The Lies Within is Jane’s third Will Jackman book, and the second book I’ve read this year with a location I’m very familiar with. This time it’s Market Harborough

The book starts with a brief prologue, showing Grace Daniels, on trial for murder, her family watching on from the gallery. We’re then taken back 10 months to find Will Jackman, who has a temporary promotion to Chief Inspector. Jackman finds himself seconded from his usual Stratford-upon-Avon base and working for the region, visiting neighbouring forces to review outstanding cases with a view to looking for links and streamlining methods of working. He’s looking at two cases, similar in their M.O., yet 9 years apart, when a body is found in rural Leicestershire. With the duty senior investigating officer already busy, Jackman finds himself thrust into a case that bears all the hallmarks of the two cold cases already on his desk. But with that opening prologue, we know this isn’t going to be a straightforward murder mystery.

This is another great book from Jane, with believable characters and a storyline that feels very real. Jackman’s personal life is just as complicated, and threads laid down in Beneath The Ashes develop further, but in a way that adds depth to the story, and doesn’t get in the way of it. And when I wasn’t really expecting one, there was a nice little reveal at the end.

Recommended.

Brilliant book. Well written and obviously well researched. Still have chills down my spine at the thought of someone being so convincing at pretending to be friendly and nice. The twists and turns in the plot are so well put together that the ending totally surprised me. I would definitely recommend this book and I will definitely be reading more books by Jane Isaac.

The Lies Within by Jane Isaac is the third in the DI Will Jackman series by Jane Isaac, and I enjoyed it as much or more than the previous books. Isaac manages to write intriguing police procedurals that keeping me engaged with her characters as I try to determine the what, why, and who of the mystery.

The prologue is a trial scene in the present, but Chapter One flashes back about 10 months. Jackman has been seconded to a neighboring district to review some adult sexual offence cases when the murder of a young woman occurs that has similarities to two of the cases he has been reviewing. Although he is not in his home district, he asks to be assigned to the case.

The victim is the nineteen-year-old daughter of Grace Daniels. Devastated, Grace's despair and depression worry her family; Grace, consumed by grief, can't seem to return to a normal life. A chance connection with an old acquaintance provides some support, and Grace is able to move away from her fugue state. It is clear from the beginning that this new relationship is problematic.

Isaac concentrated more on Grace Daniels than on DI Jackman in this book. However, a character from the last book puts an awkward spin on Jackman's role in Leicestershire, and I'm curious to know if the character will make an appearance in future books.

A clever plot and well-drawn characters make this third entry in this series a winner.

NetGalley/Legend Press

Police Procedural. May 2, 2017. Print length: 288 pages.

This is the third in Jane Isaac’s series starring DI Will Jackman and she continues her well-developed writing style with yet another intriguing and cleverly written plot. You should be hooked from the beginning of the book as her character Jackman just keeps getting better the more she writes.

Her series is only getting better with each book as evidence by the storyline in this one which was starting to feel a bit predictable but…One of the things I liked about this novel is that even when it started to feel a bit like you were going to figure things out Isaac managed to hold the frustration at bay by throwing in a shocker when the reveal time came so you still got to enjoy the element of surprise.

One of the more interesting things Isaac did with this which is what I believe enhances this particular book over the others is the way she beefed up the character of Grace Daniels so you get a wider viewpoint on what’s happening from a very different personality than Jackman. Her writing of Grace really pulls at the heartstrings and she is so clear about the anguish this woman is going through you feel a very real struggle of wanting to believe her but at the same time can you really believe that she isn’t the murderer she’s being accused of being? Isaac did a great job writing this so it feels like more than one voice is guiding the reader. I liked how she started with the prologue so you have a sense of where this story will take you and it’s actually interesting.

I would recommend starting this when you have a good block of time to devote because it’s not one where you can read a few pages/chapters, go about your life then come back, read some more, put it down again, etc. You’ll really want to dig in and devote your attention because once it gets going you’re not going to want to put it down and I think you’ll enjoy the story more overall with few interruptions. The pace is fairly quick with a great level of suspense so it shouldn’t feel like a chore devoting your time to another chapter of Jackman’s life.

Oh my! I never saw that ending coming. What a well written and very complex plot. I really could not put this book down. The third book in the D I Jackman series and definitely the best so far. A brilliant crime thriller and one to read. Many thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Legend Press for an advance copy of The Lies Within, the third Midlands based police procedural to feature DI Will Jackman.

The novel opens with Grace Daniels being tried for murder then flashes back 10 months to the start of the case. Acting DCI Will Jackman is bored as he's on special projects visiting neighbouring forces and reviewing outstanding cases of adult sexual offences. While in Leicestershire he is called out to a sexual assault and murder and jumps at the chance to investigate, adding it to the two cases he is already looking at. The victim, Jo Lambert, is Grace Daniels' daughter.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lies Within. It has a clever plot with some really good twists. I got to some of them a few pages before the characters but not by much so they are well disguised. I was glued to the pages as I tried to work out what was going on.

Grace's despair at her daughter's death is extremely well done. I could imagine how she was feeling and sympathise with her actions. Ms Isaacs brought her grief to life, her apathy, sense of helplessness and feelings of alienation from her family. There were times when I wanted to shake her and tell her to look after her surviving daughter, Lydia, but I think this is also natural and shows the power of the writing.

I also liked the fact that Jo's case slipped from the priority list, much to Jackman's annoyance, as other cases made demands on resources. It brought a sense of reality to the novel.

Apart from Grace the other characters are not strongly drawn. Even the protagonist, Will Jackman, is sketched rather than detailed but is developed enough to meet the demands of a plot driven novel.

The Lies Within is a good read so I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Grace Daniels is on trial for murder in the opening chapter of the 3rd DI Will Jackson mystery. Going back months earlier we find Grace in an emotional shutdown after the rape and murder if her oldest daughter. Her grief is too deep for her to cope with others and she practically lives in her daughter's bedroom, barely talking to her other daughter, her husband or the police. When she unexpectedly meets an old schoolmate, Faye, she finds herself drawn to the woman's kindness and understanding to the point of spending more and more time with her, even inviting her to stay with her and her family. When her husband falls ill and needs her care, she realizes how much she has neglected her family and asks her to go back to her own home. This causes a distinct cooling on Faye's part.
In the meantime a frustrated Will is no closer to solving the case, as well as grappling with problems in his personal life.
Suddenly there's a shocking discovery: Faye's dead body with a knife protruding from her neck. After delving into her background, which is quite a difficult task, they find a link between her and Grace that goes back further than highschool and results in Grace being arrested for murder.
In the following nightmarish months, Grace is shuttled from one prison to the other, waiting for her day in court.
This is an astute portrait of grief, mental illness and an eventual, heartbreaking choice as well as a cracking good mystery. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it (and the previous 2 in the series).
Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and Jane Isaac for the eARC.

A really well written, complex plot with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up to the conclusion

This is the third book in a series which I was not aware of before reading. However it did not stop me from enjoying the book. This was very well written and cleverly plotted. This is most highly recommended

Well it's been a while since I read a book in a day, but I couldn't tear myself away from this once I got a couple of chapters in. I have read the previous Will Jackman books and think he is a great character and this book has cemented that opinion. I was also relieved that Davies made an appearance in this one too. This was cleverly plotted and although I had a nagging feeling about who committed the murders I was still surprised and a bit shocked at the reveal.
This series is getting better book by book and I hope there are plenty more to come. My advice to anyone starting this book is to make sure they have no plans that can't be cancelled as it is truly unputdownable.

This is book three of what is swiftly becoming one of my favourite series, the main character probably being my favourite male cop. I said in my reviews for books one and two that I made a good connection with Will Jackman very early on and that relationship is still blossoming. He's not your stereotypical damaged cop, no alcohol addiction and not a womaniser. He does have his crosses to bear which mark him as a little bit damaged but not in the same way as many in his field. When we start this book, he is still recuperating from his injuries and finds himself in somewhat of a desk job, reviewing still open cases and consulting on methods with a point to making thing run smoother and more efficiently. He catches wind of a new case, the murder of young woman Jo Lambourne, a case that bears some resemblance to the cases he is currently reviewing and he asks to be reassigned as SIO on this new case as, with his background, he feels he is best placed to investigate. His request is reluctantly accepted.
We already know from the prologue that Grace Daniels is up in court for murder, the murder of her best friend, Faye. Who is she, who was her friend, why did she kill her... if indeed she is guilty? Then we find out that Grace is Jo's mother. Are the two cases connected, and if so, how?
As with previous books in the series, this was extremely well plotted. I am sometimes so impressed when I get to the end of a book, when all is revealed, exactly how much information I had actually been privy to throughout the book that I didn't think relevant at the time. This book had quite a few of these pointers that were so well presented, so in plain sight, that I just didn't twig how important they were. I don't think I'd make a very good investigator. But, when they all began to come out, as all the clues started to fit together, I could only sit back, nod and applaud the author. That said, I did guess the end a bit, I knew who but not why, again proving how rubbish a cop I'd make.
The characters were, as always, very well drawn. I really felt for Grace as she went through the pain of losing Jo. As the world as she knew it started to crumble around her. No stranger to death as she had already suffered a great loss in her life, she turns to a face from her past for succour. I did question this a little but then, sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger, someone outside it all, so I can see the attraction of the blossoming friendship between her and Faye and why she agreed to some of the things that subsequently happened.
The story itself gets along with itself quite nicely. Another thing I love about this author. There's enough description, background and scene setting to complement the story but not too much that it distracts from it. Another thing important to me in this genre of book is that the personal lives of the police don't encroach too much into the crime being investigated. Don't get me wrong, some personal stuff is necessary as it speaks to characterisation and character development but sometimes it can overshadow the main story. Here, we have a bit of Will's personal life. What is happening with his daughter and indeed the ongoing story of his wife but it is done in a balanced way. It speaks to his state of mind, his character, his decisions but doesn't get in the way of things.
And the ending... well, not saying anything as it would be a bit spoilery, but, yeah. I can understand the decisions and why they were made. But it will be interesting to see what others think.
All in all, another winner in an already great series. On tenterhooks for the next one now...

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

4 stars

This novel is somewhat of a departure from Jane Isaac’s earlier Will Jackman stories. This one tells the reader the story from Grace Daniels’ point of view as well as from the official police investigation point of view.

A young girl is found dead and naked one night. Acting DCI Will Jackman is in the district doing some research when the case comes in. He asks to be assigned to it and gets his wish. The young woman is the daughter of Grace Daniels. Upon learning of her death, Grace goes into deep mourning, cutting herself off from all others, including her family. The one exception seems to be her old friend Faye.

When another murder is committed the police suspect Grace. They go so far as to charge her and she is sent to trial.

Acting DCI Jackman is temporarily derailed by a personal crisis but rallies to attempt to help Grace. For he doesn’t believe she committed the second murder.

The murderer comes as a huge surprise.

This is a well written and plotted book. It is quickly paced and suspenseful. I really enjoy reading Jane Isaac’s novels and will continue to read them.

I want to thank Netgalley and Legend Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.

Grace Daniel's life is destroyed when her daughter’s body is found on a lonely country road. As what’s left of her family falls apart, Grace’s only solace is her old friend Faye, a woman she hasn’t seen in ages, but who seems to understand everything Grace is going through. DI Will Jackman has some misgivings about the old family friend but when another body is found, it’s Grace who looks guilty. Can Jackman, despite hs own personal problems, prove Grace innocent and find the real killer? This series is so good because Jackman is so very real and relatable