Rachel McKenzie is investigating what she thinks is a suspicious death on a remote island.
The deceased is a keen archaeologist who found a human bone, noted it in her nnotebook and now the notebook cannot be found.

A very intricate crime thriller. I really enjoyed the atmosphere that was described, and the descriptions of the weather and landscape were vivid.

I like Rachel, she is like a dog with a bone, she just does not give up, even when ordered to return home by her boss, she knows she can get to the bottom of the death that has occurred. She uncovers a lot more that is happening on the island at the same time.

The book is very suspenseful, although a little slow in the beginning.

This is a new author to me, and I can't wait for the second in the Rachel McKenzie series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

We are quickly introduced to a large cast of characters. I found it overwhelming at times, but in the end, everyone has their role and each one is needed for the story to come together. The author did a wonderful job going into detail of the landscape, making me feel like I was there. The characters were believable for a small town, where everyone knows everyone, and everyone is connected in some way.

Rachel is a lawyer who comes across a woman's death that has her thinking there’s more than what the coroner or police have listed. She travels to a small town in the Scottish Highlands to uncover the truth while facing her past and realizing the woman’s mysterious death is bigger than she ever imagined.

island-life, Scotland, local-law-enforcement, lies, secrets, cold-case, procedural, law-enforcement, lawyers, suspense, suspicion, twisty, unputdownable, currently-reading, murders, investigation, drug-trafficking, first-in-series, new-series*****

I really enjoyed learning how the terminology of the legal and policing systems in Scotland are differentiated. Rachel is what US calls a prosecution lawyer but has to do her own verification of police evidence and conclusions rather than affording a special investigator for the task. Police Scotland is the overarching collection of federal agencies, and 'locals is locals' everywhere. Add in that the action is on a relatively remote island awaiting a typhoon, and the situation rapidly becomes dire.
The secondary drama is her own life and also the problems within the local force (not to mention those with her boss).
The case in question is an apparently drowned woman known to be something of an amateur archaeologist. Rachel is simply not truly convinced that the case is as simple as presented. And she's right.
Her investigation is enhanced by one of the local constables, but it is definitely NOT simple. Loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

I really enjoyed this first crime thriller by Morag Pringle. I loved the setting and enjoyed her descriptions of the extremes of weather found on the beautiful islands of Uist. The story kept me captivated. It was quite a complicated plot and it took some keeping track of the different side stories of each of the characters and how they interacted with each other's family members. To my mind this made them much more realistic and believable. Despite this I did manage to guess the 'main man' but his side kick took me totally by surprise! I can't wait to read more of Rachel's story in the next book in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This was so good!!!!! I loved the creepy atmospheric setting along with beautiful descriptions of the wild landscape. The plot was excellent leaving me guessing up to the end while my blood pressure was raging up: the tension, suspense never let down! The only thing that bothered me a tiny bit was the fact that the main investigator had experienced (as in so many crime books) a trauma. At least it did not overwhelm the storyline. I am looking forward to reading more of the author' s books. Highly recommended!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Good read. A strong entry into the world of Rachel McKenzie. I'm looking forward to reading this new series.

4☆

Set in the Outer Hebrides (and the descriptions are fabulous - really make you feel as if you're there). Rachel MacKenzie from the Fiscal Office goes to investigate the suspicious death of Ellen Hargreaves, an amateur archaeologist who retired there. The local police say it's an accident, but Rachel notices the details that don't add up - and uncovers much more than she bargained for...

Add in Rachel's complicated relationship with the island and her family there, some good characters (Selina is an excellent foil), a cracking pace and good tension - this is a thoroughly good read and I'm really looking forward to the next one.

Time to read less than a day

Stars 4

Review

I love a starter to a new series. Was drawn to this as I like a good thriller set in the Scottish Highlands

This was really It kept my attention.

I am avidly waiting for book 2

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Great start to a new series. Is this her debut novel? I'm impressed. There was a little of everything in this story, and although I figured out quite a few things, there were still a lot of surprises. I love when a setting becomes almost a character in a book, and that's certainly the case here with the Outer Hebrides. Wonderful writing, and I hope we'll see some returning characters. I'd love to see Selena working in Inverness and helping Rachel in the next one. Definitely recommend.

The Liar’s Bones is set in the Outer Hebrides on a small island. Rachel McKenzie works in the Fiscal and Procurators Office and she notices a file on a colleague’s desk that has been assigned to be closed. She notices that one of the details was that the woman’s purse and shopping was left outside the door to her cottage, which immediately sends up flags. No woman would do that. She is sent to the island to further investigate (unwillingly, as she has complicated ties to the island).
The characters are all interesting, the island is amazing, and the mystery complex. Just as the mystery is coming together, a major storm hits the island and they are stuck with a crew of 3 to try to stop a killer.
I enjoyed this mystery so much that I hated to see it end even as I wanted to know how it finished. I highly recommend this book!

The Liar’s Bones was a very good crime thriller. The story is set in the Scottish Highlands. This is book 1 in the Rachel McKenzie Mystery series by Morag Pringle. I look forward to more!

Tormented by her past, Rachel seeks justice for others, investigating suspicious deaths in the remote and rugged Scottish Highlands. So, when Rachel hears about a drowned woman on the island where her estranged family lives, she’s driven to investigate. Ellen Hargreaves was a newcomer to the isolated isle, but the locals describe her fondly, especially her love of archaeology and the notebook where she wrote down everything she saw. A notebook that Rachel can’t now find.

The island’s sergeant wants to label Ellen’s death an accident, but Rachel is convinced there’s more to the story. Her instincts prove right when she discovers that Ellen found a human bone before her death.

Rachel’s past is also included in the story. The mystery of Rachel and her mom is intriguing and played out piece by piece throughout the main story.

I really liked Constable Selena MacDonald. She is eager, insightful, and funny. The atmosphere and locale are also a prominent feature of the story and add another layer to the storyline.

Interestingly, the author notes that several years ago, a visiting tourist disappeared without a trace, begging the question: what happened to her? This was the author’s inspiration for this story.

I liked this book. It had good tension, page-turning drama, well-developed characters (some likable, others not so much), and a satisfying ending. I would like to read more in this series and cannot wait for the next book.

I would recommend this book and this author.

#TheLiarsBones #NetGalley @Stormbooks_co

Enjoyable first installment of the series.
Rachel is a good character with interesting back story.
The plot in this one has a small cast and an ever growing number of bodies! 😁
I feel its left a teaser to want to find out what happens next, so I'll happily pick up book 2.
Hoping they bring Selena along for the ride.

This is the first book in the Rachel McKenzie Mystery series. Rachel has had a rough life, with her father killing her mother, and getting away with it for years. She's dedicated her life seeking justice for others. A mom and daughter discover a body hung up on the rocks on a remote island in the Scottish Highlands. That's where this story is set. Rachel doesn't agree with the sergeant that it's accidental and she's determined to find answers. But as she searches for clues, a young girl goes missing and Rachel wonders what can of worms she has opened.

This is a new to me author. The writing was very well done, especially the descriptive way the isolated wind swept island was depicted. The book had a slow start for me, because I was a bit hung up on the Scottish terms, but soon I was literally speed reading this. This book was full of suspense, intrigue, thrills, twists and turns. Very well done. I can't wait for the second book in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I highly recommend this book.
v

I just finished this book and I’m still reeling…In a good way. Seldom do I not
have plot and story all lined up prior to the last part of a story, but this was
completely a surprise. Sometimes, you cannot return to your childhood
times, experiences and locales. But, sometimes, it will be difficult but
help define you as you chart your destiny. Our protagonist, who is not a
Constance, or a Coroner, turns out to have a brilliant sense of what is
just not right~ and by the time you see the conclusion of this excellent
book, and the entire story has consumed you, you’ll really appreciate
Rachel and everyone who played their roles so well.
Do not. miss this as it is going to be a series!
My thanks to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for the opportunity
to read this book for review purposes.

This is the start of what should be an intriguing series. Rachel McKenzie reads about a death and feels that there is more to it. My goodness, yes there was! The murder of Ellen Hargreaves leads to a very tangled web of past crimes, drug smuggling and duplicity. Set on a Scottish island, there is also the weather and isolation factor, which adds to the tension. Then there is Rachel’s own backstory, which some information is given, but clearly there is more to come. I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty tangled story, and would love to read the sequel.

A very interesting mystery, I believed it was one thing, then realized it was the other. I liked the main protagonist, Rachel Mackenzie, a lawyer who works for the government of Scotland that oversees death suspicious, and those of natural causes, but sometimes they all get it wrong. This is that case, Ellen, a retired Custom's Worker who became a rabid ornithology amateur, and an avid amateur archeologist, in fact she found a human bone, how old was it is one question, she believes that she has found an ancient burial site, and is excited beyond belief. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it helps tremendously to like the main character, she does have one major flaw for which I am deducting a star, the f bomb is too much for me, it's unnecessary, it's tacky, even so, I did enjoy the story.
I highly recommend it. Thank you #Netgalley #StormPublishing #TheLiarsBones
carolintallahassee

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Liar’s Bones by Morag Pringle due to be published May 20, 2024.
Rachel McKenzie has returned to the Scottish Highlands to investigate the drowning of a woman. Everyone said it was an accident, but Rachel doesn’t believe it. She doesn’t want to return to her childhood town where her mother was murdered by her father, but there is no choice. Will she find out if Ellen’s death was an accident, or get herself more involved than she wants?
This was a great book from a “new to me” author – I read it in two days. It had everything – suspense, murder, twists, murder, turns, murder – you get the picture. I am looking forward to the next book in this series – this one is highly recommended!
#NetGalley #MoragPringle #StormPublishing #TheLiarsBones

Cold waves surround the woman, soaking her hair before pushing her onto the black rocks at the bottom of the cliff. She should gasp for air, but she doesn’t move at all! Rachel McKenzie has trust issues. That’s what happens when your father murders your mother and gets away with it for years. Tormented by her past, Rachel seeks justice for others, investigating suspicious deaths in the remote and rugged Scottish Highlands. So, when Rachel hears about a drowned woman on the windswept island where her estranged family lives, she’s driven to investigate. Ellen Hargreaves was a newcomer to the isolated isle, but the locals describe her fondly, especially her love of archaeology and the notebook where she wrote down everything she saw. A notebook that Rachel can’t now find! Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and storm publishing for sharing this book with me!