This is the second Nan Vining mystery I have read. Although I didn’t like it as much as the first one I read, it captured my attention and I didn’t want to put it down until I had finished. There were a few times when it seemed it was trying to cross over into a romance novel, and, for me, that took away from the story. Although, without revealing any spoilers, I was glad that Nan has another option! Yes, you might not like some of the characters, but, afterall, they are the “bad guys.” The sixth in the series, it is not necessary to have read the prior ones, although they would certainly add to the main character’s background.

Jumping into a series after it's been up and running can be somewhat risky, but when I got the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, this one sounded so good that I threw caution to the wind and agreed. And happily, even though this is the sixth book featuring homicide detective Nan Vining, it stands well enough on its own that I never felt at a disadvantage.

The rather complicated story, which has a bundle of characters to keep straight, begins with the discovery of a naked and very dead woman in the swimming pool of a very wealthy couple in Pasadena, Calif. The self-absorbed husband, Teddy Sexton, is blind; to get around, he has help from an amazing guide dog and a drop-dead gorgeous wife, Rebecca - who bears an uncanny resemblance to the younger dead woman. The situation takes a strange turn, though, when the owners first contact Nan's former partner and current main squeeze, Jim Kissick, instead of calling 911. Jim claims that's because he's an old friend of the couple, but Nan begins to suspect the relationship between Jim and Teddy's wife Rebecca goes well beyond "just friends."

It was at that point, I'm afraid, that Nan dropped several notches on my likability scale. Despite her long-time relationship with Jim - they've been thinking about marriage, for gosh sake - the second Nan learns that Jim and Rebecca at one time (and a very short one at that) were a couple and - horror of horrors - he never told her, she concludes that their entire relationship has been based on a sham. I agree it would have been nice of him to tell her, but I simply can't relate to someone who would ditch an entire relationship over something that happened that long ago. Their breakup never got in the way of her competence as a homicide detective, though, so I'm willing to give her extra points for that.

Not long after the as-yet-unidentified woman is found, another dead woman turns up - this time at a lake in Central California after a lengthy drought lowered the water level. Nan is surprised once again when Jim, Teddy and Rebecca are brought in for questioning; it seems they all knew this dead woman many years ago. And when the dead woman in Pasadena is identified, it appears that the two cases somehow are connected with Jim smack dab in the middle - and Nan starts to believe that any future she may have had with him is history.

At that point, the investigation really heats up, both from Nan's end in Pasadena and that of two detectives (one of them a hunka-hunka) who are in charge of the Central California case. As details of both events begin to come together, it got so interesting that I stayed glued to my Kindle Fire till the whole thing was resolved (well, one thing wasn't, but no doubt that will be fodder for the next installment).

Know what? I'm in!

I always get bored at least three... maybe four times while reading almost any book, and have found that MOST mysteries take at least two or more chapters describing backgrounds, characters, the mood, et cetera. Lying Blind? Not at all! Dianne Emley kept my interest and kept my appetite for what was just around the corner throughout the book. LOVED it, and just discovered that this book, though not published as yet, is the latest in a series of Nan Vining mysteries. I plan on buying them all for my Kindle, and going through them from top to bottom, maybe even reading Lying Blind again!! I haven't yet, but as soon as I hit "Send Review," I am going to Goodreads and FaceBook and will post reviews on both sites. Thank you for allowing me to preview this book. Now, on to read the next preview!

Excellent Book, will keep you guessing..... Would highly recomend

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Alibi and NetGalley for the galley copy of Lying Blind: A Nan Vining Mystery #6.

This was a novel that I could not speed through. The descriptions, plot, and subplots took me from the fast lane. I slowed my pace so that I could enjoy every nuance.

From the first chapter of Dianne Emley's "Lying Blind" I got hooked. Even though I finished a few days ago, I keep wanting more.

This is my first novel by Dianne Emley, and as 6th in a series, it stands alone.

This novel shows wealth and privilege getting away with murder. Karma shows up and exacts payment.

The characters are believable and developed. Nan Vining is a complex woman who is likable and a professional detective. She would rather do right than be popular.

As a native Californian who has been away many years, I enjoyed the journey from Pasadena to Los Robles. Now I will have to go back and get caught up with the life and times of Nan Vining.

Dianne Emley please don't stop writing this series now. You left me hanging on the edge of a cliff. I must have more.

I will recommend the Nan Vining Mystery Series for our library collection.

An exciting story that includes suspense and romance as the murder of a young woman in the present becomes linked with the disappearance of a young woman in the past. If you are into fashion, the book includes descriptions of the clothing worn by almost everyone in the story. The descriptions help to define the characters and humanize them. Despite the many clues along the way, I was surprised at the ending as the murderer was unveiled. The book is easy to read and hard to put down.

This is a super fantastic story. It keeps you guessing and you don't want to stop reading, even hours after bed time. Lol i would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes crime scenes, detective work and who done it books. I did receive this book for my honest review. This is about a case that Nan and Alex were on and Jim also showed up. They got a call about a women in the pool floating. Then another county finds the remains of a female in a pond. They are the remains of a girl that's been missing since 1993....how are these two cases linked...hmmm are they tied together? If your thinking about reading this, do it.
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This is the first book I have read by Dianne Emley and the first in the Nan Vining mystery. I can't say I loved the Lying Blind in fact I give it 3 1\2 stars. I felt the story dragged along several times to the point I found myself skipping several pages or skimming the pages. The story is written in 3rd person and sometimes seems to have a omniscient narrator writing. Which I wonders if that is the reason I felt the story was bogged down. There are moments where the author becomes too wordy almost as if to drive the word count up as apposed to driving the story forward.
The mystery wasn't a mystery at all in fact it was a simple cop TV show that I wouldn't watch on TV. Dianne Emley writing is basic TV cop drama with little heart in the story.
The author kept readers updated from first book to current with little bits of past stories but most of the times it was the same over and over about the mad man Nan had come in contact with who almost killed her.
Reads won't get lost they just might lose interest in this cop drama.
I received this from Netgalley for my opinion

Lying Blind is an interesting crime story, though it never fully grabbed my attention.

The writing is a mix of third person and omniscient narration, so we flick in and out of random character's thoughts and perspectives without much rhyme or reason. At one point, we spend several pages getting to know two teenage girls, whose only role in the book is in finding a dead body. We don't see those girls again, and so all that time learning about them feels pointless. The lack of focus results in Nan never standing out as a main character. In fact, her character is irrelevant to most of the story.

Long passages of backstory take away from the immediacy of the crime and emotions. Some of the backstory is necessary in order for us to understand the link between the two murders, but much of it is just a distraction.

Rebecca and Teddy Sexton's reaction to finding the body in their pool is so absurd that we have no doubt they are somehow involved. The author does weave an intriguing tale around the longtime friends, their history, and the crimes.

As for the characters, I had a total disconnect toward their predicament and emotions. The writing has a distant feel, more like we're being told a story than experiencing one. I have not read any of the prior Nan Vining mysteries, but I don't think that factored into my disconnect. The author does a good job of orienting us with the returning characters, so we understand their relationships. For me, the characters just had a lackluster feel about them.

The pacing is quite slow, reaching the midway point before anything really starts happening. This is largely a reflection of all the unnecessary point-of-view characters and backstory.

Honestly, I was bored through much of the book. That being said, the plot is put together well, and says a lot about the secrets we keep from the people who think they know us best.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

How I Read: Kindle

Stars: 5! Take my stars!

Before I Read: I had never read a Nan Vining mystery before, but I was interested in not only the mystery & suspense, but the drama that was sure to come with. Nan's SO, also a detective, is somehow involved in these murder cases? Drama, drama! Gimmie!

After I Read: This book was everything it promised to be. I had my suspicions of the culprit and needless to see I was wrong, haha. Up until the end new twists and turns were added to close and unite these two fascinating mysteries to a fantastic end.

What I Liked: The characters and backstories were amazing. I completely emotionally connected to these characters & "felt" their feelings, especially Nan. The two mysteries within the novel were interwoven perfectly & I didn't feel the grasping at straws twists that I see in many thrillers. The connections between the characters felt real.

What I Didn't Like: That I started at #6! This is a travesty I will correct. Note: Some events of the previous novels are mentioned but it is definitely not necessary to read them before this one.

Recommended for: Lovers of a good mystery/thriller and stories that will awaken your senses to make you feel.

I’m afraid I just didn’t find this story as gripping as I was hoping for. Maybe because I wasn’t emotionally invested in any of the characters, so I didn’t care about the dead body that sergeant Jim Heskett finds floating in a pool that looks so much like the fiancé who broke up with him twenty years ago. I also didn’t care about the fact that the people who called Jim instead of 911 are also connected to another suspicious death that occurred twenty years ago. Maybe I would have cared more if I hadn’t started the series on book 6. There are a lot of characters, and I found none of them or the plot interesting.

A young woman is found dead floating in an infinity pool. Instead of calling 911, the home owner Teddy Sexton calls his friend Sergeant Jim Kissick. When Jim’s girlfriend Detective Nan Vining arrives on the scene, why he did this is one of the many questions she has. She senses that everyone involved, included Jim, is hiding something. The unknown victim looks exactly like the homeowner’s wife Rebecca as she looked 20 years before, yet no one has any idea who she is. Nan’s doubts about Jim grow when she sees an old picture of Rebecca’s with Jim in it, and realizes there had been something between them. The scene shifts further up the California coast to the place where Rebecca grew up. Two young girls paddleboarding on a drought-lowered lake make a grisly discovery that has a connection to Jim and the Sextons. Detectives come down to interview them and the lying continues. By the end of the book, Nan and the reader have no idea who to believe or whom to trust. The latter part of the book has lots of plot twists and turns and had me fingering first one character then another as the killer. The characters, though not all likeable, were well developed. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Ms Emley.