With its compelling narrative, complex characters, and thought-provoking social commentary, Someone is Lying by Heidi Perks is more than just a mystery

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Title | Someone is Lying |
Writer | Heidi Perks |
Publisher | Penguin |
Publication date | 27th February 2025 |
MBR star rating /5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Genre | Contemporary, Mystery, |
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Synopsis: Someone Is Lying
Single mother Jess has always shared an unbreakable bond with her daughter Issie—until everything changes when Issie meets Dylan.
The pair announce plans to travel together, and Jess, who has been fiercely protective of her seventeen-year-old, is immediately filled with dread.
When communication abruptly stops and neither Dylan nor anyone else offers answers, Jess is plunged into a nightmare: her daughter is missing, yet no one seems to believe it.
With the police unresponsive and Dylan refusing to speak, Jess is forced to take matters into her own hands, racing against time to uncover the truth and find Issie before it’s too late.

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Review: Someone is Lying
Someone is Lying by Heidi Perks is a gripping domestic thriller that explores the disappearance of a teenage girl while on holiday in Portugal.
The novel primarily follows two mothers, Jess and Kay, who come from very different backgrounds but are connected through their children, Issie and Dylan.
As Jess grows increasingly frantic over her missing daughter, she quickly turns her suspicions towards Dylan, putting both families at odds in a desperate search for the truth.
Someone is Lying: Style
Heidi Perks skilfully, tells the story through two main perspectives, Jess and Kay, which allows readers to see how their differing socioeconomic situations shape their reactions and decisions.
Jess, though divorced, has financial stability thanks to her ex-husband, while Kay struggles to make ends meet, juggling work at a café and caring for her other son who needs frequent hospital visits.
With the differences in economic and social standing of the two main narrators, Heidi Perks, is able to examine how gender. wealth and lifestyle affect the prejudice of public.
A unique addition to the storytelling is the inclusion of podcast transcripts at the start of each section. These snippets offer an external, more neutral viewpoint on the case, encouraging readers to question the reliability of both Jess and Kay’s accounts.
This added layer enhances the suspense, making the reader feel like an active participant in unravelling the mystery.
Someone is Lying : Themes and Characters
Beyond being a straightforward missing-person thriller, Someone is Lying delves into themes of class prejudice, parental guilt, and the assumptions society makes about young men without father figures. The novel subtly challenges these biases, making the reader question their own judgments as the story unfolds.
Jess, as the mother of the missing girl, naturally garners sympathy, but Perks ensures that the story doesn’t become one-dimensional. By giving Kay a voice, the novel highlights the challenges she faces raising two sons alone and the unfair scrutiny placed on Dylan by the wider community rather than the people who know them, simply for being male and from a struggling household.
Pacing and Execution
The novel is well-paced, with each chapter carefully crafted to heighten suspense. Perks expertly weaves in twists and turns that feel organic rather than forced, ensuring the reader remains engaged until the very end. While the premise—a missing teenager and a frantic search—are familiar plot lines for novels, it is Perks’ nuanced character development and layered storytelling that elevate it above the average domestic thriller.
Conclusion
With its compelling narrative, complex characters, and thought-provoking social commentary, Someone is Lying by Heidi Perks is more than just a mystery—it’s a novel that keeps you questioning motives, biases, and the truth itself. It’s a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers and psychological suspense, delivering both emotional depth and a gripping plot.

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Above all Keep Safe and treat people fairly.
Mark.