Name: Sweet Little Lies
ISBN: 9781785763359

Caz Frear

In 1998, Dad lied about knowing Maryanne Doyle. Alice Lapaine has been found strangled near Dad's pub. Dad was in the local area for both Maryanne Doyle's disappearance and Alice Lapaine's murder

Sweet Little Lies

"A dark and smart page-turner." -The New York Times In this gripping debut procedural, a young London policewoman must probe dark secrets buried deep in her own family’s past to solve a murder and a long-ago disappearance. Twenty-six-year-old Cat Kinsella overcame a troubled childhood to become a Detective Constable with the Metropolitan Police Force, but she’s never been able to banish these ghosts. When she’s called to the scene of a murder in Islington, not far from the pub her estranged father still runs, she discovers that Alice Lapaine, a young housewife who didn’t get out much, has been found strangled. Cat and her team immediately suspect Alice’s husband, until she receives a mysterious phone call that links the victim to Maryanne Doyle, a teenage girl who went missing in Ireland eighteen years earlier. The call raises uneasy memories for Cat—her family met Maryanne while on holiday, right before she vanished. Though she was only a child, Cat knew that her charming but dissolute father wasn’t telling the truth when he denied knowing anything about Maryanne or her disappearance. Did her father do something to the teenage girl all those years ago? Could he have harmed Alice now? And how can you trust a liar even if he might be telling the truth? Determined to close the two cases, Cat rushes headlong into the investigation, crossing ethical lines and trampling professional codes. But in looking into the past, she might not like what she finds. . . .

A Novel

I really enjoyed this book and was immensely satisfied with how it ended. I don’t know if there is anything else I would of added to it, but I’m definitely going to see if I can pick up the sequel soon.

Totally Addicted to Reading

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear was an in interesting read. It took a while for me to get into the story, and there was a time I considered giving up on it. There was so much family drama, which I monopolized the story. However, I stuck with it, and I am glad I did, because the story got better and once it did, there was no turning back. I had to know who did it and why.


The author weaved a complex tale where we see the past colliding with the present. It goes to show that actions from our past always intertwine with our present. No matter how long it takes, your past will eventually catch up with you.


I found the mystery element quite intriguing, as the victim had many secrets and she was no saint, hence there were several suspects, with her husband being the main one.  DCI Cat Kinsella, the protagonist, strongly believes her father knows something about the murder based on his association with the victim 18 years ago. The question is does he know more than he lets on or is it sheer coincidence.


The mystery took a turn I never expected. I will not be going into details, but I will say this much it has a connection to an old case. 


Cat proved to be a rather complex character with daddy issues. As a child, she worshiped her father, but the hero worship turned sour, when she caught him in what her eight-year-old mind considered a lie. As an adult, she was estranged from her father and her siblings. However, the current case led to opening of old wounds and she finds herself confronted with the pain from her past.  


She has a good relationship with her colleagues, however with this current case; she is not truthful with them. They have no idea she and her family are connected to the victim.  This added to the intensity of the story as I kept wondering what would happen if the truth came to light.


One can sometime tell the gist of a story based on its title. In Sweet Little Lies, most of the characters are liars.  Lies permeated their lives, making them unreliable characters. One is never sure what to believe until the truth reveals itself.


Conclusion/Recommendation

Despite the slow start, Sweet Little Lies proved to be an interesting and complex mystery featuring characters that kept me on my toes.

In this gripping debut procedural, a young London policewoman must probe dark secrets buried deep in her own family’s past to solve a murder and a long-ago disappearance. Your father is a liar. But is he a killer? Even liars tell the truth . . . sometimes. Twenty-six-year-old Cat Kinsella overcame a troubled childhood to become a Detective Constable with the Metropolitan Police Force, but she’s never been able to banish these ghosts. When she’s called to the scene of a murder in Islington, not far from the pub her estranged father still runs, she discovers that Alice Lapaine, a young housewife who didn’t get out much, has been found strangled. Cat and her team immediately suspect Alice’s husband, until she receives a mysterious phone call that links the victim to Maryanne Doyle, a teenage girl who went missing in Ireland eighteen years earlier. The call raises uneasy memories for Cat—her family met Maryanne while on holiday, right before she vanished. Though she was only a child, Cat knew that her charming but dissolute father wasn’t telling the truth when he denied knowing anything about Maryanne or her disappearance. Did her father do something to the teenage girl all those years ago? Could he have harmed Alice now? And how can you trust a liar even if he might be telling the truth? Determined to close the two cases, Cat rushes headlong into the investigation, crossing ethical lines and trampling professional codes. But in looking into the past, she might not like what she finds. . . .

Zoe Smolen

Usually I'm not one for books written from the detectives perspective, but once I read about our young narrators grief about Ginger Spice leaving the Spice Girls I knew that I would be hooked! I ended up enjoying the book, and it certainly kept me on my toes and not knowing what to expect. The ending was great, and I loved all of the layers in the book. I am definitely interested in checking out any sequels. 

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alyssa Jacunski

One of my challenges for this year is to read my Book of the Month books, and this is one that I selected a couple of years ago in a box. This book was definitely better than your average mystery / thriller, but not the absolute best thing I've ever read.

Set in London, Cat is a detective who is called to the scene of a murder that happens to be down the street from the bar that her estranged father still runs. Essentially, the story unfolds from there. We follow current day with flashbacks to Cat's childhood. 

What kept me from giving this five stars is due to the flashbacks. I'm getting to the point with mystery / thriller stories that I'm not enjoying the flashbacks. When done well, I can get behind it. But it felt like this story would've still kept me interested without exploring Cat's background and spending so much time trying to figure her ghosts out. The main mystery was interesting and I wasn't a fan of being taken out of that storyline.

Overall, the audiobook narration was stellar and the story is compelling. Despite not enjoying the flashbacks, I still found myself wanting to listen and visit the story. It was a solid four stars, but I don't think I'm going to carry on with the series.

There are a bunch of trigger warnings with this novel. Biggest ones include murder and kidnapping.

Katie OConnell

Melanie Richards

Cortni Bell

WINNER OF THE RICHARD AND JUDY SEARCH FOR A BESTSELLER COMPETITION 'A blistering debut from a major new voice. I couldn't put it down. Authentic, compelling, unflinching and tender and written with real verve and assurance' ERIN KELLY 'Debut novels don't come better than this one, which begs the question - Caz Frear, where have you been?' RICHARD MADELEY 'Taut, gripping, surprising and original - a fabulous read' JUDY FINNIGAN 'Caz Frear's ability to write tight, tense dialogue with a dark comedic slant is brilliant. I read Sweet Little Lies in one sitting, it is a terrific debut' LYNDA LA PLANTE 'BRILLIANT! Unputdownable and great writing. Recommended' MARIAN KEYES 'An astonishingly confident and individual voice' ANN CLEEVES WHAT I THOUGHT I KNEW In 1998, Maryanne Doyle disappeared and Dad knew something about it? Maryanne Doyle was never seen again. WHAT I ACTUALLY KNOW In 1998, Dad lied about knowing Maryanne Doyle. Alice Lapaine has been found strangled near Dad's pub. Dad was in the local area for both Maryanne Doyle's disappearance and Alice Lapaine's murder - FACT Connection? Trust cuts both ways . . . what do you do when it's gone? FOR FANS OF ERIN KELLY AND BELINDA BAUER, GET READY FOR THE SUSPENSE NOVEL OF THE YEAR. ----- 'A killer premise. An original voice. An utterly compelling story that will keep you up all night' FIONA CUMMINS, author of Rattle 'Impossible to put down' ALEX GRAY 'The best debut I've read in a very long time' WILLIAM RYAN 'An incredibly strong and confident voice that has hit the page fully-formed' CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD, author of Distress Signals 'A perfect storm of a crime novel . . . one of the best novels in this genre' LIZ LOVES BOOKS

Sweet Little Lies

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