Some Of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins

 

A close-knit family is rocked to its core when one of them is held responsible for the death of a child. As the circumstances around the death are investigated shocking secrets are discovered.

Author Fiona Cummins has written another sure-fire bestseller with Some Of Us Are Liars. I was immediately gripped by the intriguing opening pages and then found I couldn't put the book down, I had to know what had transpired. Obviously, with a title including the word liars you know that there will be secrets people are desperate to stop being uncovered, the enjoyment is in trying to spot them. Skilled writers like Fiona Cummins have this knack of keeping you dangling until the very end.

Jen Miller is close to both her elder sister Winter and her younger sister Alyssa. Not only do all three share a strong bond but their homes are close together and Jen and Alyssa's husbands work together. Life is perfect, and much of that is thanks to the fact that there are no money worries as the eldest sister Winter is a successful actress who has shared her success with her family.

Jen and her husband Phil snuck away and married in secret, much to the annoyance of the rest of the family. Winter insists on throwing a lavish party so they can reaffirm their vows in front of friends and family. It is during this party that disaster strikes and Jen's young son, Teddy, is killed, with Alyssa being held responsible. How does such a devoted family come to terms with such a tragic event?

The story is told from different perspectives, and time periods, with the majority of the story focusing on Jen and Alyssa. It is incredibly easy to understand Jen's emotional state as she swings from the excitement of being centre of attention on such a momentous day to dealing with the agony of losing a child. Alongside this, we see the guilt both Winter and Alyssa feel. As the story moves between the different characters it becomes clear that quite a few of them are hiding secrets and you begin to wonder if this ideal, loving family is as perfect as it initially seemed. There is also the intrigue as to how the seemingly unrelated and disturbing events from the past fit into the tale.

DS Saul Anguish does feature quite a bit as he deals with his own relationship and a secret investigation the Chief Constable has asked him to carry out. The two threads do combine but Saul isn't the main part of this story as the focus is primarily on the three sisters and how they struggle to come to terms with the harrowing event and its aftermath, a situation that has the ability to tear apart families.

Secrets, grief, murder and a stalker all combine to keep you gripped. I did manage to figure out one of the secrets but that really only scratched the surface in this complex and shocking story. 

Some Of Us Are Liars by Fiona Cummins will be published on 19th June 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

Author Details

Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course. Rattle, her debut novel, was the subject of a huge international auction and has been translated into several languages. It received widespread critical acclaim from authors and reviewers. She has since written bestsellers The Collector, The Neighbour, When I Was Ten and Into the Dark in which she introduces DC Saul Anguish, a brilliant young detective with a dark past. Fiona lives with her family in Essex.