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DI Winter Meadows #5
Lies of Mine
A body is found in a dark and dingy tunnel at the bottom of Dinas Rock, the site of a disused mine. There is no sign of struggle...
Detective Inspector Winter Meadows suspects the victim, youth worker David Harris, willingly reached the location where he met his end. He must have known his killer.
Detective Inspector Winter Meadows suspects the victim, youth worker David Harris, willingly reached the location where he met his end. He must have known his killer.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2021
571 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Rees-Price
19 books131 followersCheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a Young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountains, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and two cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.
Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services.
In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.
Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services.
In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
January 29, 2024
2.5 stars rounder up
Well this was a bit disappointing. Basically the investigators had no clue who committed the crime till the criminal confessed in the last pages. Also it was very, very repetitive.
Well this was a bit disappointing. Basically the investigators had no clue who committed the crime till the criminal confessed in the last pages. Also it was very, very repetitive.
December 29, 2023
Excellent story. The main characters are likeable, multiple suspects, believable plots.
This is a relaxing series to listen to.
This is a relaxing series to listen to.
June 5, 2024
None of them are telling the truth…
How great > Rees-Price in full Agatha Christie mode… And the denouement heavily tinged with sadness and regret. Great story.
How great > Rees-Price in full Agatha Christie mode… And the denouement heavily tinged with sadness and regret. Great story.
November 18, 2021
Excellent mystery
Characters are so life like. The mystery is such a challenge and good luck figuring out what happened much less who did it.
Characters are so life like. The mystery is such a challenge and good luck figuring out what happened much less who did it.
October 25, 2022
Lies of Mine is a phenomenal police procedural. I've said this before, but Cheryl Rees-Price excels at crafting characters driven by emotion. Their actions are illogical, but yet you can empathize and it's a level of realism that I find most authors are unable to capture. Everything about a Winter Meadows novel is here, including an intelligent, empathetic detective surrounded by a familiar police team working their best to unravel a finely-crafted multi-layer mystery.
There's not much in the blurb, so it's difficult to describe without spoilers. The murder of David Harris leads to quite a few plot twists and revelations, and the central mystery is thrilling and full of intellectual deductions. I enjoyed every moment and stopped often to re-read sections in order to absorb as much of the unfolding story as possible. I highly rate mysteries where the reader could come to the same conclusions as our heroes, and it's my belief that this was a possibility. I didn't manage it, but maybe you will.
I'm five novels in and unreservedly recommend these. Like a mystery? Pick them up.
There's not much in the blurb, so it's difficult to describe without spoilers. The murder of David Harris leads to quite a few plot twists and revelations, and the central mystery is thrilling and full of intellectual deductions. I enjoyed every moment and stopped often to re-read sections in order to absorb as much of the unfolding story as possible. I highly rate mysteries where the reader could come to the same conclusions as our heroes, and it's my belief that this was a possibility. I didn't manage it, but maybe you will.
I'm five novels in and unreservedly recommend these. Like a mystery? Pick them up.
July 8, 2023
I'm liking this new breed of detective Ms Rees-Price has invented. A likeable, sympathetic, empathic, no humungous hang-ups with exes, the job, society in general etc, just an ordinary man. Winter (I'm still not sure about the name) has been called to the death of a youth worker David Harris, who has been found dressed smartly lying dead on the floor of a cave with his hands neatly folded together as if in prayer. It turns out that he and several friends were involved in the murder of a 13yr old girl Ruth some 16yrs previously. She too was found dead in the same cave.
There begins chapters on each of the friends who lied and implicated the only one who couldn't have done it, but their combined lies sent Jay to prison for 16yrs. He had been newly released and David had set him up with a job and a flat and articles to furnish it, all done anonymously. Unfortunately for Jay, Winter re-opens the verdict of his crime and calls it into question, recognising that the young lad must have been framed. Then one of the friends and his wife were found comatose on the floor in their house having drunk some wine given to them, their lives hang in the balance, and Winter feels a culling of those friends coming on.
Jay in the meantime has been recalled to prison because Winter had questioned him about his crime 16yrs ago and the current crime. Winter is now trying to solve who really murdered Ruby all those years ago and who murdered David. It gets complicated and the only thing I dislike about these books is that I have usually identified who the murderer is about half way in, this time it was about three-quarters in, which is a shame. It's nice to read a crime book and have several suspicious persons in mind and then get to narrowing them down in the final or next to final chapter. This doesn't tend to happen in the Winter Meadows books. Well, unless I have a latent criminal mind and can read the criminal minds in the books.
I still enjoy them though!
There begins chapters on each of the friends who lied and implicated the only one who couldn't have done it, but their combined lies sent Jay to prison for 16yrs. He had been newly released and David had set him up with a job and a flat and articles to furnish it, all done anonymously. Unfortunately for Jay, Winter re-opens the verdict of his crime and calls it into question, recognising that the young lad must have been framed. Then one of the friends and his wife were found comatose on the floor in their house having drunk some wine given to them, their lives hang in the balance, and Winter feels a culling of those friends coming on.
Jay in the meantime has been recalled to prison because Winter had questioned him about his crime 16yrs ago and the current crime. Winter is now trying to solve who really murdered Ruby all those years ago and who murdered David. It gets complicated and the only thing I dislike about these books is that I have usually identified who the murderer is about half way in, this time it was about three-quarters in, which is a shame. It's nice to read a crime book and have several suspicious persons in mind and then get to narrowing them down in the final or next to final chapter. This doesn't tend to happen in the Winter Meadows books. Well, unless I have a latent criminal mind and can read the criminal minds in the books.
I still enjoy them though!
October 11, 2023
This is another original and gripping story in the DI Winter Meadow series, which is one of my favourites. When a body of David Harris is found at Dinas Rock, it has repercussions with a previous murder 16 years ago at the same location. The killer convicted of the original murder of a teenage girl is out on probation.
David Harris was present on the day of the original murder, creating a link that cannot be ignored by Winter and the team. Their present day investigation soon expands into a closer examination of the original murder, causing unrest and ill feeling as lies are exposed and the conviction challenged.
The twin investigation makes this a delightfully complex story with a strong cast of suspects to keep you guessing until Winter makes the connections that lead to the killer and an exciting climax at Dinas Rock.
The characters and evolving backstory are not forgotten as the team members feel the strain of the investigation. The pace is brisk, the mystery original and compelling, leading to another exciting and satisfying read in this excellent series.
While you can read this novel as a standalone, you’ll enjoy it much more if you follow the series from the start.
David Harris was present on the day of the original murder, creating a link that cannot be ignored by Winter and the team. Their present day investigation soon expands into a closer examination of the original murder, causing unrest and ill feeling as lies are exposed and the conviction challenged.
The twin investigation makes this a delightfully complex story with a strong cast of suspects to keep you guessing until Winter makes the connections that lead to the killer and an exciting climax at Dinas Rock.
The characters and evolving backstory are not forgotten as the team members feel the strain of the investigation. The pace is brisk, the mystery original and compelling, leading to another exciting and satisfying read in this excellent series.
While you can read this novel as a standalone, you’ll enjoy it much more if you follow the series from the start.
February 12, 2022
I have read the whole series so far and I love these mysteries set in rural Wales. Each story is set is the unique landscape of Wales with a vast history of mining and farming. This case weaves together a recent murder with a murder 16 years earlier that involves the same people, including the man who served 15 years in prison for the earlier murder but still claims his innocence. The two stories add a lot of nice complexity and give depth to the story as the tale of the teenagers out on a fun day turns dark when drinking and drugs are involved. It is interesting to see how the teenagers changed over the years and how the earlier murder cast a shadow over their lives. DI Meadows continues to be a gentle soul, having been raised in a commune, and seems a bit mismatched to his world of death and violence. But he brings compassion and understanding of people into his job. A becomes a little repetitious as the story of the old mystery slowly unfolds as the characters finally start to share the truth that may be killing some of them.
July 19, 2025
Very very rambling, confusing and soooooo repetitive. Lots of long drawn out suspect interviews that prove to be totally bloody irrelevant. I was bored going over and over and over the same story then over and over and over it again albeit with tiny tiny variations by different suspects. This is book 5 in a series and the main characters are still hardly developed and very shallow. I will read the next one as I downloaded the first six novels as a set but none of them stand out really. I thought the whole thing could have been a lot shorter. Skipped whole chunks of dialogue towards the end as I didn’t care anymore and just wanted to get to the point and see who the killer was. When I found out I thought it was rushed, contrived and implausible really. Would the killer really have done it under those circumstances? I don’t think so.
November 11, 2021
Very enjoyable
I've read all the books in this series by Cheryl Rees-Price and have enjoyed them all. There is some romance but not enough to take the focus away from the stories which are credible and concentrate on the police procedures that finally resolve the case. I would recommend this series to those who like British police detective stories but want to avoid the sickly back stories of the characters of similar series in this genre. Im really looking forward to reading more books about Inspector Winter and his team
I've read all the books in this series by Cheryl Rees-Price and have enjoyed them all. There is some romance but not enough to take the focus away from the stories which are credible and concentrate on the police procedures that finally resolve the case. I would recommend this series to those who like British police detective stories but want to avoid the sickly back stories of the characters of similar series in this genre. Im really looking forward to reading more books about Inspector Winter and his team
July 28, 2023
Cheryl Ree-Price is a recent discovery for me. She’s really good, both at plotting the mystery and conveying the atmosphere of the settings. Her characters are good too. In this book a body is found in a dark and dingy tunnel at the bottom of Dinas Rock, the site of a disused mine, a place where teens might go to drink and smoke and do other things teens do.
Meadows suspects the victim, a youth worker named David Harris, willingly reached the location where he met his end because it would be difficult or impossible for someone to move the body so far into the tunnel. Therefore he must have known his killer. Dinas Rock has a history of tragedy since a teenage girl met her end there -- and Harris was present at the time.
Without the full support of his bosses, Meadows investigates the old case alongside the new. Inevitably he opens old wounds and some people do not welcome his efforts. This is a strong and entertaining mystery with solid characters, lots of atmosphere and a clever, intricately woven plot.
Meadows suspects the victim, a youth worker named David Harris, willingly reached the location where he met his end because it would be difficult or impossible for someone to move the body so far into the tunnel. Therefore he must have known his killer. Dinas Rock has a history of tragedy since a teenage girl met her end there -- and Harris was present at the time.
Without the full support of his bosses, Meadows investigates the old case alongside the new. Inevitably he opens old wounds and some people do not welcome his efforts. This is a strong and entertaining mystery with solid characters, lots of atmosphere and a clever, intricately woven plot.
March 10, 2025
Sixteen years ago, a young girl met her death at Dinas Rock. Now, youth worker David Harris has also died there. There must be a connection: Harris was present at the first murder. Was the person incarcerated for fifteen years for the first murder innocent? Detective Inspector Meadows must find the facts that connect these two deaths, before the real killer strikes again. This intriguing and quite interesting thriller is just another great addition to this series. It works as a standalone, but mystery readers will want to enjoy the entire series from the beginning.
April 21, 2025
The death of a social worker in an old mine tunnel leaves DI Meadows and his team with few clues until they begin looking at some past events, especially the body of a young girl in the same location some 15 years earlier. Lots of suspects. I like the idea of a detective who actually considers the effects of his investigation, and Meadows does keep in mind that his actions could have repercussions on an innocent party. If that person is innocent. It has been a good while since I read the first 2 books in this series, and I'm glad to return.
October 1, 2023
Lies of Mine: (DI Winter Meadow Book 5)
This writer likes to keep the reader guessing right until the very last chapter. This book was no different. It was a story of teenage children trying to be grown up and very sadly getting it so wrong. The twists and turns, time travel between some 20 years or more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as the other 4 before it. I recommend this book if you enjoy Murder Mysteries and like to unravel the twists and turns.
This writer likes to keep the reader guessing right until the very last chapter. This book was no different. It was a story of teenage children trying to be grown up and very sadly getting it so wrong. The twists and turns, time travel between some 20 years or more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as the other 4 before it. I recommend this book if you enjoy Murder Mysteries and like to unravel the twists and turns.
November 19, 2024
Totally confusing throuhout
A totally mind blowing with no way of knowing which of the characters could possibly have committed the crime. a greatly perplexing murder story. It could have been any one or any combination of them but in the end it was unbelievably strange and difficult to see what had occured, An exciting murder/mystery. Well worth the effort to read and heartily recommended.
A totally mind blowing with no way of knowing which of the characters could possibly have committed the crime. a greatly perplexing murder story. It could have been any one or any combination of them but in the end it was unbelievably strange and difficult to see what had occured, An exciting murder/mystery. Well worth the effort to read and heartily recommended.
September 30, 2021
A real page turner.
DI Winter Meadows and his team have their work cut out in this current murder that has ties to a previous one. Everyone is hiding something and all the witnesses who could also be suspects are lying. The characters are interesting and DI Winter is a refreshing change from your typical hard boiled copper. I have enjoyed this whole series.
DI Winter Meadows and his team have their work cut out in this current murder that has ties to a previous one. Everyone is hiding something and all the witnesses who could also be suspects are lying. The characters are interesting and DI Winter is a refreshing change from your typical hard boiled copper. I have enjoyed this whole series.
October 5, 2021
I enjoyed the first 4 books in this series but book 5 is certainly the best. Meadows and his team are all likeable characters. The process of finding the killer kept me reading way into the night. I like the way the book follows Meadows private life as well. I hope there will be more books written in this series.
December 1, 2021
Will there be more???!!
As a convicted murderer is released after serving his sentence for a long ago killing, doubts arise about his guilt as the various witnesses, all teens at the time, slowly reveal an investigation tainted with deceit and self-deception, stealing a youngster’s future.
As a convicted murderer is released after serving his sentence for a long ago killing, doubts arise about his guilt as the various witnesses, all teens at the time, slowly reveal an investigation tainted with deceit and self-deception, stealing a youngster’s future.
June 11, 2022
DI Meadows is investigating the suspicious death of a social worker. His body was found in an abandoned mine. During his investigation he finds out that the death is tied to an old murder case. He begins to think that the original person accused, who has served a long prison sentence, that he might be innocent.
August 10, 2022
I felt that the characters are good, it the plot only so-so. Most of the book was the rehashing of Ruth’s murder. The denouement and reveal of the murderer was a shock. But then I thought how did the murderer take off so much time from their busy and important job and not be missed? And the author never answered the question of who sent the poisoned bottle of wine to Aiden.
November 3, 2024
So Many Lies
The lies told by the teenagers about the events of a day when a young girl lost her life put the wrong guy in jail. Now years later another one of the liars ends up dead. One detective doesn't think it is a coincidence. It got murky with this reader trying to keep all the lies straight.
The lies told by the teenagers about the events of a day when a young girl lost her life put the wrong guy in jail. Now years later another one of the liars ends up dead. One detective doesn't think it is a coincidence. It got murky with this reader trying to keep all the lies straight.
November 5, 2024
The lies never end
Great story. Filled. With so many lies for so long the truth seemed like a lie. The story was entertaining and a mind exercise. The police made up a good group of characters but you couldn't say much for the shady characters of the group of coverup friends. The truth from the beginning would have seen justice fifteen years prior.
Great story. Filled. With so many lies for so long the truth seemed like a lie. The story was entertaining and a mind exercise. The police made up a good group of characters but you couldn't say much for the shady characters of the group of coverup friends. The truth from the beginning would have seen justice fifteen years prior.
February 5, 2025
another good whodunit. More of a procedural and less of a character story.
Lots of possibilities, lots of people and options to keep track of, good police work wins out
I had my ideas but was only close.
These are easy reads, logical, with some emotional entanglement in the characters and the whodunit, so it seems realistic.
It won't hurt you, people
Lots of possibilities, lots of people and options to keep track of, good police work wins out
I had my ideas but was only close.
These are easy reads, logical, with some emotional entanglement in the characters and the whodunit, so it seems realistic.
It won't hurt you, people
June 18, 2025
I haven't read anything in the reviews about the setting of this novel. I loved it. I love caves anyways and have visited many around the world. This one is perpetually wet. The moisture causes things to petrify. So when a body is found under the dripping, it looks like a statue. DI Winter must revisit folklore and a historic murder to figure out what happened and why.
October 20, 2025
A solid story, though a bit repetitious in the telling from different points of view. I did skip some chapters, as I didn’t want to read any details of the murder as individual characters were interviewed, etc.
I did appreciate that Meadows wasn’t your stereotypical detective with lots of boring broken backstory. A decent fellow with no quirks and a great team working with him.
I did appreciate that Meadows wasn’t your stereotypical detective with lots of boring broken backstory. A decent fellow with no quirks and a great team working with him.
November 25, 2025
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Andy Cresswell
Lies and silence surround the death of a 13 year old girl sending an innocent lad to jail for 16 years, now he’s out, is he out for revenge or is the real killer trying to make sure the secret stays hidden?
An overall good story with a likeable and sympathetic detective determined to find the truth.
Good narration from Andy Cresswell
Narrator: Andy Cresswell
Lies and silence surround the death of a 13 year old girl sending an innocent lad to jail for 16 years, now he’s out, is he out for revenge or is the real killer trying to make sure the secret stays hidden?
An overall good story with a likeable and sympathetic detective determined to find the truth.
Good narration from Andy Cresswell
September 27, 2021
Another great DI Meadows book.
Cheryl Rees-Price has done it again! As well as coming up with a really good case to solve, she gives us some interesting development of the DI and his colleagues.
Cheryl Rees-Price has done it again! As well as coming up with a really good case to solve, she gives us some interesting development of the DI and his colleagues.
October 24, 2021
Hate this group of books to end
These five books with this team led be Winter sure kept you guessing. Well
Written and hard to pit down till finished. Would enjoy more in this series
These five books with this team led be Winter sure kept you guessing. Well
Written and hard to pit down till finished. Would enjoy more in this series
November 25, 2021
Another good book
Another good book by Cheryl featuring Inspector Winter Meadows and the rest of his team. To help solve a current case he has also to review a historical one for which a person has served time. Well intertwined and linked it provides a good read.
Another good book by Cheryl featuring Inspector Winter Meadows and the rest of his team. To help solve a current case he has also to review a historical one for which a person has served time. Well intertwined and linked it provides a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews