This is book number 4 in the DS Karen Hart series. Two teenage girls disappear from a school course at Chidlow House, which is rumoured to be haunted. Several of the people at the house seem to have something to hide, and Detective Hart has a difficult job ahead of her in investigating the disappearance.
I started this book not realising it was in the middle of a series, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I absolutely loved it, and will have to go back and read the preceding books. It is really well written and suspenseful, with likable characters. The book doesn't focus too much on the supernatural, but that gives it a nice, creepy feeling.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I am enjoying this series, it gets better with each book.  The story kept me guessing till the last page, I  am looking forward to reading more

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* wow yikes, kinda saw that coming but wasnt sure, pretty good series looking forward to more books!

House of Lies by D. S. Butler is the fourth Detective Karen Hart story in the series.

After a teacher falls from the roof in a suspected suicide or 'accident' two girls, Cressida and Natasha disappear, Detective Karen Hart is called to investigate.

I was kept engaged through out and very one was a suspect! As a fan of British Crime Dramas, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of House of Lies.

Pleased to read the latest  Karen Hart installment and was not disappointed. I enjoyed learning more about the team and their characters and back stories. Kept me guessing until the end!

This was a really good book to read and was enjoyable.

It starts with a mysterious death of a teacher overseeing a study week for students.  

Then two of the students disappear and Detective Karen, has to work out if they are connected.

Kept me guessing to the end and was well written 

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

DS Karen Hart is back.  Every story is a fast-paced, whodunit kind of thing.  And this time we get a haunted house.      Chidlow house has a history.  Women who live there drown themselves in the lake and the story is that their ghosts roam the halls.  Spooky.  So spooky it scares a young teacher helping to supervise a study week.  So spooky she ends up dead from a fall from then roof.  That is not what brings our friend DS Hart to Chidlow House.  Days later two teenagers disappear.  

The story itself is has plenty of twists and turns but I was hoping for a little more progress on the cliffhanger from the previous book.  I guess I will have to read the next installment for that.  There were some new characters that I do hope we see again.   My only complaint would be how easily the detectives are sometimes lead.  No seasoned detective should be surprised that a teenager would lie to impress their friends, for example.  There were enough bad guys to go around, though.  Kept it interesting.

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. Detective Hart and her superior, DI Scott Morgan, are called in to investigate the strange goings-on pretty rapidly as one of the last people to see the girls was the son of a senior police officer and this leads to Hart being under pressure to recover the girls alive wherever they may be. They begin to hear stories about the house being haunted as there had been a tragic drowning there, and Karen, who was sceptical at first, begins to believe it might be true when she hears mysterious voices and the sound of dripping water. As they begin to interview those present at the estate, they come to realise that there could be several suspects, as many are keeping secrets.

This is a thoroughly riveting, action-packed and absorbing thriller/procedural and from the opening pages, it had me hook, line and sinker. I must admit I was on the edge of my seat, despite it being cliche, but I really found it tense and brilliantly twisty. It moves at a rapid-fire pace as DS Hart and DI Morgan try to work out who is telling them the truth and who is spinning them a line. It's an impeccably crafted story with an engaging cast and protagonist in central figure Karen who is an intelligent, tenacious and justice-driven Detective. The fact that the girls came from money and the police feeling under pressure to find them because of that really rung true as I've seen that happen a lot in true crime cases. Just about everyone is a suspect and this kept me guessing right until the end. An immensely gripping and highly entertaining police procedural with an engrossing high stakes race against time. Strap yourself in and enjoy the nail-biting ride. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Amazon Publishing for an ARC.

While DS Karen Hart is trying to figure out why the case against DI Freeman has stalled, she lands a new case.  Not long after a teacher falls to her death from the roof, 2 students on a week long intensive study week at Chidlow House go missing.  Her team must piece together what happened to the girls.

While this isn’t the first in the series, the main story is stand alone.  I highly recommend this novel for the crime lover.

There's heart-pounding suspense as D.S.Butler's latest novel takes one right inside a spooky, reputedly haunted mansion.
The plot is gripping and carefully structured, keeping one guessing right to the very end.
A look at the dark side of what being super rich can mean and how easy it is to lose everything, and the cost it can bring in human misery and death. So much better than many crime novels I have read recently.

Days after a young teacher falls to her death from the rooftop of the mysterious Chidlow House, two young girls leave for a forbidden night out and do not return. DS Karen Hart and her partner DI Scott Morgan are called to investigate.

The disappearance of the girls, Natasha and Cressida, from the week long study program at Chidlow House, gets special attention from the police not only because the girls’ parents are privileged and wealthy. Ethan Grayson, the last to see the girls, is the son of the Chief Constable John Grayson. Feeling pressured to solve the case quickly, Karen and Scott interview students and other potential witnesses. They question Graham Doyle, the smarmy course director, Lord Chidlow, a totally unlikeable character and Mike Harrington, the brooding groundskeeper. Then there is a huge break in the case but it’s a break that does not lead to the expected answers.

House of Lies is a tightly plotted, satisfying police procedural. D.S. Butler has created a must read series and I look forward to the next Karen Hart mystery. 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and D.S. Butler for this ARC.

DC Karen Hart is called to the scene after two girls disappear while on a weeklong study program at Chidlow House. Earlier that week, a teacher fell from the roof of the same house. Are the two related or just a terrible coincidence?  Not all is as it seems with those who are in residence at Chidlow and the deeper the detectives dig, the more secrets are uncovered. 

This is an interesting enough tale, though it seems a bit slow to me even though it takes place over only a few days. The story is repetitive with information at multiple points. The characters are a bit confusing to sort at times. While the main characters are fine, Lord Chidlow and the man running the education program, Doyle, are eye roll worthy stereotypes. The setting is described well and engaging.  

Overall, it was a fine read, but nothing I would put in the must read category. 

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.

Story of murder intrigue, two girls 17yrs old are at an education retreat along with a few students all with rich parents and its taking place at Chidlow House said to be haunted very old and bleak with grounds and lake to match, and comes with a lot of history.  The lord of the manor is not happy that his home is being used but penny-pinching needs the income it brings.  First one of the teachers falls to her death is it suspicious? then the two girls decided to sneak off out to the local pub only one comes back, where did the other girl go,? and can Cressida the one to return shed some light on Natasha's whereabouts.  DI Scot Morgan and DS Karen Hart are investigating and Karen also has baggage as she lost her husband and child in a car accident or was it? and is still looking for answers, so these young adults are a priority for her to find the truth.  Good procedure although I did think it strange that Karen was asked by the Chief Inspector how the case was moving, usually the SIO does that, and that being  DI Morgan, and did get a bit slow at times but none the less good read have read this author before and always found her a  satisfying read.
Would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for a copy to read and review

House of Lies by D.S. Butler is the 4th in the Detective Karen Hunt series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DS Karen Hart lost her husband Josh and her daughter Tilly in a car accident. Years later, she can't move on, especially since she discovered that their "accident" had been covered up by the police.  She is determined to find the corruption in the force.  She works with DI Scott Morgan,  DC Sophie Jones, and DC Rick Cooper.

My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Two teenage girls disappear while on an educational trip to Chidlow House, a reportedly haunted mansion.  It seems odd that their teacher had just fallen to her death from the roof a few days ago.

Karen and her team search the many rooms, and the vast grounds, calling in underwater specialists to search the lake.  Meanwhile, they have a lot of people to interview.  Between the other students, the program manager, the owner and the caretaker, there are definitely some interesting characters.  They also have some interesting stories, but Karen isn't sure everyone is telling the truth.  She's also not sure the missing girls were too reliable.

Meanwhile, Karen is still rather concerned with the lack of progress being made in the corruption case against DI Freeman and associates.

My Opinions:   

These books are a fast read, and I think this was the best in the series thus far.

I like the characters surrounding Karen Hart, and wish for more information about them.  The author is slowly allowing Karen to trust her co-workers again, and the pace for this feels right.

There were a number of suspects, and although I had an early idea of the identity of the perpetrator, and even the reasons behind the crime, the method of discovery was interesting.  As well,  the pace and plot flowed smoothly, and everything was fully explained.

Although these books are not "deep", they are interesting and I find them an entertaining light read.  I am enjoying the series, and will continue to read them.

I really enjoyed this. I found the story to be intriguing and it kept me reading on. Looking forward to reading more.

A course for privileged young ladies is taking place at a local country house, to get them up to speed for their A levels.  Stories about the house abound - previous owners' wives drowned in the lake and ghosts walk the halls, dripping water and whispering.

One of the teachers dies, falling from the roof, but somehow this is glossed over and accepted as a suicide very quickly, which didn't feel terribly authentic.  Then two of the girls go missing and Karen Hart is drawn in to find out what has happened.

The story bowls along happily, with suspects and false trails, but there is no real sense of tension or drama.  In the background there was some corruption in the force leading to the death of Karen's family, which rumbles along but if you haven't read the previous books, it doesn't really mean too much to the reader. 

The final denouement is well handled and the main villain appears to be really evil.  There are clues along the way, but plenty of red herrings to mislead the reader.

Overall I enjoyed it, but wasn't totally gripped.  Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A teacher falls from the roof of Chidlow House an educational retreat in Lincolnshire, did he jump, did he fall or was he pushed? Then two teenage girls vanish from the same retreat. One is the daughter of a policeman so Detective Karen Hart is called in to investigate. Stories of Chidlow House being haunted abound.
This is the fourth book in the series & it could be read as a stand alone. This is another well written paging turning read with plenty of twists & turns before things are solved. Strong characters add to the enjoyment. I really like Karen & the banter between her & her team she seems to be moving on from tragic earlier events, I also like that the reader has to guess who the killer is alongside Karen. I look forward to many more books in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is the fourth book in the DS Harte series but can be read as a stand-alone. Veteran fans of the series are offered a deeper delve into Harte’s character as she evolves and searches for answers. The police procedural/crime solving aspects are pretty straightforward with no big surprises. In some aspects, it feels a bit too familiar and predictive. The narrative primarily focuses on established characters and their plot arc, slowing the plot pace quite significantly. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #HouseOfLies which was read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a compelling read. I have read all of the series so far and can definitely recommend them. This book is a cleverly written page turner. The case gets more and more interesting as the story progresses.  I read this book in one sitting. I enjoyed finding out more about Karen Hart and her colleagues. I hope there are more books to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

DS Karen Hart #4

A teacher falls from a roof but was it suicide or something more sinister.  At summer study camp two girls disappeared. Karen Hart is called in to investigate. Karen is still trying to root out corruption leading up to the deaths of her husband and daughter. 

There is quite a few suspects who all have skeletons in their cupboards. I like Karen Hart, she's flawed and doesn't always get it right first time. We learn more of her backstory in each new book. The setting of Chidlow House, the school the girls went missing from, is quite creepy. The pace is fast and the storyline gripping. There is quite a lot of repetition which was a little annoying. This is a really good police procedural series. 

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AmazonPublishingGroupUK and the author #DSButler for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.