The Lies They Told

DI Karen Heath #1

by Jay Nadal

If you thought you got away with it, think again.

When a notorious criminal is found dead in his own home, his clothes soaked with blood, Detective Inspector Karen Heath is one of the first at the crime scene.

For Karen, this is personal. She has a point to prove. Having returned from suspension, the eyes of the force are watching her every move, and some aren’t pleased to see her back.

Never far from her thoughts is the burning desire to find those who were responsible for the fateful day that led to her suspension.

But, when another vengeful killing comes to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work. Detective Inspector Karen Heath of the London’s Met police face a race against time to track down a killer who’s bold, relenting and dangerous.

A story about greed, power, brutality - and fractured lives...

Genres: Mystery, Crime

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2019

About the author

Crime Never Pays… Well yes and no depending on what side of the fence you’re on!

I’ve always had a strong passion for whodunnits, crime series, and books. The more I immersed myself in it, the stronger the fascination grew.

In my spare time, you’ll find me in the gym, reading, binge watching Netflix or taking walks in the forest.

Oh, and I’m an avid people watcher, I just love to watch people, their mannerisms, and their way of expressing their thoughts… weird I know, but I could spend hours doing that. It's funny, because watching people often gives me insights and inspiration for describing human interaction in my books.

Fun fact: My favourite, bestest place ever on earth? Any of the Florida theme parks and the mad coasters out there. Add the food, shopping and weather, and you've got the best place on earth... especially when I see the joy on the faces of my family when we're out there :)

Weird fact: Spending an afternoon in a mortuary to bring my books to life. Oops! poor choice of words there :)

I hope you enjoy the stories I craft for you.

Reviews

[Pen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life's too short for bad books. This is a bad book. Very poorly written with spelling and grammatical errors. Sentence structure does not allow the book to flow. I have no idea what the story line is but I have WAY too much info about a cat and a cop named McQueen.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lies They Told is book one in the new series DI Karen Heath by Jay Nadal. DI Karen Heath was on suspension; however, when a criminal was found dead in his home, DI Karen Heath was called back to solve this case. DI Karen Heath had her superiors watching her and time against her to find the killer after a second person died by the same person. The readers of The Lies They Told will continue to follow the DI Karen Heath investigation to find out what happens.

I enjoyed reading books in the Jay Nadal series called DI Scott Baker and wondered if this new series is as good as the DI Scott Baker. However, I enjoyed how Jay Nadal introduced the new characters, which ensured I engaged from the first page. I am so lucky to have another brilliant series written by Jay Nadal to read. Jay Nadal did an excellent job separating the two Detectives to ensure that his readers continue reading his books. I love Jay Nadal's portrayal of the characters of The Lies They Told and how they interact with each other throughout this book. The Lies They Told is well written and researched by Jay Nadal. I like Jay Nadal's description of the settings of The Lies They Told, which allows me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

The readers of The Lies They Told will learn what a buccal swab is and their role in law enforcement investigations. Also, the readers of The Lies They Told will understand law enforcement officers' problems when they make a mistake.

I recommend this book.

[Tony Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this an excellently written first book in the series about DI Karen Heath. She is generally mistrusted by a lot of her colleagues since an operation lead by her went seriously wrong and ended with police officers and a witness dead. She blames herself for this failure and consequently drinks in an attempt to cope with her insomnia. Add to that the fact that her boss DCI Skelton is not only extremely unpleasant towards her but also seems determined to undermine her every action and anyone could forgive her for just giving up and taking up a nice quiet office job. She manages to refuse the temptation, and gets stuck into the case of known top criminal who has been found shot through the head. As he was at the head of a huge crime network and often personally took care of the physical side of intimidating victims and rival criminals, there are plenty of people who would have been delighted to do the deed. There are quite a few plot twists involved and, although some things soon become clear to the reader, the way that Karen and Jade (her sergeant) finally do solve the puzzle is both believable and plausible. A well written book which leaves me wanting more.

[wendi wigham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mole risking all.

There is a mole in the department. Too many raids fallen flat. Acting on good information, Karen and the team has seen dead certs go awry.
She had been told by her creepy boss to leave the Connells alone, that she was fixated on them. True there was never enough evidence to charge them, but all the near misses pointed to their having been tipped off. Everything pointed to inside info. , they had a mole and no one had a clue as too who it was.
A vicious crime boss was found murdered, he put the fear of God into most people, his passing a reason to rejoice amongst both criminal and police alike. There were plenty of suspects, but who was mad enough or had the balls to do it?
Prime suspect was a recently arrived former associate, having spent five years in a Belgian prison for a crime that the dead Jack Taylor had committed. This lead looked promising until another body is found.
A good read, keeps up the pace throughout and ends with arrests of those responsible, but cleverly leaves the mole undetected. Karin has her suspicions, but her quarry is aware she is tailing them and acts accordingly.
Off to start the next in this new series.

[SkyeWake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, with some believable characters and character development and there were other interesting story lines that will no doubt be resolved in a later book. I didn’t particularly like the writing style, a bit repetitive and too much detail which slowed the narrative unfortunately - four adjectives where two would do, a repeat of someone’s name in the next sentence where a longer sentence would do etc.
I wouldn’t rule out reading the next one, but I’m not actively searching for it either!

[Andi Caissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

great start

I liked this book from the first page and ran through it in a day. The main character, DI Karen Heath, is an interesting character. Your typical flawed police detective, she has the added burden of a disastrous operation weighing on her conscience and a handicapped sister. One thing I really disliked was a reference to her bra size. It was completely irrelevant and somewhat insulting since her bra size has zero to do with how well she does her job.

[Ruhani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't quite gel with DI Karen Heath or her team, and the subject matter (gang warfare) is one I tend to avoid. Also, DI Heath seems to get the bare minimum done within a day (based on my reading of what she actually accomplishes within a working day) though she never has any time to eat. Maybe all her actions are not documented because quite a lot of things seem to be happening in the background. In any event, this was an easy and entertaining read.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent start to a promising series

This is the first book that I have read by Jay Nadal. I'm impressed. I want to read more. DI Karen Heath is a force to be reckoned with even when she suffers from self - doubt. I enjoy a female lead that shows a woman in a career that still suffers from inherent misogyny in the same everyday way that happens in life.

[simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Brilliant

Loved this book from the first page til the last. Kept me guessing right til the end with plenty of twists and turns i did not see coming. Thank you Jay. Can't wait for the next book in this series

[Biff meechan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lies they told⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It was a good book & the start of a good series,well if this book is the start as usually the characters& storyline gets better the more you find out about the characters& their background stories develop⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Christina Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.

I really enjoyed reading this first book in the DI Karen Heath Crime series.

The characters were interesting and the storyline was fascinating. I look forward to reading the next book in this awesome series.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant first book in the series. Karen Heath DI in the Met. Racing to solve 2 murders and with her team working through evidence to find the killer plus drug dealers, etc.
Gripping and a page turner to the end.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Congratulations Jay on yet another brilliantly written book which once I started reading it I could not put it down until i had finished reading it. I would definitely recommend to other avid readers like me 😊📖

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is way too much going on in this book, characters and storylines that don’t develop, a pointless back story nicked straight out of Line of Duty, random bits of sex thrown in for no reason, you name it this book has it. A good editor would make mincemeat of it. Quick to read though!

[Debbie Gaskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good characters. Great story . One to stay up with

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story line but lots of spelling errors

[Lynn Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynnie

Starting to be a good series. This is another series that Jay has written. Believe it will be a great one also.

[Jan McLintock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Jay Nadal book I've read but it definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to learning more about DI Karen Heath and her team in the next book

[Carole Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Sally-Jane Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read with some questions still not answered Karen Heath has quite a few issues both professionally and on the home front. An up today e rival of Jane Tennison.

[Mandy Smallman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written. Strange sentence structure. “Jerky” to read, Struggled to just get through it. What is the point of the harping on about McQueen? Predictable.

[Susan Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The start of another good series. Karen Heath struggles at times but will she get the answer she wants

[Danielle Spencer-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good page turner, onto the next one

[Kim J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a new author !!! Yay!!!

I really liked this book!! I felt it dealt with people and their lives, emotions, and careers in a very real way! I could empathize with DI Karen Heath. I disliked her boss the DCI. Her team seemed to be fairly close knit, and worked well together. And it set the tone for the series, for the character development going well, and I truly look forward to getting to know them all!