Review: The Liar's Chair by Rebecca Whitney

The Liar's Chair by Rebecca Whitney

Published: 15th January 2015

Genres: Pyschological, Thriller

The Blurb

Rachel Teller and her husband David appear happy, prosperous and fulfilled. The big house, the successful business . . . They have everything.

However, control, not love, fuels their relationship and David has no idea his wife indulges in drunken indiscretions. When Rachel kills a man in a hit and run, the meticulously maintained veneer over their life begins to crack.

Destroying all evidence of the accident, David insists they continue as normal. Rachel though is racked with guilt and as her behaviour becomes increasingly self-destructive she not only inflames David's darker side, but also uncovers her own long-suppressed memories of shame. Can Rachel confront her past and atone for her terrible crime? Not if her husband has anything to do with it . . .

A startling, dark and audacious novel set in and around the Brighton streets, The Liar's Chair will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final page has been turned. A stunning psychological portrait of a woman in a toxic marriage, Rebecca Whitney's debut will show that sometimes the darkest shadow holds the truth you have been hiding from . . .

My Thoughts

***.5  3 1/2 Stars

First of all I need to thank PanMacmillan for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This book is a hard one for me to review as everything in the blurb made it sound just like my kind of book unfortunately I read The Liar's Chair straight after reading Paula Hawkin's debut The Girl On The Train meaning it had some large shoes to fill. 

The Liar's Chair is a character driven, psychological debut from Rebecca Whitney that is both dark and disturbing in it's nature. It tells the story of husband & wife Rachel & David Teller who are in a poisonous & pretty much loveless marriage. On the surface they portray a happily married couple as well as business partners who live in a beautiful house with the perfect marriage. Everything does seem perfect until Rachel hits & kills a man on a country lane whilst returning home from a secret rendezvous with her lover. She hides the body & seeks David's help in covering it up. That one tragic incident sends Rachel spiralling and the cracks in her perfect life begin to show. 

Just like Gone Girl this book had characters that you just hated but unlike Gone Girl I didn't love to hate them. In The Liar's Chair I feel that it is David who is the cold hearted character everything he does is very calculated & aimed at protecting himself as a respected businessman. His mental abuse & control of Rachel is quite alarming & Rebecca Whitney does a fantastic job of writing him as a truly vile individual. Rachel on the other hand I have quite mixed feelings on at times I can't stand her & yet at times I feel sorry for her & the situation she has found herself in. Again this is down to how well Whitney has written her as a character. 

Whilst The Liar's Chair is a good read it lacks the pace that I look for when I read a psychological thriller. At times the book is great & the pace does pick up but then it falls flat & I must say that I'm not to sure how I feel about the ending. That said it is a strong debut & I will definitely be looking out for Rebacca Whitney's next book.