Do you love mysteries with great characters and real surprises?‘Collett is a wonderful writer, subtle, clever, strong on atmosphere and character.’ Yorkshire PostDISCOVER DETECTIVE TOM MARINER IN THIS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SERIESTwo teenagers go missing on the same day. Just a coincidence?They are from very different backgrounds: Yasmin is the talented, grammar-school-educated daughter of devout … Yasmin is the talented, grammar-school-educated daughter of devout Muslim professionals. Ricky disappears after storming out of his council house after an argument with his mum’s latest boyfriend.
DI Mariner knows Ricky’s mother from his days in uniform. He is furious when his superiors take him off Ricky’s case and reassign him to the more politically sensitive investigation. The press — and his bosses — are convinced that Yasmin’s disappearance is a racially motivated abduction. Her family have been the target of a far right group.
But Mariner soon discovers that Yasmin is far from the innocent victim her parents think she is. Can he get to the bottom of a perplexing case where no one is what they seem?
Find out the answers in this crime mystery full of stunning twists and turns.
Perfect for fans of Peter James, Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson. This is the second book in the DI MARINER SERIES. More books coming soon!
What readers are saying about INNOCENT LIES
“You really are left guessing until the end.” Carole
“5 Stars – A gripping tale.” Barbara
“I will recommend to friends and family.” Viv
“This is a brilliant read . . . a page turner and cleverly thought out.” Misfits Farm
THE SETTING
Birmingham is a city of stark contrasts with a rich cultural and historical heritage. Playing a key role in the industrial revolution, it helped shape the nation’s manufacturing industry
But with its many green spaces, Birmingham also borders on the beautiful countryside of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, is just a few miles from Stratford on Avon and a short drive from the wild country of mid-Wales.
Birmingham’s population is large and ethnically diverse, and while urban regeneration has forged a modern and culturally vibrant city, the decaying remnants of the industrial past and 1960s concrete jungle give it a unique and gritty character; the dark underbelly policed by DI Tom Mariner and his team.
THE DETECTIVE
Detective Inspector Tom Mariner is, on the surface, an average dedicated policeman, but his experiences as a younger man have given him an insight into life on the dark side, and a clear sense of right and wrong. Mariner has little interest in material things. He lives in a modest canal-side cottage, enjoys the occasional (real) beer and game of dominoes and drives an old car. He is most at home in the outdoors, with an OS map and a compass, and in times of crisis, will take off and walk for miles in any weather.
THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “BLOOD OF THE INNOCENTS.”
DI MARINER SERIES
Book 1: Deadly Lies
Book 2: Innocent Lies
Book 3: Killer Lies
Book 4: Baby Lies
Books 5-7 coming soon!
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I thoroughly enjoyed Deadly Lies, the first DI Mariner story. I looked forward to reading this second outing, which dealt with the disappearance of Yasmin and Ricky, two teenagers from different ends of the social spectrum with nothing in common. Parental pressure ensured Yasmin’s case took precedence, which rankled with Mariner.
Progress was slow and frustrating for the detective with a lot of local politics and peer pressure hampering the investigation. It took some time for the investigation to gain any momentum with the discovery of a body. From here, the pace quickened with the discovery of another body and secrets that revealed another side to the victim, adding more doubt and suspicion into the mix.
Though well-written, with a lot of detail and emphasis on the relationship between the police and Yasmin’s family, the slow pace of the first half of the story left me feeling frustrated. Mariner’s relationship with Anna led was well-handled and interesting until he had an uncharacteristic lapse in behaviour that I found hard to believe.
Neither issue spoiled my overall enjoyment of a story that’s well-grounded and populated with interesting characters, relationships and conflicts.
I give this book four and a half stars. Loved emersing myself in Britain and watching the police do their best to track down a missing well educated girl while investigating the disappearance of a 15 year old boy, not from a great area. Oh yes, politics is involved…..do we expend the same amount of energy searching for a lower class boy with parents known to the police as for a girl from a wealthy family?
Tom M is back as the head detective, his officer Tory Knox, the new officer Millie and unfortunately a new person over all of them…..Fiske. Fiske is part of a generation of police that is always planning ahead….for his career.
Great procedural as you see the process involved in checking on missing people, interviews, checking out leads, walking the routes, alibis, and the lies we tell ourselves about our missing family members.
The lovely Yasmin, not dating, pruvate school, obeys her parents completely….or not. The young kid Ricky is reported gone by his mum and expects the same treatment as the Yasmin case. Ricky is a reader, a nerd and stays out of trouble but his family is well known by the cops.
You see the landscape as you walk the trails, the schools, the teaching staff and the parents. And these cases start to interconnect and cause everyone to rethink their ideas.
Fiske wants all the coverage on the girl and uses the incident to be in front of the press…..till things go belly up. Meanwhile Tom tries to connect the dots…..no real red herrings, just some parents in denial, some afraid of their own children’s behavior and Tom is losing sleep and maybe his girlfriend Anna.
Read this slowly and sip some tea while trying your best to solve the case of two missing kids from totally two different communities and nothing in common. The clues are there.