OK guys, we need to have words. Last time, I thought it was cute that my book was missing a whole chunk of story at the end. This time, I’m wailing mournfully because IT CANNOT END LIKE THAT. I have waited (not so patiently) since I finished Ask No Questions for this sequel and when I was offered the chance to read it and take part in the blog tour, I literally screamed out loud and instantly downloaded it.
Like it’s predecessor, Tell No Lies has an action-packed and violent start. We are thrown straight into the story (which picks up soon after Ask No Questions finished). This story has some dark themes: it opens with us knowing of two people who have been violently tortured and killed. A police officer has been involved in a collision that may not have been accidental; her brother is a drug dealer and her family are well known in the drug scene. There is also a brothel where young immigrant girls are being held locked away. We know these threads will all link together somehow, but we have no idea how or why. I love stories that keep me me turning the pages into the small hours and guessing until very end (and beyond).
Caelan Small continues to be a strong character. She is opinionated, vocal and still wants to be in control, although we see her have to face the loss of this control at various parts of the novel. It was good to see Caelan taken out of her comfort zone and how she dealt with this. We see a more emotional side of her in Tell No Lies: her relationship with Nicky is examined in more detail as the two of them deal with the aftermath of Nicky’s reappearance. Tell No Lies is set soon after Ask No Questions – so the emotions of Nicky’s return from the dead are still running high (for the characters as much as for me). We get to see more of their history, their feelings towards each other and how they are each dealing with their relationship differently whilst having to work closely together on a new case.
We also get more insight into Caelan’s other relationships: her growing working relationship and friendship with Ewan (who is just as wonderful in this second book), and her strained relationship with her family (and their feelings about her job). I enjoyed reading more about Caelan’s life outside of work and I look forward to seeing her develop further.
Lisa’s writing is excellent. The pace of the novel is perfect and kept me turning the pages until I couldn’t read any more. The storylines are intricate with wonderful twists that caught me unawares (my notes for the BIG twist were just a string of expletives). The ending was dramatic, unexpected and utterly perfect. Lisa Hartley is a master of the genre and I cannot wait to read more from her.
There will be more, won’t there?
Sound like your kind of book? Get your copy here: Amazon (UK), Kobo (UK), Google Books (UK), Apple Books (UK) and catch up with the rest of the blog tour here:
Charlotte, Somewhere 
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