Coming soon to a bookshelf near you (well, your screen actually!) — don’t miss a single stop on this magical book tour!
We are on tour from 27th August – 2nd September
💕📚✨ Let’s fall in love with a great story together. ✨📚💕
Starting in….
About the book
Publication Date : 27th August 2026
Publisher : dp books
Genre : Psychological Thriller
Page Count : 393 pages
Series / Standalone : Standalone
Blurb
How well do you really know the person you are sharing your life with?
When Emma and Paul buy a derelict French farmhouse, they’re hoping for a fresh start. But behind closed doors, they discover lies, betrayal and ever-approaching dangers.
A fatal workplace accident. A double life. And questions that nobody has the answers to.
After years of hardship, Emma’s chance of happiness is tinged with heartbreak. Together with her husband Paul and their daughter, Mollie, she takes a chance and moves to France, where an old ruin is set to become their new home, far away from their problems in England. But she’s forced to leave her son behind.
Yet renovating an old building takes a greater toll on the family than expected and they are soon burdened with financial worries, conflicts and the challenges of life in a foreign country. At the same time, strange incidents begin to happen which make Emma increasingly nervous.
What began as a fresh start turns into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Distrust poisons their marriage, old lies come to light, and the situation spirals out of control.
In the midst of the idyllic Limousin countryside and a new community, Emma fights for her family – and she needs to figure out who she can still trust. And the dream of a new beginning turns into a struggle for trust, truth and safety. Because some people don’t give up. And some secrets don’t stay buried.
This is a revised new edition of the previously published title Lies Behind the Ruin.
About Helen Matthews
Helen Matthews writes page-turning psychological suspense novels and is fascinated by the darker side of human nature and how a life can change in an instant. Suspense thriller If I Were You was published earlier this year in English, French and German editions. House of Lies, a rerelease of Lies Behind the Ruin will be out in August 2026. Her earlier novels have won prizes including the opening pages of a novel award at Winchester Writers' Festival (Girl Out of Sight) and the suspense and thriller genre prize in the 2022 Pageturner Book Award (The Girl in the Van).
Born in Cardiff, Helen read English at the University of Liverpool and worked in international development, consultancy and human resources. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University.
Some of Helen’s novels cover themes of human trafficking and she has been appointed an Ambassador for the charity, Unseen UK, which works towards a world without slavery. She donates a percentage of her royalties to the charity.
Helen Matthews’ past adventures with Zooloo’s Book Tours – check out the lineup!
Reviewers Schedule
Daily Wrap Links | Reviewer’s Link |
27 August | MoMoBookDiary |
28 August | book_a_holic_17 |
29 August | lisa_reads_alot Sue Loves to Read |
30 August | inwordsandvoice pause_theframe |
31 August | Sharon Beyond the Books Laughter and Thunderstorms |
1 September | teaandbooks90 ninnyreadsbooks kaz_loves_books9 |
2 September | staceywh_17 Booky Charm jadepotter_09x |
