The Lying Kind is a police procedural thriller centred on the character of Rachel Prince, a late-thirty-something Detective Inspector assigned to review the case of Lola Jade Harper, a six-year-old girl abducted from her bed some months before and never seen since.
Rachel is an intriguing and intelligent woman, but at times her personal choices made me want to grit my teeth. From her avoidance of discussing a situation many years in the past to her decision to avoid a promising romantic prospect and instead conduct an affair with a married man, I struggled to like her even while I admired her professional dedication and detective ability.
Lola Jade’s case is very well done, there were some clever red herrings to throw the reader off the scent even though the threads were there all along to put the truth together, and I really didn’t see the twist coming. The police work was very well and realistically written - and frankly, the dysfunctional personal life of police officers was probably really good as well, but I still struggled to warm to Rachel. Since this is meant to be the first in a series with her as the central character, I think the author really needs to work on making her a little more someone the reader can empathize with. Four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.