Amy Winter finds out she's the child of two serial killers. Soon after the death of her adopted dad whom she followed into police work. While working her parents cold case and looking for a missing teenager. She had a lot going on but managed to handle it all.
The relationships the MC had made lots of difference when it came to relating to her. Instead of buying her head in the sand she does the right thing even if it'll forever change her life. I really like Amy. She's smart and her team compliments her. Most of them seem to care about each other and solving cases and locking up the bad guys.
There seems to still be loose ends so I'm already looking forward to Amy's next book.

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK.for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Truth and Lies by Caroline MItchell’ in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

This book is the beginning of a series featuring DI Amy Winter. I am not usually a fan of crime series books although with this series I can see myself being hooked.
It is a book that moves at a pace. Full of action that you just wan5 to know what happens next.

i cannot stress how good this book it - it is a must read!

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a massive fan of this author’s books and I have read all of the books she has released so far and thoroughly enjoyed them, so when I saw that she was releasing a new series featuring DI Amy Winter, I knew it was a book I needed to get my hands on – and honestly – I think this is her best book to date!!

This book is absolutely brilliant, I love the twist that comes with Amy’s background and the way the story moves on as the comes to light is excellent. Lillian and Amy are excellent characters and I loved their interaction.

Very well written and a complete page turner for me, I was genuinely hooked from the start to the end and I sat thinking about if after I’d finished too, it was a total whirlwind ride that she took me on!

Most definitely a 5 star read for me -I absolutely loved it – very well written, a great set of characters and a fantastic plotline!! Looking forward to reading more about Amy!

I received a Kindle edition of this book in exchange for an honest review on NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book, I thought the writing was strong and the characters well written. I felt it deviated from the themes and pattern of a lot of thrillers I've read recently, and this made it all the more enjoyable. However, I did feel it was wrapped up too quickly without much explanation.

I really loved the main characters and the brilliant plot. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Wow. Wow. Whoa. This was a book that I wasn't expecting. It is the first book that I have read by Caroline Mitchell and let me say that I am a fan. Truth and Lies had everything that I am looking for in a mystery and thriller. It was intriguing, gripping, relentless and full of suspense. I was hooked from the beginning of the book to the end, evening picking my jaw up off the floor a few times. If you are looking for a quick thriller that you can not put down this is the book for you. I am usually not into book series, but DI Amy Winter has me hooked. Even though this book is a work of fiction, there is a lot of truth in the statement that you are not a product of your past. Humans have the ability to evolve and grow. Overall, this book deserves more than 5 stars and I can't wait to check out more books by Caroline Mitchell.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

“Truth and Lies” captured my attention from the very beginning. I frequently read mysteries and suspense books and, while I enjoy them, am not usually surprised by them. This novel included twists and turns that kept me hanging on every page. After I sat down to read it, my eyes starting hurt from reading the first 16 chapters without taking a break!
While dealing with the death of her father, a fellow police officer, DI Amy Winter receives a letter from Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious serial killing team, her father’s most famous case. Grimes said she is Amy’s biological mother and would reveal the location of her victims were if Amy follows Grimes’s demands. Amy’s world is turned upside down trying to deal with her father’s death, Grimes’s allegations, and the kidnapping of a young girl. The incidents seem to be related, but can Amy trust herself to handle everything with everything that’s happening?
It was refreshing to have such a fully rounded, well developed, strong female character who is portrayed as a police officer and human and have the two so mingled together. “Truth and Lies” is the first in Caroline Winter’s DI Amy Winter’s series.

Suspenseful new police procedural series led by an intelligent DI who has quite an intriguing past.

While DI Amy Winter is morning the death of her beloved father, she is stunned when she receives a letter call from Lillian Grimes, a woman serving life in prison for the murdering the teenage girls that she and her husband kidnapped, raped, and murdered. Lillian makes Amy an offer she can't refuse: She will reveal to Amy where the girls are buried if Amy complies with all of her requests. She also provides Amy with some interesting information about her childhood. Amy gives into Lillian’s demands, but she might be playing right into this psychopath's hands.

Amy now must now battle childhood demons, a manipulative psychopath, and as well as an elusive kidnapper.

There are multiple storylines and several different narrators including, Amy, Poppy, Paddy, Hemmy, and Lilian. It’s a little confusing at first, but everything comes together. Amy has the largest role. Her colleague Paddy also has a major storyline.

The ending wraps up a little too neatly (or so it seems until we get to the final page). I am not sure how I feel Elaine’s revelation but more about that can hopefully be answered in the next book. There are some very sick and twisted scenes that involve rape, physical violence, and domestic abuse.

This is a well-plotted, character-driven first installment in the DI Amy Winter series. Amy’s character is a force to be reckoned with. The reader gets to know her very well, but I wanted to know more about the years between her childhood and the present moment. Paddy was also quite likable. The ending along with the revelation of Amy’s background set things up to make the next installment very interesting.

I really don't have time for another series, but I couldn't resist reading this after seeing so many glowing reviews from my Goodreads friends. I recommend to those who enjoy police procedurals.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Amazon UK Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

“One lie spoils a thousand truths.”
Amy works as a detective with high profile cases. Her world is turned upside down when soon after her father’s death, she receives a letter from Lillian Grimes, one half of a serial killing husband and wife duo. The letter says Lillian is her birth mother, and she will tell only Amy where the rest of the bodies are hidden. And that’s just one chapter.
This book kept me guessing. It reminded me a bit of Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. I look forward to reading more by Caroline Mitchell. I would give this book 4/5.
Thank you to @netgalley for the copy in exchange for a review.

Judging by the other reviews, I am definitely in the minority. I just couldn't engage with this book. All the bits were there: characters with interesting back stories. realistic depictions of police procedures, interwoven plot lines. It just seemed very familiar to me, and not in a good way.

I've never read a Caroline Mitchell book before, and I was drawn to her biography. I'm going to try others titles from her work, to see if this was a one-off incompatibility. Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

What a brilliant start to a new upcoming series! This is book one in the DI Amy Winter series, kicking this series off with a page turning case that needs to be closed!

I loved it! Devoured it within a day. The chapters are short, it's a well written and cleverly thought out story! Fast paced... I just had to finish this for answers!

I actually felt really sorry for DI Amy Winters, but she shows she is a brave, strong and determined character not to be messed with! With a great team beside her too which I can't wait to see more of in future stories of this series. However, two vile murderers! Grr. Poor Amy.

A well deserved four stars. Highly recommend!

Story: A husband and wife serial killing team withheld three victims whereabouts for thirty years.
Amy was four years old when her parents were sent to prison. Amy was adopted later on, yet the memories of her biological parents were buried deep inside her mind.
Amy’s memories resurface after thirty years when Lillian sends a letter requesting a visit.
This was more than a cold case to Amy. Amy was faced with fear about her parents being killers and her being blood related.

Overall: The story was character driven creating a long list of suspects. After Amy’s father death a thirty year cold case became Amy’s main focus. There are multiple events occurring at once that connect everything together. All the moving parts kept the story moving along.
A compelling story of a husband and wife who killed six victims. With many components of truths and lies dating back to thirty years. Lillian claims her innocence stating she was set up. It’s up to Amy to untangle the truth from the lies.
The twists and turns appeared towards the end of the book. This is where the story began to unfold and held my interest. The beginning was slow with processing information and gathering evidence.
There were moments of suspense. For the most part the story was steadily slow paced.

First in the DI Amy Winter series . Caroline Mitchell never disappoints ! Brilliantly written police procedural with a vivid riveting storyline ! An absolute must read that I highly recommend ! Thanks to Netgalley , Amazon Publishing UK and Thomas& Mercer #Netgalley #AmazonPublishingUK
#Thomas&#38Mercer #TruthAndLies

If you are looking for a new series from Caroline Mitchell then look no further, meet D.I. Amy Winters, daughter of notorious serial killers Lillian and Jack Grimes?
This series starts off with a flash bang and a wallop. It is a compelling, well written read with enough going on to keep you enthralled from the very first page to the last and I can't wait to read more!
Highly recommended and an easy 5 stars!

This is the first in a new series featuring DI Amy Winter and was the first book that I have read by this author. This was one of the best crime novels that I have read recently and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. In the meantime, I am going to read some of the author's previous work.

'One lie spoils a thousand truths'

Wow. If ever a book made me feel uncomfortable, this is the one. As the first in a new series featuring detective Amy Winter it certainly makes a spectacular entrance and I can't wait to see where the author takes the characters in future.

The scene is set with a news report of the sentencing of serial killer Lillian Grimes, nicknamed along with husband Jack as 'The Beasts of Brentwood'. Daughter Poppy has witnessed scenes in her short life time that no adult would ever wish to encounter, let alone a 4 year old child. The whole novel was reminiscent of the Fred and Rosemary West crimes in Gloucester which came to light in the 1990's. Amy Winter's father was the detective leading the case, yet the bodies of 3 victims remain undiscovered with Jack Grimes taking his secrets to the grave with him and wife Lillian staying resolutely silent on the subject for 30 years. Until Amy's father dies and she receives a letter from Lillian which blows her world apart and makes her question everything which she has based her life on.

In her professional life Amy is leading the case of a missing teenager, her first case back since the death of her father, which is spookily similar to the disappearances of the girls in the Grimes case all those years ago. Her personal life is one huge round of questions as to who she is and how that impacts on her job. People she has known and trusted for as long as she can remember - both personally and professionally - are now cast into doubt with psychopathic Lillian seeming to pull the strings of Amy's life even from behind bars. Who is involved in Lillian's mind games? And does she have any involvement in the disappearance of local teenager Hemmy Parker? If so, how is this possible? Who is helping her on the outside? The questions keep stacking up.

All this makes for an unsettling yet gripping read. Lillian is a scarily well written character who believes her own lies until she trips herself up during her conversations with Amy. It is clear that the author has worked with people just like Lillian in her day job before becoming a writer as the detail in the character is just too realistic for this to be part of someone's imagination. The way the current case weaves in and out of the personal side of the detective's life is absolutely brilliant and although I did have a couple of question marks surrounding the significance of some of the other characters who feature in the plot I wasn't even close to working out the whodunnit part of the tale.

I can't wait for the next instalment of this series and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes their crime novels to have that edge to them which makes you feel horrified yet compelled to turn the page to find out more.

This review will feature on my blog page www.sandiesbookshelves.blogspot.co.uk in September.

I have been a fan of Caroline’s work for a while now and I am always excited when she releases a new book.

Truth and Lies is the first in a new series about DI Amy Winter and I was gripped from the very beginning. The plot revolves around a major revelation early on in the story as Amy finds out who her biological mother is.

Amy is a fascinating character, and as she slowly remembers the childhood she has blocked out for years, we see the inner conflict she is suffering as she questions her whole life.

Caroline has written all the characters brilliantly. Often the way serial killers are written makes them unrealistic and exaggerated, but while Lillian is evil, throughout the book you question whether she is remorseful and how much she was involved in the killings, which gives her some humanity.

A brilliant and tense thriller as we have come to expect from Caroline Mitchell. I can’t wait to see what is next for DI Amy Winter.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt we got to know the characters and cared about what happened to them. The way we were able to see what happened back in 1976 through Amy's eyes was brilliant. The suspense was great and I enjoyed trying to second guess how it would end. A really great read which I couldn't put down

I enjoyed the Detective Ruby Preston series by Caroline Mitchell. The series ended last year so I was pretty excited to start a new series by the same author. Truth and Lies introduces readers to DI Amy Winter. If you read crime thrillers, then you know that almost all the detectives usually have a complex back story, or a tortured past. I thought I had heard all kinds of stories but Amy’s still managed to surprise me. As mentioned in the blurb, Amy’s biological parents were serial killers. A fact that Amy didn’t know until her birth mom, currently in prison, wrote to her offering her a deal but with a few conditions.

There are two main cases running concurrently in the narrative. There is a missing girl in the present time. At the same time, there is a cold case that can only be solved if Amy works together with her psychopathic birth mother. There were other minor story lines. One that stood out for me was by another detective in Amy’s team. Through his narrative, the theme of domestic violence is portrayed. I thought this was really important because it demystifies some of the assumptions about victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.

Through multiple narrations, readers get to learn about the current kidnapping case and also the gruesome crimes committed by Amy’s family. There are a couple of chapters set in the 1980s that sent chills done my spine. A few chapters are also narrated by Lillian, Amy’s biological mother. She is twisted, cold, creepy and despicable. She is the perfect villain for this kind of story.

This is a brilliant start to the series. Truth and Lies is fast-paced, well written and captivating. I can’t wait to read the second book already. I have no doubt that DI Amy Winters is a series that I will enjoy.