Denise Mina can always be relied on to tell us a good story and The Good Liar is no exception to the rule.

This is a story of the ruling classes: an earl and his beautiful fiancée are stabbed to death in his glamorous London townhouse. Our protagonist, newly widowed Claudia, arrives on the scene as a top blood-spatter expert with her boss Sir Philip. The police quickly decide on their prime suspect, but Claudia isn’t sure. Her own forensic test is in doubt and clandestine powers are moving in the shadows to their own ends. Will Claudia keep safe or tell the dangerous truth?

A recommended read.

Denise Mina’s The Good Liar is a masterclass in psychological suspense, blending forensic intrigue with a searing exploration of ethics, privilege, and personal accountability. With her signature intelligence and emotional acuity, Denise Mina delivers a taut, morally complex thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is compulsively readable.

The novel centres on Dr Claudia O’Sheil, a forensic scientist whose ground-breaking Blood Spatter Probability Scale helped convict a man for a brutal double murder at Chester Terrace. As she prepares to give a prestigious speech before London’s elite, Claudia is haunted by the knowledge that her evidence was flawed and that an innocent man may be behind bars. The narrative unfolds in dual timelines: the countdown to Claudia’s speech and flashbacks to the original investigation, revealing a web of complicity, ambition, and suppressed truths.

Claudia’s journey is emotionally fraught. Grieving her husband, navigating financial instability, and raising two sons, she’s thrust into a world of power and influence, one that seduces and isolates her. Her relationship with Lord Philip Ardmore, a mentor with his own secrets, adds layers of tension. As Claudia begins to question the integrity of her work and the motives of those around her, the stakes rise: will she expose the truth and risk everything, or protect her reputation and remain silent?

Denise Mina’s prose is razor-sharp, witty, evocative, and deeply empathetic. Claudia is a compellingly flawed protagonist, and even secondary characters like her sister Gina are rendered with nuance and emotional depth. The author's ability to weave forensic detail with psychological insight is unmatched, making the science feel urgent and the moral dilemmas painfully real. However, this isn't a book for reader's who dislike changing timelines, you do need your wits about you when reading this novel.

The pacing is pitch-perfect, with tension building steadily toward Claudia’s climactic decision. The exploration of justice, and its susceptibility to bias, ambition, and systemic failure, is both timely and timeless and it invites reflection on the cost of truth and the allure of power.

The Good Liar is not just a murder mystery, it’s a literary dissection of conscience. Denise Mina proves once again why she’s considered crime-writing royalty. If you’re drawn to stories that challenge perception, delve into professional credibility, and expose the fragility of truth, this is a must-read.

Dr Claudia O’Sheill has developed a programme that can show how an attack happened from blood splatter. This was used to build a case against a young man, to show he brutally murdered his father and his father’s fiancée, the man plead guilty, but was he.
The story jumps between the aftermath of the murders and the lead up to a major speech Claudia is to give about her work on the murder case.
This is a well written and executed book, which leads you to wonder what she will do as the evidence slowly shows itself and people involved die in supposed accidents.
This is first book I have read by this author and I don’t think it will be the last. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

I really enjoyed #TheGoodLiar
A dark detailed and descriptive crime thriller full of murder, family, mystery and corruption.
The interesting storyline is told through dual timelines, is engaging with clever twists and strong characters. It’s very well written and had me hooked throughout.
Overall a though provoking, tense and gripping book. Definitely recommend if you enjoy thrillers.
With thanks to #NetGallery #RandomHouseUk #Vintage for an arc of #TheGoodLiar in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 31st July 2025

First book I have read by Denise Mina. For me it was a dark tale alternating between two time frames as is the current trend but a quick read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I enjoyed the forensic elements of this thriller, slightly reminiscent of early Patricia Cornwall novels. Detailed, descriptive and a bit gory in places which I really enjoy.
An interesting, pacy storyline with interesting and diverse characters. Loved the way they were each quite stereotypical of their roles - the slightly pompous, posh recently knighted Philip Ardmore with strong connections, and some of the less senior police shown to be a bit inefficient.
I enjoyed the way the story was told. The plot unravels well
This is my first book that I have read from this author and I will certainly read some more.

To say I found this hard work is a huge understatement. I’m sure Denise Mina was intending to build up,the suspense but for me the book failed on every level to produce and tension or thrills

This gripping book is a thrilling read. Set over two timelines, it goes back to tell the events that have lead to the current situation Claudia finds herself in. Although I thought a couple of things were unrealistic, I’m still giving it 5 stars because it was such a well plotted and fast paced story. Claudia is a flawed main character, making her more likeable than a perfect one. I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it. One of Denise Mina’s best.

For those who love crime thrillers, this one comes from a different angle. It focuses on a blood spatter expert Claudia O’Sheil, whose seminal work has been used in criminal cases to convict many people. It merges academia and science and the importance of integrity. The key question Denise Mina explores is whether a well-recognised public figure who is fully immersed and accepted in London’s elite circles, should expose the truth or continue fitting in with the establishment. Nothing is binary and this nails the arguments from both sides in a satisfying read.

I'm giving up on this one halfway through. There isn't really a story in here, though it sounds as though there should be. Two people have been murdered, and our extremely unlikeable protagonist, Claudia, seems to have in some way been partly responsible for someone having been wrongfully convicted for the crime. Now Claudia intends to reveal all at a big party for the scientific elite, which will presumably reveal the true murderer. Fine. But the whole book so far is taken up with sneering descriptions of the upper-class characters Claudia seems to be mixing with. I'm all for a bit of inverted snobbery but it can come over as an inferiority complex if not handled carefully. And so far we've been given no information - none - about who, other than the wrongfully convicted person, might have had a reason to murder the victims. There is no suspect pool, no mystery to get us thinking. Just descriptions of unpleasant people interacting unpleasantly, sprinkled with occasional outbursts of foul language which... I don't know, are they meant to shock? I think we're beyond that, aren't we? Anyway, since I dislike Claudia and all the other characters, and haven't been made to care about who committed the murders, I'm not motivated to read on. Mina can be great, but this one simply isn't working for me.

A thoroughly compelling read. Set up from the very opening by revealing that the main character has something earth shattering to possibly reveal . It then unfolds the background cleverly building the story striving against , truth , ambition, honesty in a murky world

Never disappointed with Denise Mina's writing and this tale was no exception. I am pleased not to have read the blurb on the book first - too much information! (I read it afterwards)
Claudia O'Sheil's character is fully developed and as the minutes pass before she makes her speech we learn all about her and her family and what has come before this moment of decision - to make a speech that will impact on her, her family and those around her. Her final decision is made as the result of one particular event!
This is a fast moving and fascinating story, quite believable in places.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Denise Mina/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a nice twist on a police procedural, focusing on a privately contracted blood spatter expert, and I could really get behind the scientist protagonist Claudia, but I did slightly lose a grip on the plot towards the end despite the unexpected twist.

Thanks Random House UK and NetGalley for ARC.

Denise Mina never writes the same book twice so I'm always interested to read whatever has sparked her curiosity enough to write about it.
Claudia O'Sheil, blood spatter expert with a keenly developed reputation, is grieving her husband and trying to bring up her sons in London on a much reduced income. When she is called to a crime scene by a dear friend who knows the entitled family well, the case, and the fate of the soon-to-be-accused, stay with her. She starts to question the narrative being told, and particularly the alacrity in which her own blood spatter algorithm is being used to convict a young man of a terrible crime.
It's told in jumps forward and back across timelines, in an attempt to build suspense. That may not always serve the story. I found the sums of money on offer, for example the 'perks' of her new job, rather implausible (even for rarefied central London) and I suspect no matter how grief stricken most women trying to make ends meet, would start to wonder 'why me?' even if they didn't wonder 'why hasn't this gone out to competitive interview like all the other jobs I've had in my long career?'.
Some of the action takes place in and around Royal College settings, and although I've met some entitled nepo babies and careerists in my former life, I must have been super-lucky to never encounter the level of wealth, greed and corruption on display here, even in Central London. Still it's fantasy and I must suspend my disbelief for that bit.
The ending was a touch neat for me, although explosive in its own way. This could well work as a glossy limited streaming series and I do hope it gets that treatment.

Professor Claudia Atkins O’Sheil, a blood spatter expert, is due to give a talk about the murders at Chester Terrace, London, a year ago, and the subsequent investigation where her scientific evidence secured a conviction. Claudia has a complicated life as a single mother, following her husband’s recent death in a car accident, of two boys and a sister who is a drug addict; and Claudia enjoys the lifestyle money and fame bring. Told in dual timelines, sometime a little confusing, this is an interesting and tense read.

Briefly, Claudia knows that her evidence in the Chester Terrace murders was tainted. She has a decision to make. Is the speech everyone is expecting going to be the one she is going to give? If she tells the truth all hell will be let loose, destroy her own reputation as well as others, but it will hopefully right a terrible wrong. This is a tale of major fraud and deliberate perversion in the course of a murder investigation. It also has implications in the death of her husband.

I didn’t like but as the book progressed she began to mellow. She is in a difficult position, not knowing who to trust and knowing her decision will have far reaching consequences. There are some shocking revelations in this well paced and compelling story. A very good thriller.

Claudia is a blood splatter expert, the top in her field. Recently widowed, she is trying to support her two sons through private school, but she has a dilemma. Although she is feted in her field, one woman has started to disagree with her findings and Claudia herself knows she has made a mistake resulting in the wrongful conviction of a man who is still behind bars. Should she admit to the world that her claims are wrong and allow true justice to be served or submit to the corruption of others surrounding her to keep her sons fees paid and life comfortable. A very dark thriller involving murder, corruption and mystery. Some times a bit too much back and forward between then and now but a very readable story.

This book should have been exactly my kind of story but I really struggled with it. I found it difficult to care about any of the large cast of characters and at times it felt more like a cap doffing exercise.
The back and forth over time spans was clunky in parts and the crime scene details were portrayed in great detail but some were also implausible…..for instance it wouldn’t be possible to tell from a still image that a clothed person had been stabbed about 30 times in the chest, as the blood saturation would mask most of the details.
The final few pages (from 18:59 onwards) seem to be an add on, as the formatting wasn’t aligned to the rest of the book and it was very difficult to establish who was saying what in the conversation.

A strong murder mystery for this summer. Set in London, it tells the tale of corruption at the highest level. Where the tight knit aristocracy pulls together to protect itself.

The plot swings backwards and forwards showing how episodes have led up to the final event. Claudia, a brilliant forensic scientist whose theory has led to many convictions, is at a party with her boss. Sir Philip Ardmore when he receives a phone call about a double murder. His old friend and his fiancée have been found dead at home with their dog. Supporting him, she drives him to identify the bodies and becomes immediately embroiled in the crime scene.

As the plot develops, we are given an insight into Claudia’s deeply flawed background. Her sister is a recurring recovering drug addict, and her husband James appears to have committed suicide leaving her with two teenage boys. When her theory is challenged, Claudia must choose to admit it and risk sentences being overturned or cover it up.

The real story is a little more complex as it involves sexual abuse at a boy's school, rape and blackmail by those who are protected by their wealth, power and prestige.

This is a well throughout novel which I found engaging as we followed the clues and met some unsavoury characters. A quick pace and great twists.

Thank you to ARC and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

This was a good read but for me it went on a bit too long. The flipping between now and the past was confusing too, also the number of characters. It was well written and I would like to read more of this author’s work. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Thank you to the author, publishers Harvill Secker and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Blood spatter expert Claudia is grieving the death of her husband and ready to blow up her professional life in order to reveal the truth about a case she was involved in.

A relatively short novel, but the pacing made it feel much longer. Too long.

The story switches back and forth in time periods. The switches themselves are relatively easy to follow, but the timing and pacing of these switches often left me feeling disconnected from the story. Which at the end of the day left me ambivalent about the plot, and the characters, most of whom were too self-absorbed for me to feel invested in what happened to them. Overall, I’m left disappointed.