A great read with believable characters. It had me gripped throughout. I would love to read more by Gretta in the future.

This was a page turner.

Detective Inspector Siv Drummond is facing demons of her own. Just back and on her first day, two murders come up. Seemingly random the two victims found close to each other by a river in an isolated spot are not connected to each other at all. One a young woman a nursery school teacher and the other a Polish immigrant working as a carpenter.

One link which is that Lauren one of the victims is a conservationist and objected to a signboard put up near the river which stated that no Poles allowed fishing in this area brought on her ire and she did clash with the angling club over this. But this did not connect her to the other victim in any way.

Upto the detectives to connect the dots in this seemingly inexplicable murder is not easy.

All the suspects seem to have something to hide. All of them provide false information and false alibi for the time of the murders. They give seemingly worthless information which send the detectives on a wild goose chase, but within the rubbishy conversation the DI knows that there will be one careless slip and something will be of use.

This was one of those where I never had a clue as to who the murderer was till the very end. The story and reasoning was convoluted and sick but very feasible and believable. It reiterates the fact that psychiatrists will never go out of business!

Fast paced, energetic with a good bunch of characters and descriptive surroundings this is a good one.

Whilst this is a well written novel it is quite unoriginal and not as compelling as previous books I've read from this author.

In 2018, I read two books by Gretta Mulrooney and enjoyed them, so when NetGalley offered the first in a new series by Mulrooney, I was pleased.

DI Siv Drummond, still grieving over the loss of her husband, finally decides to get back to work. Her new job thrusts her immediately into a double murder, and she hopes she is ready.

A photo of a child left on one of the bodies provides the only clue. The killer left no other evidence for Siv and her team to work with. The interviews with the husband of the murdered woman and and her coworkers leave questions and quite a few interviews are interspersed with lies or omissions.

In much the same way as the previous books I've read in Mulrooney's other series, These Little Lies focuses on the investigation, the interviews, the lies and deceptions. Mulrooney also begins developing the characters that will carry into the next Siv Drummond book--a nice beginning to a new series.

NetGalley/Joffe Books
Police Procedural. Nov. 5, 2019. Print length: 284 pages.

Detective Inspector Siv Drummond is widowed following a tragic accident involving her husband. With everything in London reminding her of the past, she moves from a high-profile squad with the Met to a new job as DI in Berminster.

had high hopes for this book after reading the blurb and wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoyed this book. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot and numerous suspects who you know are not being truthful to the Police. Which makes you wonder what are they keeping back and why.

I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC for my honest review.

This is the first in a new series featuring DI Siv Drummond and it successfully left me wanting to learn more about this character. The writing was really good, as the reader was introduced to Siv and there was plenty of suspense. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

A new detective for me. An interesting and gripping storyline involving the Polish community after a murder of one of there own. As the story unfolds it reveals that these crimes where in fact revenge based over events in the past. Good story, don’t miss this one.

A few months after the loss of her husband, and relocating to her small hometown, DI Siv Drummond is looking forward to a much less stressful job. What she gets on her first day is two dead bodies.

A young man and older woman were found stabbed to death next to the river. A child's picture is placed on the woman's chest.

Siv is lead investigator, working with a team she's not familiar with. The woman was just reported missing a few hours earlier by her husband. There has been no report on the man. Eventually when both have been identified, the real work begins.

Who wanted these people dead? Who is the child in the picture? How are they all connected? They seem to have nothing in common.

Questioning the families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors reveal conflicting opinions, especially of the woman. One by one suspects or those of interest are eliminated .. others seem to have secrets covered up with lies.

While Siv is trying to solve this crime, she is also trying to earn the respect of her team. Not easy when one of her superiors would rather have someone else in her position. Can she convince them she's got what it takes?

This is a new series by this author featuring a strong female lead who is tenacious in her search for justice for her victims, but also closure for the families.

This is more a suspenseful mystery rather than a fast-faced thriller. The suspense starts on the very first page and doesn't let up until the surprising and unpredictable ending. The author has skillfully defined the characters, lending credibility to the story line. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This is the first book in the series
The plot was written very well. It was fast paced, filled with twists and turns and it was gripping.
There was a backstory about DI Drummond and her family. I really warmed to her.
I had no idea who the killer was and was shocked at some of the revelations in the story.
This was an interesting and well written crime novel. I recommend it to anyone who likes police procedural books.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series

4 stars

DI Siv Drummond is a new character for Ms. Mulrooney. Siv is trying to recover from the hardship of the death of her husband and joins a new force in a new town after a several month leave from policing.

Siv's team is called to the scene where two murders have occurred. It appears that the man and woman died near the same time and the same weapon was used on both. Did they know each other?

So the investigation begins with several dead ends and apparently gets nowhere fast. Siv's new boss, who has a grudge against her already, is not happy at the lack of progress.

I liked the officers on Siv's team. They seem competent and dedicated. I liked Siv too. She wasn't so caught up in her recent trauma that she couldn't do her job. I liked her attention to detail and her reliance on using her intuition.

Ms. Mulrooney does a fine job of constructing and telling a good story. Her writing is easy to follow and that makes the pages fly by. Her characters are very life-like and sufficient information is given to flesh them out, but not so much that it intrudes on the storyline.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Detective Inspector Siv Drummond #1

DI Siv Drummond is currently lining in a Gypsy caravan in Sussex. It's her first day in a new job and the day does not start off well. Two bodies have been found in the woodland. The bodies, a man and a woman found separately, have been stabbed. The womans body had a photograph of a child. Who is the little girl? Why was the photo left there?

This is the first book in a new series. Siv is just back at work after mourning the death of her husband. There are numerous suspects who are all harbouring secrets and lies. There are lots of twists in the plotline. The story is told from several points of view. It's a bit slow in unfolding. I couldn't quite take to Siv. Maybe because she is still in mourning, but she came across as a bit off a wet blanket. This book does show potential for what could still come in the future.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author Gretta Mulrooney for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this ARC,

First book I’ve read by this author and her first in a new series featuring a new character, DI Siv Drummond. I had high hopes for this book after reading the blurb and wasn’t disappointed. I really, really enjoyed this book, it started off with DI Drummond starting a new job after the death of her husband and returning to an area where she spent some of her teenage years. She had to hit the ground running on her first day by beginning an investigation into two murders. I felt the story was written really well, if flowed effortlessly and was fast paced, thrilling and grabbed and held my attention right from the start. There are lots of twists and turns in the plot, numerous suspects who you know are not being truthful to the Police - this made me wonder what are they keeping back and why. I had no idea who the killer was and was shocked towards the end by a few reveals. Very likeable lead character with back story who had a good working rapport with her new team. I had a lot of empathy for her. Would definitely read a second book about DI Drummond, and I’d recommend this to those who like Police procedurals.

I enjoyed this gripping and entertaining novel. The mystery is solid and well written, the cast of characters fleshed out.
The plot kept me guessing and I loved the twists and turns.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

These Little Lies is quite aptly named. This, as most of the characters have secrets and lies that they do not want to divulge.

DI Siv Drummond has been on bereavement leave for 6 months following her husband's death. She returns to work in Berminster, and is thrown into a double murder case on her first day back to work. She is assigned DS and DC - Ali & Patrick, respectively.

A woman and a man are both found dead of stab wounds at Lock Lane. As Siv becomes more acquainted with the case she finds that there are hard feelings between the local club and the Polish/Eastern European people who fish at this spot. Also the conservationists have a word or two on the matter.

A number of people are possible suspects and Gretta Mulrooney writes them up wonderfully! Her creative mind is easy to follow yet the puzzle that unfolds is truly a work of art. The characters are well depicted and the story does not lag or stagnate, A perfect beginning to a series that I definitely look forward to!

Many Thanks to Joffee Books and NetGalley for a very good read!

As soon as I read that this takes place in England, I was out. I am not a fan of books set in England.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
I loved this first in the DI Siv Drummond series, may there be many more to follow.
Siv, starting her new job, has immediately caught the case of two murders. One is a young woman and the other a young man, both in the same area on the bank of a river and both stabbed by scissors.
Siv is still mourning the death of her husband and nervous about being able to do a good job. Ali, who is her second in command, is a good, cheerful man who lifts her spirits...she feels she can trust him and that he has her back. The investigation is slow going, a tough one to crack with the likely suspects all falling by the wayside. A photo of a young girl was left by the female victim, Lauren, but who is the little girl, why was her photo left there?
Lauren at first sounded like a sweet woman, but became a character who seemed quite annoying.
I very much liked Siv and Ali and the mystery was a treat, really well written and absorbing, couldn't put the book down, but tried to read slowly...didn't want it to end. It's great having a book that you can't wait to get back into. Highly recommended and am very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Returning to Berminster after the death of her husband Di Siv Drummond is theown headfirst into a double murder on her first day on the job, not quite the quiet place she remembers

Thoroughly enjoyed

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of These Little Lies, the first novel to feature DI Siv Drummond, set in Berminster, Sussex.

After the death of her husband Siv leaves The Met to return to her childhood home of Berminster but it’s not the quiet backwater she envisages as she’s called out to a double murder on her first day. Lauren Visser and Matis Rimas have been found stabbed to death in a local woodland. With so many of the witnesses being economical with the truth Siv and the team have their work cut out.

I thoroughly enjoyed These Little Lies which is a good procedural with several twists and a well concealed motive and perpetrator. It is told from various points of view but as these are almost all on the investigative side they are not distracting and offer a wider perspective on how the investigation is progressing. It is a slow unravelling of facts and secrets rather than fast paced action but it is no less gripping for it. I like this way of storytelling as it gets the reader involved and allows them to guess along with the team although this particular reader was clueless and found the reveal to be surprising, just as it should be.

I’m not yet convinced about Siv Drummond as a protagonist. She’s a bit dreary in this novel, constantly wrapped in grief and distinctly unsociable. It’s probably realistic but it doesn’t make for good reading. On the other hand she seems like a smart operator, able to think through the evidence and stand up for herself. I would like to see more of her in this mode.

These Little Eyes is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

A well written and absorbing book. A DI with a past and hopes for the future. DI Siv Drummond is living in a little gypsy caravan in a meadow, near the sea in Sussex. Idyllic, for her first day in her new job she picks up a double murder - and a boss who wanted his protégé to get the job. Not so idyllic.

Enjoyed it immensly - read it in one day, ignoring all else.

I read a free advance review copy. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

3.5 stars

The first in the series can often be a difficult thing... you've got to set up the scenes and the characters.
This one did it well... I liked our three main characters,all of whom come with baggage,but I didn't feel was being shoved down my throat.
A double murder on your first day at work isn't ideal,but you hit the floor running,and pretty much didn't stop till the end.
No obvious suspects until some digging starts to reveal secrets left right and centre.
Really enjoyed this book,a decent pace,and good characters.
A few too many mentions of akvavit,but we can forgive that.
Looking forward to seeing where it's going next.