Lies to Tell (Detective Clare Mackay, #3) By Marion Todd

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…

Early one morning DI Clare Mackay receives a message from her boss DCI Alastair Gibson telling her to meet him in secret. She does as he asks and is taken to a secure location in the remote Scottish hills. There, she is introduced to ethical hacker Gayle Crichton and told about a critical security breach coming from inside Police Scotland. Clare is sworn to secrecy and must conceal Gayle’s identity from colleagues until the source is found.

Clare already has her hands full keeping a key witness under protection and investigating the murder of a university student. When a friend of the victim is found preparing to jump off the Tay Road Bridge it is clear he is terrified of someone. But who? Clare realises too late that she has trusted the wrong person. As her misplaced faith proves a danger to herself and others, Clare must fight tooth and nail to protect those she cares about and see justice done.

A page-turning crime thriller perfect for fans of Alex Gray, D. K. Hood and Rachel Amphlett.

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DI Clare Mackay #3

Clare has stayed in St. Andrews while Geoff has taken the job in America. DCI Alistair Gibson tells Clare that they need to go to a secret location. 5his is where we first meet ethical hacker Gayle Crichton. He later gets an office at Clare's station to investigate leaks within police Scotland. Clare is told to trust no one and that there could be bugs in her office, car etc. Alongside this and her team are trying to protect Tamsin Quinn who is giving evidence against her husband. Then there's the two Swiss students who have both separately disappeared.

Marion Todd is quickly climbing my favourite authors list. Each new book gets better than the previous one. I love her descriptive style in writing. The story is told from Clare's perspective. The plotline is complex, with plenty of twists and it kept my interest throughout. The pace is fast in this thrilling read. There's also a bit of a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next installment to find out the outcome. I highly recommend this series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Canelo and the author Marion Todd for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Kindle Edition It's always a pleasure to dive into Marion Todd's series set in the beautiful St Andrews featuring DI Clare Mackay. The first two books were solid procedurals and this one is no different with something a little different for Clare to sink her teeth into. This time she had three investigations to supervise and all three were tough. A breach in security, keeping a witness safe and a murder investigation. But were they all linked?

After her sculptor boyfriend Geoffrey Dark took the opportunity to take up a position in Boston in America, Clare found herself wondering if he had also moved on. His communication was either cryptic or self-absorbed which left her questioning if they still had a future. But there was no time to ponder. A brief text message from her boss DCI Alistair Gibson averted her thoughts to the present. They have been summoned to a secret and secure location in the highlands by ethical hacker Gayle Crichton due to a security breach within Police Scotland. Faced with the formidable problem, Clare and Alistair are to keep the meeting secret and to discuss it with no one.

Under the guise of setting up a new comms system, Gayle is installed at Clare's station in St Andrews to monitor activity and identify the source of the leak. Under no circumstances is Clare permitted to reveal the real reason she is there or discuss it with anyone. Should she ignore the warning, her career could be over. Trust no one means TRUST NO ONE! For anyone, even those closest to her, could be the leak.

As they are returning to St Andrews, both lost in their own thoughts, Alistair receives word that a protected witness' location has been compromised and they divert via Perth to collect her. Tamsin Quinn, wife of criminal weapons supplier Phil Quinn, has agreed to testify at the upcoming trial against her husband in exchange for immunity. Hence her being kept in a safe house out of harms way. But it seems Phil's right hand man, Paddy Grant, has discovered where she's been hiding and now they must move her to another safe house. This time on Clare's patch in St Andrews. Clare didn't even know they had a safe house in St Andrews but Alistair informs her they have them everywhere.

For Tasmin's protection, Clare takes her back to the nick until the new safe house has been cleared and ready for her where a distraught student is trying to report his friend missing. But before he can give them any more information, he scarpers leaving the desk sergeant scratching his head. Then Clare is called to a suspicious death is Craigtoun Park where she finds a young man who had been beaten before being strangled though with little blood at the site it is clear he died elsewhere. Police on scene found his ID which revealed him to be the young man Johannes the student back at the station had been trying to report missing. At least he had left his name before his disappearing act, so Clare and her DS, Chris West, head over to his flat to see if they can question him further. But upon arrival, they discover the student Marek has not returned and has seemed to have disappeared completely. A search of his room reveals £1,000 stuffed into a pair of boots, which is a lot of cash for any student to have. But a search of the dead boy Johannes' room throws up nothing but a few expensive items that he had been in no position to pay for himself. And soon Clare and her team find themselves thrust into an investigation of money laundering using unsuspecting students to move the money around.

In the midst of juggling three investigations, Clare still manages to find time to wind down at her newly purchased cottage in a more rural area of St Andrews. She has no one but her beloved bull terrier Benjy to come home to, who she rescued at the end of her first case after moving to St Andrews a year ago, and together they enjoy walks in the crisp fresh air. In her downtime, she finds herself wondering what's really happening with Geoffrey as he appears to have made plenty of new friends in America. But she also finds herself growing closer to Alistair, who was once a thorn in her side, and the pair enjoy a quiet evening together before taking things upstairs. Thoroughly confused as to what this means for her and Geoffrey, Clare throws herself back into the investigations as Gayle reveals her work in St Andrews is almost complete. Does that mean she's found the source of the breach? And would she tell her if she had?

With her eye on several balls at once, Clare suddenly finds herself thrown into the deep end without a life-jacket with a serious error made on an invoice for police services for £8,000 instead of the £80,000 it was meant to be as her past comes back to haunt her once again, leaving her fighting for her life. Will Clare's career come to a grinding halt as a result of the error? Or will it be too late for her to save herself?

What a delightful addition to this series as Marion Todd keeps us on our toes throughout. And while I had several suspects lined up as the breach, she completely hoodwinked me on that score. I didn't see it coming but when it did, it all made perfect sense. It was wonderful to meet up with the team again and of course the lovable Benjy. So glad nothing happened to him either!

While this is a series, LIES TO TELL works just as well as a standalone and can be read without having read the first two as Todd gives us enough backstory to keep readers in the loop. However, if you want to delve further, then I recommend starting from the beginning which is always preferable with regards to a series.

A fast paced book, LIES TO TELL takes us on a merry chase with not but three investigations and storylines as we try to work out how they all link together...if at all. When the ending comes, each of the mysteries are tied up nicely however readers are left with cliffhanger regarding Clare's personal life. Which I found frustrating...lol

A solid police procedural, LIES TO TELL is an enjoyable read that I read almost in one sitting...but I needed sleep. I love the St Andrews setting, although I've never been there, I feel as if I am and it makes a pleasant change from the bigger cities like Glasgow, London or Newcastle.

I look forward to seeing what's in store next for Clare and her team, as well as for Clare personally.

Recommended for fans of crime fiction and police procedurals.

I would like to thank #MarionTodd, #NetGalley and #Canelo for an ARC of #LiesToTell in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
Kindle Edition This is the third book in the DI Clare Mackay series. She and her team work out of St. Andrews under the direction of her boss, DCI Alastair Gibson. This police procedural is quite complicated with 3 separate situations that Clare is juggling. The first has Clare hauled off to a super secret bunker where she's informed that an ethical hacker has been engaged to identify leaks coming from her station. The second involves Clare monitoring the safety of a critical witness in a trial concerning a gangster connected to gun running. The third is the investigation into the murder of a student and the disappearance of his friend. She's extremely busy but not so much that she hasn't time to be concerned about her love life. NO SPOILERS.

This was a quick read that follows the typical crime thriller detective formula. Although not particularly suspenseful or grisly, I have followed this series from the beginning and didn't want to miss this one. I didn't find this to be as compelling as the 2 previous installments, but certainly the descriptions of the Scottish setting are interesting. There's the requisite scene where Clare's life is in danger and soon enough the conclusion comes with Clare having a dilemma, not in her professional life, but in her personal one. Im sure I'll want to continue the series but hope for a more exciting set of cases next time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for this e-book ARC to read and review. Kindle Edition DI Claire was back and I was a happy bird. This time she had three investigations to supervise and all three of them were tough. A breach in security, keeping a witness safe, and a murder investigation. Were they all connected was the first question in my mind.
Mariod Todd was quite clever in the way she twisted the tale and kept me in my toes. I loved how the book kept the suspense going. It was face paced where the prose revealed nothing right till the end.
Overall, it was a fun read. Kindle Edition 3.5 stars

I am fond of this series set in St. Andrews, Scotland. Clare is a DI who is very good at her job but in this one proves she is human. I like that. She often rules by her instinct and in this one it proves to be a hindrance not a help. To be fair she has a lot on her plate. She is pulled into a top secret place and introduced to a person who says the police have a major leak and she is going to set up headquarters in Clare's station. Clare is ordered to say nothing to anyone.

If that's enough, she is also assisting in guarding a witness in a major trial and her boyfriend has moved to America. If that's not enough her supervisor has developed a crush on her and there's a big problem in invoicing expenses. She is trying to juggle it all and care for her really cute dog and autistic nephew.

This was a fast moving book that kept me interested from beginning to end. I continue to like this series and look forward to the next one as this ended on quite a cliff hanger. Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange or a fair review. Kindle Edition

Once again, I find myself dropping into a series midstream. But there were so many high ratings for this book, I had to request it. And I had no trouble reading this as a stand alone.
I took to DI Clare Mackay as she enjoys her cottage and her dog. But she finds herself in a predicament as her newly separated boss seems to want to get friendly. She also finds herself in a predicament at work. She’s brought in to not one, but two, top secret investigations. The first is the search for a security breach within the department. The second is to keep safe a key trial witness. And on top of them, she’s got a murder investigation of a university student.
This was a fast paced book and Todd led me on a merry chase trying to keep up with the three different storylines. I enjoyed all three of the main characters - Clare, her DS, Chris and her DI, Alistair. Clare is smart, but she’s not infallible. And while Todd ties up all the various mysteries, she leaves us with a cliffhanger regarding Clare’s personal life.
This was a very enjoyable police procedural. The St. Andrew's setting was well defined and I could feel myself there. Another series I’ll be following and fingers crossed I can find time to read the first two books.
My thanks to netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy of this book. Kindle Edition DI Clare Mackay #3

Clare has stayed in StAndrews while Geoff has taken the job in America. DCI Alistair Gibson tells Clare they need to go to a secret location. This is where we first meet ethical hacker Gayle Crichton. She later gets an office at Clare's station to investigate leaks within police Scotland. Clare is told to trust no one and that there could be bugs in her office, car, etc. Alongside this, Clare and her team re trying to protect Tamsin Quinn who is giving evidence against her husband. Then there's the two Swiss students who both separately disappear.

Marion Todd is quickly climbing my favourite authors list. Each new book gets better than the previous one. I love her descriptive style in writing. Thenstory is told from Clare's perspective. The plotline is complex, with plenty of twists and it kept my interest throughout. The pace is fast in this thrilling read. Theres also a bit of a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next installment to find out the outcome. I highly recommend this series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Canelo and the author Marion Todd for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Kindle Edition Lies to Tell is the third book in the DI Clare Mackay series by author Marion Todd.

After only two books, one already knows the main question when opening a new DI Mackay story is how unlucky she’ll get at the DCI lottery this time around. The new DCI is actually a returning Alistair Gibson from the first book, which is actually a step up. DCI Gibson has been humbled, personally and professionally, and makes for quite interesting character development.

The first two books were solid police procedurals, and one might start reading the third one expecting the same. However, the series changes in tone as Lies to Tell rather starts in a thriller mood. DCI Gibson summons Clare Mackay to a meeting at a secret facility in which they’re sworn to secrecy, and informed there is a mole in Scotland Police, leaking information to criminals. An ethical hacker, Gayle Crichton, is going to take residence in DI Mackay’s station in order to try and flush them. Moles and computer whizz. This is very « 24 ». This thriller tone is reinforced when DCI Gibson and DI Mackay are involved in moving and protecting a threatened witness, who has to testify in a major arms dealing case DCI Gibson has been working, and whose location has, coincidentally, been leaked to the perp’s accomplices.

In the middle of all this unusual hectic activity, a body drops. A student whose disappearance had been reported to the station shortly before. The classic police procedural steps make a comeback, still intertwined with the tension, and the atmosphere of suspicion, brought by the other plot points.

It’s nice to see a series throwing its characters into new uncharted territory so soon after debuting, and it bodes well for the future, as the plot points are all engaging and brought to very satisfying conclusions.

Marion Todd keeps up on our toes, this time around. When you think you have guessed something, unexpected plot twists, at unexpected times, flip over the tables, sending the story in a new direction.

In spite of all these happenings, there is still time to keep up with the lives of the main and supporting cast, in an always appreciated classic British (Scottish) police drama fashion.

Lies to Tell is another great entry in this series and, with three great books as a start, I can’t wait to see what will come next.


Thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for the ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.


Review of book one : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Review of book two : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Kindle Edition Marion Todd has delivered an excellent third novel in her DI Clare MacKay series in LIES TO TELL. This novel opens with Clare being whisked to a secret building by her DCI Alistair Gibson, with whom she has a bit of a rocky past. At the previously unknown bunker, Clare is confronted by a woman who reveals she is an ethical hacker and has been assigned the task of tracking a leak within Police Scotland. She is to be given space in Clare’s building and under no circumstances is Clare to reveal her true reason for being there. As they are returning to Clare’s precinct, the DI’s phone alerts them to the fact the location of a witness in protective custody within Clare’s district has been compromised. Clare, who was unaware of the witness prior to this, is both angry about not being notified and concerned about the witness’ safety. DCI Gibson does his best to explain the reasons behind the cloak and dagger, and Clare is swept up into several conspiracy threads. On top of the unknowns Clare is tracking, a young man enters the precinct to report a missing friend, but leaves prior to his report being taken. Before the investigation can begin in earnest, the young man goes missing, unexplained money is found at his location and later in the room of his missing friend and Clare is off and running on an investigation into money laundering, using students to move the money.
Todd does an excellent job of placing the reader in the proper place and time so that it is easy to follow the separate threads. She also gives just enough history to help the readers remember how various secondary characters relate to Clare and to each other. The result is a book that stands alone and can easily be read without having read the first two in the series and equally enjoyed by readers of the first two books who are curious about where this third installment is going to take the secondary stories.
There are several twists that, while not unexpected as to what was going to happen, were nonetheless unexpected as to the why. Regardless of whether or not the reader has “figured out” the twists, the ending resolutions are completely satisfying and leave the reader frustrated only with how long they have to wait for the next book in the series. A solid police procedural with excellent secondary characters and just enough secondary activity to round out the story make this a top notch book. My thanks to Canelo Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital reader copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kindle Edition DI Clare MacKay is now based at St Andrews on the Scottish coast, north of Edinburgh. Clare and her boss DCI Alistair Gibson are summoned to a secret and secure location by ethical hacker Gayle Crichton as there’s a security breach at Clare’s station and Gayle will be brought in under a different guise to monitor activity. Additionally, there’s an important court case soon to take place in Edinburgh and they have to keep a key witness free from harm in a safe house and as if that isn’t enough in your plate there’s a missing university student. A week in the life of a detective!

First of all, this is well written and the story flows effortlessly. There are few frills and unnecessary detail, it’s straightforward, to the point storytelling with a good plot. It’s very easy to read and there are plenty of twists and turns with moments of tension, suspense and excitement. The characters are good, many are likeable and can be easily imagined. I like that the storyline is interspersed with various characters issues, worries or problems such as Clare’s on/off relationship with Geoffrey Dark and Al Gibson’s marriage difficulties which makes it feel realistic. My only negative is maybe Clare could have gone on a bit less about how her new Mercedes is her pride and joy!!!!!

Overall, a very enjoyable read in a good setting with believable characters, a plausible plot and an interesting and at times, exciting storyline.

With thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC. Kindle Edition