These Little Lies is the first book in Gretta Mulrooney’s D.I. Siv Drummond series.
D.I. Siv Drummond has moved to Berminster after the death of her husband Ed. First day at work and she’s called to the scene of crime. A woman and a man are found brutally stabbed to death near the river. A photo of a young girl is found on the woman. The victims are not related; they hardly knew each other. But what has the little girl got to do with these killings?
As a first in the series, this book has managed to capture my attention. A little slow start – which is normal for a series debut – but the story picks up pace in the second half.
As much as I liked the mystery – I definitely think Mulrooney has done an excellent job in keeping the suspense maintained until the end – I did not like the characters much. Especially Siv. She seemed a little callous at times. Having said that, I also have to consider the fact that Siv is recently widowed and had a tough childhood – these can be the reasons for Siv’s cold-heartedness – and I hope to see Siv in a better ‘avatar’ in the future books.
There is a lot of unnecessary details that drags the story a tad. Siv’s flashbacks, the other characters’ background and so on. As a first in the series, character introduction is necessary but I felt it was TMI. The first half was, no doubt, very slow. The story picks up pace later on. (To be precise, at around 70% through).
The mystery behind the murders is interesting. We start with one suspect, the husband. He’s portrayed as possessive and it is clear he had issues with his wife’s compulsive behavior. As the story proceeds, we also see a new angle – a possible reason for committing the crime. Then comes the twist – I did not see this coming!
The ending’s good. I could not identify the killer. We also see a bit of drama at the end and this is the best part of the story.
Overall, These Little Lies by Gretta Mulrooney was a good read. A little off on the character portrayal but the mystery was worth it.
Additional Reading:
Series in order: D.I. Siv Drummond by Gretta Mulrooney
Book #2: Never Came Home by Gretta Mulrooney
Book #3: Murder in Mallow Cottage by Gretta Mulrooney
Book #4: Murder by the Shore by Gretta Mulrooney
The Book Decoder 
Yet to read a debut book that didnt disappoint 😁
Some pretty interesting debuts in 2020. 😁😁
Have you made a list of new books? I would love to see a post on it
I have the best books of 2020 list.😁 visible only via browser. (Pages don’t display on feed)
Ll check it 👌🏻
😁😁👍