Suspensful, engaging, and all of the twists, through sometimes predictable, felt right and solid.
A good, engaging read!

This book was addictive!. With a strong female lead, a storyline that has the perfect level of suspense to truly grasp your attention, and twists I simply did not expect... this book is the perfect thriller!.

thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.
. Interesting reading.. I like this author and the way she sets the story with  characters that hold your interest throughout.

DI Claire was back and I was a happy bird. This time she had three investigations to supervise and all three of them were tough. A breach in security, keeping a witness safe, and a murder investigation. Were they all connected was the first question in my mind. 
Mariod Todd was quite clever in the way she twisted the tale and kept me in my toes. I loved how the book kept the suspense going. It was face paced where the prose revealed nothing right till the end. 
Overall, it was a fun read.

Wow. Fabulous read. Good female lead.a good WELL I DIDNT SEE THAT COMING book couldnt put this book down

# lies to Tell # 
To suddenly receive a call from her boss and ask to meet in secret, Claire asked. Not to divulge the meeting to anyone. It’s bound to make you feel suspicious. After the meeting. Which I am not putting any spoilers. Clair obviously goes. Along with finding a room for a Gayle Criterion to use. Have  to lie to her to her colleagues she doesn’t feel good about it. However the way she sees things what reason does she have to mistrust her boss. However things are not what they seem. When eventually Claire’s on the verge of breaking her word to her boss.. it’s a good storyline and a reasonably paced book. It’s a Farley good read. Unfortunately the ending was pretty predictable. Also nothing that I had not read before. What I actually find quite sad is you can read some pretty awsone books. Then they have let themselves down by putting a predictable ending. Also I find this even worse is when you have been stuck to a book you can not put down. Like this one had me pretty hooked. Unlike this one when the ending appears rushed and not quite sure how to end a book. That’s more infuriating than a predictable. As long As you do not mind the ending I would say go aged it kept me pretty well gripped. Also not wanting to put it down. So ya overall a good book spoilt by its ending

This was an excellent mystery read that had so many twists and turns, my head is still spinning.  This book is highly recommended, and I can't wait for the next book in the series.  Highly recommended. 
TB

Looks like I’m in the minority here but I was underwhelmed with this book and didn’t think it was as good as the two others in the series I’ve already read. 
I like the character Claire but felt rather irritated with her for some reason and unfortunately the ending didn’t help but I won’t give away the plot.

An excellent and gripping mystery that kept me hooked and guessing till the end.
The plot is fast paced and full of twists and turns. The characters are interesting and well written, the mystery is solid.
I can't wait to read the next instalment in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.5 rounded up. This is the third in the series but I feel like this one could stand alone. I had read the prior books and just did not enjoy this one as much. It’s a solid police procedural but offers nothing special. Two things are going on Police Scotland is investigating a major leak and the police are protecting a witness who is testifying against her husband. Clare's love interest is in the US and someone else comes into the picture. 
I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

There are three threads in this book

A breach in security
A murder
A key witness protection
We begin with DI Clare Mackay and her boss DCI Alistair Gibson off to a top secret location to meet an ethical hacker, Gayle Crichton, who has been brought in to investigate leaks. Gayle wants to be situated in St Andrews – Clare’s station – and has brought them all together to meet, ensure complete confidentiality and agree a cover story.

Clare follows up on a reported missing persons case. A student, Marek Schmidt, reported another student, Johannes Muller, missing. Marek then disappears. When Johannes is found dead Clare wonders if Marek has run away through guilt or has fled in fear for his life?

Clare is briefed on the move to a safe house in her area of a key witness in the DI’s case against Phil Quinn. There was a breach at the previous safe house and the DI can’t risk anything going wrong with this witness giving testimony. Although the responsibility of the Serious Organised Crime squad Clare gets involved.

On top of all this the DI, with whom Clare hasn’t always had a great history, seems to be making personal approaches. His marriage has fallen apart. Clare is in quite a quandary about this as she is still in a relationship with Geoffrey Dark. Mind you, that’s a bit up in the air as he recently started a new position in Boston, USA. He had wanted Clare to go as well but she has her cottage, her dog Benjy, her sister’s family who she feels need her support and her job. She really needs to sort this out. I wasn’t overly keen on the way this was going. I like to have the background of personal lives, for example the thread with her sisters family was good, it rounds out their characters and you become more invested in them and the books. However, whilst this didn’t overtake the investigation and other storylines it was played very close to the wind. I do feel that Marion Todd knows just how to keep it on the right side of annoying.

This is another great read from Marion Todd. The characters are well drawn, you get enough back story to read as a one-off if you want (but why not check out the first two books, it’s always easier to follow the running themes, the build up of secondary characters such as Clare’s team and so on!) and the storylines are clear, pacy and keep you reading.

I really like the police procedural elements, the murder investigation and the key witness situation are well written; the breach in security is a bit dramatic, cloak and dagger-ish, but it’s this element that perhaps brings the greater surprise even though the various threads come with some good twists and turns.

Marion Todd has again provided a wonderful setting in and around St Andrew’s. She gives a great sense of place and I do enjoy letting my mind inhabit this beautiful place. Each storyline has a very satisfying conclusion they have pace and ultimately build to quite a shocking revelation. The final cliffhanger, however, was of an entirely different nature and I’ll leave you to decide how you feel about that!

This is another wonderful book in a series that is becoming a must have for all those who enjoy a really good police procedural with interesting twists and turns. It’s a book – and a series – I happily recommend.


I have read both of the previous D I Clare Mackay books here’s what I thought about In Plain Sight and See Them Run in this excellent series.

Congratulations

Marion Todd has been shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2020 for See Them Run. My congratulations and very best wishes to Marion Todd – well deserved and fingers crossed!

Thanks

With thanks to Sophie at Canelo for the invite to read Lies to Tell by Marion Todd via NetGalley.

Rating: 4.5*

Very different from other crime novels I have read. Clare has an ethical hacker installed at her police station and is told to trust no one. At the same time she has the headache of trying to protect a woman who is in a safe house until she testifies at a trial of an arms dealer. Throw a murdered student and a second student who is missing into the mix and she really has her hands full . This is the second novel by Marion Todd I have read and I really like her style

A brilliant twisty page turner which I read in one sitting. I loved the characters and the fact that there is a lot happening. There is a lot crammed into this story. I wanted to keep reading. I hope there are more books to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A complicated case going on with someone turning witness and under threat, an ethical hacker working with the Police in Scotland trying to find a leak and a corrupt policeman and a young student found murdered and his best friend missing.

Detective Clare has her hands full. The workload is heavy and all the cases are ongoing and have to be sorted out as quickly as possible.  The links between the murdered student and the witness turning against her husband came out almost three quarter of the way through the story so the strands were not pulled together till the end. Each story was distinct but the way they were brought together was very good reading and wonderful detective work.

The hacker was another piece of magic and the ending was totally unexpected and out of the blue. It was excellent writing.

I loved the various bits of the story - the touch of a romance was just that - a light touch but it did add a bit of lightness to an otherwise sober read.

Lies to Tell is the third novel to feature DI Clare Mackay, set in St Andrews, following on from 'See Them Run', the first book in series, and the second, 'In Plain Sight'. I have to say I was completely and thoroughly hooked right from the start. I think Lies to Tell would be fine as a standalone, but I recommend reading the first ones in the series as you'd be missing out if you didn't!

DI Clare Mackay moved from Glasgow to join the St Andrews police force, after a shooting incident in Glasgow left her with emotional and professional problems. She left behind her home and her job to take up the post in the small seaside town. In this story, Clare is whisked to a secret building by her DCI, Alistair Gibson, with whom she has a bit of a rocky past. At the previously unknown bunker, Clare is confronted by a woman, Gayle Crichton, who reveals she is an ethical hacker and has been assigned the task of tracking a leak within Police Scotland. Struggling to keep this knowledge secret from her team while handling security for a vulnerable witness, a murder and a missing person enquiry makes Clare’s life stressful, especially as she can trust no one.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lies to Tell, an extremely engrossing read which is composed of multiple threads and several great twists. The narrative resolutely remains with Clare's point of view. I fell right into this well-crafted and absorbing tale and I felt as though I was shadowing her as she worked at chasing her leads and following her instincts. Marion Todd's writing-style was impressive and noteworthy, gradually building up the tension, as I tried to second-guess along the way until the big reveal.

I loved the author's portrayal of Clare and I was extremely taken with this character's toughness, dedication and tenacity, as well as looking forward to reading about her in future instalments of this series. With its polished pacing and plotting, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable, original and difficult to put down novel from Marion Todd. She is a gifted storyteller who can provide readers with thrills, sophistication and a story packed with substance. A very highly recommended five star read and an exciting story that will be of interest to many readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Canelo via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Detective Clare Mackay is surprised when her DCI whisks off to a top secret location to meet an ethical hacker, Gayle Crichton. There is allegedly a security breach at her station & Gayle will be working at the station undercover of installing a new communication system. She also discovers that St Andrews is going to be the latest Safe House for a witness due to give evidence. As her last location has been discovered & a new one is necessary. As if that wasn't enough, there is a foreign student found dead- whose friend had come to the station to report him  missing but left before more details could be found. Clare struggles to keep all these balls in the air whilst forced to keep information from colleagues she knows & relies on- is she right to trust them?

This is the third book in the series & I have thoroughly enjoyed all of them I am already looking forward to the next one. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Thank you for letting me read this book. I loved the two previous ones and just finished reading this. 

All the books follow DI Clare Mackay who works for Police Scotland in St Andrews. This third book continues the stories of characters I’ve grown to love over the course of the other books and also introduces a couple of newbies. This time around Clare is informed about a security breach within Police Scotland. Clare is introduced to ethical hacker Gayle Crichton who is hired to find the weak spot. Whilst trying to find out who the leak could be, Clare investigates a murder and tries to keep a key witness safe before an important trial. The book is full of suspense from start to finish and I loved every page of it. Every turn had me on the edge of my seat.
I love Marions writing because it’s so natural and I can literally hear the characters talk in my hear. Her writing style is so lively and I love the relationships she has with her co-workers, boss, neighbour and friends. Marions main character is flawed like any human being is and she is not always the hero, which is also very sympathetic. 

Lies To Tell is a truly entertaining and exhilarating read and a big recommendation from me.

This is the third book in the DI Clare Mackay series. She and her team work out of St. Andrews under the direction of her boss, DCI Alastair Gibson. This police procedural is quite complicated with 3 separate situations that Clare is juggling. The first has Clare hauled off to a super secret bunker where she's informed that an ethical hacker has been engaged to identify leaks coming from her station. The second involves Clare monitoring the safety of a critical witness in a trial concerning a gangster connected to gun running. The third is the investigation into the murder of a student and the disappearance of his friend. She's extremely busy but not so much that she hasn't time to be concerned about her love life. NO SPOILERS.

This was a quick read that follows the typical crime thriller detective formula. Although not particularly suspenseful or grisly, I have followed this series from the beginning and didn't want to miss this one. I didn't find this to be as compelling as the 2 previous installments, but certainly the descriptions of the Scottish setting are interesting. There's the requisite scene where Clare's life is in danger and soon enough the conclusion comes with Clare having a dilemma, not in her professional life, but in her personal one. Im sure I'll want to continue the series but hope for a more exciting set of cases next time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a detective story and written from the viewpoint of Claire . It is set in St Andrews in Scotland . It follows a couple of seemingly unrelated stories. The characters are well portrayed with descriptions which add a human touch. I liked the descriptions of the places too, I like to build up a picture in my mind whilst reading and this helps  This is the third book of the series and although I have not read the others, that was not a problem because the book did not rely on previous events, though these are sometimes mentioned. 
The story takes a few twists and turns, some epected, some less so . On the whole  a believable story and I enjoyed it . Towards the end, it was fast-moving and a real page-turner. 
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARc in exchange for an honest review

This was definitely my favorite book in Todd's DI Clare MacKay series. From page 1 to the end, I wasn't quite sure of how things would turn out. It combined a bit of everything - intrigue, technology and scenery. Don't miss it.