming a published author with Bloodhound Books. I am married (almost 50 years to Dave) with three children and seven grandchildren. I am a patchwork and quilting tutor as well as a writer. My first book was Beautiful and my second, a sequel to Beautiful, is called Angel.
WOW. WHAT. A. BOOK!! When two powerhouses joined together to write a book, there could be nothing but an explosion of emotions with suspense at every chapter, thrilling the very core of me. Authors Anita Waller and Patricia Dixon were an absolute blast. They were powerful. They were energetic. The sucker-punched me with their every word.
Best of friends from childhood, Wendy and Nell had to hide their secrets with lies. An entry of a new character caused them to move away, keeping in touch via the letters where each pretended. Truth was suspended until the past forced them to face it, showing their real faces.
Oh my, the authors were simply brilliant. Their collaboration was seamless, their strength in the written word was evident in the prose. They knew how to lure my interest and reel me in with their devious plotting. There were so many nuances which added a spicy flavor to the story that reading it gave a thrilling shiver down my back.
Just when I thought there couldn't be another twist, the two wicked minds joined together to give me a whopper. An exciting journey was this book, where the emotions were strong, the suspense heady with unexpected twists, and the authors were pure genius. A talented duo. A powerful prose. A brilliant thriller.
When A Man Disrupts So Many Lives, But Evil Lives In Women,Too..
An intriguing read as we meet best friends whose lives become twisted apart with both lying about all happening to each of them. One woman, Wendy, marries a man her best friend, Nell, tries to put her off on immediately. He was very touchy with Nell when she was young, working in a restaurant. But Wendy falls for this man's guise, and both lives are forever changed. Their stories weave together through letters they write, blending seamlessly with what is occurring in the moment. The descriptive scenes have you standing right with the characters, who you come to love or hate through their words and actions. A twisting tale of what people can do to each other.
I was intrigued to read this book as it was written together by two of my favourite authors. I’m pleased to say it worked really well and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book starts off with letters from Nell to Wendy and from Wendy to Nell. We begin to see that Wendy is not being completely honest with her carefree friend, and is not telling the truth about married life. I loved the way we learnt about their past through the alternating chapters and felt this really shaped the book. I can’t say too much about what happens as it’s for you to discover as you make your way through the book, and I really don’t want to spoil it for you. There’s one character that I hated with a vengeance which I think is the intention, but later in the book another character really went down in my estimations. This book has it all and I highly recommend it if you like a good psychological thriller that will draw you in from the first few pages. Thanks to the authors for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
I thought it started a bit slow but speed up fairly quickly. Two friends from childhood grow up and move on with their lives. Wendy staying put and getting married and Nell pretty much living a gypsy kind of life, never settling down. They start corresponding by writing letters to each other, avoiding telling the real truths about their lives, more about leaving the sad parts out and just rambling about other things. It is a sad book about unhappy and unfulfilled women, spousal abuse, loneliness, lack of self worth, bad family relations and regrets.
When two of my favourite authors write a book TOGETHER, you just know it’s going to be unforgettable. This book shows how amazing a friendship can be and how bad it can turn with one event.
Books that have character’s that you bond with in your heart, become unforgettable. Everyone needs a Nell in their lives.
Who is telling the truth? Just finished LIARS yesterday—a book that had me reading well into the night. Written by two of my favorite authors, the plot cleverly unfolds and is told from two points of view —two women.They have been best friends since childhood but have each chosen dramatically different paths in life. What I thought was really interesting was that while their relationship is fraught with lies, each one believes their own truth. That was the layer in the story that made it really good and gave the main characters another level of depth. There are lots of twists and turns and several characters who didn't do what I was expecting them to do...which made the story even better. There is a mysterious death in the story and I kept thinking it was done by the obvious person and I even thought the authors might have gotten lazy....but no, they fooled me...another twist! Great read!
Wendy and Nell have been best friends since meeting at school. When Wendy marries, it isn’t long before someone becomes a threat and Nell moves to France. Letters fly back and forth between the two friends over the years but all is not as good as it seems for either of them.
This is an excellent collaboration between two great authors. It was one of those books that I didn’t want to put down, I kept being pulled back as I needed to know what had been happening to Wendy and Nell through the years. This is a great story of secrets and lies and shows how far some people will go to protect their friends. An enjoyable read with some great twists along the way.
Wow this is a superb read by two very talented authors. I’ve read books by this authors yet I wouldn’t know what parts each of them wrote in Liars.
Wendy and Nell have been best friends since they were little. When Nell leaves to travel and Wendy settles down they vow to stay friends and so their friendship continues through the letters they write to each other. However secrets and lies don’t stay hidden forever. Will their friendship remain strong when the lies are revealed.
This story is told in two parts. I’ve gotta say I read quite a bit of this last night and first thing this morning I couldn’t resist finishing it. Excellent story.
This story is not my normal choice of genre but there was no way I could refuse a collaboration between two of my favourite ladies! And sure enough, it proved to be a complete winner! (I was never in any doubt about that). It is the story of Nell and Wendy who have been friends since early childhood, always there for each other despite coming from different backgrounds. Wendy has a solid family life whilst Nell is grudgingly raised by her aunt and learns not to expect too much from life. When Wendy meets older divorced Mike Summers she is immediately besotted. Nell already knows what a lecherous creep he is due to a past encounter with him, and as Wendy quickly marries young, Mike gets his wish to drive a wedge between the two best friends. Unable to bear it, Nell takes off abroad for an adventure of travel and fruit picking. Over the months she moves onto the ski resorts as a chalet maid, then back to warmer climates again for bar and farm work, and the two friends keep in touch by letter and the occasional phone call. What neither of them realises is that they are both lying to themselves and each other, pretending what a great life they are leading. At first they want to spare the other's feelings, then it becomes too hard to admit that each of them has made mistakes and too much pride gets in the way. As Nell travels and makes new friends, Wendy's marriage is already turning sour. Very quickly she finds herself pregnant, distanced from friends and with an unfaithful husband. Nell's visit home for the christening as godmother to the baby turns into the final straw to tear apart their friendship for years to come. I won't reveal much more of the story as the reader needs to see events unfold for themselves in a tale of love, deceit, betrayal, tragedy, jealously and even murder in the ever changing fortunes of the two friends' lives. I really loved Nell who proved to be a wonderful strong human being whilst Wendy I could empathise with but was harder to take to. I defy most people not to read the end of the book without sobbing as I found myself doing, such is the strength and skill of the writing here. There is a seamless interaction between the two authors and it is impossible to tell the book was written jointly. Overall it is an extremely powerful story of life, love and longstanding friendship that spans decades and countries which I will remember for a long time with much fondness. 5*
Well, they absolutely smashed the f×ck out of two authors working concurrently. They have set the standards extraordinarily high and wholly showed how co-writing should be.
Plot
Best Friends from childhood, Wendy and Nell. Nell leaves to travel the world. While Wendy settles down into married life with her husband, Mike. They keep in contact with old fashioned letter writing. This is set in Sheffield but also across many countries too over 30 years.
Although they try to keep their friendship strong through letter-writing both are keeping many secrets and emotions to themselves only telling each other what they thought they wanted to read.
The Authors have created a thoroughly creative and intelligent plot which is full of secrets, lies, deceit, friendship, love and murder. It is told from Wendy and Nell's point of view with letters and through alternative chapters. The book is split into two parts. This is a truly tremendous book with twists and turns, suspenseful, emotive, heart-wrenching and tear-jerking.
Characters
Nell is care-free, free-spirited who is incredibly strong and compassionate.
Wendy, on the other hand, is a love-hate kinda character.
All the characters in this book are written so in-depth that you instantly connect with them all completely whether that is love, indifferent and hate. The authors have written the characters so well that you honestly feel like you are in there head and living there life.
Writing
Two authors who have written a book so flawlessly. Two authors become one. Although in some bits you can see who wrote what tbh it shows how incredible the authors are in there writing skills individually and as a collaborative team. The authors have brought us a unique partnership, plot, themes and an overall f×cking brilliant book.
Pacing
Once I started I could not stop or put it down because it's bloody remarkable!. The Authors did the pacing faultlessly.
Overall Thoughts
This is a truly tremendous book with twists and turns, suspenseful, emotive, heart-wrenching and tear-jerking. The authors have brought us a unique partnership, plot, in-depth characters, themes and an overall f×cking brilliant book.
Nell and Wendy have been friends for life. Throughout school and then into adulthood, where although separated by miles, they still kept in touch as much as possible.
So many people want others to see the 'best' them, instead of the real person. Just like those who use filters on photos and proclaim their living the 'best' life on social media, Nell and Wendy are keeping things from each other that, one day, will come back to bite them
Waller and Dixon have a produced a book that is seamless. I had no idea who wrote which parts, and the story flowed perfectly. Parts of the book are events as they happen, and others were letters written between Nell and Wendy. I ended up knowing more about them then they did each other!
This is an excellent piece of psychological suspense by two very talented authors. I hope there'll be more joint projects in the future.
This is a story of a friendship established since early childhood, but is it a true friendship, or is it as the title may suggest the complete opposite, with devastating effects? Wendy and Nell, went their separate ways around the time that Wendy got married, to what Nell knew to be the worst kind of man. Nell, young, spirited and carefree, travelled Europe, but the two women kept up their friendship by correspondence. I'm a fan of Anita Waller's writing, but this has been an introduction to Patricia Dixon for me. The flow of the book was seamless and the narrative was full of surprises, most of them unpleasant, but made for good reading. All I will say about this is people often appear as they would they would wish to be seen, no matter how well you think you know them. A superb writing partnership which I hope will continue, and I'll certainly be looking up Patricia Dixon.
Well certainly not my normal genre read, British crime drama is my norm, but this book has opened up new horizons. Thoroughly enjoyed it and very easily read. I know there is a simple addendum as to where the idea came from but it must be very difficult having two authors writing one storyline. Each author takes on a main character and it works. I presume that the story unfolds as they were writing so developing at the pace of the writing. One major drawback for me though, and the five star rating was not affected, I kept on reading NEIL for NELL, such is the similarity of an i and a l on the Kindle, made amusing reading at times, I wonder if any other readers had the same problem? Would have been better if another name had been used, who is called Nell nowadays, (even in the late 50's, early 60's),?
I'm really struggling with what to rate this one. On the one hand, I think this book has some key messages and I think the storyline was interesting and captivating, but on the other, this fell flat to me.
First, this is marketed as a thriller. It's not - at all. There is no mystery/thriller aspect in this book at all. In fact, it's about two best friends journey and how their lives intertwine over the years. I think, for this reason, I went into this book thinking it was going to be something completely different to what it was. I also didn't really understand the last 30% of the book. I just think a lot more could have been added. Don't get me wrong, the writing was good and the book was easy to follow, but I was left at the ending thinking '?????' is that it?? Overall, I just kind of found this a bit far-fetched and I can't really believe the three-sixty in the characters. This is decent if you want to read something more hard-hitting.
Trigger warning for: rape, abuse: physical and sexual, suicide.
In this gripping psychological thriller by Patricia Dixon and Anita Waller, two voices share two incredible stories—Wendy’s and Nell’s—as we travel back in time to discover who they were…and how it led to now. Each chapter reveals the web of lies that we must untangle to reach the truth about secrets that tore them apart and still threaten them today.
I’m a sucker for journal entries and letters, and this is how we first get to know Wendy and Nell’s relationship dynamic in the beginning as two best friends write letters back and forth, then showing glimpses of their individual lives—and lies—behind the curtain.
Written with captivating prose, and packed with mystery and secrets, Liars is page-turning suspense at every moment. When you’re not wrapped up in the dark drama, you’re connecting with Nell and Wendy’s characters as the authors craft complex yet realistic women dealing with realistic life problems.
A five-star story written by two five-star authors. The perfect psychological thriller to dive into if you’re looking for something emotionally packed, a mystery to unravel, and written in a unique format.
I came into this book with high expectations and I’m happy to report that it did not let me down! The story follows the life of Nell and Wendy, best friends since the age of 5. As they grow up their lives start to take on very different paths; Wendy marries and starts a family leaving Nell to find her place in the world travelling and living the life of a nomad. The one thing keeping them bonded is the promise to always write each other and share their respective stories on their life happenings.
The whole story is incredibly fluid and really gives the reader a great perspective on how your life can change in an instant – for better or for worse. I loved reading the letters from each of the women and appreciated how their characters developed. I felt the full gamut of emotions; shocked, saddened, appalled, fear - I felt the deceit and heartbreak. Don’t kid yourself, this is not a fluffy coming of age story. It’s a story about how much ‘truths’ we actually decide to share and how many of us are probably also liars.
What a roller coaster read. I have been a big fan of Anita's since reading her first book, but I am sorry to say, I have never read a book by Patrica, but I was excited to see what the two authors would come up with together.
I read half the book over a couple of nights with reluctantly having to switch off gone midnight both nights, so today (26th April) I decided I was going to finish it and I did. Boy what an emotional last few chapters, no spoilers but I was not expecting to have a tissue handy. That is all I am saying.
The characters you ended up loving, then hating, then loving again, but I have to say Nell was my utmost favourite.
Ladies I want to congratulate both of you, Anita, you are still one of my favourite authors and Patrica, I will definitely be reading more from you.
If I could I would give you 10/5 I would, but unfortunately no chance of that so it will have to be 5 stars.
Liars follows the friendship of Wendy and Nell, best friends since school, and the secrets and lies that unravel between them following Wendy's marriage to Mike. The story spans several years and is told in dual perspective, so the reader really gets under the skin of the main characters, who are both beautifully drawn. I don't want to give away too much of the story, as the many twists and turns should be for the reader to discover, not given away in a review, so all I will add is if you want women you will root for, baddies you will loathe, and a story that will have you smiling one moment, emotional the next, then shouting at the page in frustration, then read this book. You won't regret it.
What is better than a new book by one of your favourite authors? Well, a book penned by two of your favourites!
I was so excited when I heard about Liars, and I was not disappointed.
This book has humour, secrets, murders, and heart-wrenching moments as well. The characters are described beautifully, and the reader can really get involved in their lives and their decisions.
It kept me gripped from the beginning right up to the tear-jerking end and I just put the world on hold for a few hours to take it all in. Isn't that what we all need in a book? And really, who needs to eat anyway?
Have read many of Patricia Dixon’s books but my first one by Anita Waller but will certainly be looking through her back catalogue and adding to my TBR pile!
It tells the story of two best friends growing up and as happens with life go there separate ways but keep in touch via letter but are their lives as wonderful as their letters suggest?
Many secrets are revealed about the main characters and their families and just when you think you know who to believe and how it is going to turn out something happens to totally change your view.
Keeps you guessing right up to the end.
I was lucky enough to be given an advance copy of this book but this is my honest review. Well done ladies.
Who is cutting onions ? I am a wreck ! What a beautiful written book. It had me hooked ,line and sinker from the very first page. I loved this book from beginning to the end. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. But this is one I will remember for a very long time. 5 worthy shining ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lo comencé a leer por el tagline, recomendado por BookBub. Muy decepcionante. Personajes inconsistentes, contradictorios, líneas de la trama abandonadas, personalidades superficiales y no entrañables, nulo aspecto psicológico fuera de lo superficial.
I very quickly was put off by Nell, she was self centred and selfish. Wendy was the victim from day one a woman who was beaten and dominated by a cruel and nasty man. This book failed to make that point and continued to let Nell have a pity party.
A fabulously twisty book where you think you can predict where the narrative is headed, and then the writers give such a curve ball that you have to keep reading to find out more.
I was engaged enough to read the whole book but very far fetched (actions without consequences) and the end was so rushed it was ridiculous - not for me.