Tell No Lies by Lisa Hartley

Ebook | Release Date: 19th Feb 2018

 

Description

Now they’re coming after Caelan’s team…
A tortured body is found in a basement. Drug dealing and people smuggling is on the rise. Then police start going missing.

There seems to be no connection between the crimes, but Detective Caelan Small senses something isn’t right.

Plunged into a new investigation, lives are on the line. And in the web of gangs, brothels and nerve-shattering undercover work, Caelan must get to the truth – or be killed trying.

And then there’s Nicky…

My Thoughts

Set in London this gritty novel, which is the second in the series but can easily be read as a stand alone, takes us into the sometimes dangerous world of undercover policing. The story reads at a good pace. There are a few threads including kidnapping, murder, sex trafficking, drugs, gangs and then, of course, there’s what happened to Nicky – which ties into the first book – and how that impacts on the current investigation.  Caelan (DS Caelan Small) is supposedly a bit of a loose cannon but generally she does as ordered and that seems to be what can put her in more danger. Undercover policing it portrayed as being quite a strange and difficult way of life, which I’m sure it must be, as well as being lonely and isolated.

As the investigation continues Caelan believes that various things that have happened mean that the crimes are linked but it’s not clear how or if she and her colleagues will be able to prove it. To that end they work, rather loosely, with a team looking into the drugs element and with another police team on the murders. They are supposed to be working together and, to some extent, they do but not necessarily well.

It’s a good story, I liked most of the characters although not all and not all of the time. I found it an easy read even with the twisty plot and whilst I enjoyed the story the ‘puppet master’ was not a real shock.  It’s a fairly tense ending but we do find out what happened and why.

I was pleased that the Caelan and Nicky thread did not take over but simply explained what was necessary for the storyline. I’m sure as the series progresses this will get resolved. It will be interesting to see what happens to Caelan in the future although I do hope her decision at the end is followed through.

A well-paced, well written story which is well worth a read.

With thanks to Canelo via NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Rating: 4*

Information

Publisher: Canelo (19 Feb. 2018)

Launch price of £1.99
ISBN 9781911420675

Canelo Website

#TellNoLies         #NetGalley

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Author:   Lisa Hartley lives with her partner, son, two dogs and several cats. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Studies, then had a variety of jobs but kept writing in her spare time. She is currently working on the next DS Catherine Bishop novel, as well as a new series with Canelo. Twitter: @rainedonparade  Author website

The Detective Caelan Small Series
1. Ask No Questions     £1.99 With Amazon
2. Tell No Lies