Sweet Little Lies: A Novel

Cat Kinsella was only eight when Maryanne Doyle disappeared. She didn’t know much about the case, but she knew her father lied about knowing Maryanne. Now a twenty-six year old Detective Constable with the Metropolitan Police, Cat is assigned to the murder of Alice Lapaine, who was murdered not far from the pub her dad owns, and there are links to Maryanne Doyle. Cat has to decide if she is tough enough to follow this case wherever it might lead. She knows for a fact that her father is liar, but will the evidence prove him to be a killer as well? There is a lot for her to sift through because we all tell Sweet Little Lies.

This was a fantastic book. With dark humor, a murder mystery to solve, family drama, and everything taking place in London and Ireland, this story has it all. Other than some bad language, this book is fairly clean, which makes it much more enjoyable. The plot was well told and interesting. The ending was wrapped up nicely without being all smushed together within the last two pages. Caz Frear is a wonderful writer, with a perfect blend of description as well as storytelling. I loved how all of the characters have multiple layers–not one of them is who they appear to be on the outside. That kind of depth brings the story to life and makes them more human because none of us are just one-sided.

If this was Ms. Frear’s first book, then color me impressed. I sincerely hope that Cat gets more stories, but at the very least that Ms. Frear continues to write. This is a great author to add to your list of ones to watch for. She really is a wonderful writer.