Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear was an in interesting read. It took a while for me to get into the story, and there was a time I considered giving up on it. There was so much family drama, which I monopolized the story. However, I stuck with it, and I am glad I did, because the story got better and once it did, there was no turning back. I had to know who did it and why.
The author weaved a complex tale where we see the past colliding with the present. It goes to show that actions from our past always intertwine with our present. No matter how long it takes, your past will eventually catch up with you.
I found the mystery element quite intriguing, as the victim had many secrets and she was no saint, hence there were several suspects, with her husband being the main one. DCI Cat Kinsella, the protagonist, strongly believes her father knows something about the murder based on his association with the victim 18 years ago. The question is does he know more than he lets on or is it sheer coincidence.
The mystery took a turn I never expected. I will not be going into details, but I will say this much it has a connection to an old case.
Cat proved to be a rather complex character with daddy issues. As a child, she worshiped her father, but the hero worship turned sour, when she caught him in what her eight-year-old mind considered a lie. As an adult, she was estranged from her father and her siblings. However, the current case led to opening of old wounds and she finds herself confronted with the pain from her past.
She has a good relationship with her colleagues, however with this current case; she is not truthful with them. They have no idea she and her family are connected to the victim. This added to the intensity of the story as I kept wondering what would happen if the truth came to light.
One can sometime tell the gist of a story based on its title. In Sweet Little Lies, most of the characters are liars. Lies permeated their lives, making them unreliable characters. One is never sure what to believe until the truth reveals itself.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Despite the slow start, Sweet Little Lies proved to be an interesting and complex mystery featuring characters that kept me on my toes.
In this gripping debut procedural, a young London policewoman must probe dark secrets buried deep in her own family’s past to solve a murder and a long-ago disappearance.
Your father is a liar. But is he a killer?
Even liars tell the truth… sometimes.
Twenty-six-year-old Cat Kinsella overcame a troubled childhood to become a Detective Constable with the Metropolitan Police Force, but she’s never been able to banish these ghosts. When she’s called to the scene of a murder in Islington, not far from the pub her estranged father still runs, she discovers that Alice Lapaine, a young housewife who didn’t get out much, has been found strangled.
Cat and her team immediately suspect Alice’s husband, until she receives a mysterious phone call that links the victim to Maryanne Doyle, a teenage girl who went missing in Ireland eighteen years earlier. The call raises uneasy memories for Cat–her family met Maryanne while on holiday, right before she vanished. Though she was only a child, Cat knew that her charming but dissolute father wasn’t telling the truth when he denied knowing anything about Maryanne or her disappearance. Did her father do something to the teenage girl all those years ago? Could he have harmed Alice now? And how can you trust a liar even if he might be telling the truth?
Determined to close the two cases, Cat rushes headlong into the investigation, crossing ethical lines and trampling professional codes. But in looking into the past, she might not like what she finds…
Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.
Follow Me
Latest posts by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading (see all)
23 responses to “BOOK REVIEW: SWEET LITTLE LIES by CAZ FREAR @CazziF #Mystery”
Lindy Gomez
I’m glad that despite the slow start this complex mystery picked up. I like the added intrigue of the characters being unreliable/liars. Great Review Nadene!
I’m glad that despite the slow start this complex mystery picked up. I like the added intrigue of the characters being unreliable/liars. Great Review Nadene!
Lindy@ A Bookish Escape
Great review. I’m not a lover of slow burn books so not sure if i’d of made it to the good bits.
I love books that make me NEED to get to the end!
Great review and it shows a slow start doesn’t always mean it’s a bad read. Thanks Nadene
When characters are liars, it is always interesting to see how everything will be solved
Thanks for the review! Sounds interesting.
Great review! Glad you enjoyed it.
I’m glad that this one grew on you. Sometimes mysteries do the same to me. They require time to really get up off the ground and get airborne.
Such a great review!
Thank you.
The mystery has me intrigued Nadene. Wonderful review!
Thanks, Kim. It is intriguing.
What an interesting premise for a book. Sounds good.
Glad it improved after a while. Yeah, sounds like there is a lot going on. I shy away from the family drama stuff, too.
Yes, there was a lot taking place. I don’t mind the occasional family drama, but this one had a bit too much for my taste.
Great Review! I’m glad this book picked up for you, the cover is beautiful.
I agree about the cover. Thanks for the visit.
Nice review. I like mysteries and so might give Sweet Little Lies a try.
Thank you, Jo. I hope you enjoy it if you get the chance to read it.
I was expecting YA from that title
I can see where you would have believed it was YA based on the title.
Glad you stuck with this one and ended up liking it in the end. Wonderful review!
Thanks, Kindlemom.