Shortly later one of them lies fatally injured at the bottom.
Did the boy fall or was he pushed?
As a family liaison offer, DC Maggie Neville has seen parents crumble under the weight of their child’s death. Imogen Tyler is no different. Her son’s fall was witnessed by the school caretaker, a pupil is under suspicion, and Imogen is paralysed by grief and questions.
For Maggie, finding the truth is paramount if she is to help the mother. But as she investigates, further doubts emerge and the truth suddenly seems far from certain. Could the witness be mistaken about what happened, and if he is, then who is responsible? And how far will they go to cover up the boy’s death?
I'd like to thank Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour and Pan Macmillan for my copy of False Witness to review which I received via NetGalley.
False Witness is the third book in the series but each book can be read as a standalone although, as is the case with most series, there are the odd mentions of events that had happened previously but nothing that would spoil the reading enjoyment if you've not read the previous two books. In this instance I have read and reviewed the first book Gone Astray, you can read my review here, and had planned to read Wrong Place to review today as well as False Witness but sadly ran out of time so I can go back and read that one at my leisure to fill in the gaps that are missing.
What starts out as an investigation into a tragic accident, the death of a young boy in the grounds of his primary school, soon turns into something much darker and murkier instead. And the only person who knows the answers as to why they were at the school so early and what had led to Benji's fall is his friend Poppy who was with him at the time. It's up to DC Maggie Neville, who is assigned to be the family liaison officer (FLO) to help support Benji's mother Imogen, and her colleagues to investigate to find out what exactly happened.
The investigation into Benji's death has Maggie assigned with rookie FLO Jamie Byford and it's fair to say that the two don't exactly work harmoniously as Jamie doesn't seem to have a clue as to what their role to the families is and seems to be bumbling the investigation rather than help. And Maggie also finds herself at loggerheads with an old adversary DS Anna Renshaw who is fiercely determined on getting a conviction for Benji's death no matter what the circumstances were and who might be involved. But the more they dig it seems the more they uncover as so many people connected to the case seem to be hiding something, some secrets more sinister than others, but slowly one by one they are revealed until we reach the dramatic conclusion.
One of the aspects I enjoy about this series from Michelle Davies is the fact that, although they are crime novels and the whodunnit and why elements are ever present, the books also centre around the FLO's and the support that they provide to the families who need them. Maggie is ever present for the families she is assigned to through the whole process as it's an emotional rollercoaster for them to cope with what has happened to them or their loved ones. She's there to be their shoulder to cry on when needed, to guide them through the minefield that's the criminal justice system and even at times she's had abuse thrown her way at the perceived incompetency of how the investigations are being handled. All of this she just takes in her stride and its one of the reasons why this makes her such a great character and I sincerely hope there will be many more books to come following Maggie's career especially with how things were left at the end - where will the future take her?
All book titles in bold are Amazon UK Affiliate links which will earn me a few pence if anyone clicks through and makes a purchase - any money earned will go towards buying books or gifts for giveaways.
No comments:
Post a Comment