Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read "The Liar's Bones" in exchange for my honest opinion. I don't even know where to start. I was totally blown away by this story, it's absolutely the BEST first book in any series that I have ever read. Ms. Pringle grabbed my attention in the first paragraph and did not let me go until the last word in the book was read. I read this story in one sitting because I was so hooked on knowing what would happen to Rachel! The story starts with 61 year-old retired librarian Ellen Hargreaves, who was happy in the last few moments of her life - but who or what caught her attention and caused her to disappear, leaving her valuables and shopping on her front porch? Six days later 16 year-old Katherine Mowbury and her mum Olivia are out on a walk and see what they think is a seal but we learn that sadly it was not the case. We learn a lot about the "death unit" - the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit North. It's where Rachel McKenzie works. She's a lawyer/fiscal with the sudden death unit in Inverness. While they were going to right off Ellen's death as an accident, something was telling Rachel that there was more going on in Uist and she wanted to investigate. After her boss grudgingly gives her permission to go over to the island she meets Sergeant MacVicar who didn't secure the scene, missed evidence and released the rental car that Ellen was driving before she disappeared. Police office Selena also has doubts about Ellen's death being an accident. The same is true for Mike from the diving company. The tides just don't work the way that the volunteer coast guard is claiming that they do. Ellen found bones on Duncan Mór and thinking that they were human, sent them off to be tested. Could there have been a historical murder on the island? When another body is found it becomes clearer that there is a murderer on the island and there is a storm coming! There are several intriguing storylines and many, many secrets that hopefully will be explored in future books! The complex family ties that Rachel unravels to get to the truth. Rachel is a fascinating character - she takes some chances and put her life in danger before she figures out all the pieces of this puzzle. The reader might figure it out before her and wish they could help her. A truly exceptional story and I can't wait for the next book! Ms. Pringle is a fantastic author and I'm looking forward to reading more books from her in the not too distant future. This is definitely a recommend to my bookish friends!! I wish I could give her 10 stars!!!

island-life, Scotland, local-law-enforcement, lies, secrets, cold-case, procedural, law-enforcement, lawyers, suspense, suspicion, twisty, unputdownable, currently-reading, murders, investigation, drug-trafficking, first-in-series, new-series***** I really enjoyed learning how the terminology of the legal and policing systems in Scotland are differentiated. Rachel is what US calls a prosecution lawyer but has to do her own verification of police evidence and conclusions rather than affording a special investigator for the task. Police Scotland is the overarching collection of federal agencies, and 'locals is locals' everywhere. Add in that the action is on a relatively remote island awaiting a typhoon, and the situation rapidly becomes dire. The secondary drama is her own life and also the problems within the local force (not to mention those with her boss). The case in question is an apparently drowned woman known to be something of an amateur archaeologist. Rachel is simply not truly convinced that the case is as simple as presented. And she's right. Her investigation is enhanced by one of the local constables, but it is definitely NOT simple. Loved it! I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

What an excellent start to a new crime thriller series this is. The setting of the islands of North and South Uist is perfectly described with a wonderful sense of atmosphere. I loved the characterisation, Rachel is one gutsy lady and I hope we can read more of her soon. The plotting was full of twists and turns, as soon as I thought I had it all figured out, off it went in a different direction. It kept me guessing and interested until the end. Everything you could want in a crime thriller and it's an easy 5* from me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

What an excellent start to a new crime thriller series this is. The setting of the islands of North and South Uist is perfectly described with a wonderful sense of atmosphere. I loved the characterisation, Rachel is one gutsy lady and I hope we can read more of her soon. The plotting was full of twists and turns, as soon as I thought I had it all figured out, off it went in a different direction. It kept me guessing and interested until the end. Everything you could want in a crime thriller and it's an easy 5* from me.

A excellent start to what seems to be a strong new series with a good female lead who has an interesting backstory, more of which we find out about along the way. Set in the Scottish Highlands, Rachel McKenzie is a lawyer working in The Procurator Fiscals office, deciding which deaths warrant investigation. She has a gut feeling that Ellen’s Hargreaves’s death isn’t a straight forward accident, and is determined to get justice for her. She just didn’t expect to get sent to the island to make enquiries in a place where she has her own past firmly set. It’s an atmospheric read, you get such a sense of community on the island, how news is carried so quickly through word of mouth, how overbearing it can feel, whilst still feeling isolated as an incomer. Interesting characters without them feeling like caricatures, you feel the tension ramp up as more information comes to light, and how frustrating it is for Rachel and Selena, a keen young police officer, with ambitions of being a detective, to have little support, bad communications and trying to contend with an approaching storm. An intense but highly entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.