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Gardner and Freeman #3
Tell Me Lies
There's a body in Lauren James's back garden.
And everyone is telling lies...
A twisty tale of deceit and deadly consequences from prize-winning northern crime writer Rebecca Muddiman. What would you do to protect your family?
The body in Lauren James's back garden belongs to her ex-boyfriend, Ritchie. DI Gardner thinks it's an open-and-shut case. But he reckoned without the interference of Lauren's father, local businessman and aspiring politician Walter James. And he couldn't know about the secrets that everyone involved wants to hide.
When a murder touches so many lives, not even the cops are immune from the consequences. In the end you must decide what you can live with: a loving lie or the deadly truth?
'The strength of the characters maintain the story's pace...we shall hear much more of Ms Muddiman.' Daily Mail
And everyone is telling lies...
A twisty tale of deceit and deadly consequences from prize-winning northern crime writer Rebecca Muddiman. What would you do to protect your family?
The body in Lauren James's back garden belongs to her ex-boyfriend, Ritchie. DI Gardner thinks it's an open-and-shut case. But he reckoned without the interference of Lauren's father, local businessman and aspiring politician Walter James. And he couldn't know about the secrets that everyone involved wants to hide.
When a murder touches so many lives, not even the cops are immune from the consequences. In the end you must decide what you can live with: a loving lie or the deadly truth?
'The strength of the characters maintain the story's pace...we shall hear much more of Ms Muddiman.' Daily Mail
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 8, 2016
5 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Muddiman
8 books101 followersRebecca was born and raised in Redcar . She has lived and worked in Holland and London, and travelled across America on a Greyhound bus in 2002. She won a Northern Writers' Award in 2010 and the Northern Crime Competition in 2012. When not writing she spends her time watching Game of Thrones and dealing with her two unruly dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 23, 2016
Tell me Lies
This is an absolutely fab book for all those readers that just "Aw I could see what was going to happen" or "I just knew from start to finish who it would be" I am going to challenge you that you won't with this one.
Everyone is telling lies in this book.
Imagine getting a line up of people, ask them the same questions but in a different room completely unheard answers not being able to spend time in getting their stories straight and..........
who do you believe? Everyone's reply sounds real, sounds plausible.
Sitting on judgment on the characters in this book will lead you to some avenues and one way streets you just won't know how to unravel your way out from.
Great maze of a plot in this book.
I want to say thank you to the publishers and Bookbridge in connecting me with this book
May 29, 2018
I loved reading Gone by Rebecca Muddiman to the point where I wanted to able to follow through reading every other book that Rebecca publishes. When I found out that her new book Tell Me Lies was out 10th March 2016 I just had to read it. The strength of the characters made me hooked to every page.
Everyone is telling lies ,to the point that made me wonder who is telling the truth here?.
Lauren James lives with her father Walter James in a large detached house with garden bordered by tall hedges.Lauren found her ex-boyfriend, Richie Donoghue dead in her garden, her jeans were soaked in blood and mud.
Walter James was a man with fingers in so many pies. He was a self-made millionaire. An owner of various businesses and on lots of committees and boards. He was a man with connections and also a man who was currently campaigning to be elected as MP for Middlesbrough. The man had power only because he had a cash flow.
While Lauren was being questioned by the police she was sure that daddy would come to the police station soon and take her home. A super twisty plot not to be missed.
Everyone is telling lies ,to the point that made me wonder who is telling the truth here?.
Lauren James lives with her father Walter James in a large detached house with garden bordered by tall hedges.Lauren found her ex-boyfriend, Richie Donoghue dead in her garden, her jeans were soaked in blood and mud.
Walter James was a man with fingers in so many pies. He was a self-made millionaire. An owner of various businesses and on lots of committees and boards. He was a man with connections and also a man who was currently campaigning to be elected as MP for Middlesbrough. The man had power only because he had a cash flow.
While Lauren was being questioned by the police she was sure that daddy would come to the police station soon and take her home. A super twisty plot not to be missed.
October 13, 2018
Tra la its catch up time. I might be finished by Christmas.
Rebecca Muddiman writes a great and thoughtful and twisted thriller. Its not all murder, dismemberment and mayhem but rather clever plots with twists and turns that get you thinking. I'm a fan.
Rebecca Muddiman writes a great and thoughtful and twisted thriller. Its not all murder, dismemberment and mayhem but rather clever plots with twists and turns that get you thinking. I'm a fan.
October 4, 2017
I was gutted to reach the end of this story......I wanted to carry on to see what happens next with both Gardner and Freeman. I love these books. They're terrific. Both this one and Stolen I gave 5* but I''d enjoyed Stolen SO much that Gone "only" got 4* since Stolen was pretty unbeatable. I was disappointed to sign into Amazon and there's no 4th instalment listed as yet.....so it will be a long old time now till I get to it, since I always wait for the initial prices to drop a bit unless the preorder price is reasonable in itself.
I did feel for Gardner in this one since the person who found a body happened to be the daughter of the local toff, who of course will have deep pockets and a long reach. I was with him totally as it appeared she was getting preferential treatment. It was sick-making !! I wanted to slap her silly most of the time. She was such a dopey cow and Darling Daddy seemed to have treated her like she was a toddler ! Though I suppose she can't have money AND brains ! On the other hand, Gardner also annoyed me a little a couple of times as he was pretty curt with women colleagues, who didn't warrant his rudeness in the least. I was surprised neither pulled him up over it.
Freeman exhibited some risky behaviour in this....something pretty daft, really, but of course it snowballed into something massive that was going to bite....hard......she won't be doing that again in any hurry !! I described it in a Kindle note as 'buttock-clenching'.......hehehe.....it did make you feel for her.
There were a lot of very funny lines in it-little one-liners that were witty and made me chuckle to myself the more cutting they were. Also a couple of times things happened that made me gasp ! Then some portions I had to re-read a few times to keep abreast of all the timelines occurring. You need to concentrate or it can be a bit baffling. As I went through my notes to compose this review I had to smile to myself as a few times I'd noted what I thought was happening or was imminent and each time I was totally off-base !
Closer to the beginning than further in there were a few times we needed a paragraph break as it launched into totally different scenes, which was confusing till you realised. Usually woah is spelled as whoa in my experience as well but they're my only gripes.
An interesting observation was made at one point about kids with two siblings...I'm one of three myself and it's so true. One is always left out. With me and my brothers our particular ally changed throughout the years, so we had all the permutations, but it definitely happens just as she described.
Now to waiting on book 4 to be out !!
I did feel for Gardner in this one since the person who found a body happened to be the daughter of the local toff, who of course will have deep pockets and a long reach. I was with him totally as it appeared she was getting preferential treatment. It was sick-making !! I wanted to slap her silly most of the time. She was such a dopey cow and Darling Daddy seemed to have treated her like she was a toddler ! Though I suppose she can't have money AND brains ! On the other hand, Gardner also annoyed me a little a couple of times as he was pretty curt with women colleagues, who didn't warrant his rudeness in the least. I was surprised neither pulled him up over it.
Freeman exhibited some risky behaviour in this....something pretty daft, really, but of course it snowballed into something massive that was going to bite....hard......she won't be doing that again in any hurry !! I described it in a Kindle note as 'buttock-clenching'.......hehehe.....it did make you feel for her.
There were a lot of very funny lines in it-little one-liners that were witty and made me chuckle to myself the more cutting they were. Also a couple of times things happened that made me gasp ! Then some portions I had to re-read a few times to keep abreast of all the timelines occurring. You need to concentrate or it can be a bit baffling. As I went through my notes to compose this review I had to smile to myself as a few times I'd noted what I thought was happening or was imminent and each time I was totally off-base !
Closer to the beginning than further in there were a few times we needed a paragraph break as it launched into totally different scenes, which was confusing till you realised. Usually woah is spelled as whoa in my experience as well but they're my only gripes.
An interesting observation was made at one point about kids with two siblings...I'm one of three myself and it's so true. One is always left out. With me and my brothers our particular ally changed throughout the years, so we had all the permutations, but it definitely happens just as she described.
Now to waiting on book 4 to be out !!
December 20, 2018
Listened to this as audio format. The British accents were the highlights of the story. Intricately woven plot drawing in bad guys , good guys/gals and those that tricky to know where to place them.
For myself the book was mainly dialogue back and forth and I was getting irritated with interactions/interrogations back and forth with " I don"t know", "I don't remember" and cautious "what do you mean"s
For myself the story dragged on and on, but in the end those who "told lies" discovered. But to get to that point I was tempted to skip over sections to a point where the crimes and criminals were exposed.
For myself the book was mainly dialogue back and forth and I was getting irritated with interactions/interrogations back and forth with " I don"t know", "I don't remember" and cautious "what do you mean"s
For myself the story dragged on and on, but in the end those who "told lies" discovered. But to get to that point I was tempted to skip over sections to a point where the crimes and criminals were exposed.
June 23, 2018
Walter James is an aspiring politician who has come to the notice of the police but never been convicted of any crime. His daughter's ex boyfriend is found dead in her garden and so begins the lies. DI Gardner is investigating the death while at the same time Detective Freeman is trying to help her bother and asks Gardner to help. Then Jame's daughter is found dead and there is a rush to solve both murders. Not sure if there ever will be a positive relationship between Gardner and Freeman and ended feeling I didn't really care if there was.
November 9, 2019
This is the third book in the series that I have read and I loved this one too.
Beginning with a murder connected to a local politician there are twists that I definitely didn't see coming as the story progressed.
Really well written, you can feel the characters' frustration as politics get in the way of the investigation. Can't wait for the next one.
Beginning with a murder connected to a local politician there are twists that I definitely didn't see coming as the story progressed.
Really well written, you can feel the characters' frustration as politics get in the way of the investigation. Can't wait for the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2017
Well as book titles go ‘Tell me Lies’ was absolutely on the money as it felt like every character was lying at some point. Rebecca Muddiman has created some really great characters in this book including a ‘boo hiss’ baddie. I’m hoping there will be more in this series.
February 26, 2018
Intriguing storyline. I like many of the thought/idea based passages in the writing. Complex intertwining of the various story strands was both challenging to follow but admirable in its writing.
April 24, 2016
There's been a murder, the principal suspect is the ex-girlfriend, that's what DI Gardner thinks... but every time the police questions a suspect they lie, why if it is a simple case? What are they all hiding?
Help DI Gardner in this intricate investigation, Tell Me Lies and See Who Dies!
This is the first book I have read of the Gardner and Freeman series, but I can assure you is a standalone book, you don't need to follow the series to enjoy this case.
You will start reading this book as if it is just a simple investigation, but page by page you will unravel a world where you have to lie to stay alive, even to the police!
In this book we will see how the power manage the world, and how the poor society (us) have to succumb to the orders that the richer make... never a pleasant thing to do...
This case will become something personal for DI Michael Gardner, it would not be enough knowing the truth, someone has to pay for the murders, even if his life and job are in danger. He will have the defy everyone and investigate the truth, knowing that someone he trusts is against him.
Will the power cover the truth or the truth will be revealed?
Enter in a world where lies are the unique thing that will keep you safe...
Ready to enter in the world of lies?
Help DI Gardner in this intricate investigation, Tell Me Lies and See Who Dies!
This is the first book I have read of the Gardner and Freeman series, but I can assure you is a standalone book, you don't need to follow the series to enjoy this case.
You will start reading this book as if it is just a simple investigation, but page by page you will unravel a world where you have to lie to stay alive, even to the police!
In this book we will see how the power manage the world, and how the poor society (us) have to succumb to the orders that the richer make... never a pleasant thing to do...
This case will become something personal for DI Michael Gardner, it would not be enough knowing the truth, someone has to pay for the murders, even if his life and job are in danger. He will have the defy everyone and investigate the truth, knowing that someone he trusts is against him.
Will the power cover the truth or the truth will be revealed?
Enter in a world where lies are the unique thing that will keep you safe...
Ready to enter in the world of lies?
July 26, 2016
A solid procedural crime thriller. I haven't read the first in the series, but was sent this for review via Bookbridgr. It was okay, but not really anything special. Full review will be posted on my blog.
July 24, 2016
I love reading books like this, they're so fascinating. This book was good and held my attention but I can't say it was amazing. Full review to come!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews