It seems like the murder mystery genre is the flavour of the day right now, with books about devious murderers, innocent (and sometimes not-so-innocent) victims and clever-clogs detectives popping up everywhere.
Luckily, I enjoy a good murder. Especially if there’s good helping of mystery chucked in for good measure. And when the author receives high praise from the likes of Stephen King, who compared her writing to that of Lee Child and Michael Connelly, I’m even more intrigued.
I’m pleased to say, Liar’s Lullaby lived up to the hype, delivering a tricky wee story that had plenty of action and even more intrigue.
In this third book to feature forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett, the action kicks off with the death of Tasia McFarland, ex-wife of the current president of the United States and a singer desperately trying to make a comeback.
Her death happened in front of a crowd of 40,000 fans and at first, suicide seems the obvious cause.
However, just to be on the safe side, Beckett is asked to perform a psychological autopsy and as she sifts through the facts the cause of the singer’s death becomes less and less clear cut.
As the book hurtles along to its conclusion the conspiracy theories get bigger and crazier as the political dramas and corruption show up.
Meg Gardiner deserves all the praise heaped upon her: her characters are believable, her plot twists sharp and her culprits are surprising.