Excellent twisty storyline.
Keeps you guessing right to the end.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

This is a great locker room mystery with a great female lead detective DS Kat Ballantyne who we follow as she navigates through her investigation with some unpleasant suspects.

I loved the glimpses into her personal life as well as the police work. The books full of twists and turns and keeps you wanting more all the time which makes you not want to put it down.

I lost my way a little in the middle but if you do then honestly keep going as it has a fabulous ending I didn't see coming (no spoilers)

NetGalley EARC:

I’ve read the first three Kat novels and was keen to see where the story would go next. This instalment dives into some dark and difficult territory. The locked room mystery kept me guessing, and the writing is as strong as ever. Kat and her team continue to grow in complexity, and their development adds real weight to the story. It’s an easy and compelling read. Four stars, and I’ll be reading the next book as soon as it’s out just to find out what happens with Carve-Up.

I really love this series and #4 was another great read. I'm fully invested in the characters at this point and they're all such solid police procedurals.

This one was focused on a hard-hitting storyline with an intriguing murder and I was engrossed very early on.

I can't wait for #5!

My review has been broadcast on www.artdistrict-radio.com and link to the podcast version below.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lying Man and it distracted me from my holiday view of Cat Ba Island in Vietnam :)

I was utterly convinced I had solved this locked room murder in a matter of a couple of chapters but (as often happens to me!) I was completely wrong!
With a dead body, lots of motives but very few means and plenty of alibi's this book leads the reader through a traditional locked room mystery with a couple of twists along the way!

Book 4 in the DS Kat Ballantyne series. Didn’t enjoy this one as much as the others in the series as I found the plot to be a little ‘Agatha Christie’ Saying that , love the characters in the book and looking forward to how the new member of the team Fez fits in.

I love Andy Maslen's work (Especially the Kat Ballantyne series) so was excited for this one.
At first, it appeared a little more 'Midsomer' than 'Grace' and I did think it would be a little twee for me but it soon became darker and more and more thrilling.
Certainly an easy read, cleverly written (Mind you, we expect little else from this author) with a solid, exciting plot.
Absolutely LOVED the ending.
Looking forward to number 5 in the series already.

An excellent locked room mystery. Kat Ballyntine is at a crime writing festival when the star author is found murdered. Plenty of twists along the way, with well drawn characters and a plot that will hook you from the start. Andy Maslen is one of my go to authors and this book did not disappoint. Thanks to Thomas & Marcer, the author and Netgalley for this review ARC.

This is my first novel by Andy Maslen and I enjoyed it. It's a classic detective mystery – a murder victim in a locked room. How did the perpetrator escape? It's a cleverly plotted story with reveals and twists along the way. The main character has to solve the mystery while battling misogyny within the police force. Overall, a satisfying read.

Stayed up late to Read this in a night, I really enjoyed this book. I would read more books by this author

Interesting and intriguing murder mystery. Famous author and a locked room? Plenty for detective Ballentine to get her teeth into.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

I really like Andy Maslen’s writing style. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It had lots of twists and turns and fascinating characters. I would recommend.

At a crime-writing festival, DS Kat Ballantyne stumbles into a real-life mystery when a famous novelist is found dead in a locked room. As she digs deeper, uncovering motives linked to literary rivalries and personal vendettas, Kat faces the challenge of distinguishing between right and wrong—ultimately questioning whether bringing the killer to justice is the right thing to do.

This is the fourth book in the DS Kat Ballantyne series, and it is best to read them in order, so you can fully understand Kat’s backstory, including her troubled relationship with her father and boss…

I really like Kat’s character, the author has successfully created a strong, multi-dimensional, and likeable female lead. The supporting cast are also well-crafted, with each one of them contributing to the sophisticated story line. The author also creates a great sense of atmosphere and suspense, with timely twists and a well-paced plot, and in this book, he gives no clues as to the identity of the offender, which made me want to read on. This book is so much more than a standard whodunit, and I am already looking forward to the next instalment.

4,5 stars.

The Lying Man by Andy Maslen is an outstanding fourth installment in the Detective Kat Ballantyne mystery series.

Detective Sergeant Kat Ballantyne and her husband, Ivan, are at a crime writers festival when popular author Mark Swift is found dead. Kat suspects foul play and her hunch is confirmed by pathologist Dr. Jack Beale. With her colleague, Detective Constable Tom Gray still in hospital, she teams up again with DC Leah Hooper.

The first thing Kat needs to figure out is how the killer entered and exited the room where Mark was murdered. As it stands, she is puzzled by this lock room mystery but she is quite tenacious as she goes back to the scene of the crime in hopes of solving this perplexing part of the case.

Kat, Leah, and newly assigned DC Faisal “Fez” Mohammed investigate all aspects of Mark’s life. He is a bestselling author and it appears he might have burned a few bridges on his way to the top of the crime writing sales list. No one is off the suspect list including his former and current wives.

Kat is also still trying to solve the mystery of who deposited a large sum of money into her bank account. She remains at odds with her direct supervisor, Detective Inspector Stuart Carver. While Kat manages to keep him at bay, she knows she needs to neutralize the threat he poses to her career.

The Lying Man is a riveting mystery with an interesting cast of characters. Kat is dedicated to her career and she has a strong moral compass. However, what she, Leah, and Fez uncover about the victim presents her with an ethical dilemma. The investigation into Mark’s death is sometimes frustrating as there are few leads to follow. The storyline is engaging and goes down a very dark path as new information about Mark comes to light. Andy Maslen brings this puzzling mystery to a satisfactory conclusion that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next mystery in the brilliant Detective Kat Ballantyne series.

I liked this novel because I think Kat is Andy Maslen’s best developed main character. She seems to be the most true to life to me. Some of the background characters are less so to me, but not enough to make me want to pass on the next story. Carver is probably the best example of a fairly stock character, though he’s an effective antagonist for Kat.

As an American reader, I also enjoy how British the stories are in terms of language choices. I’ve learned quite a few British slang words from reading Andy Maslen’s books.

The lying man by Andy Maslen is number 4 in the detective Kat Ballantyne series which is based around the mysterious death of a crime author.
The book starts with Kat attending a true crime event with her husband where the main speaker an author is found dead backstage.
Kat takes on the case and as she delves deep into the authors world she discovers shocking secrets and plenty of people who would want the author dead.
Kat uncovers plenty of secrets and lies and discovers the author has committed some very heinous crimes in the past which set off emotional and internal struggles for Kat.
I enjoyed this book and there was definitely lots of twists and turns to keep the plot interesting .
I found the character Kat to be particularly personable and likeable.
I would definitely read the other books in this series as I would like to see the development of the characters in this book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this earc in exchange for my honest review.

A great thriller, so many twists. The writing was good. The story was great. Thankyou to netgalley for the opportunity to read this