I requested a long time ago not knowing it was a series and 6th in the series since then I have tried to read 1-5 and at least time I can not finish this series book 1 I just couldn't get into it. So i will not be reading this series.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read any of Dianne Emley’s books before, so I did not know what to expect.

It is good & well written but there is too much description for me. It slows things down & as I don't visualise it doesn't mean much to me. Switching between story lines increases the authors need to set the scene & increases the need for description.

I think most readers would probably enjoy it though.

Alibi and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Lying Blind: A Nan Vining Mystery. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Pasadena Police Detective Nan Vining, lead investigator in the Homicide/Assault division, and her partner, Detective Alex Caspers, are assigned a death investigation case involving a woman floating in a backyard pool. The palatial estate happens to belong to friends of Nan's colleague, Sergeant Jim Kissick, who was called to the scene by the owners, Rebecca and Teddy Sexton. Complicating matters is the fact that Becca and Jim used to date, the knowledge of this leaving Nan and the team to wonder if the sergeant can be objective. Nan has a feeling that something is off, especially given the fact that the young woman in the pool bears a striking resemblance to Becca, yet none of the parties involved claim to have known her. When a gristly discovery elsewhere has implications of a connection to the Sextons, will the police be able to put together the pieces to arrive at the truth?

Lying Blind was a good police procedural thriller, but it was not as good as the author's previous novels. I found the book to be a little disjointed, as there are many individual story lines that do not come together until later in the story. I like Nan, but because she is already an established character, there is not a lot of development here. Lying Blind is more about the case and Jim Kissick's connection to the people involved. The author gave too many clues as to the identity of the perpetrator, which ruined any kind of surprise ending for me. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend Lying Blind to other readers.

Detective, Nan Vining is with the Pasadena Police Force and lives with her teenage daughter, Emily. Nan is in a relationship with another officer, Jim Kissick.

A body of a young woman is found in the pool of a couple that Jim has past history with. The couple texted Jim instead of calling the police. Why is that? This drives a wedge between Nan’s and Jim’s relationship as Nan feels Jim is holding back information that would help to solve the crime.

In a drought-ravaged lake, a body of a woman is found under a motorcycle. The local detective has suspicions that Jim might be connected to this body and interviews him. This makes Nan aware that Jim is being deceptive.

Are the couple, Jim and this new body connected? What will Nan do? Her relationship with Jim grows more and more uncomfortable. Working with the new detective to solve the murders, they begin a friendship that might just blossom into more.

Where does all of this lead? Who is hiding what? This is a story that was hard to put down.

n the sixth installment of the Nan Vining Mystery series, Lying Blind, Diane Emley weaves a story of death and deception, when Nan’s long-time boyfriend, Police sergeant Jim Kissick is called to the scene of a floating body in the swimming pool of old friends, Teddy and Rebecca Sexton. Nan’s senses tell her that something is amiss, and her investigation uncovers evidence that points to Jim. This not only makes her suspicious of her long-time love, but also threatens to ruin what was previously a strong relationship.

Emley has done an excellent job of developing her characters – they are believable and seem real. She is also a good storyteller, and the story unfolds with twists and turns, as well as building suspense that is palpable throughout. Nan Vining is an exceptional protagonist; she’s clever and is able to figure things out even when personal emotions are threatening to prejudice her.

Readers will find themselves suspecting several different characters as the story progresses, but the end will be surprising. The book is well-written, the story flows, and the novel is hard to put down. Although it’s a good idea to read the previous novels in the series, this book also makes a good standalone, and there is enough background information to keep readers enlightened. The writing is good enough, however, that readers will want to pick up installments one through five. The book has no blatant violence, so it is suitable for most readers. It’s definitely worth a read.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Sorry I was not able to read you book but it went to archive before I could get to it. Sorry once again.

Lying Blind is the latest book in Dianne Emley’s Nan Vining mystery series. The story opens with Nan’s boyfriend and fellow PPD officer, Jim Kissick, rushing to a long time friend’s home to discover the body of a woman floating in their pool. Detective Nan Vining is the lead on the case and suddenly finds her life spiraling out of control as her boyfriend becomes personally involved in the case.

At the same time, a body/skeleton is found in a lake from 20 years ago, that Jim and his friends were partying at during the same time. Now Nan is on the case trying to figure out – who killed this woman, who is the woman in the lake, and is her boyfriend keeping things from her. I really like Nan and her no-nonsense attitude. She really dives into the mystery and doesn’t stop until she gets answers. I think her struggles between work and her personal life are everyone’s struggles, so although she is a fictional character, she comes across as “real” and has the thoughts everyone else does.

I still need to go back and read some of the earlier books in this series to understand Nan’s back story and how she got involved with Jim. I hope this series continues because I think Nan’s story is still continuing…

A. murder is being investigated by a detective who was once almost murdered herself. Twists and turns, deceit, great character development. Go read it already.

Another in the Nan Vining series, which can be read without reading the books before. Nan and Jim Kissick have a relationship that goes back to high school. Both now serve in law enforcement and are dealing with a case of a young lady floating in a pool of the Sextons. Tony and Becca Sexton are also long term friends of Jim. Teddy was blinded in a car accident back in the day and Jim has always blamed himself.

The story revolves around the old accident and the identity of the young lady. As the past moves to cover the present, Nan finds herself attracted to Luke Buckhart, another law enforcement who also has ties to the past.

Story moves well and the reader may learn the outcome if they follow the clues.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this great book.  I have not read any of Dianne Emley’s books before, so I did not know what to expect.  I was not disappointed and will try to read more of her books soon.  It was an entertaining read and highly recommended.

This was a good murder mystery, even though a series, was a stand alone book. It was well written, suspenseful, the characters interesting, I will definitely put Dianne Emley on my list of authors "to be read!"

I had not read this series before Netgalley granted me an ARC and I'm glad they did because now I've discovered a new author to follow. Emley has written a page turner with enough twists to keep even an inveterate mystery reader guessing. Nan is an interesting turn on the stereotypical female detective; her relationship with Jim is also interesting, especially as they face questions he doesn't want to answer. No spoilers on this one but it's a quick read (also it's fairly short) that will keep you turning pages.

This detective novel had enough twists and turns to keep it interesting, but I wouldn't necessarily say they were all plausible. Several of the clues leading the police to solve parts of the case seemed way too conveniently placed, and the suspects never give themselves away. Every time someone is arrested or questioned, it's based purely on one of the cops assuming that they've solved the case, so they proceed to lay out their theory for the suspect, who never once admits to anything. The mystery was set up nicely, but the detective work was shoddy.

If you are a detective Nan Vining fan, you’ll want to dig into this suspenseful mystery. Emley doubles everything in this story. Setting: Both in Pasadea, California and San Luis Obispo. Plot: Not one but two murders, one present day and one in the past. Plus, this case becomes personal! A police procedural, Emley knows her stuff.
--Le Coeur de l'Artiste

Great book, well-written and exciting from start to finish.

This was okay for me. I've read better books by this author. It was pretty much a given who the girl in the pool was killed by. That was a no brainier. The reason why was bigger.

I just kept telling myself all along while reading this, that you can see right through this. At the end when Jim takes Becca to the restaurant, he knows the answers he's going to get. It's like he's hoping for something else.

And then all these lies and stuff, like I said, the author has written way much better books. The whole thing just didn't sit right with me.

Thanks to Alibi Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read the free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read. Will keep you guessing and the pages flipping. Enjoyed it and will look for other books by this author

I have read a couple of the Nan Vining mysteries and really enjoyed adding “Lying Blind” to my collection of these novels. I do recommend reading this series in order as there are relationships which have developed over time that would be confusing without the prior stories.

In this story, Nan, a homicide detective with the Pasadena Police department, is called to the scene of a murder in the posh area of town. A young woman has been found floating, nude, face down in a swimming pool. It is up to Nan and her crew to figure out who the woman is and how she ended up where she did.

Along the way, old relationships surface, current relationships become shaky, and newer ones begin to develop. The plot moved steadily towards an interesting climax. I was able to figure out the whodunnit but not until just before it was revealed in the book. I liked that there was enough misdirection to have me questioning a couple of scenarios along the way.

The setting of the story switches back and forth from Pasadena to San Luis Obispo county throughout the book. I'm familiar with both areas and the author has represented both extremely well.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

This book was worth the wait! This latest installment is the best story so far. Nan is such a complex character and I love the detail we get about her in this book. The mystery is full of twists and the ending is a shocker. I had to figure it out with the characters, which is the hallmark of a great read! By the time it was over I had changed my opinion about some characters from previous books in the series. This was a great read!

While I had not read the Nan Vining series previously, Lying Blind was enjoyable without that prior knowledge. Vary enjoyable police procedural with believable characters and relationships. The plot is well developed and somewhat entangled, but not hard to track. Red herrings keep the reader engaged while trying to learn who-did-what-when-with-whom. Parallel murder mysteries in separate locations become entwined, leading to a satisfying ending. Recommended for fans of female detectives, somewhat complicated plots, and series with solid characters.