Review: THE LIAR'S GIRL, Catherine Ryan Howard

• 
  this edition made available by my local library as an e-book on Libby
  
• Published: 1st March 2018
• ISBN: 9781782398974
• Number Of Pages: 336

Synopsis (publisher)

Her first love confessed to five murders. But the truth was so much worse.

Dublin's notorious Canal Killer is ten years into his life sentence when the body of a young woman is fished out of the Grand Canal. Though detectives suspect a copy-cat is emulating the crimes Will Hurley confessed to as a teen, they must turn to Ireland's most prolific serial killer for help. Will admits he has the information the cops need, but will only give it to one person - the girl he was dating when he committed his horrific crimes.

Alison Smith has spent a decade building a new life. Having changed her name and moved abroad, she's confident that her shattered life in Ireland is finally behind her. But when she gets a request from Dublin imploring her to help prevent another senseless murder, she is pulled back to face the past, and the man, she's worked so hard to forget. 

My Take

Alison has had 10 years in Amsterdam trying to forget the man who was her first boyfriend, who confessed to five murders of first year college girls, including her best friend. Because Will confessed to the murders, there was never a trial. Alison has spent 10 years trying to forget him, and to forget her role in giving evidence.

But now there is someone murdering girls again: the same methods, a copycat or the real murderer? And Will has told the Gardai that he can help but he will only tell what he knows to Alison. So they turn up on her doorstep in Amsterdam, the same Gardai as 10 years ago, asking her to come back to Dublin to talk to Will. And that will mean talking to her parents too.

Despite her conviction that Will is the murderer Alison finds herself trying to find proof. And then she notices someone watching her, someone from the past. What will happen if she proves his innocence? How do you give back 10 years?

An excellent read.

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

4.4, DISTRESS SIGNALS