Deadly Lies

DI Mariner Series, Book 1

By: Chris Collett

Narrated by: Liam Gerrard

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Discover a new detective in a tough city.

DI Tom Mariner thinks he's seen it all, but now he faces an investigation which will push him to the limit. Journalist Eddie Barham is found dead in his home. A syringe in his arm and a note by his side reading, "No More". Open and shut case of suicide? Not for DI Mariner.

Hours before, he saw Barham picking up a prostitute in a bar. And then Mariner discovers Barham's younger brother, Jamie, hiding in a cupboard under the stairs. Jamie must have witnessed his brother's death, but his severe autism makes communication almost impossible. Mariner is determined to connect with Jamie and get to the truth.

Is the journalist's death related to his investigation of a local crime kingpin? What other dark secrets does Jamie hold the key to, and can Mariner keep his relationship professional with Barham's attractive sister, Anna? In a nail-biting conclusion, Mariner races against time to prevent more lives being lost.

©2017 Chris Collett (P)2018 Tantor

Good and Poor

DI Tom Mariner and his PC Tony Knox respond to an apparent suicide. The victim is journalist Edward Barham. Not long ago Mariner saw Barham in a bar picking up a prostitute. Under the stairs in the house, Mariner finds Jamie. At first he thinks that he is high on something but it turns out that Jamie is autistic.

What follows is a police procedural. It focusses on the investigation, but also on Mariner’s personal life. He is a solitary man who enjoys long walks and has trouble trusting himself or others – especially women. He has trouble relating to women and seems afraid of them.

Mariner tries to connect with Jamie with little or no result. Anna Barham, the sister of Eddie, is greatly put off and frustrated by Mariner’s attempt to what she sees as almost subverting her brother Jamie. It turns out that Eddie was investigating a crime kingpin at the time of his death. Is this why he was killed? Is it some other reason? Mariner must sort it out.

The investigation turns a bit keys stone cops with obvious lapses in evidence storage and real police procedure in regards to evidence. The name of the murderer turns out not to be a surprise, but the reason for the murder is more than a little twisted.

This is a fairly well written and plotted novel. The characters are interesting, although Mariner is more than a little draining at times. This is an average book, with average writing. It is not among the best books that I have read certainly.

An excellent rookie effort!

Great characters, an easy to follow plot line and, not too many plot twists.
An after thought ... I hope DI Mariner gets laid in the next book. He needs it!

Great Characters

Really good story and fantastic characters. Mariner is a thoroughly likeable Detective with a dry wit. Collett also shows an impressive level of research with the subject matter and character at the centre of the main plot. Equally worth a mention, Liam Gerrard provides an excellent narration with an impressive skill of accent and timbre in his voice. Definitely an author and narrator I'll follow and recommend.

Gentle Build up

This book was quite slow paced what seemed like an open and shut overdose unravelled into the discovery of a drug company going to all sorts of lengths to cover up a scandal in the making about a particular drug with side affects that lead to autism. The witness to the so called suicide is the autistic brother of the deceased and he cannot explain things. His deceased brother was his main carer which will now falls to his sister who has a high flying job and how it turns her life around. Di Tom Mariner is on the case. For me the ending made it worthwhile as the pace steps up.