The Liars

One of my favourite Australian writers! Petronella McGovern consistently delivers smart, twisty page-turners guaranteed to keep her readers coming back for more! Liane Moriarty

Compelling, contemporary crime fiction at its best. McGovern fully captures the soul of an Australian small town overdue a reckoning. RWR McDonald, author of the bestselling Nancy Business

A wife burning with resentment. A husband hiding the past. Their teenage daughter crusading for the truth. Who can we trust?

The close-knit community of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton makes a grisly discovery near a cave in the national park. Siena believes it's a skull from the town's violent colonial past and posts a video which hits the news headlines.

But her parents, Meri and Rollo, think the skull is related to their teenage parties in the Killing Cave back in the 1990s. And a schoolmate who went missing then.

None of them foresees the dangers that the discovery will create for their family. The dangers of past deceits, silences and lies that have never been resolved.

The Liars is a heart-stopping cocktail of family secrets, sinister unsolved disappearances and a community at war with itself.

Praise for The Liars:

A textured psychological thriller that encompasses voices of truth, lies, deceit, deception and benevolence, The Liars is a first-rate read that I mightily recommend. Mrs B's Book Reviews

I think The Liars might be my new favourite of Petronella's... It is a small-town murder mystery that will have you hooked. Told from multiple points of view and time periods, the story of Kinton Bay is a toxic and dark one, full of secrets and lies. You don't want to miss it. - Goodreads review, 5 stars

Loved this. Two generations of teenage parties, mixed with Aboriginal history, a serial killer, toxic masculinity, and corruption in a seaside community lead to a great story with some strong characters and some twists I didn't foresee. Am searching out her other books! Recommended. - Better Reading review, 5 stars

A real whodunnit that will have the reader trying to guess who the murderer is and a total surprise when they are revealed. A fantastic read. - Better Reading, 5 stars

This was a total page-turner for me... as an Aboriginal woman, I loved the truth-telling about the past and connection to country. McGovern's writing of Aboriginal characters and culture was subtle and authentic rather than patronising. Thank you, Petronella. I loved this book! - Better Reading review, 5 stars

It took me less than six hours to devour this book from cover to cover and now I need to go and find all of McGovern's other novels because I enjoyed her style so much. - Goodreads review, 5 stars

Fast-paced, multi-layered, various viewpoints, this one will keep you turning the pages and racing to the end to find out who did it. - Better Reading review, 5 Stars

The Liars had me hooked from the first page with twists and turns making this a page-turner... one to put on your reading list if you enjoy the crime thriller genre. - Better Reading review, 5 stars

Atmospheric and topical... with popular culture references and evocative descriptive prose, McGovern conveys her setting and era with consummate ease. Her characters feel familiar, exactly the sort of people you run into in a town of this type, all the more credible for their very human flaws. - Goodreads review, 5 stars

Aussie thriller author Petronella McGovern has done it again, crafting a gripping murder mystery which has entwined a family living in a small NSW coastal town... The toughest thing about reading The Liars was having to put it aside rather than devouring it all in one session. It will entrance readers and will undoubtedly become one of Australia's best thrillers of 2022. - Goodreads review, 5 stars

This book was thrilling and suspenseful. Had me hooked until the end, with a perfect twist to finish it off. Entwined in the mystery is an acknowledgement for the Aboriginal culture, colonisation and 'white-washing' of history. A very fitting topic for the new generations. - Better Reading review, 4 stars

Drawing attention to the colonial past where indigenous people were treated wrong and how the history was written for the benefit of the colonisers, small-town politics and how the town gets affected by economic advancements, The Liars also subtly touches bullying, abuse, rape, homophobia, and several other elements. The book spoke volumes about our choices, and how that changes the world, even subtly... a great thriller that makes you ask for more. - Goodreads review, 5 stars