Title: River of Lies by R.M. Greenaway
B.C. Blues Crime Series Book Five
Publisher: Dundurn
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
In rain-drenched Vancouver, detectives Dion and Leith work to separate truth from lies in two seemingly unrelated cases.
February is the month of romance, but in North Vancouver it’s also become the month of murder. While the North Shore RCMP slog through the rain in the search for whoever left a young woman to die in the Riverside Secondary School parking lot — their first clue a Valentine’s Day card — a toddler mysteriously vanishes from a Riverside Drive home in the midst of a dinner party.
With Constable JD Temple’s full attention on the parking lot murder, Constables Dave Leith and Cal Dion work the kidnap … until a tenuous connection is made between the two cases, along with the thinnest ray of hope that the child could be alive and well in the hands of a childless couple. But when more tragedy rains down on the North Shore, lies must be unveiled before the ugly truth can emerge.
Review:
River of Lies by R.M. Greenaway is an intriguing mystery set in Vancouver. Although this latest release is the fifth installment in the B.C. Blues Crime series, it can be read as a standalone.
Constables Cal Dion, JD Temple and Dave Leith are called to the scene of a puzzling death. The body of janitor Tasha Aziz has been found on the grounds of a local high school. With no outward signs of violence, they can only speculate as to the cause of death. However, there are enough signs at the scene that lead them to believe Tasha is a homicide victim. With scant evidence, their investigation is virtually at a standstill right from the start.
Dion and Leith are next called to a wealthy couple’s home after Gemma Vale discovers her toddler Luna Mae is missing during a dinner party. Gemma points the finger at her ex-husband Zachary since they are in the midst of a turbulent custody dispute. Since Gemma’s stepchildren have been staying with her, Cal and Dave question fifteen year old Tiago and nine year old Viviana. Dion believes both of the kids know more than they are saying. And as the case progresses, Dion’s observations result in a bit of a dispute between him and Dave. Cal notices something is off with Gemma and Zachary’s reactions to new information but Dave believes their responses are completely normal.
While Cal and Dave are busy with the kidnap case, JD is working to solve Tasha’s murder. Unfortunately she is not finding any new evidence. JD is searching for Kyler Hartshorne when her investigation suddenly overlaps with Luna’s disappearance. Kyler and Tiago have an unexpected friendship and rumors indicate they may be somehow involved with Luna’s kidnapping. With Kyler nowhere to be found, hopefully Tiago will be able to fill in the blanks.
River of Lies is a multi-layered mystery with a cast of appealing characters and an engaging storyline. The dynamics between the various characters are interesting due to personal differences with their co-workers. The investigations of Tasha’s murder and Luna’s kidnapping plod along with little progress until the latter part of the book. R.M. Greenaway brings this unpredictable mystery to a twist-filled conclusion. Old and new fans will enjoy this latest addition to the B.C. Blues Crime series but the still unresolved investigation into Cal’s past will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next release.
