Title: Eleven Liars
Series: Ben Harper #2
Author: Robert Gold
Publisher: Sphere
Synopsis:
Journalist Ben Harper is on his way home when he sees the flames in the churchyard. The derelict community centre is on fire. And somebody is trapped inside.
With Ben’s help the person escapes, only to flee the scene before they can be identified. Now the small town of Haddley is abuzz with rumours. Was this an accident, or arson?
Then a skeleton is found in the burnt-out foundations.
And when the identity of the victim is revealed, Ben is confronted with a crime that is terrifyingly close to home. As he uncovers a web of deceit and destruction that goes back decades, Ben quickly learns that in this small town, everybody has something to hide.
My review:
In Eleven Liars we make a welcome return to the world of journalist Ben Harper and DC Dani Cash – but this time, instead of trying to find out what happened to his mother and brother, as in Twelve Secrets (which I also absolutely loved!), Ben is trying to uncover who started a fire in a community centre that almost killed a teenager, and whether this could be linked to another death years ago…
I don’t want to give too much away about the plot but prepare yourself for another twisty tale. Here we have a whole array of characters, some deceitful and some trying their best, but everyone seemingly working toward their own agendas, which makes it hard for Ben and Dani to find out what really happened.
The characters in Eleven Liars, as with Twelve Secrets, are brilliantly crafted and make you just want to read more and more about them. Small parts of the puzzle slowly come together as we jump forward and backwards in time, switching between Ben’s and Dani’s experiences as well as dipping into the thoughts of some of Haddley’s other residents.
I hope this turns into a very long series as I would happily keep reading about Ben and Dani’s investigations! Their growing closeness, despite Dani’s husband, adds an extra level of interest and we can’t help but root for them to become more than just friends. Added on top of that is a really engaging writing style that is so easy to enjoy. I don’t think you need to have read Twelve Secrets to enjoy this novel, but it will help you better understand some of the references.
Highly recommended!
My rating: 5/5
Eleven Secrets is published in the UK on 30 March 2023 – pre-order here on Waterstones or bookshop.org.
Many thanks to the publisher, Sphere, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.