Liars Island

T. Orr Munro 

STILL reeling from her teenage daughter’s narrow escape from a sadistic killer, experienced crime scene investigator Ally Dymond is plunged into a new case on an island that holds unhappy memories for the Devon-based murder expert.

And when she becomes trapped on the remote island during the investigation, Ally discovers that it’s not the notoriously dangerous coastline she should fear but the murderous intent of the people who live there.

Stiffen the sinews and summon up the blood because T. Orr Munro – who trained as a CSI and knows exactly what goes on behind the police crime scene tape – is back to thrill and chill us with the third book of her atmospheric and dazzlingly authentic debut crime series set in the dark corners of a windswept seaside town called Bidecombe. And Liars Island certainly lives up to both its name and readers’ expectations as Munro (pictured below) harnesses her forensic experiences, and work as a police and crime journalist, on this fast-moving, heart-pounding, ‘locked island’ thriller which sees the maverick CSI on an emotional rollercoaster as she battles to dig out the truth surrounding a young man’s death.

Situated off the North Devon coast, Drogan Island, known to the locals as Liars Island, is home to only a few inhabitants. The rugged coastline has a history of smuggling and shipwrecks, but there has never been a murder… until now.

When the body of Kieran Deveney – son of wealthy hotshot property developer Hilton Deveney – is found in a bay called the Devil’s Cauldron, it sends shockwaves through the close-knit community.  And when the hunt for the killer gets under way, two locals confess to the crime. Each claims they acted alone, and neither can be convicted while the other stands by their story… so which one of them is telling the truth?

CSI Ally Dymond arrives to uncover the evidence that could crack the case. It’s an uncomfortable assignment for Ally… for very personal and painful reasons, she long ago removed the name of the island from her vocabulary ‘as an act of self-preservation.’ And when she reluctantly returns to the island, what she finds is a place awash with secrets. As a fierce storm closes in, and with the identity of the murderer still in doubt, no one can leave the island. Ally and her fellow CSI Jake are now trapped but it’s not the treacherous weather that is Ally’s major concern, it’s the people she’s trapped with…

Munro sweeps readers into the fascinating world of crime forensics – and some revealing insider ‘tricks’ of the trade – as we witness Ally wading through a complex layer of lies, secrets and clues to track down the killer on an island that is shrouded in storm clouds, and dripping with menace.

And what a gripping journey it proves to be as the tension ratchets up to danger level and conscientious, resourceful Ally – with the help of sidekick Jake – juggles the pressures and perils of her job with unsettling events in her past and her ongoing struggle to keep her difficult relationship with daughter Megan on track.

Add on Munro’s top-class plotting, a claustrophobic sense of unease, an intriguing list of suspects, a nail-biting finale with a gut-punch twist, all set against the alluring backdrop of an island mired in secrets, and you have crime writing at its page-turning best!
(HQ, paperback, £9.99)