Lies That Bind

by Stella Cameron

Lies That Bind is a complex mystery with strong threads. Throughout the book is the underlying story of Sid Gammage who struggles to support his two sons alone. Alex Duggins is the landlady of the pub The Black Dog, where all the locals gather to gossip in Folly-on-Weir, a village where little goes unnoticed.

Author Stella Cameron provides strong characters in Alex and her boyfriend Tony, the village vet, as well as Dan and Bill, tight lipped law enforcement agents who are sent to investigate a murder and end up with so much more. Cameron peoples her book with supporting figures who are interesting without being stereotypes. This is a good mystery that moves along quickly.  Although there are some personal aspects to the story, the suspenseful plot takes the lead. There is a surprise ending as a minor thread emerges assuming major importance.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: General Fiction (Adult), Mystery

Notes: #4 in the Alex Duggins Mystery Series, but worked well for me as a standalone

Publication:   June 1, 2017—Severn House

Memorable Lines:

The other man, going back and forth between Mr. Nice and something vaguely threatening, unnerved him.

Never mind the game of pass-the-parcel, this was the age-old copper pastime of pass-the-blame—to anyone farther down the food chain than you. Dan O’Reilly didn’t usually play that one but this time he had a list of inept culprits to skin.

A long arch of crooked branches, reaching for each other across the road, closed her in. The bicycle lamp bounced off one tree trunk after another in an eerie ballet that sucked her through a moving, low-light tube enclosed in darkness.