The Girl Who Lied (Chief Maggie Riley, #1)

by Shannon Hollinger

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Girl Who Lied is the book one in the Chief Maggie Riley series and my first time reading the author's work. I picked this one up as I am always on the lookout for a good police procedural, and The Girl Who Lied promised a gripping and suspenseful tale.

The story which unfolds took place in Coyote Cove, a small town in Maine. It introduces readers to Chief Maggie Riley. Maggie, a former detective, left the big city to become the chief in this small town. She is a woman with many secrets, some of which came to light as the story unfolded. Interestingly enough, she's not the only one with secrets. The featured secondary characters also had their share of secrets, which made for an interesting read.


Since her arrival in Coyote Cove, she faced resentment from a few of the locals because of her gender. However, it didn't stop her from performing her duties. One night, while performing said duties, she happened on a corpse. On closer inspection, she discovered the individual met a violent end, a rarity in the small town. Added to that, he was not from the area. Now Maggie faces the task of learning the identities of the victim and the murderer.


The mystery failed to provide much of a challenge, as the identity of the killer was evident right out of the gate. Now, while I had an idea about the motive, how remained a mystery until the end. Despite figuring from early the identity of the killer, the story held my attention. The secrets of the characters and its impact on the murder investigation, along with the POVs of the characters, made The Girl Who Lied a compelling read.


Although classified as a thriller, the story did not deliver a thrilling and suspenseful ride. It lacked the nail-biting suspense one would expect from this genre. Also, I wouldn't consider this a twisty read, as the events meant to be plot twists were predictable. I am curious to learn what else Maggie is hiding. Therefore, I look forward to picking up book 2, Their Angel's Cry, which shares a release date with book one.


Overall, The Girl Who Lied delivered an interesting tale, which will appeal to readers who have no issue with predictability in the mystery genre.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading