Mostly Murders

Four women linked through decades. Three now vanished.

When Ethel Dockery reports her three bridge friends missing, only DI Ryan Hale and DS Fiona Winter take her seriously. They are only reluctantly allowed to investigate as Ethel is the superintendent’s mother, but once Ryan and Fiona begin to look into the case, they find that there is much more going on than just a few old ladies forgetting about their bridge night.

A free prequel novella from R. K. Lynott’s newsletter. I have already had the pleasure of reading Bury the Truth, book 1 in the DI Ryan Hale crime thriller series. This prequel novella offers a glimpse into Ryan Hale’s life 12 years before the events depicted in book 1, and serves as an excellent introduction to the series.

Cradle of Lies and Bury the Truth both offer a compelling, fast-paced mystery and well-crafted characters combined with fluid, descriptive language, a mix of funny interludes and serious, dramatic crime, and enough details to make people and places come to life on the pages.

For someone who has already read Bury the Truth, this novella adds depth to Ryan and Fiona’s collegial comradery and offers an insight into Ryan’s relationship with his wife, making her role in Bury the Truth even more poignant. For someone who hasn’t read book 1, this prequel novella offers a bite-sized and very accurate impression of what to expect from Bury the Truth. If you like the novella, you’ll like the book as well when it releases on December 9th.

Police procedural – Crime thriller