The Girl Who Lied is the book one in the Chief Maggie Riley series and my first time reading the author’s work. I picked this one up as I am always on the lookout for a good police procedural, and The Girl Who Lied promised a gripping and suspenseful tale.
The woods are hiding more than Chief Maggie Riley could ever imagine. Including her own worst nightmares… I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.
Title: The Girl Who Lied
Author(s): Shannon Hollinger
Series: Chief Maggie Riley #1
Also in this series: The Shadow Girl, Their Angel’s Cry , One Little Sigh
Published by Bookouture on August 2, 2023
Pages: 298
Genre(s): Mystery
Source: Publisher
Format: eArc 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating: 
Series Rating:
There’s a blood moon rising over the tiny Maine town of Coyote Cove. Chief Maggie Riley is driving home ahead of a storm when she comes across the body of a man, blood seeping from stab wounds into the damp forest floor. And Heather, a local teenage girl, standing terrified, a silent scream on her lips, beside him.
Maggie, a redheaded decorated former homicide detective and more than over-qualified for a two-horse-town police chief, has been hiding from her past for three years. The quiet of Coyote Cove was everything she needed after… what happened. But with this murder, the life she left behind has found her. The townspeople believe Heather—already an outcast, and an easy suspect—is the killer, but Maggie isn’t convinced. To uncover the truth, Maggie must use the skills, and contacts, of her former world, however painful that will be.
As Maggie digs into the victim’s background, she is horrified to unearth another body, this time an infamous local, as callously killed as the first. But Heather’s in custody; there’s no way she could be the culprit, and Maggie’s investigation turns to the townspeople. Who has a secret so dangerous they’d kill twice to keep it hidden?
Then Heather goes missing. The race to identify the murderer is now a race to save Heather. As the search turns to the woods, the hunt is on for the killer so skilled, so twisted, no one knows how many bodies it will take before they’re found. And whether one of those will be Heather’s…
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About Shannon Hollinger
With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too. Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture. Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Haha, yes, I find some mysteries to get more into thriller territory and some thrillers to be almost as tame as a cozy mystery. Interesting how that happens. Sounds like Maggie’s life is a deep mystery, too.
That small town Maine setting is always fun. Too bad this one ended up being so predictable. Still, Maggie does sound like an interesting character.
This is like catnip to me. I love that cover with the tree.
Despite not hitting the thriller/suspense mark, it does sound intriguing. Great review Nadene.
I enjoy crime procedural/mysteries. It doesn’t have to be one that keeps me on the edge of my seat, just one that holds my attention. Glad to hear it was a good one!
Glad this ended up being a solid read for you here. I love that you were able to enjoy this one. Sometimes mysteries and thrillers mix back and forth, which is very interesting to me.
Great review.
Sorry to hear that it wasn’t as thrilling or suspenseful as you had hoped.
I could see myself enjoying this one. It has been a while since I read a police procedural.