Lies To Tell - Marion Todd

The 3rd book in the DI Clare Mackay series is released from Canelo on 25th June, written by Marion Todd

Marion Todd is a Scottish writer, which is perhaps wrong to put here in that stable of Scotland as a writer, but the book she writes is so of the region that it makes sense to attach that stigma to her.  Todd is also what you would consider no spring chicken, and is a writer making up for lost time.

Her Clare Mackay character has now appeared in three books, and each book has appeared within the last 15 months in a brilliant period of publishing by Canelo which they have done before with MJ Lee's DI Ridpath series which has had four releases in as many years.

This is not unusual for writers to be prolific, John Grisham and Lee Child the biggest selling writers on the planet release a new work like clockwork with James Patterson operating now a factory line of consumption for thriller readers.

Yet, this is not like pulp fiction or dime novels, Todd is writing a character that is both relatable, honest and eye-opening; to get a woman of a certain age writing about a woman of a certain age who is good at her profession yet struggling with the perception that she should be settling down for a family in the eyes of other people and society.

Mackay showed in the second book In Plain Sight, that she is an industrious individual, pragmatic and believable, respected by her peers in the pursuit of rescuing an abducted child.

Lies To Tell finds Mackay again at the crossroads of her relationship status, her love Geoffrey (a professor) has moved to Boston for his work and Mackay is enjoying her work, work is busy as always in the police force yet the action picks up straight away with her being picked up by her superior Alan to go to a meeting with a mysterious computer specialist Gayle, who may or may not know about a possible leak in the St. Andrews squad in relation to an ongoing trial.

Gayle asks to be positioned in the headquarters to try and sniff out the leak, then a sub-plot of students going missing yet with lots of money in their bank accounts open up a can of worms.  This is coupled with Mackay succumbing to temptation with Alan her superior, and becoming friendly with Gayle. If Todd did not take the plot so seriously, the narrative of Mackay having two very heavy sessions at home would be played for comedy yet Mackay knows this is a break in character and a sign of weakness which her partner, loyal Chris mentions to her.

Personally, this reader found the book a bit harder to get into compared to the two previous books written by Todd, this may have been my personal circumstances yet my adage is start slowly but finish strong especially in crime or thriller tomes - and this rings true of the plot for this novel with Todd cleverly painting this ominous air of paranoia and fear for Mackay as she gets deeper into understanding the source of the leak and for this Todd should be praised. The ending is dynamic and gripping which is exactly what you need and for this reader expects of her after three novels now.

Lies To Tell is out on 25th June from Canelo Press.