The Liars

From the bestselling author of Six Minutes and The Good Teacher comes a compelling family drama of marital secrets and family tensions set within an investigation of sinister unsolved killings.


'One of my favourite Australian writers! Petronella McGovern consistently delivers smart, twisty page-turners guaranteed to keep her readers coming back for more!' Liane Moriarty 


'Compelling, contemporary crime fiction at its best. McGovern fully captures the soul of an Australian small town overdue a reckoning.' RWR McDonald, author of the bestselling Nancy Business 


A wife burning with resentment. A husband hiding the past. Their teenage daughter crusading for the truth. Who can we trust?


The close-knit community of Kinton Bay is shocked when fifteen-year-old Siena Britton makes a grisly discovery near a cave in the national park. Siena believes it's a skull from the town's violent colonial past and posts a video which hits the news headlines.


But her parents, Meri and Rollo, think the skull is related to their teenage parties in the Killing Cave back in the 1990s. And a school mate who went missing then.


None of them foresees the dangers that the discovery will create for their family. The dangers of past deceits, silences and lies that have never been resolved.


The Liars is a heart-stopping cocktail of family secrets, sinister unsolved disappearances and a community at war with itself.


Praise for The Liars:


'A textured psychological thriller that encompasses voices of truth, lies, deceit, deception and benevolence, The Liars is a first rate read that I mightily recommend.' Mrs B's Book Reviews


'I think The Liars might be my new favourite of Petronella's...It is a small town murder mystery that will have you hooked. Told from multiple points of view and time periods, the story of Kinton Bay is a toxic and dark one, full of secrets and lies. You don't want to miss it.' - Goodreads review, 5 stars


'Loved this. Two generations of teenage parties, mixed with Aboriginal history, a serial killer, toxic masculinity and corruption in a seaside community lead to a great story with some strong characters and some twists I didn't forsee. Am searching out her other books! Recommended.' - Better Reading review, 5 stars


'A real whodunnit that will have the reader trying to guess who the murderer is and a total surprise when they are revealed. A fantastic read.' - Better Reading, 5 stars


'This was a total page-turner for me...as an Aboriginal woman, I loved the truth-telling about the past and connection to country. McGovern's writing of Aboriginal characters and culture was subtle and authentic rather than patronising. Thank you Petronella. I loved this book!' - Better Reading review, 5 stars


'It took me less than six hours to devour this book from cover to cover and now I need to go and find all of McGovern's other novels because I enjoyed her style so much.' - Goodreads review, 5 stars


'Fast paced, multi-layered, various view points, this one will keep you turning the pages and racing to the end to find out who did it.' Better Reading review, 5 Stars


'The Liars had me hooked from the first page with twists and turns making this a page turner...one to put on your reading list if you enjoy the the crime thriller genre.' - Better Reading review, 5 stars


'Atmospheric and topical...with popular culture references and evocative descriptive prose, McGovern conveys her setting and era with consummate ease. Her characters feel familiar, exactly the sort of people you run into in a town of this type, all the more credible for their very human flaws.' - Goodreads review, 5 stars