Author: Caroline Mitchell
Genre: Thriller, police procedural
Published on: August 30, 2018 by Thomas & Mercer
While searching for good mystery/police procedural books, I came across Truth and Lies. The cover art (and the blurb) seemed intriguing. Another thing sets this book apart from others in the genre that I’ve read. Truth and Lies takes place in London, where the police force structure and MO are not like in the U.S. The main character is Amy Winter, a Detective Inspector. There are different ranks in the U.K. police, which I wasn’t familiar with before. A DI is among the top posts, but is not the highest rank.
Truth and Lies starts with a funeral. Amy’s father Robert, the former Detective Chief Inspector of the Essex Police, has passed away. Unlike most of the mourners, Amy isn’t crying. This does not mean she didn’t care for Robert. Amy loved her father; he was her hero and one of the reasons she became a police officer. Amy is just…different. She’s not on the spectrum and she’s not a psychopath, though. Amy simply isn’t one to show her feelings openly. She also has a certain darkness in her, which makes Amy a formidably effective investigator.
Little does Amy know that her world will soon be turned upside down. Someone mails a letter for her to the station. Yes, Amy chose not to take time off work despite her father’s death. When Amy reads the letter, she is utterly shaken. Amy is not a Winter by blood…which she already knew. She just had no idea what kind of people her birth parents really were. Amy happens to be the daughter of Jack and Lillian Grimes. They were the Beasts of Brentwood, a notorious pair of serial killers. Jack is dead, but Lillian is still in prison.
In the letter, Lillian not only reveals Amy’s true parentage. The convicted serial killer also decides it’s time to reveal the whereabouts of her victim’s burial sites. Only, Lillian isn’t going to divulge that information easily. Amy is forced to play Lillian’s game in order to bring closure to the victim’s families. And Lillian proves herself to be as wicked as you’d imagine. She seems to enjoy making Amy jump through hoops. Meanwhile, Amy is starting to feel conflicted at work. She doesn’t think the daughter of a serial killer deserves to be a police officer. Amy also feels guilty when she visits the victim’s families.
Amy’s team is also handling another case. A girl was abducted while her parents were away. This case has as much prominence as the Lillian situation. The reader gets to know some important supporting characters. The main one seems to be Paddy Byrne. He’s an officer under Amy’s command. They are on extremely good terms with each other. Paddy’s older, so he used to be Amy’s mentor. Now she’s his superior, and Paddy has no issue with it. His story arc is a lot more significant than I expected. Truth and Lies also reveals a lot about Amy’s past. There are several chapters that take place while she still lived with the Grimes.
Truth and Lies was an entertaining read. As I mentioned above, it felt refreshing to read about a non-U.S. police force. Amy was a memorable, likable character. You get to know her really well by the time the book ends. The other characters get plenty of exposure as well. One thing that threw me off a little is that Truth and Lies encloses dialogue ‘in single quotes’ rather than “double quotes”. This seems to be common with books written by European authors. Despite this, I followed the story along without difficulty. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Truth and Lies starts with a funeral. Amy’s father Robert, the former Detective Chief Inspector of the Essex Police, has passed away. Unlike most of the mourners, Amy isn’t crying. This does not mean she didn’t care for Robert. Amy loved her father; he was her hero and one of the reasons she became a police officer. Amy is just…different. She’s not on the spectrum and she’s not a psychopath, though. Amy simply isn’t one to show her feelings openly. She also has a certain darkness in her, which makes Amy a formidably effective investigator.
Little does Amy know that her world will soon be turned upside down. Someone mails a letter for her to the station. Yes, Amy chose not to take time off work despite her father’s death. When Amy reads the letter, she is utterly shaken. Amy is not a Winter by blood…which she already knew. She just had no idea what kind of people her birth parents really were. Amy happens to be the daughter of Jack and Lillian Grimes. They were the Beasts of Brentwood, a notorious pair of serial killers. Jack is dead, but Lillian is still in prison.
In the letter, Lillian not only reveals Amy’s true parentage. The convicted serial killer also decides it’s time to reveal the whereabouts of her victim’s burial sites. Only, Lillian isn’t going to divulge that information easily. Amy is forced to play Lillian’s game in order to bring closure to the victim’s families. And Lillian proves herself to be as wicked as you’d imagine. She seems to enjoy making Amy jump through hoops. Meanwhile, Amy is starting to feel conflicted at work. She doesn’t think the daughter of a serial killer deserves to be a police officer. Amy also feels guilty when she visits the victim’s families.
Amy’s team is also handling another case. A girl was abducted while her parents were away. This case has as much prominence as the Lillian situation. The reader gets to know some important supporting characters. The main one seems to be Paddy Byrne. He’s an officer under Amy’s command. They are on extremely good terms with each other. Paddy’s older, so he used to be Amy’s mentor. Now she’s his superior, and Paddy has no issue with it. His story arc is a lot more significant than I expected. Truth and Lies also reveals a lot about Amy’s past. There are several chapters that take place while she still lived with the Grimes.
Truth and Lies was an entertaining read. As I mentioned above, it felt refreshing to read about a non-U.S. police force. Amy was a memorable, likable character. You get to know her really well by the time the book ends. The other characters get plenty of exposure as well. One thing that threw me off a little is that Truth and Lies encloses dialogue ‘in single quotes’ rather than “double quotes”. This seems to be common with books written by European authors. Despite this, I followed the story along without difficulty. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
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