Woohoo! Morning fellow #bookjunkies! Today I am thrilled to be hosting Mark Tilbury’s The Liar’s Promise and closing down this blog blitz with my #BBFF Sarah Hardy of By The Letter Book Reviews! My thanks to the author and Sarah for an ARC of this novel and the opportunity to spread the #booklove! So, let’s get the formalities out of the way and find out a little bit about the author and this book!
About the Author
Mark lives in a small village in the lovely county of Cumbria, although his books are set in Oxfordshire where he was born and raised.
After serving in the Royal Navy and raising his two daughters after being widowed, Mark finally took the plunge and self-published two books on Amazon, The Revelation Room and The Eyes of the Accused.
He’s always had a keen interest in writing, and is extremely proud to have his fourth novel, The Liar’s Promise, along with The Abattoir of Dreams, published, and The Revelation Room and The Eyes of the Accused re-launched, by Bloodhound Books.
When he’s not writing, Mark can be found trying and failing to master blues guitar,
and taking walks around the beautiful county of Cumbria.
AUTHOR LINKS
https://twitter.com/MTilburyAuthor
https://www.facebook.com/marktilburyauthor/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13926121.Mark_Tilbury
About the Book
How does a mother protect her child from the unknown?
During a visit to a local theatre, four-year-old Chloe Hollis becomes hysterical. But her mother, Mel, doesn’t realise that this is just the beginning of the nightmare. In the coming weeks, Chloe talks of The Tall Man – Of death.
At her wits end, Mel confides in Charles Honeywell, the headmaster at the school where she works. But what Mel doesn’t know is that Charles is linked to what is happening to her daughter.
Will Mel learn the terrible truth? And can she overcome her own tragic past and save her daughter before it’s too late?
The Liar’s Promise is a story of past lives and future torment.
My Rating: 4/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Review:
Oooooooo-eeeeeeee! What a book! Set in London/Oxford, Mark Tilbury takes the reader on a haunting journey to the past whilst keeping us firmly grounded in the present! There is power, control, an element of the supernatural, secrets, lies, loss, grief, abuse, torment, terror and an overwhelming desire for metaphorical doors to be closed.
OMFG the prologue! ? A gruesome and terrifying opening, some readers may find a little disturbing but just like Goldilocks, this opening was juuuust right for me! What I like about this author is that he does not shy away from controversial subject matters – his books, for me (those that I have read) teeter on the verge of horror but have enough crime fiction to keep die hard fans enthralled. The storylines are riveting and have you racing through the pages and the writing is tight and deliciously devious! BOOM! ?? That’s what I’m talking about! ??
To top it off, there is a wealth of interesting characters to keep the reader hooked, but I’ll only mention a few as they are better when discovered by the reader! Mel, mother to Chloe and wife of Tony is tormented by her childhood as well as the death of her firstborn. It seems luck is not on Mel’s side either when her daughter starts revealing things that only her wicked and very much dead mother, Audrey knew. Mel is determined, angry, scared and protective.
Tony, Mel’s husband, is a workaholic and if I am honest, I found him to be a bit of a twat! But he eventually grew on me as he struggled to come to terms with what was happening to his daughter and the effect it was having on his wife.
Chloe was by far the star of this book! The author captured her childlike ways perfectly and introduced other characters through Chloe seamlessly! It was a bit like The Exorcist meets The Sixth Sense! Superb!
Peter King …*shudder* This is one twisted, scary and absolutely vile character! I loved him! I am not going to say much more about him or his …erm….games…but believe me when I say, this is one guy you would want to avoid at all cost! Fantabulous, Mr Tilbury! ?
Would I recommend this book? Oh my giddy aunt, would I! But be warned, it is NOT for the faint-hearted and has some subject matters that some might be uncomfortable with. If, like me, you love sinister, gory, supernaturally edgy crime thrillers – look no further as this one is GOLD! Grab a copy via amazon and be prepared for the macabre, twisted and undeniably journey that is The Liar’s Promise!