‘The Perfect Lie’ Is Not a True Story, But Its Roots Are More Personal Than Most Thrillers

Viewers finishing ‘The Perfect Lie’ on Netflix have been asking whether the Dutch thriller is based on a true story. The series is based on the fictional novel ‘De Eetclub’ by Saskia Noort, who drew inspiration partly from her own experiences and observations. So the story is invented, but the ideas behind it come from somewhere real.

The series arrived globally on Netflix on September 10, 2026. It runs seven episodes and centers on a group of wealthy friends whose bonds fray after a house fire leaves one of them dead. That setup explains why so many people assume a real case sits behind it.

Is ‘The Perfect Lie’ Based on a True Story?

The answer is no. Netflix’s own material confirms the series is based on the novel ‘The Dinner Club’ by Saskia Noort. The fire, the victim and the circle of suspects were all created for the page and later the screen.

The novel does have a personal starting point. In a 2004 interview with Peter Kuijt, Noort said the idea began as a joke, drawn from a time when she belonged to a club of friends much like the one in the story. A friend asked what her next book would be called, and she answered ‘De Eetclub,’ which roughly translates to the dinner club.

Noort described the remark as a sour joke that came up during a discussion about whether her real club should continue. She also saw potential in a story about how things might go wrong in such a setting. In a separate interview with Stefan de Vries, she pointed to a newspaper item about a quarrel in a restaurant among the board of a football club.

Noort has been clear about where the line falls. She said the book is not autobiographical, and that comparing her friends with Karen and the other characters goes too far.

The Saskia Noort Novel Behind the Series

The source is a 2004 bestselling novel by Dutch author Saskia Noort. The book was already adapted for the big screen years ago, but Netflix has gone considerably bigger this time. That history helps explain the scale of the new production.

Noort’s interest was in how people treat each other behind polite behavior. She said she had written at length about women’s friendships in her Marie Claire columns and was struck by the hypocrisy that can exist between women who are supposedly close. She contrasted that with male friendships, which she felt could be more superficial but were often more loyal.

The screen version updates the material. The series moves the story from the 2000s to the present day, which adds urgency and relevance. Creator Dorien Goertzen, who wrote the series with Jop Esmeijer, spoke about the approach with Netflix, saying the team reworked the narrative structure and gave the story and characters a contemporary twist while keeping tension at the forefront.

Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen, who plays Simon, said the central conceit feels relatable because people so often wear masks. That observation sits at the center of what the series is exploring.

What the Netflix Dutch Thriller Follows

Karen, played by Loes Haverkort, moves with her family to Bergen in the Netherlands, leaving a shaky past behind after recently exiting an editorial job amid allegations. She and her husband Michel, played by Teun Luijkx, are quickly welcomed into a dinner club of wealthy residents who rarely resist indulgence.

The mood shifts when tragedy strikes. A luxury villa owned by Babette and Evert, played by Noortje Herlaar and Edwin Jonker, goes up in flames late one night, and Evert is killed while his wife and children barely escape. As the investigation unfolds, Karen learns that everyone in the club has been deceiving one another.

The structure is built around the friends themselves. Each episode is titled after one of the remaining friends, beginning with Karen and ending with Ivo, played by Remko Vrijdag. The total runtime is just over six hours, which makes it easy to finish in a few sittings.

The series was directed by Dana Nechushtan and Margien Rogaar. Rifka Lodeizen appears as Hanneke among the ensemble.

Reception and a Possible Second Season

Critics have responded warmly, though not uniformly. A reviewer at What’s on Netflix ranked it as the best Dutch series seen this year and suggested it could be among the best of the past five or ten years. The same review said the atmosphere recalls Dutch films of the late nineties.

Other coverage was more measured. Screen Rant noted that early Rotten Tomatoes reviews were fresh, while cautioning viewers not to expect anything exceptionally awards worthy. Heaven of Horror felt the drama occasionally leans soapy and takes up too much runtime.

The question of what comes next is open. Netflix has not officially announced a second season, but the thriller has climbed high in the Dutch Netflix Top 10. Noort wrote two more books after ‘De Eetclub,’ including ‘Debet,’ which picks up the story roughly ten years later.

The finale also leaves threads dangling. Hanneke is found seriously injured after a fall from a balcony, yet the series never reveals who was responsible, and a mysterious figure in a black hoodie raises further questions. Readers who have finished ‘The Perfect Lie’ can tell us in the comments whether Hanneke’s fall or that hooded figure is the mystery they most want a second season to solve.