The Good Liar
A Novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
**Named a Best Thriller of the Year by the New York Times and the Guardian**
In this "riveting" (New York Times) and "morally complex" (The Washington Post) mystery from beloved crime writer Denise Mina, new evidence in an old murder case forces one woman to make an impossible choice.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO TELL THE TRUTH WHEN YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON A LIE?
A year ago, a father and his fiancée were brutally murdered in their opulent London townhouse, sparking the most high-profile murder investigation in recent history. Blood spatter expert Doctor Claudia O’Sheil’s evidence put the killer behind bars—or so everyone believes. But since the trial, Claudia’s learned a horrific truth: her evidence and her testimony were wrong. And someone she knows made sure of it.
Now, as she takes the stage to give a career-defining speech before London’s elite, Claudia faces a devastating choice. Protect her children and her career with her continued complicity, or blow the whole conspiracy apart and reveal the truth: not only is the real murderer still out there, but they’re in the audience.
As Claudia steps toward the microphone, she revisits that fateful night. What really happened? And what will Claudia say?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
If aristocratic misdeeds are your jam, you’ll love this intimate, devastating thriller by one of Scotland’s foremost crime writers. Forensic examiner Claudia O’Sheil is about to give an important speech about the incredibly violent murder of an earl, his much younger fiancée, and their dog, and how her work led to the conviction of the earl’s estranged drug addict son. But she’s always known that the convicted man was innocent. The evidence she’s uncovered points to others in the earl’s poisonous, well-connected circle and is also linked to the suspicious death of Claudia’s own husband. Telling the truth will destroy her career, the comfortable life she’s desperately trying to build for herself and her troubled, grieving sons, and the reputation of the powerful mentor who’s been with her every step of the way. Is she brave enough to speak up? The divide between middle-class, Glasgow-born Claudia and the English aristocratic set at the heart of both the murder and her professional life adds a fascinating dimension to this already gripping mystery.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This outstanding mystery from Mina (Three Fires) centers on forensic scientist Claudia Atkins O'Sheil, whose work with London's Metropolitan Police Department ensnares her in a high-stakes double murder investigation. In upscale Chester Terrace, Jonathan "Jonty" Phillips and his fiancée have been killed, with no clues left behind. Maura Langston, head of the Met, charges Stewart's alcoholic son William with the murders, but Claudia believes him to be innocent. Claudia's husband recently died in an accident, which she privately suspects was murder; when another victim dies in a similar manner before William's trial, her suspicions lead her to believe the culprit behind all four killings is someone highly revered among London's upper classes. Now, Cluadia must decide whether to lie about her theory of the case or compromise her job by revealing the truth during a speech she's set to give. With her two sons safely ensconced in their exclusive school, Claudia prepares to make a decision that will affect the lives of all involved. Mina builds nerve-shredding suspense by toggling back and forth between the moments before Claudia's speech and key pieces of the investigation. Here's hoping a sequel is in the works.
