Where She Lies: A gripping Irish detective thriller with a stunning twist
Detective Finnegan Beck Book 1
by Michael Scanlon
In a town full of liars, who can you trust?
When Detective Finnegan Beck is demoted from his high-powered job in Dublin and relocated in disgrace to the small Irish town of Cross Beg, he predicts boredom will be his biggest threat.
But then a beautiful, local teenage girl is found strangled in the cold, dark woods a mile from town. The prime suspect is the seemingly-gentle drifter who found Tanya’s body.
Beck seems to be the only person who can’t escape the feeling that Tanya wasn’t killed at random. As he digs deeper into the shadows of Cross Beg, he begins to realise it isn’t the sleepy backwater he’d first believed. Everyone here has something to hide. Tanya had a boyfriend, whose name no one knew. A best friend with a loose relationship with the truth. And a habit she thought she’d kept hidden from everyone.
But, just as Beck believes he is making progress, the body of one of the suspects is found drowned in the river. Is the killer just getting started?
Everyone in the town seems to have something they would die to protect. But who has a secret they’d kill for?
This debut novel from a powerful new Irish voice is the first in a gripping series that will feature the brilliant, haunted Detective Finnegan Beck who won’t rest until justice is found. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Joy Ellis and Patricia Gibney.
Momma Says: 3 stars⭐⭐⭐
This debut novel has a solid mystery at its core, but you have to do a bit of wading through the rest to get there. Between memories, dreams, and a secondary plotline about our main character, the story has some serious lags and feels a little convoluted at times. Oh, and the characters! There are a lot of characters introduced throughout the book, and with so much back and forth, I failed to connect with any of them, including our Detective Beck. So, for me, this one doesn't quite deliver on the promised 'gripping thriller' claim next to the title - at least not until that last third or so of the book. Then, it picks up considerably, and we do get a good twist. I'm not sure I'd call it 'stunning' (again with the added line next to the title), but it is good. Tightened up, this could easily have been a five star read, but it is what it is and was just okay for me. The author does show talent, and I'll be interested to see how he develops as this series progresses.
This debut novel has a solid mystery at its core, but you have to do a bit of wading through the rest to get there. Between memories, dreams, and a secondary plotline about our main character, the story has some serious lags and feels a little convoluted at times. Oh, and the characters! There are a lot of characters introduced throughout the book, and with so much back and forth, I failed to connect with any of them, including our Detective Beck. So, for me, this one doesn't quite deliver on the promised 'gripping thriller' claim next to the title - at least not until that last third or so of the book. Then, it picks up considerably, and we do get a good twist. I'm not sure I'd call it 'stunning' (again with the added line next to the title), but it is good. Tightened up, this could easily have been a five star read, but it is what it is and was just okay for me. The author does show talent, and I'll be interested to see how he develops as this series progresses.
❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and Bookouture
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