A fairly run of the mill detective book ( )

"Naomi, what is it?" She whisked back to face Eva. "There's somebody in the house... "A flash in the distance … the hand … a movement flashed over the Skype box on the screen before it went blank …"Naomi! " What should she do? Call an ambulance? The police? No! Not the police. Definitely, not the police … an ambulance.

Only a week ago Eva and Naomi had been travelling back through France to the ferry port, after a free holiday in Milan. A holiday that had had been offered in return for delivering the car they were driving back to the UK. As they are driving back, they have problems with the car window and when the garage they take it to, takes off the door panel to fix it, they find several brown parcels tucked into the door casing. In a quandary, they decide that their only option is to risk bringing it into the country, as they fear they won’t be believed if they tell the police the truth. Only a week - now Naomi has been attacked and Eva is on the run.

Naomi’s case is allocated to DCI Helen Lavery, who finds herself landed with a puzzling case with no leads, and the added complication of the involvement of the cold case team led by DI Dean Fitzpatrick, with whom she has history.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was plausible and kept me gripped. I liked the way the story developed, with the full picture gradually unfolding as the narrative alternated between Helen’s story and Eva’s. The plot concentrates as much on the characters involved, as the how and why of the crimes, which makes for a more enjoyable read. DCI Lavery in particular is a very believable character. Thankfully she doesn’t adhere to some of the stereotypical portrayals of female detectives, and she has a warmth and empathy, that is engaging. She lives with her mother and two teenage sons and juggles her job with her family life, not always successfully, something that many readers can immediately identify with. Although this is the not the first appearance of DCI Lavery, it is her first in the UK and I hope it will not be the last.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for review purposes.
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A great beginning, it made me want to check that the loft space of our house is sealed and inaccessible from outside.
The lives of two young women are never the same again after a holiday to Italy, the truth of their trip dawns on them on their way home, and the days after their return are fraught. One is attacked, the other flees. Detective Chief Inspector Helen Lavery is on the case, hindered by the appearance of a central police team led by her ex-lover [odd that so many crime novelists feel the need to add a romance theme, is this because so many crime novels are read by women?]. So, a good combination of tension: will the baddies catch up with Eva, will the attacker strike again, and how will Helen cope with seeing her ex?
A competent crime thriller with a female detective who, refreshingly, is not an alcoholic, on the verge of a nervous breakdown or being bullied by male officers. A few plot weaknesses aside – I never fully bought-into Eva’s flight and lack of concern about Naomi – this was a good tale though perhaps it could have been a little shorter. A slightly lacklustre final few pages.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ ( )

The Truth Will Out – Oh Yes It Will

The Truth Will Out by Jane Isaac is my first date with DCI Helen Lavery and I wasn’t disappointed, I found The Truth Will Out as easy to read and very enjoyable. I am not sure what other reviewers were expecting calling it predictable, so were all the Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple and Poirot books.

Eva sees her best friend Naomi attacked why Skyping with her and calls an ambulance and decides it is best to get away from Hampton. While Eva escapes from Hampton she is afraid of what has happened since their holiday to Milan. We are given flash backs to events that have lead to Eva running for her life.

DCI Helen Lavery is called out to the murder of Naomi Spence but there seems no reason for her to be killed or any evidence on how the murderer got in and out of her home. Things do not help when Lavery finds out that Naomi’s ex-boyfriend has been a person of interest in drug trafficking but no charges ever brought.

During her investigation Lavery bumps in to a colleague who happens to be a former boyfriend who happens to be in the Station to assist her and her team. Lavery starts to question things when the investigation seems to be wound down as being solved. There is something wrong but Lavery just cannot put her finger on what it is, even though that will place her in the way of danger.

The great thing about DCI Helen Lavery she is not the usual defective detective but a well rounded normal person. The book also tackles some quite sensitive issues amongst the modern police force, among them being Police corruption, drug trafficking and domestic abuse and I believe they are reflected fairly in the book.

Jane Isaac has written an excellent crime novel with The Truth Will Out that is a great shortish novel with only 288 pages, so there is no bulking the story out, and no wasted words. Jane Isaac has well researched this novel and I very much doubt it will disappoint other than you will have to wait until DCI Jane Lavery’s next outing. ( )

I received an epub version of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a good read, a good first effort from Jane Isaac. The main character, DCI Helen Lavery, is a single mom and daughter of a police hero that had previously placed the main bad guy in jail. Overall, the characters were believable and likable, and the plot was well-thought out.

The writing was pretty strong, but the number of flashbacks in the early and middle part of the book, while necessary, slowed the plot down somewhat. I'm not sure there is another way to reveal the required backstory, and the flashbacks did add to the overall tension.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys British police procedurals, and I'm looking forward to the next book. ( )