Eleven Liars (Ben Harper, #2) by Robert Gold
Synopsis /
Journalist Ben Harper is on his way home when he sees the flames in the churchyard. The derelict community centre is on fire. And somebody is trapped inside.
With Ben's help the person escapes, only to flee the scene before they can be identified. Now the small town of Haddley is abuzz with rumours. Was this an accident, or arson?
Then a skeleton is found in the burnt-out foundations.
And when the identity of the victim is revealed, Ben is confronted with a crime that is terrifyingly close to home. As he uncovers a web of deceit and destruction that goes back decades, Ben quickly learns that in this small town, everybody has something to hide.
My Thoughts /
We first started with Twelve Secrets, and now here we are with Eleven Liars, the second book in the series highlighting journalist, Ben Harper.
Gold has written another brilliantly crafted story, returning us back into Ben Harper's life, but this time, instead of trying to find out what happened to his mother and brother (aka - Twelve Secrets), Gold has Harper investigating a fire that started in a community centre. Who started it and why? This all seems a bit simplistic to start with but, Gold is the master of a twisted tale.
While the story in Twelve Secrets focused on Ben Harper and his family, Eleven Liars firmly focuses on PC Dani Cash and her family backstory.
Freshly promoted to Detective Constable, Dani Cash, now working with Haddley Police Station CID, has been assigned to attend (and investigate) an incident of a fire at St Stephen's church. DC Cash, together with Detective Sergeant Lesley Barnsdale, arrive at the scene to find the churchyard illuminated by emergency services and the smell of burning wood in the air. The community centre building situated at the back of the church is now a burnt-out shell.
A short time earlier - Ben Harper, taking a shortcut through the local cemetery, stumbles upon the fire and sees someone trapped inside. He manages to free them, only for the stranger to flee, leaving Ben wondering, why?
'Any idea yet as to how the fire began?' I ask.
'At this stage, it would only be speculation'.
'Could it have been started deliberately?'…
I stop and survey the burnt-out building. A metal drainpipe still clings to the wall. I point my torch down towards a cracked glass bottle lying in the blackened drain-hole cover. I pick up the empty bottle and put my nose to the rim. The lingering pine-wood smell is unmistakable. 'Turpentine', I say. 'Highly flammable'. I look up at PC Cooke. 'We need to find whoever was in the fire'.
Can DC Cash step out of the shadows of her father's former legacy?
Written in eleven Parts. Each Part beginning on a specific day. Each day separated into Chapters. The story is mostly told from Ben's perspective; but we do get chapters from Dani, both in the present and past. Gold has weaved a very complex family backstory for Dani and the further into the story you go, the more is explored and some of the revelations are a definite eye-opener.
Gold's writing reads easily, and I am enjoying the Cash\Harper interactions. Both Ben and Dani are engaging, likeable characters albeit with complex lives, and you can certainly feel sympathy for them. Cash's life in this book is far from stable and you are left wondering how that's all going to end up.
As to the fire in the church and the mystery surrounding it - it's all made clear at the end, but Gold lets us know that the issues brought up as a result are far from being settled. Yikes!! Looking forward to the next one now!!