He Was a Liar

by Daniel Hurst

He seemed perfect. But he was a liar...
Sarah is in a loving relationship with Paul, a man she hopes to one day marry and start a family with, until his untimely death turns her world upside down.

Trying to come to terms with her loss, Sarah finds comfort in looking through Paul's old things, including his laptop and his emails. But after finding something troubling, Sarah begins to discover things about her late partner that she never knew before, and it seems he wasn't as perfect as she thought. As she unravels more about his secretive past, she ends up learning things that not only break her heart but things that the police would be interested to know too.

But it's only when she keeps digging that she realises that some of these secrets are also shared by people who are still alive. And they will do anything to keep them hidden...

He was a liar. And now she is in danger...

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2021

About the author

Daniel Hurst is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of fast paced psychological thrillers. His most popular titles include Til Death Do Us Part, The Passenger and The Doctor's Wife, the latter title reaching #1 on the Amazon UK Kindle store in February 2023. A regular KDP Select All Star since he became a full-time author in 2021, Daniel prides himself on writing fast, releasing stories often and engaging with his readers.

You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com, where you can also download a copy of his FREE thriller 'Just One Second.'

Reviews

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very impressed by Hurst and his ability to come up with new plots. This wasn’t one of his best, although it was still entertaining.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Daniel Hurst book.

Loved the twists, turns, and ending, though!

[T.S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I can burn the manuscript of this book

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a terrible plot but there was just too much “fluff” throughout. I enjoy detail, but how many descriptions of putting on the kettle do I really need to picture in my mind’s eye in one short novel?

[Landa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean yeah.... you will never figure it out!

[Kay Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was intriguing. I so wanted to know what secrets a dead man would leave behind for his girlfriend to find. I wasn't disappointed. I mean, I had guessed the first one easily but the second one was surprising and exciting.

Again, I came upon the same issues with this book as I have with most of Hurst's books: overly wordy, things were over-explained as if he was writing to a ten-year-old rather than a reasonably intelligent adult who can follow plots. Sometimes it pulls me right out of the story but this time the story was so good I kept on, able to ignore the writing issues. I do hope Hurst finds himself a new editor soon though.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Daniel Hurst and he is one of my fave authors. This one was good and had lots of twists and turns along the way that I did not see coming!

[daniela weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

like a spiral pandora's 
box, the limited cast of
characters made the final 
revealing bland: popcorny,
yet still really gripping. :)

[LeAnne Pearson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even get past the third chapter. Sentences consisting of twenty words. Minute descriptions of every move the main character makes or thought she has. Tense changes mid-sentence. I've no idea if the plot is any good because I couldn't get past the awful writing.

[Lyra (Cardan's tail's version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

—2.5 stars—

Did I download this right after the other one and listen to this nonstop as well?
My excuse is that I was sewing and cannot physically read.
But this was ok..

[Charity · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story, which is a good one, could have been told by cutting 75% of the book. The rest of it is just repetitive and a little bit demeaning as if the reader can't understand what is going on.

[Ana Decosta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Darn it, I was pretty hooked from the moment Paul died and Sarah started her own investigation. However, the whole Fiona affair turned out to be pointless and dull, and when Alex killed Sarah the book lost its appeal. I can’t believe the protagonist happened to be gone in a second and the narration was taken over by her clueless and boring sister. What a waste of a good story.

[Perm Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is my personal 5 star rating system because I’m too lazy to write a review for every book.

5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.

4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.

3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.

2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.

1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I told the author I was going to stalk his backlist, I was serious. I've lost count of how many books I've read by now, but after I few, I began to recognize his distinctive voice.

HE WAS A LIAR ripped my heart out in the beginning chapters. Sarah is a loving, committed relationship with Paul, and she feels certain that a marriage proposal is right around the corner. Yes, it bothered me that they have been together a decade without one, but I didn't give it much thought. On an ordinary Sunday morning, Paul walks a few blocks to get some snacks, intending to spend the morning in bed with Sarah watching movie.

He never comes home.

He was struck and killed by an inattentive driver, and Sarah's whole world is shattered. But soon, everything she thought she knew about Paul comes into question. When she finds his laptop, there are some disturbing files on there that prove her loving boyfriend was a liar. Another cheating scenario, you're probably thinking. Yes, he was cheating, but he was also involved in something much worse...and someone who is on the periphery of Sarah's life wants to make sure what's in those files stays hidden. A deadly cat and mouse game ensures with Sarah questioning if we can ever really know the people in our lives.

[Abby · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is not one good thing about this book. The writing is TERRIBLE. It's written like a children's book. I'm doing A because of B. And then a few paragraphs later, that same thing is explained again.....the ending spells itself out very early on in the book.

I also can't stand the main character. It takes her halfway thru the book to utilize social media to look someone up......and then that part of the story turns out to be a dead end in the plot and doesn't come up again.

In fact, all the characters in this book are morons. Nothing they do makes any sense. They miss very obvious revelations right in front of their faces. Also, WTF IS WRONG WITH ELLEN??? ALSO, the character who ends up outing the "bad person" (no spoilers lol) in the end when it should have been reported by Sarah A LONG ASS TIME AGO???? I could go on and on about how shit this book is, but I don't care to waste any more of my life on it. I will not be reading anything from this author in the future.

[Bec (becbingesbooks) - sorry, behind with lots of catching up to do · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. The storyline: engaging and good enough. The writing of Sarah was some of the worst - I've never been more frustrated reading a book as I was during this one. It felt like the author wrote it for 12 year olds. Many unnecessary sentences, some seemingly to add words/pages. It's a real shame, because if written well, great story with interesting twists.

[Wiseask · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Hurst calls his 2021 novel, He Was A Liar, a “twisty psychological thriller with a shock ending.” But I think that many fans of his books — me included — will find this one was no more than average in the Hurst canon, despite a few twists, fewer thrills, and a predictable shock.

Sarah and Paul, both age 36, are a nearly perfect couple. They began dating 10 years ago, blissfully live together, and except that Paul hasn’t proposed marriage, he appears a loving, thoughtful and devoted partner. One day, in a tragic irony you won’t appreciate until the end, Paul is struck by a car and killed. As she begins to mourn his loss, a grief stricken Sarah learns that Paul was having an affair for the past four years and was hiding another secret which was far worse. The story is mainly narrated by Sarah but her sister Ellen narrates the final four chapters as they discover some terrible truths.

It’s not that I don’t recommend this book, but there are so many more of his books I would recommend first. I will say that Sarah seemed neither naive nor stupid, so it’s hard to swallow that she was clueless about Paul’s affair that would have continued even beyond four years had he not died.

[Lori]

I don’t know how to rate this. The book was good but I hated the ending so much that it ruined the entire story for me.

[Thushara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ian Rosales · Rating 4 out of 5]

He Was a Liar is an un-putdownable read which enthralls the reader with its suspenseful plot and intricately crafted characters. Packed with unexpected twists, the narrative keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The gripping writing style immerses the reader in a world of deception and its consequences. The characters, rich in dimension, enhance the narrative's depth, making it compelling. Striking a perfect balance between mystery and psychological thriller, 'He Was a Liar' concludes with a satisfying and thought-provoking ending that lingers in your mind.

[Jennifer Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7

[Krista (Mrs K Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

He Was a Liar is an un-putdownable read.Packed with unexpected twists, i was on the edge of my seat the whole time.. Hurst writes short stories that are gripping from the very beginning

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Fun and gripping with one unique element and an MC who is dumb as rocks. Popcorny!

[Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seem to be on a Daniel Hurst kick. One book after the other....and they never disappoint me. This one kept me turning the pages. How much do we know about the person we are in a relationship with and supposedly love. As we find out in this book, when Paul dies and Sarah goes through his belongings....she finds out she did not know him that well.

The book goes on to give us more twists and turns in this book that we come to know the author's means on getting us hooked. You wont be able to put this one down.

[D.J. Maughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. My first Daniel Hurst book but I’ll be reading more.

[Lese · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you go looking for dirt, You find dirt.

I don't honestly believe that I have ever hated a main character as much as I've hated the one in this book. So her boyfriend dies and while going through his things she discovers that he may have been having an affair. Instead of accepting that fact and moving on with her life.... She stalks the mistress, and continues down a rabbit hole of disaster looking for more secrets and clues. She definitely needed some real hobbies and friends.

The little twist towards the end was a big let down. So much was spent on the late boyfriends secret that the rest of the story seemed to be rushed and predictable. But on the positive side, I did continue reading all the way to the end.... I was curious as to how far this woman was going to go with the snooping. So overall it kept me intrigued, but it could have been so much better.

[Kisxela · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is difficult to write a review about Daniel Hurst's book when I have already read several of his books before. This is because in style these books are not different from each other, it is as if they are different chapters of the same story. I might even say that if you've read one Daniel Hurst book, you've read them all. In other words, before reading the story, we already know what to expect, and we can be sure that we will not be disappointed. This is how it happened in the current case as well, I could read another enjoyable and exciting story, which was a bit predictable. But this is not a problem, the author produces new stories in a row, and I know that if I want an exciting and short read, I only have to take his new book off the bookshelf.

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous Waste of Time

This has to be the worst book of those that I have read from it's genre. The extremely stupidly narrated, boring, mundane plot does have, as the Kindle Store claims, a "shock ending", but the shock that I experienced was the realization that I had just wasted the time to read it.

[Bobbi Staup · Rating 1 out of 5]

terrible

This book was absolutely terrible. The plot sucked. What a waste of time spent reading it. Don’t bother it’s not worth it.

[w a anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Struggled to finish this. The narrative was crowded with unnecessary boring details. Patronising even. Would not recommend