House of Lies is the fourth instalment in the DS Karen Hart series, set in Lincolnshire, England. When one of the teachers, Alison King, working at a week-long intensive study retreat held at Chidlow House falls to death from a rooftop, after apparently following a shadowy figure, no one knows whether it was an accident, suicide or something even more sinister. The following day, two 17-year-old girls on the course, Cressida and Natasha, disappear, after leaving the camp to have some forbidden fun.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.  This is my own honest voluntary review.

The fourth installment in this thrilling series. 
I enjoyed the storyline and the pace in which it progressed. 
The suspense and intrigue grew throughout and really captivates you. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to future books within this series.

This is the fourth book in the series featuring Detective Karen Hart and is set in Lincolnshire.  Karen is called out to investigate the disappearance of two young girls who are students on a week long study retreat at Chidlow House.  On arrival Karen  discovers that a young female teacher had fallen from the rooftop to her death the previous day.  Was it an accident, suicide or something more sinister and are the cases linked?  Eventually one of the girls, Cressida, returns but she cannot remember what happened to her or her friend Natasha.  After extensive searches Natasha’s body is found in the lake at the house and Karen finds that she has a long list of suspects.  This book was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A great addition to the series, unfortunately I have read this ( which is book 4 ) before I’d managed to read book 3 which from what I can gather had a big storyline that was continued in this book ! Looking forward to reading the next book in this series

Great story. Never know who the guilty party is until the end although you keep thinking certain people are. And I guess they are all guilty of something. 

Brilliant

3,5 Stars

Two teenage girls disappear while on study week, and no one has seen them on the night in question. Can that really be, or is someone lying?
It was basically a good story plot, but at some point D.S. Butler (and detective Karen Hart as well) reached a point where there was nothing new, the story was not moving forward at all but only repeated itself. But thankfully the case picked up again and came to a surprising end, at least for me.

For me this was not the best book in the Karen Hart series, maybe also because there is not so much going on outside of the case. No development on Harts personal backstory or any of the other members of her crime force. But I will definitely go back to this series for the 5th part.

This was a very good, spooky mystery.  I love this series and it just keeps getting better. There are suspects galore to choose from, or is it a haunting?I love the atmospheric writing style. 
Many thanks to Amazon UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book I’ve read from this series and it didn’t really sell it to me. It can be read as a stand alone but it refers a lot to what happened in the previous book. The actual plot of House of Lies was goo but it was a slow and tedious read with a lot of long winded descriptions that could have been cut. I also didn’t really connect with any of the characters which didn’t help me connect with the story. I didn’t guess the ending but I wasn’t overly surprised and by then I was just ready to finish the book and move on. Not sure if I’d go back and read anymore from the series. 

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I love this series. I put down 3 other books before deciding to read this one. Perfect for getting out of a book slump. I highly recommend this series if you need a good crime fiction series!

Chidlow House is a stately home in Lincolnshire, allegedly haunted by the drowned lady. A study week is being held there when a young teacher falls to her death from the roof.  Not long after, two teenage girls sneak off to the pub. When they don't return the house is thrown into disarray. Eventually one girl returns but is so traumatised she cannot remember what happened to her or her friend. Karen Hart, although still struggling to get justice for the death of her husband & child investigates. The police team are not helped much by the house owner & the study director- two of the most unpleasant characters one could wish to meet! 

This is part of a series, I've read an earlier book but not the one immediately before this & I think I would have appreciated it more if I'd done so. The repercussions of that, affected the main character &  featured quite a bit in the story. It was a well paced story & for a change I guessed 'whodunnit'! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Thanks to netgalley and Amazon publishing for a free copy in exchange of an honest review.
That was sooooo boring, i had to finish it just because i got it for free!! 
The storyline was so slow paced and the characters weren't likable at all.
The author tried to save it with the twist at the end but for me, it wasn't salvageable

House of Lies by D.S. Butler was a fabulous read that had me totally gripped from the start.

This is the 4th book in the series featuring DS Karen Hart, set in Lincolnshire and I picked up the series with Don't Turn Back (book 3) which I also thoroughly enjoyed. The fantastic plot-line and brilliant characters made House of Lies a superb and compelling tale that held me captive throughout.

With innumerable twists and turns, there was a barrage of suspects to select from which satisfied my armchair detective propensities and the swift pacing meant there was no room for boredom or tedium. It was an impeccably crafted story and the absence of possible motives at the beginning of the story when the hunt for the missing girls, school friends Cressida and Natasha started, helped to create the tense atmosphere. Complete with a high-stakes ending, this compulsive and highly entertaining police procedural should not be missed!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Having read Don't Turn Back I was really looking forward to the next DS Hart book and House of Lies didn't disappoint. Two teenage girls go missing from a residential study course at Chidlow House. As DS Hart begins to investigate she discovered that during this course s teacher has also died after falling from the roof. Stories of ghosts also emerge. With lots of suspects and no real leads it is a race against time to find the girls. Another great read face paced and totally unputdownable.

This was my first book with Detective Karen Hart, despite it being book 4 in the series. I'll now be buying books 1 - 3 as I loved it. Detective Sergeant Hart is a hero I felt invested in. She is a credible and likable character and I wanted her to succeed, not just because the crime needed solving but because I was taken with her as a person. I enjoyed the relationship between her and Morgan and would like to find out the story about the death of her family. The main thrust of the plot with Cressida and Natasha was well thought out and cleverly executed. The book starts at a cracking pace and doesn't flag at all the whole way through. A great detective story that's easy to read and connect with.

The story is fresh, with a number of twists and turns, but the highlight for me is the characters. Their struggles outside of their police work makes them real and endearing to the reader. From Rick's concern with his mom's dementia, to Karen's fight to get beyond the past, all contributes to the feeling that we are following real people solving real problems.

The fourth Detective Karen Hart novel, and I’m enjoying this series. A chilling tale of the disappearance of two teenage girls, this kept me guessing to the very end.

This is 4th in a series and while it can be read as a standalone, reading previous books does help to understand the backstories better.  It is an engaging storyline with plenty of twists, turns and red herrings to keep the reader guessing.  The cast are well presented with good depth to make them believable and the plot moved on well without getting bogged down in minutiae. A good book for a relaxing weekend’s reading.

House of Lies! Wow,this story written by D.S.Butler! Where to start? Exciting, drama, mysterious this is just some of many emotions you find in this story. A detective story of two missing girls,accidents happen ing,a house that whispers,why do strange things keep happening and they did before these two girls disappeared. Detective Hart,she is so determined to find these girls but it's not as easy as she thinks it will be. Too many people covering up things, too many things lead to many different reasons and people and then the girls at this school,what is not only not making sense but is the school that's is a very old house keeping secrets ,what is the house trying to tell her! Follow Detective Hart as she takes the leads that are given to her! The characters in this story they have so many things to tell and not and so many different and exciting personalities. Find out with the rest of them on what the house has to hide,and why these girls were taken and why is everyone fighting her when they say they want the girls back! Are they still even alive? Hold on to your seat and be prepared to be scared and try to figure out the mystery of it all!! Received from Net Gallery! I thought a really good read and the questions you have they will be answered but not what you are expecting!

The cover and title sounded spooky enough for October. A mansion’s owner lends his home (with a dark reputation) for a study week for privileged high-school students. A teacher falls from the roof to her death and a few days later, two girls disappear. Because these girls are the daughters of wealthy, influent people, Detective Karen Hart is sent to investigate right the next day. She’s a good policeman, but she has trust issues after a betrayal that had cost her her husband’s and child’s lives. Ouch, talk to me about heavy bagage.

The story was alright, but the writing felt flat and every thought, action or suspicion was over-explained. I really hesitated to drop the book altogether but at 30% the pace picked up and I simply wanted to know who did it. I wished for a bit more “show don’t tell” in this 4th installment of a series. I felt I was missing out by not having read the previous ones. I didn’t guess the resolution of the mystery, but I found it was a bit diluted by the overall plot arch.