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Kobieta, która skłamała
Emilia Ward to zwyczajna kobieta mieszkająca w podmiejskiej części Londynu wraz z mężem i dwójką dzieci – nastolatką z pierwszego małżeństwa i kilkuletnim chłopcem z obecnego. Jest również poczytną autorką powieści o detektyw Mirandzie Moody.
Gdy Emilia rozpoczyna prace nad dziesiątą częścią serii, dzieje się coś niepokojącego: doświadcza incydentu żywcem wyjętego z jednej z jej książek. W pierwszej chwili uznaje, że to zbieg okoliczności. Ale potem to się dzieje znowu. I jeszcze raz.
Wszystko się zmienia, gdy ktoś z jej otoczenia umiera w taki sam sposób, jak ofiara w książce, którą właśnie pisze...
Dlaczego ktoś to robi?
Skąd wie, o czym pisze?
A jeśli Emilia i jej rodzina są następni?
Gdy Emilia rozpoczyna prace nad dziesiątą częścią serii, dzieje się coś niepokojącego: doświadcza incydentu żywcem wyjętego z jednej z jej książek. W pierwszej chwili uznaje, że to zbieg okoliczności. Ale potem to się dzieje znowu. I jeszcze raz.
Wszystko się zmienia, gdy ktoś z jej otoczenia umiera w taki sam sposób, jak ofiara w książce, którą właśnie pisze...
Dlaczego ktoś to robi?
Skąd wie, o czym pisze?
A jeśli Emilia i jej rodzina są następni?
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2023
1614 people are currently reading
35466 people want to read
About the author
Claire Douglas
20 books6,147 followersClaire Douglas always wanted to write novels and, after many years of trying to get published, her dream came true when she won the Marie Claire Debut Novel Award in 2013 with THE SISTERS.
Her second and third novels, LOCAL GIRL MISSING and LAST SEEN ALIVE (Penguin), are Sunday Times bestsellers.
Her second and third novels, LOCAL GIRL MISSING and LAST SEEN ALIVE (Penguin), are Sunday Times bestsellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,515 reviews
January 20, 2024
This was amazing. A rich gallery of characters that felt real and complex, and a killer plot rich with unanswered question that really had me guessing and suspecting everyone. I had right in my initial suspicion however, but was sidetracked and thought I must have been wrong. I love to be fooled however, especially when I’m being entertained as well. Very clever, and expertly told.
August 11, 2024
4.5⭐️
Emilia Ward,bestselling detective novelist, lives a quiet life with her second husband and two children in a London suburb. Emilia is almost finished with her latest and possibly the final installment in her popular Miranda Moody series. Writing a best-selling series has been taxing and this last book has proved to be especially challenging. But truth becomes stranger than fiction for Emilia when an incident mirroring a scene from one of her books occurs in real life. This is not an isolated incident and it seems that someone is trying to send her a message using her own fiction against her. After a shocking incident that is eerily similar to a plot point from her unpublished manuscript, Emilia begins to suspect that the threat is closer to home since the draft was shared with a select few in her close circle and she begins to fear for her family’s safety.
Does someone know Emilia’s secret – a truth that has been hidden from most in her close circle? Is she being targeted for the same reason? Is her family in danger? Could someone close to her be responsible for all that is happening or is she being paranoid?
Exceptionally well-written and intricately plotted with an intriguing premise and several interesting twists and red herrings leading up to a satisfying ending – what else could you ask for in a psychological thriller? The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas checked all those boxes for me. I really liked Emilia and found her to be an interesting protagonist. I’ll admit that initially, I presumed that the story would be formulaic and predictable, but I was so wrong! There was a point in the novel where almost no one in Emilia’s close circle was above suspicion.The narrative is presented from Emilia’s perspective with segments from another unnamed narrator’s perspective interspersed throughout the narrative. Cleverly structured, these segments had me confused (Who was the narrator? Segments from her unpublished manuscript? Segments from her previous installments? A new character or someone we knew? ) but as the narrative progresses, the author dials up the tension and the threads converge in a riveting denouement. The final reveal really surprised me and being proved wrong always elevates my overall experience! I was glad that the author did not incorporate some of the annoying (personal opinion, no offense intended!), overused tropes that are common in this genre to manipulate the plot.
This was my first Claire Douglas novel and I can’t wait to explore more of her work.
Many thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published in the US on July 30, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
Emilia Ward,bestselling detective novelist, lives a quiet life with her second husband and two children in a London suburb. Emilia is almost finished with her latest and possibly the final installment in her popular Miranda Moody series. Writing a best-selling series has been taxing and this last book has proved to be especially challenging. But truth becomes stranger than fiction for Emilia when an incident mirroring a scene from one of her books occurs in real life. This is not an isolated incident and it seems that someone is trying to send her a message using her own fiction against her. After a shocking incident that is eerily similar to a plot point from her unpublished manuscript, Emilia begins to suspect that the threat is closer to home since the draft was shared with a select few in her close circle and she begins to fear for her family’s safety.
Does someone know Emilia’s secret – a truth that has been hidden from most in her close circle? Is she being targeted for the same reason? Is her family in danger? Could someone close to her be responsible for all that is happening or is she being paranoid?
Exceptionally well-written and intricately plotted with an intriguing premise and several interesting twists and red herrings leading up to a satisfying ending – what else could you ask for in a psychological thriller? The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas checked all those boxes for me. I really liked Emilia and found her to be an interesting protagonist. I’ll admit that initially, I presumed that the story would be formulaic and predictable, but I was so wrong! There was a point in the novel where almost no one in Emilia’s close circle was above suspicion.The narrative is presented from Emilia’s perspective with segments from another unnamed narrator’s perspective interspersed throughout the narrative. Cleverly structured, these segments had me confused (Who was the narrator? Segments from her unpublished manuscript? Segments from her previous installments? A new character or someone we knew? ) but as the narrative progresses, the author dials up the tension and the threads converge in a riveting denouement. The final reveal really surprised me and being proved wrong always elevates my overall experience! I was glad that the author did not incorporate some of the annoying (personal opinion, no offense intended!), overused tropes that are common in this genre to manipulate the plot.
This was my first Claire Douglas novel and I can’t wait to explore more of her work.
Many thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published in the US on July 30, 2024.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
August 29, 2023
Mother of two and married to her second (almost perfect husband Elliot) successful mystery series writer Emilia Ward's life becomes unsettled when an unknown person or people start replicating events in her book series in Emilia's own life! It's when events start being replicated from her unreleased latest book that Emilia realises that the person doing this must be someone she knows on her personal ARC list!
In an almost perfectly weighted mystery seen from Emilia's perspective, I got to see how a mostly contented and settled life is undermined when an unforeseen threat emerges from within undermining everything about Emilia's life and more essentially her ability to really know the people around her. This UK bestselling mystery deserves its status, as after about reading the third of the book I was absolutely unable to put it down! A very well earned 8 out of 12, Four Star read.
2023 read
In an almost perfectly weighted mystery seen from Emilia's perspective, I got to see how a mostly contented and settled life is undermined when an unforeseen threat emerges from within undermining everything about Emilia's life and more essentially her ability to really know the people around her. This UK bestselling mystery deserves its status, as after about reading the third of the book I was absolutely unable to put it down! A very well earned 8 out of 12, Four Star read.
2023 read
March 27, 2023
Emilia Ward is happily married to her second husband, Elliot, and is mother to Jasmine and Wilfie. She’s not just a wife and mum though, as she is also the bestselling author of the Miranda Moody detective stories, the 10th of which she has just written. However, after a few unsettling and weird incidents, Emilia realises these occurrences are mirroring events in her book, real life imitating art. Emilia is clearly concerned and is hyper alert, but things totally plummet when a friend dies in exactly the same way as in her new book. What is going on? How is it even possible that someone knows the contents as it’s not yet been published? Are Emilia and her family going to be the next targets?
The premise of this novel is really good and the author makes you want to understand the truth behind the escalation of the threat levels. The characterisation especially of Emilia and her family is good with all of them being well fleshed out. There are plenty of plot twists and turns and the author keeps on coming right to the very end with the final one being especially good. I like the extract from the book that are also included in the narrative.
However, it’s slow to get going which is due to it being over detailed and over explained which halts the flow and makes it feel choppy. In all honesty I don’t feel the tension I should have been able to feel either which I think may be due to the increasing over complications and convolutions of the plot.
However, I really like what Claire Douglas has tried to do here, the premise is clever, but it’s not quite as well executed as her other books in my opinion.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
The premise of this novel is really good and the author makes you want to understand the truth behind the escalation of the threat levels. The characterisation especially of Emilia and her family is good with all of them being well fleshed out. There are plenty of plot twists and turns and the author keeps on coming right to the very end with the final one being especially good. I like the extract from the book that are also included in the narrative.
However, it’s slow to get going which is due to it being over detailed and over explained which halts the flow and makes it feel choppy. In all honesty I don’t feel the tension I should have been able to feel either which I think may be due to the increasing over complications and convolutions of the plot.
However, I really like what Claire Douglas has tried to do here, the premise is clever, but it’s not quite as well executed as her other books in my opinion.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
February 25, 2024
3.0 / 5
This was one frustrating read, I couldn’t deal with in the end. If you take the first 250 pages I would give this book a solid 4.5 rating, but the last 125 pages was literal dog garbage that I wanted to throw this book out a window.
The book is about an author, Emilia ward who has written a series of books based on a fictional character known as Detective Miranda Moody. Due to the books continual success, she is very well off living with her second husband and two kids. She starts to finalise her tenth book of the series, the last one where she ends up killing Miranda. She’s only submitted/ shown first edit copies of the book to her editors, publicist, and close friends/family when all of a sudden she starts getting ‘stalked’, which all stem from her 10 books (taking aspects from each book and subjecting Emilia to them). What was initially brushed off a ‘crazy fan’ ends up turning up a notch when someone close to her is murdered in a similar fashion to how Detective Moody is killed off in her last book. But only a handful of people have read the final book. Someone is out there targeting her, who could it be?
I hated the last 125 pages, it was frustrating as it ended up being a finger pointing game and backtracking back on it, going a full circle with more finger pointing. I also struggled to come to term with the change in the perspective in the second part. Essentially the book shows two perspectives one about Emilia herself and one essentially from her ‘book’. But this switches and the font doesn’t change to reflect the change and I took so long to understand what was happening. And when I did understand it, Claire was like how do I drag this book out more? Oh let me just do some finger pointing blaming sesh when the ending could have been finished sooner. I hated how convoluted it got, as means to make the ending more impacting but it had the opposite effect for me. The first half of the book is decent, a shame the ending couldn’t finish at that high bar set at the start. Disappointing read, only recommend if you want to be frustrated enough to chuck something out a window.
This was one frustrating read, I couldn’t deal with in the end. If you take the first 250 pages I would give this book a solid 4.5 rating, but the last 125 pages was literal dog garbage that I wanted to throw this book out a window.
The book is about an author, Emilia ward who has written a series of books based on a fictional character known as Detective Miranda Moody. Due to the books continual success, she is very well off living with her second husband and two kids. She starts to finalise her tenth book of the series, the last one where she ends up killing Miranda. She’s only submitted/ shown first edit copies of the book to her editors, publicist, and close friends/family when all of a sudden she starts getting ‘stalked’, which all stem from her 10 books (taking aspects from each book and subjecting Emilia to them). What was initially brushed off a ‘crazy fan’ ends up turning up a notch when someone close to her is murdered in a similar fashion to how Detective Moody is killed off in her last book. But only a handful of people have read the final book. Someone is out there targeting her, who could it be?
I hated the last 125 pages, it was frustrating as it ended up being a finger pointing game and backtracking back on it, going a full circle with more finger pointing. I also struggled to come to term with the change in the perspective in the second part. Essentially the book shows two perspectives one about Emilia herself and one essentially from her ‘book’. But this switches and the font doesn’t change to reflect the change and I took so long to understand what was happening. And when I did understand it, Claire was like how do I drag this book out more? Oh let me just do some finger pointing blaming sesh when the ending could have been finished sooner. I hated how convoluted it got, as means to make the ending more impacting but it had the opposite effect for me. The first half of the book is decent, a shame the ending couldn’t finish at that high bar set at the start. Disappointing read, only recommend if you want to be frustrated enough to chuck something out a window.
August 17, 2025
I knew before I dove into The Woman Who Lied that I was in for quite an epic rollercoaster ride of suspense. After all, it was written by Claire Douglas. Having forever been one of my favorites, this one was unsurprisingly no different. With vividly drawn characters, an intricate plot, and unguessable secrets, there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t pulled into the story. But it was the well-plotted storyline and clever manipulation that won me over hook, line, and sinker by the final well-timed reveal.
The characters were finely layered and shockingly realistic. With deep backstories that just barely peeked through to the surface, it felt wholly genuine just as it would if you met any of them in real life. As the plot ducked and weaved, however, Emilia’s immaculately portrayed rising suspicion and paranoia had me side-eyeing each and every one of them in turn. And despite my well-honed armchair sleuthing, there wasn’t a shot of me figuring out who could be behind any of the dastardly crimes.
The plot was a pure masterpiece, in my humble opinion. Told in two parts by three interwoven plot lines, the ever rising foreboding had my fingers flying from page one. Of the three, however, my favorite was definitely the present followed closed by the book within a book, metafiction piece to the puzzle. Thanks to clever, sharp writing and plenty of dazzling twists, this multilayered humdinger blinded me to the truth. It didn’t hurt that the deftly obscured clues left out just enough to keep me happily in suspense.
Done and dusted, it’s clear that this was just another testament to Douglas’s storytelling prowess. Spinning tales within tales, the teasing plot twists and non-stop suspense meant that I was done for as soon as I opened the cover. So if you’re looking for your next guaranteed home run, grab this tale of domestic suspense. Addictive, unputdownable, and utterly binge-worthy, it was nothing if not perfect for any mystery/thriller fanatic. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Emilia Ward is just an ordinary mum living happily in suburban London with her husband and two children—a teenager from her first marriage, a little boy from her second. She also happens to be the bestselling author of the Miranda Moody detective novels.
But when Emilia embarks on her tenth novel, life takes a disturbing turn: an incident straight out of the plot of one of her novels occurs in real life. Just an unsettling coincidence, she thinks.
Until it happens again—and again.
Then someone she knows dies in the same way as a victim in the book she's currently writing…
Why is someone doing this?
How do they know what she is writing?
And what if Emilia and her family are next?
Thank you to Claire Douglas and Harper Paperbacks for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: July 30, 2024
Trigger warning: stalking, harassment
The characters were finely layered and shockingly realistic. With deep backstories that just barely peeked through to the surface, it felt wholly genuine just as it would if you met any of them in real life. As the plot ducked and weaved, however, Emilia’s immaculately portrayed rising suspicion and paranoia had me side-eyeing each and every one of them in turn. And despite my well-honed armchair sleuthing, there wasn’t a shot of me figuring out who could be behind any of the dastardly crimes.
The plot was a pure masterpiece, in my humble opinion. Told in two parts by three interwoven plot lines, the ever rising foreboding had my fingers flying from page one. Of the three, however, my favorite was definitely the present followed closed by the book within a book, metafiction piece to the puzzle. Thanks to clever, sharp writing and plenty of dazzling twists, this multilayered humdinger blinded me to the truth. It didn’t hurt that the deftly obscured clues left out just enough to keep me happily in suspense.
Done and dusted, it’s clear that this was just another testament to Douglas’s storytelling prowess. Spinning tales within tales, the teasing plot twists and non-stop suspense meant that I was done for as soon as I opened the cover. So if you’re looking for your next guaranteed home run, grab this tale of domestic suspense. Addictive, unputdownable, and utterly binge-worthy, it was nothing if not perfect for any mystery/thriller fanatic. Rating of 4.5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
Emilia Ward is just an ordinary mum living happily in suburban London with her husband and two children—a teenager from her first marriage, a little boy from her second. She also happens to be the bestselling author of the Miranda Moody detective novels.
But when Emilia embarks on her tenth novel, life takes a disturbing turn: an incident straight out of the plot of one of her novels occurs in real life. Just an unsettling coincidence, she thinks.
Until it happens again—and again.
Then someone she knows dies in the same way as a victim in the book she's currently writing…
Why is someone doing this?
How do they know what she is writing?
And what if Emilia and her family are next?
Thank you to Claire Douglas and Harper Paperbacks for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: July 30, 2024
Trigger warning: stalking, harassment
November 17, 2024
This book had me hooked from the start, with suspense in every chapter and twists that kept me guessing. I changed my mind so many times about what was going to happen next, and at one point, I didn’t know who to trust.
Okay, it starts a little slow, and there are a LOT of characters to remember, but once it takes off, there’s no stopping. I was glued to the pages!
Okay, it starts a little slow, and there are a LOT of characters to remember, but once it takes off, there’s no stopping. I was glued to the pages!
June 17, 2023
There’s just something about a Claire Douglas book that feels like home to me. I feel like every single book she releases is somehow better than the one before (even though they’re fantastic too!). I was hooked from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down as I sped through this on trying to figure out who it was, and what was going on. I really enjoyed Emilia’s character and the overall book within a book vibe that this one had. If you like wild rides filled with tension and wild goose chases then you’ll love this one.
This is an easy 5 star read for me. Definitely recommend picking this one up.
Thank you Michael Joseph for sending me a proof of this one.
This is an easy 5 star read for me. Definitely recommend picking this one up.
Thank you Michael Joseph for sending me a proof of this one.
July 13, 2024
*A Matter of Trust*
This book is full of suspense and one that will see the protagonist question who she can trust, let alone her judgment. There are also quite a few characters to keep up with.
Emilia is a crime writer. She has a lovely home with her second husband and two children. She has a few close friends and she was struggling with writer’s block until one of her friend’s gives her an idea for her latest novel. The pace is quite steady until random things start to happen. Some from her previous books and weirdly one or two things from her latest book.
The strangest thing is that only her editor and a few choice friends have been privy to the draft copy of her book. You start to feel her desperation as she starts to receive things that are in her upcoming and unpublished book. She is going out of her mind trying to make sense of things. She reports things to the bored sounding police officer on the phone and when things start to get serious she is at her wits end.
Her behaviour comes across as paranoid as she starts to question everything. When someone very close to her is murdered in the same style as a character in her book, she does not know who to trust and the origins of part of her story sends her into a complete meltdown. We see her accusing all those close to her of being involved as the time comes for her to admit how she came about writing a book that is very close to a real crime. Is it a coincidence or is she trusting the wrong people?
Meanwhile the murderer of her close friend is parading around in plain sight? Will Emilia put the pieces together?……
This book is full of suspense and one that will see the protagonist question who she can trust, let alone her judgment. There are also quite a few characters to keep up with.
Emilia is a crime writer. She has a lovely home with her second husband and two children. She has a few close friends and she was struggling with writer’s block until one of her friend’s gives her an idea for her latest novel. The pace is quite steady until random things start to happen. Some from her previous books and weirdly one or two things from her latest book.
The strangest thing is that only her editor and a few choice friends have been privy to the draft copy of her book. You start to feel her desperation as she starts to receive things that are in her upcoming and unpublished book. She is going out of her mind trying to make sense of things. She reports things to the bored sounding police officer on the phone and when things start to get serious she is at her wits end.
Her behaviour comes across as paranoid as she starts to question everything. When someone very close to her is murdered in the same style as a character in her book, she does not know who to trust and the origins of part of her story sends her into a complete meltdown. We see her accusing all those close to her of being involved as the time comes for her to admit how she came about writing a book that is very close to a real crime. Is it a coincidence or is she trusting the wrong people?
Meanwhile the murderer of her close friend is parading around in plain sight? Will Emilia put the pieces together?……
January 14, 2024
a meta mess about
old sins and a search
for a serial killer, this is
a rich plot, multilayered,
satisfyingly complex. ♡
old sins and a search
for a serial killer, this is
a rich plot, multilayered,
satisfyingly complex. ♡
May 22, 2024
Sentimientos encontrados con este libro (3,5 estrellas), la historia esta muy bien contada pero a veces se me ha hecho pesado y lento.
Una escritora de éxito escribe su último libro, con la peculiaridad de que se reproducen eventos en la vida real. Muchos giros, dudas de todos en algún momento, pero la historia personal que hila el libro se me ha hecho anodina.
Un final que no esperas pero que casa muy bien con toda la investigación.
Una escritora de éxito escribe su último libro, con la peculiaridad de que se reproducen eventos en la vida real. Muchos giros, dudas de todos en algún momento, pero la historia personal que hila el libro se me ha hecho anodina.
Un final que no esperas pero que casa muy bien con toda la investigación.
August 12, 2025
I did not like the ending at all, or how Emilia accused everyone she know of murder.
July 28, 2023
What a disappointing read! Extremely convoluted and confusing. The different voices only served to make me more confused. The identity of characters whose names then changed added to the confusion. Also, the neat little ending annoyed me. Not a ‘good read’.
November 12, 2024
Un thriller cu răsturnări de situație, așa cum ne-a obișnuit deja Claire Douglas. O scriitoare de cărți thriller care devine personaj central în tragedia altcuiva și care își simte familia amenințată face tot posibilul pentru a afla adevărul în momentul în care întâmplările din cărțile ei devin realitate: un criminal în serie acționează tot mai aproape de ea.
Doar că nimeni nu e ceea ce pare. Nici măcar ea.
O poveste care te face să suspectezi pe toată lumea. Nu am ghicit vinovatul. Nici măcar nu m-am apropiat de adevăr. 👍
Doar că nimeni nu e ceea ce pare. Nici măcar ea.
O poveste care te face să suspectezi pe toată lumea. Nu am ghicit vinovatul. Nici măcar nu m-am apropiat de adevăr. 👍
April 5, 2024
Amongst the many reviews on the front of this book was ‘I could not put this down’ …. I literally could not wait to put this down, to stop reading it and was relieved when I got to the last page. Too many characters, I didn’t like any of them and the story was complicated and not exciting, engaging or in any way gripping. I have read so many other books in this genre that definitely tick a heck of a lot more boxes. So unfortunately it’s a 1 1/2⭐️from me.
September 25, 2024
This is exactly what I want from a thriller book! This story keeps you guessing through the twists and turns that makes you suspect every character! The writing and character development is one of the best I have read and kept me engaged the entire way through!
I would definitely highly suggest this novel to any thriller fanatics out there!
I would definitely highly suggest this novel to any thriller fanatics out there!
July 22, 2024
The Woman Who Lied is a very clever mystery in which a writer starts having things happen in her life that happened in books she's written. Emilia Ward is a successful author who is married for the second time with 2 children, a teenaged girl from her first marriage and a young son from her current marriage. Her popular book series is about a detective who solves mysteries. She's on her tenth book in the series and Emilia decides it's time to kill off her main character. She wants to write something new and fresh. She's already finished the first copy of her tenth book, has sent it to her publisher, a couple of friends, and a few family members.
Emilia is torn about ending the series as she doesn't want to lose her fans. She just can't face continuing the series past 10 books though. As she's waiting to hear from people about the book, disturbing things begin happening. Events that happened in the book series start happening to Emilia. Someone is trying to send her a message, but who? When things escalate and things get more upsetting, Emilia is concerned. The things that are now happening are from her tenth book and only a select few people have a copy of it. Is this person that's tormenting Emilia someone close to her? Why would someone close to her try to scare her? Will Emilia and her family be okay? The threats are getting more serious and a family member goes missing. The suspense builds and builds and I couldn't guess who was doing this!
Stop what you're doing and get this book! I absolutely loved The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas and rate it 5 stars with my very highest recommendation. I was hooked from the start when you find out the things happening are from Emilia's book series. What a clever twist to a mystery! I'd like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for an advanced copy of The Woman Who Lied in exchange for a fair review. I can't wait for the next Claire Douglas book! #TheWomanWhoLied
Emilia is torn about ending the series as she doesn't want to lose her fans. She just can't face continuing the series past 10 books though. As she's waiting to hear from people about the book, disturbing things begin happening. Events that happened in the book series start happening to Emilia. Someone is trying to send her a message, but who? When things escalate and things get more upsetting, Emilia is concerned. The things that are now happening are from her tenth book and only a select few people have a copy of it. Is this person that's tormenting Emilia someone close to her? Why would someone close to her try to scare her? Will Emilia and her family be okay? The threats are getting more serious and a family member goes missing. The suspense builds and builds and I couldn't guess who was doing this!
Stop what you're doing and get this book! I absolutely loved The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas and rate it 5 stars with my very highest recommendation. I was hooked from the start when you find out the things happening are from Emilia's book series. What a clever twist to a mystery! I'd like to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for an advanced copy of The Woman Who Lied in exchange for a fair review. I can't wait for the next Claire Douglas book! #TheWomanWhoLied
January 17, 2024
I’m afraid this book just didn’t do it for me.
Kudos where kudos are due, this is a clever plot. However, I think Claire Douglas was trying to do too much. As a reader I think we were expected to suspend reality a bit more than I think was necessary.
A plot like this probably needed 600+ pages to be a bit more tangible and enjoyable. This felt rushed and almost shopping list like at times.
There was one twist in the middle that was pretty incredible. That was one moment I thoroughly enjoyed. Other than that moment, there wasn’t much on offer. Plot aside, the characters were inconsistent at the very least. We were told a few times how that protagonist would do anything to protect her kids, but that didn’t extend as far as telling the truth just because she was embarrassed?? And then apparently, she was wise to the darker side of humanity because she was an author, but yet she couldn’t make any connections at any point, not even some rather obvious correlations.
Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House,for a review copy
Kudos where kudos are due, this is a clever plot. However, I think Claire Douglas was trying to do too much. As a reader I think we were expected to suspend reality a bit more than I think was necessary.
A plot like this probably needed 600+ pages to be a bit more tangible and enjoyable. This felt rushed and almost shopping list like at times.
There was one twist in the middle that was pretty incredible. That was one moment I thoroughly enjoyed. Other than that moment, there wasn’t much on offer. Plot aside, the characters were inconsistent at the very least. We were told a few times how that protagonist would do anything to protect her kids, but that didn’t extend as far as telling the truth just because she was embarrassed?? And then apparently, she was wise to the darker side of humanity because she was an author, but yet she couldn’t make any connections at any point, not even some rather obvious correlations.
Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House,for a review copy
September 7, 2024
I read my first @clairedouglasauthor book last year - The Couple at No. 9 and loved it! So I was so excited to get a gifted copy of her latest. Thank you soo much @harperperennial for my gorgeous gifted copy!! #oliveinfluencer 🥰 Listen to this…
Emilia has hit a slump… she is a successful author but she is running out of ideas for her series… 🤫… Then she comes out with a phenomenal idea and off to her editor it goes. Yayy Emilia🥂🍾… Now she can relax… but wait…😬
There is a serial killer on the loose and he is taking scenes straight out of Emilia’s book. 😳 You know.. the book that has not been published.. 🤔… Not even ARCs have gone out. 🤔 …. and it just keeps on happening. 😳
AHHH!! This plot was so good! I mean I was thinking.. WHATTT in the actual hell is going on?? 🤷♀️ I had no idea!! Holy twist. 🤯 I was guessing wrong all the way until the end. 😂🤷♀️Another fantastic thriller by @clairedouglasauthor !! 👏👏
Emilia has hit a slump… she is a successful author but she is running out of ideas for her series… 🤫… Then she comes out with a phenomenal idea and off to her editor it goes. Yayy Emilia🥂🍾… Now she can relax… but wait…😬
There is a serial killer on the loose and he is taking scenes straight out of Emilia’s book. 😳 You know.. the book that has not been published.. 🤔… Not even ARCs have gone out. 🤔 …. and it just keeps on happening. 😳
AHHH!! This plot was so good! I mean I was thinking.. WHATTT in the actual hell is going on?? 🤷♀️ I had no idea!! Holy twist. 🤯 I was guessing wrong all the way until the end. 😂🤷♀️Another fantastic thriller by @clairedouglasauthor !! 👏👏
March 1, 2025
4/5 ⭐
Un libro que te atrapa desde el principio y que vives en primera persona desde el personaje principal, la escritora Emilia Ward, sospechando absolutamente de todos los que la rodean
Emilia se ve perseguida y acosada por alguien que está replicando escenas de sus novelas de crímenes policíacos hasta que en última instancia también copia el modus operandi de uno de los crímenes de su último manuscrito, aún sin publicar, y el círculo se va cerrando cada vez más cerca de ella.
Esta premisa me gustó muchísimo cuando leí la sinopsis y la verdad es que no defrauda, hasta el final no se sabe quién está detrás de todo lo que la ocurre a Emilia y la tensión es constante.
Es un libro breve pero muy entretenido y bien construido. Primer libro que leo de la autora y no creo que sea el último.
Un libro que te atrapa desde el principio y que vives en primera persona desde el personaje principal, la escritora Emilia Ward, sospechando absolutamente de todos los que la rodean
Emilia se ve perseguida y acosada por alguien que está replicando escenas de sus novelas de crímenes policíacos hasta que en última instancia también copia el modus operandi de uno de los crímenes de su último manuscrito, aún sin publicar, y el círculo se va cerrando cada vez más cerca de ella.
Esta premisa me gustó muchísimo cuando leí la sinopsis y la verdad es que no defrauda, hasta el final no se sabe quién está detrás de todo lo que la ocurre a Emilia y la tensión es constante.
Es un libro breve pero muy entretenido y bien construido. Primer libro que leo de la autora y no creo que sea el último.
January 6, 2024
I love books within a book! Emilia Ward is the author of Miranda Moody book series about a DCI and a serial killer. She finished Book 10 and sent it to her friends and family to read. Coincidentally Emilia has experienced strange pranks that also happens in Book 10! The premise is great! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.
January 8, 2025
I always enjoy Clair Douglas’s mysteries, so I was very excited to dive into her latest as soon as it arrived on my doorstep. Plus, this The Woman Who Lied takes on a possible serial killer that is re-creating killings from a mystery series the FMC has written. Don’t tell me that didn’t just pique your curiosity!
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
I really enjoyed the multiple POV in the story. There were three stories driving the plot. The layered stories kept my interest along with trying to solve the mystery, and I loved how Douglas was able to tie the three different storylines together for a big reveal at the end
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
Multiple POV
Dual timelines
Suspense
Mystery
Amateur Sleuthing
Twists
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
This book started off fast and turned into a slow burn mystery.
Do you recommend this book?
if you enjoy mystery full of suspense and twists, you’ll want to check this one out!
Thank you Harper for this gifted copy.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?
I really enjoyed the multiple POV in the story. There were three stories driving the plot. The layered stories kept my interest along with trying to solve the mystery, and I loved how Douglas was able to tie the three different storylines together for a big reveal at the end
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
Multiple POV
Dual timelines
Suspense
Mystery
Amateur Sleuthing
Twists
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
This book started off fast and turned into a slow burn mystery.
Do you recommend this book?
if you enjoy mystery full of suspense and twists, you’ll want to check this one out!
Thank you Harper for this gifted copy.
January 18, 2024
Wowwwww this is why I love this author so much, the way she writes is really eye catching as they always say in the end the truth will out …
September 14, 2025
Story 4 stars**
Audio 4.5 stars**
Narrators
Ayesha Antoine
Gemma Whelan
Audio 4.5 stars**
Narrators
Ayesha Antoine
Gemma Whelan
July 16, 2023
Emilia Ward is a happily married wife and mother. She’s also a bestselling author, having realised nine successful crime novels starring Detective Inspector Miranda Moody. But then something odd happens. A scene straight out of one of her books occurs in real life. And then another one. And Emilia starts to feel concerned that she - and her family - are in serious danger.
Who is targeting her? And why?
This is a book that grabs you from the start. A brilliant premise, with interesting characters and an intriguing plot, which is original and unique.
Filled with red herrings I was suspicious of everyone and anyone. It’s a story within a story, which ultimately turns into one story.
Clever, thrilling, complex. It definitely kept me on my toes!
Who is targeting her? And why?
This is a book that grabs you from the start. A brilliant premise, with interesting characters and an intriguing plot, which is original and unique.
Filled with red herrings I was suspicious of everyone and anyone. It’s a story within a story, which ultimately turns into one story.
Clever, thrilling, complex. It definitely kept me on my toes!
November 2, 2024
4.5 poate
Foarte interesantă construcția, puțin nemulțumită de motivația finală a anumitor personaje.
În prim plan este o scriitoare de romane thriller căreia încep să i se întâmple în viața reală lucrurile pe care ea le-a scris în cărțile ei.
Mai interesant este că ultimul volum al seriei, care urmează să fie publicat, conține detalii ale unei anchete în curs ce vizează un criminal în serie.
Intensă, mi-a plăcut.
Foarte interesantă construcția, puțin nemulțumită de motivația finală a anumitor personaje.
În prim plan este o scriitoare de romane thriller căreia încep să i se întâmple în viața reală lucrurile pe care ea le-a scris în cărțile ei.
Mai interesant este că ultimul volum al seriei, care urmează să fie publicat, conține detalii ale unei anchete în curs ce vizează un criminal în serie.
Intensă, mi-a plăcut.
July 8, 2024
Please note that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
So this one had many "The Woman Who Lied" but I thought Douglas did a great job giving us a main story, with another story, and a story within that. I think some readers may get confused, but I followed the threads we got and changed my mind a few times about who the "bad guy" was here and thought the ending was really cool and definitely I can see this one being a potential thriller of the summer. The main reason why I gave this 4.5 stars and rounded to 5 stars though is that the book purposely leaves out information if you wanted to even figure out who could have done it and why. All of a sudden we get some reveals and you get, oh this is why so and so is the bad guy. I always think that's a bit of a cheat in mystery and thriller books.
"The Woman Who Lied" follows a bestselling mystery novelist named Emilia Ward. Emilia has a detective series that has done quite well, but she's now thinking about killing off her main character and doing something else. But when someone starts stalking Emilia and her family, it appears that person has read her not released new novel and is incorporating aspects of it into her real life. Emilia starts to wonder who could be the person doing this, and most important why.
The book follows Emilia mostly and we learn she's in her second marriage, and quite happy, though still has ties to her first husband because of the daughter they share. You quickly find out they talk, but neither of the new spouses like it for various reasons.
Emilia has a jet-setting best friend and a new friend in the police force. When the incidents starts, she leans on them, but quickly wonders if they, her family or her ex could be behind things.
The book provides excerpts from Emilia's novel, but we also follow around another Detective Inspector (DI) too.
The plot was interesting and I liked the flow. I honestly didn't put this one down until I finished it. But as I said above, I called BS on the final reveal because it was things that the readers were not privy to.
Still as a I said, a solid thriller/mystery I thought. I would love to read Douglas again in the future.
So this one had many "The Woman Who Lied" but I thought Douglas did a great job giving us a main story, with another story, and a story within that. I think some readers may get confused, but I followed the threads we got and changed my mind a few times about who the "bad guy" was here and thought the ending was really cool and definitely I can see this one being a potential thriller of the summer. The main reason why I gave this 4.5 stars and rounded to 5 stars though is that the book purposely leaves out information if you wanted to even figure out who could have done it and why. All of a sudden we get some reveals and you get, oh this is why so and so is the bad guy. I always think that's a bit of a cheat in mystery and thriller books.
"The Woman Who Lied" follows a bestselling mystery novelist named Emilia Ward. Emilia has a detective series that has done quite well, but she's now thinking about killing off her main character and doing something else. But when someone starts stalking Emilia and her family, it appears that person has read her not released new novel and is incorporating aspects of it into her real life. Emilia starts to wonder who could be the person doing this, and most important why.
The book follows Emilia mostly and we learn she's in her second marriage, and quite happy, though still has ties to her first husband because of the daughter they share. You quickly find out they talk, but neither of the new spouses like it for various reasons.
Emilia has a jet-setting best friend and a new friend in the police force. When the incidents starts, she leans on them, but quickly wonders if they, her family or her ex could be behind things.
The book provides excerpts from Emilia's novel, but we also follow around another Detective Inspector (DI) too.
The plot was interesting and I liked the flow. I honestly didn't put this one down until I finished it. But as I said above, I called BS on the final reveal because it was things that the readers were not privy to.
Still as a I said, a solid thriller/mystery I thought. I would love to read Douglas again in the future.
January 2, 2025
I actually enjoyed this one! Author had me second guessing myself a few times with who I thought the killer was. Definitely going to check out more of her work.
October 26, 2023
Didn’t really care about any of the characters and the storyline felt a bit juvenile. The ending was so anti-climatic and it wasn’t clear at the beginning what the different pov’s were so that was confusing.
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