When Josie Welford settles in an idyllic West Country village she honestly believes she can bury her past. She becomes the licensee of the local pub, and becomes a thriving and welcome member of the community. That is until Inspector Nick Thomas, the man who put her husband in jail appears on the scene. But Nick has a new agenda and is no longer after Josie. In his new position as inspector for the Food Standards Agency, he convinces Josie to change her local suppliers, a far from popular move in the close-knit community. Almost immediately she finds herself ostracised and when the village vet disappears without a trace, Josie begins to wonder about the village and what its erstwhile friendly occupants are the hiding? Reluctantly, she finds herself having to turn to Nick in order to get to the bottom of the mystery.
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Editorial Reviews
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'The fresh and lively style of Judith Cutler's writing always appeals and I look forward to the next one' -- Bernard Knight
'An impressive skill, very enjoyable' -- Birmingham Post
'An impressive skill, very enjoyable' -- Birmingham Post
About the Author
Prize-winning short-story writer Judith Cutler is the author of two acclaimed series of crime novels set in Birmingham. The Dying series features amateur sleuth Sophie Rivers, while in her police procedural series Inspector Kate Power lives up to her name. One-time Secretary of the Crime Writers' Association, Judith has taught Creative Writing at Birmingham University, and has run occasional writing courses elsewhere. Now a full-time writer, she lives near Canterbury with husband and crime-writer Edward Marston.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"A lot of time the truth can hurt everyone.",
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This review is from: Where the Truth Lies (Paperback)
With its ironic and ambiguous title, this whodunit sets new standards for well developed, fast-paced writing, with complex mysteries within mysteries, and a setting which comes vibrantly alive both in time and place. Set in 1970s Hollywood, "a place where dirt gets a paint job," the story focuses on showbiz stars Lanny Morris and Vince Collins, partners in a hugely successful act, and once best friends, who have not spoken in thirteen years. The Collins/Morris breakup occurred shortly after a beautiful, red-haired woman was found drowned in a bathtub in their hotel room while they were doing a telethon, and narrator K. O'Connor, a brash and well-endowed journalist who is planning to write a biography of Vince Collins, believes that this death is at the root of their breakup.
As O'Connor investigates the victim, interviews Collins, meets with Morris and his attorneys (since Morris plans to write his own story), and flies from Hollywood to New York and Florida, author Holmes incorporates spot-on period detail to recreate the roiling world of high profile performers and the intensity of their high stakes lives. The uninhibited O'Connor will do just about anything to get close to her subjects, and her wryly cynical voice keeps the reader entertained with the story's shifts back and forth in time and location. Her willingness to flout convention and her refusal to become rattled by the escalating tension and threats to her safety provide humor at the same time that they show her to be smart and resourceful. As one may guess from the title, truth and lies sometimes overlap, and surprise after surprise unfolds for the reader as O'Connor finds herself making assumptions, being proved wrong, making new assumptions based on her discoveries, and finding those wrong, too. None of the characters are quite who they seem to be, and as Holmes's witty and lightning-fast dialogue reveals surprises, his background as a writer for stage and television and his mastery of pacing are obvious. One of the best mysteries in recent years, the story is beautifully crafted and filled with characters who seem realistic, despite their Hollywood facades and glitzy lives. Twists and turns occur throughout the book, not just at the conclusion, as Holmes alternates relatively quiet scenes with those full of action. Two "dinner scenes," each of which could compete with the famous banquet/seduction scene from 'Tom Jones,' add life and color, and the drug-taking and the uninhibited and sometimes graphic sex seem consistent with the lifestyles of the Hollywood stars and the casual values of biographer O'Connor. A masterfully executed mystery, filled with wit and excitement. Mary Whipple Swing: A Mystery Accomplice: A Comedy Thriller
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