DI Thomas Ridpath, back at work after a life-threatening illness, finds himself seconded to the coroner’s office and is immediately thrown into a case that has echoes of something familiar. Ten years after being the officer to arrest the serial killer known as ‘The Beast of Manchester’, another body has been found bearing the hallmarks of the notorious murderer. The only problem is that he is still in prison. Is this a copycat or has an innocent man been wrongly convicted? When a body from the original case goes missing and paperwork appears to have been destroyed, Ridpath must try to overcome the conspiracy of silence before more women are found dead.

I am a big fan of the author’s genealogical mystery series and so I was really excited to read the first Thomas Ridpath book. I liked how Ridpath had a slightly different role to the main protagonists in most other police procedurals as it gave an insight into another aspect of the justice system. By having him as a detective on a three-month secondment, we get to see him in the infancy of his role, meaning that we get to learn alongside him.

Where the Truth Lies has a great plot which makes you ask many questions as you read. Was the original murder case handled correctly by the police and did they put an innocent man in prison? Are the latest set of killings by the same hand as the original deaths or is there a copycat killer? Just what has happened to the missing body? The questions came thick and fast but were all answered by the end of the book.

The story is told mainly from the perspective of Ridpath, an extremely likeable character, although we do get to hear from the perpetrator too. I can’t say too much without giving anything away, but the culprit is not your run-of-the-mill serial killer and the author provides us with a twist on the normal sort of murderer in books of the same genre.

I really enjoyed Where the Truth Lies and think that this could be the start of a brilliant new series. If you are a fan of police procedurals or enjoy a good serial killer story then this is definitely for you!

Really enjoyable novel, great characters and plot. Would recommend to others. Could not put it down.

A very enjoyable thriller, I found it very gripping and hard to put down. I am a fan of the author through their previous Inspector Danilov book series so came into this already knowing I would be in for a treat, it didn't disappoint and I hope this book is the entry to a new series.

Thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it to crime/thriller fans. Along with the authors Inspector Danilov series.

Having read several historical novels by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them, I was intrigued to see if this crime novel would match up.
I’m glad to say that it does. Redpath is a great character and I liked the Coroner’s office setting.
A cracking start to, what I hope, is a new series.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

Ten years ago, a junior detective accidentally captures “The Beast of Manchester.” In the present day a series of dead prostitutes in turning up on the streets of Manchester. Is there a relation between the two in this pacey police thriller?

Now a Detective Inspector, Ridpath is recovering from treatment to cancer and has been given the task of working as an officer for coroner’s court. This should be an easier route back into full-time detective work, but things don’t quite go as easily as planned. When an exhumation of the body of one of the Beast’s victims reveals an empty coffin, things are turned upside down.

This first in a new series of books is set in and around Manchester, and we get a good flavour of the area: snarled up traffic on the Oxford Road; the emptiness of Media City. Being set in the world of the coroner’s court is unusual and creates a point of difference from other police series.

The book is real page-turner, with short punchy chapters jumping between Ridpath, another young detective, DS Clark, and the evil doers. The story is fast paced, never standing still for more than a few moments. Ridpath’s recovery from cancer is omnipresent, but it’s his wife who is more worried about it than him. And the police world around the story feels authentic.

This isn’t a book for the squeamish, but it rattles along and it reaches a very satisfying conclusion.

The first line had me hooked, “ I always bites the heads off babies. Dunno why. The orange ones first, then green, red, pink and finally yellow. Always save the yellow for last, I do. Never eat the purple ones though.”


DI Tom Ridpath is back at work after 9 month of treatment for Myeloma. He is seconded to the Coroner’s office as a coroners assistant. He helps investigate a potential serial killer when bodies start being found. An inquest is reopened in to an old case but Alice’s body is missing. Was James Dalbey, the Beast of Manchester innocent after all ?

This is a really gripping thriller, with a mix of gruesome details of torture and murder alongside a police procedural.

M J Lee has clearly done a lot of research into not only the workings of the police, the forensic investigation and the coroners office, but the emotional effects of cancer treatment giving a feel of realism to the story, reminding us Policeman are human after all with their own troubles.

There is some great descriptive writing, one of my favourites being : “ She smelt her fingertips and then touched them to her tongue. Metallic. Rusty. An aftertaste she couldn’t describe, like someone’s soul in liquid form.” It brings a real sense of menace and an insight to the mind of a killer.

I hope this is a series and will be looking out for the next ‘Ridpath’ novel.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

A tense thriller and not for the faint-hearted.

DI Tom Ridpath is returning to work after time away, battling cancer. Despite his seeming recovery he is laid off police work and sent to work in the Coroner’s Office as a temporary measure, an action which he finds frustrating, but quickly realises that all is not as calm or boring as he anticipated. The Coroner’s Office happens to be re-opening the first case in which he had success, and the outcome now looks in doubt. Did he have the right killer? Bodies start to disappear, and Tom Ridpath finds he is doing detective work after all.

Tom Ridpath is a likeable character despite being a man under stress. He is not only trying to recover full fitness, but he also has pressures from home as well, where his wife is not happy with his long hours and seemingly dangerous new work. He also finds himself torn between his loyalty to the police force and loyalty to his new boss at the Coroner’s Office.

The background of the story - the police and forensic work and that of the Coroner’s duties - are well researched and authentic. But the book should come with a warning, as there are many horrific details of women being tortured and killed which some may find difficult to read. Were these absolutely necessary? The end of the story leaves us with several question marks, so there will obviously be more Ridpath thrillers to follow.

A good, tense read for those who like their thrillers with a gruesome edge.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Great psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns, along with characters that were easy to feel invested in. I couldn't put this one down!

DI Ridpath #1

This is the first book in the DI Ridpath slime thriller series. DI Thomas Ridpath has just returned to work after being off sick for nine months while he was receiving treatment for cancer. Ten years ago, he was on the up in Manchesters CID. His first case was to investigate and arrest a notorious serial killer. Now, women are being tortured and murdered in a similar way. But the man they arrested ten years ago for the murders is still in jail. Is this a copycat killing or was the wrong man arrested ten years ago?

I thoroughly enjoyed this promising start to a new series. This is the first book that I have read by this author but it won't be my last. The story is told mainly by Ridpaths point of view. There are many twists and turns in this well written, attention gripping fast paced read. The plot is well developed and the momentum grows the more you get through this story. I liked the characters Ridpath and his new boss Margaret Challinor (Coroner) and how we learn more about a Coroners role. I wonder if how this book ends will be included in the second book in this series? I suppose I will just have to wait and see.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Canelo and the other M.J. Lee for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where The Truth Lies. M.J. Lee

The story starts in 2008 with new constable, PC Tom Ridpath, taking part in a vehicle stop which leads to the arrest of a man who is wanted for the kidnap of a prostitute. When the man runs off Ridpath follows him to a lock-up unit where he is in for a nasty surprise.

Ten years later and Constable Ridpath is now probationary DI Redpath. Returning to work after a serious illness Ridpath is tasked to work as the Coroner’s Liaison Officer.

The job as the Coroners Officer is not one Ridpath wants but he is given very little choice by the Senior Officers of the Manchester MIT. Take it or take a job somewhere else. If he can stick it out without any health relapses, then he can return to MIT.

What he, the Coroner, and the MIT don’t realise is the first case he is asked to deal with will bring everybody into conflict.

A recent spate of murders has the MIT baffled. Somebody is taking vulnerable women of the streets and killing them in some horrific ways before dumping the bodies.

The conviction, of the man Ridpath caught in 2008, has been brought into doubt and the Coroner reopens an inquest into the death of the one person they charged him with murdering.

Ridpath is a pariah to his old colleagues when he acts on the Coroners requests. They see him as an outsider for bringing doubt on the original investigation, but there is one young DS who starts to look on Ridpath as a voice of reason.

As the two investigations inevitably head for a head on collision a truly captivating story unfolds.

This is the first book I have read by M.J. Lee, and to be honest I cannot understand why I haven’t heard of him before.

This book had me drawn in from the beginning. The character Ridpath is flawed. Like most people that work in the Police he is target focused, to the point that his family come a distant second priority. His wife is driven to distraction by his attitude towards his ongoing treatment, and check-ups, following his illness.

He is split between wanting to do the right thing by the Coroner and doing what his ex-colleagues expect, which will allow him back onto the Major Investigation Team.

The murders that take place in this book are brutal, but are written in such a way that the narrative cuts away just when it’s getting too bad. M. J Lee has struck the balance perfectly.

The crimes and the investigations are multi-layered but not beyond comprehension. In fact the story is woven together brilliantly, and at no time are there any of those “I don’t believe it” moments.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s another one that is listed as “Book 1” so I’m hoping it’s the beginning of a series. If it is, what a start!

I can’t wait to read what happens next, especially after the last chapters little cliff hanger.

Pages: 352
Publisher: Canelo
Available now.

This book is about Thomas Ridpath who worked as a DI but has been demoted to work in the coroner's office. For some reason I couldn't really get into this book. I think that's because I didn't like the MC. The pacing and the plot are both good. I don't think I'll read the next book.

DI Thomas Ridpath - call him Ridpath as he doesn't think Tom or Thomas suits him - looked to have a promising future in CID until he was forced to take extended sick leave nine months ago. He's back, but the word ''cancer'' leaves people doubting how well you really are, or are going to stay. Perhaps it would be better if he quietly retired? His wife, Polly, would like to see him in a desk job. Ridpath would like to be back in front-line policing, but all that's available to him is a secondment for three months as Coroner's Officer. If that's how it's got to be, then he'll do the best job he can.

His first case harks back to his first major crime in CID - that of the Beast of Manchester, the man who tortured and killed young women. James Dalbey was convicted of one murder but other cases have been connected to him and everyone's happy that they've got a killer off the streets. No one is willing to even consider that there might be a link between the latest cases and the murders of more than a decade ago. You can understand it - it's almost the equivalent of suggesting that Peter Sutcliffe didn't commit all the Yorkshire Ripper murders and that the real killer might still be at large. Well, when I say 'no one', I've got to exclude Ridpath and Sarah Castle, both of whom have open minds. Open minds don't go down well with the higher ups. They like old cases to stay closed.

James Dalbey is creepy: it's easy to believe that he's a killer, but he's never admitted any guilt or been prepared to discuss what happened to the bodies of the other women. He's spent the ten years he's been in Belmarsh prison trying to prove his innocence. ''Where the Truth Lies'' is the story of a man who is killing now and the people he manipulates and of the investigations which Ridpath and a rather reluctant Sarah Castle pursue into what happened ten years ago. The investigation then looked good on the surface, but was deeply flawed as CID rushed to get a quick conviction.

It's a neat story and a promising opening to a new series. I'd like to have seen more depth in the characterisation, but that will doubtless come as the series progresses. Manchester comes to life in the pages and the plot is well-conceived and executed. Ridpath (and the coroner) rather overstep the limits of their job and at the end of the book I still wasn't completely clear about the exact responsibilities of the coroner and his/her officer. If the series continues in the coroner's office then this will perhaps become obvious. The book was a good read and I'll be pleased to read more in the series.

Initially a fairly 'bog standard' police procedural, but ultimately a reasonably good read.

I’m still not entirely sure about the protagonists’ medical back story – do we really need iterations of the actual drug names that he’s been prescribed?

Be very aware of the extremely graphic descriptions of torture and physical abuse this book contains.

Due to the actions and attitudes of some of the senior MIT officers, it’s also quite likely that Greater Manchester Police will NOT be providing any more support to the author.

Brilliant couldn’t put it down loved the characters very believable would recommend this book to family and friends

Absolutely my type of tale, a complete web of he said, she said, obfuscation and misdirection - with the truth buried somewhere.

With an uncanny sense of "what is really going on" DI Ridpath sets out to resolve the unsolvable, whilst the two constabularies involved are at loggerheads over the truth. Of course, sense and good detective work win out over rivalry and the truth emerges. An excellent story guaranteed to keep you engrossed to the very last word.

Where the Truth Lies is the first book in the DI Ridpath series and I loved it and him ! Set in Manchester Ridpath is seconded to work in the Coroners Office after a nine month battle with cancer but he is still a DI and being a Police Officer is in his DNA .The story is fast paced and very interesting ,giving an insight into the workings of the Coroners Office .I loved Ridpath ,he is a great character and I found the book very hard top put down (just one more chapter!) Fabulous plot which left us hanging at the end really looking forward to reading the next book in the series as it promises to be brilliant .Many thanks to the Publisher ,The Author ,and NetGalley for my preview copy in return for an honest reply

A likeable new lead character - a policeman with a conscience. The angle of having Ridpath seconded to the Coroner's Office is a new slant. I thought this was an excellent read - right up until it was revealed I had not worked out who was behind these dreadful crimes. From the blurb I knew a police officer became involved, it had to be Sarah, but I had no idea what would happen from that point on. Really scary stuff, a whole new slant on kidnap/torture/murder. Ridpath's illness and his personal life make it (I hope) inevitable that there are more books. I hope this becomes a new series - I will be looking out for more.

Thank you so much to Canelo and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Where The Truth Lies’ by M J Lee in exchange for my honest and unbiased review..

After returning to the force after a series illness, Tom Ridpath is seconded, to his chagrin, to The Coroner's office. He becomes embroiled in a case where a question mark hangs over a man he himself arrested for murder and who was subsequently jailed for life. However, when the bodies of women, more often than not, sex workers, the MOD seems very similar to the one he remembers from ten years previously. Did he and the force get it wrong ten years before? And if so, who is the killer? The ending quietly roars, and although I had my suspicions, I wasn't absolutely sure how things would be tied up. I really enjoy novels about police procedures with lots of twists and turns for me to get my head around. M J lee's D I Ridpath novel gave me that and more. It gripped me from the beginning and can only hope the author will add to the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this AC of this publication in return for an unbiased honest opinion.
Very easy yet entertaining read featuring a police officer retruning to work after cancer treatment and sent to work for the Coroners Dept. The body count starts to mount up, the main issue being the manner of death features the method of a killer currently serving a prison sentence for a murder ten years ago.
Very much look forward to reading the next installment from M J Lee.

This is such a great book. What a thriller of a story. Got me hooked, engagaed and kept me wanting more. Thank you to both NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the opportunity to read Where the truth lies in exchange for my honest unbiased review