On the raincoast of the western shores of Canada, Vancouver occupies a unique place nestled between the mountains and the sea. Among places of extreme natural beauty, gritty things play out. Just stay plenty of the way back from the cliffs lining the rivers emptying into the sea and perhaps you’ll be okay. But, more than likely, you’ll be chipped and cracked in just so many places even Humpty Dumpty might just stare open-eyes in astonishment.

River of Lies is the fifth book in this police procedural series and it might take some time if you are knew to it like me to figure out who all the players are and their twisted background stories.

There are quite a few shocking events portrayed, not the least of which is the disappearance of an infant into the night and the blame-laying custody battle playing out between the estranged parents as the infant can’t be found. There are other innocent bodies turning up. And, a police investigation dragging on to nowheresville as each tiny thread and runout is followed up on.

There’s a damp darkness and dreariness overlaying everything and the sense in the end that things perhaps could’ve played out quite differently. This is a plodding investigation, not an action-Packed gun battle. But, it is one of those stories that, if you stick with it to the end, is ultimately rather rewarding.

Really good police procedural set in Canada. I only really enjoy police procedurals if I feel like the officers involved are real people and not just some overblown stereotype. Greenaway delivers just that - smart, inteesting, very human officers. Greenaway also succeeds with the plot. It has plenty of twists (some truly unanticipated) but the twists are not unrealistic (I didn't roll my eyes even once). The plot carries just the right amount of tension and the choices made by the police officers do not test the credulity of the story, as often happens. Good, solid read and I look forward to more.

This was my introduction to both this series and the author. Multiple story arcs were introduced immediately along with some very thorough passages to set the story with background information and character development. It became clear that this novel is not a stand alone as some of the story lines were being continued from other works. The narrative appeared to be more informative as opposed to provocative, and the story seemed to be mired in minutiae. When I began to read this book it was difficult to find a rhythm and I had put it down many times. This book is ideal for someone with a keen interest in investigative procedures; this sub-genre is simply not my preference in mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dundurn Press, and R.M. Greenaway for an ARC of 'River of Lies' in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Thank you NetGalley and Dundurn for the eARC.
The latest in the B.C. Blues Crime series is another excellent read...I love this series!
A young janitor is found dead, she was attacked and left to die near her car on a freezing February night. Around the same time a thirteen-month old baby girl has disappeared from her home. These two cases are keeping the constables of the North Shore RCMP detachment (Leith, Dion and JD) working all-out trying to solve these tangled and complicated mysteries. There seems to be a tenuous link between the two...
The disappearance of baby Luna Mae and the efforts to find her had my heart in my mouth. The vicious relationship between the two parents made me want to slap them silly, plus there was this feeling they knew more than they were letting on to the police.
Two teens end up dead under very suspicious circumstances; there is a suspicion they knew something about both cases.
Dion still has anxiety about the circumstances relating to his accident and Keith continues keeping an eye on him. JD also realizes something is up with Dion; keeps asking him questions, but to no avail.
This is such a great read (and series), I can't say enough about it. Do yourselves a favour and read it (and the series!), it's excellent. Highly recommended.

*4.5* Stars
I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Press for this gripping thriller/police procedural. Its complicated and cleverly devised plot kept me intrigued throughout. I tried to figure out its puzzles' but with many unreliable suspects and its cunning twists, the solutions escaped me.

I am grateful to be introduced to a Canadian author of crime stories ( R.M. Greenway) previously unfamiliar to me. The characters were well developed and interesting. As I had not yet read the previous books in the series, I felt something was missing. I wanted to know more of their background, previous team dynamics and working relationships. I am impatient to read the earlier books and plan to do so in the near future.

The story involves the North Shore RCMP and is set in Vancouver in February. A young female janitor had been working late cleaning the school. She left at night in the darkness, excited to be heading to her boyfriend's home. He was cooking a special
pre-Valentine Day dinner. Her body was found later in the school parking lot and it was determined that she was murdered. Constable JD (Judy) Temple is assigned to the case and is making slow progress.

A thirteen-month-old little girl, Luna Mae, has disappeared from an upscale home during a party hosted by her mother and step-father. Constables Leith and Dion are investigating the child's whereabouts. Did she wander off and drown in the nearby river? Was she kidnapped? Were her mother and her ex-husband somehow involved? As Dion and Leith work diligently to discover what happened to the little girl, they discover a very complicated home situation.
The child's mother and biological father are divorced, and she remarried a wealthy older man. They share custody of Luna Mae and the relationship between the two parents is very contentious with bitter arguments and threats over the child's placement and care. While they were still married, she and her ex adopted two older children, his nephew and niece after their parents died. The boy is now a teenager and the girl is nine years old. The toddler and the two older children alternate between the two homes, which also increases hostility and tension between the mother and her volatile ex. The ex-husband is frantic about the disappearance of his daughter while under the mother's care, and each is blaming the other. She accuses him of kidnapping the toddler and he blames her for child neglect. This complicated family dynamics make it difficult for Leith and Dion to determine if either parent is being completely truthful and the father's temper is interfering with the case. The older children seem to know more about what happened and are keeping secrets.

JD overheard part of a conversation which troubles her about an event in Dion's past. Dion fears that if revealed will put an end to his career and he is worried. I found that the emphasis on the main characters' romantic entanglements or lack of them, somewhat detracted from the plot. I suppose this was done to indicate the personal stresses under which they worked.

There seems to be a tenuous connection between JD's investigation of the murdered school cleaning lady, and the investigation by Leith and Dion into the missing child. One person's name has surfaced among the various suspects in both cases.
This is only the beginning of a string of tragedies. A woman who was a threat to Dion has vanished. Another child ends up in hospital with injuries. An officer is injured. Two teenaged boys are found dead under mysterious circumstances. There are a couple of further deaths before what happened to little Luna Mae is revealed. JD made slow progress in closing the case of the murdered school janitor but was finally able to discover the killer and motive.

Recommended. A complex, well-plotted police procedural with compelling characters. I definitely want to read other books in the series.

5 stars

Constable JD Temple catches a case of a dead woman. She was a teacher named Tasha Aziz who was murdered in the abandoned parking lot of her school while working late one night. missing child. But JD is also troubled about something she overheard about Constable Cal Dion. Could he be involved in a murder? Now the woman she spoke to about Cal is missing also.

Meanwhile Constables Cal Dion and Dave Leith have caught the case of a missing child. Little Luna Mae went missing during a dinner party at her parents' house. The mother of the child has remarried and the estranged father doubts her ability to take care of the little girl properly. He is not the only one with doubts. Two older children, a teen boy and another young girl are worried about the mother's behavior as well.

When another tragedy occurs, the tension in the book ratchets up and the police are baffled. They are pursuing every lead, but the witnesses are lying – or at least certainly holding something back.

The denouement of the story is certainly sad and so senseless. There are some surprises in the story as well as some interesting twists. Dave Leith begins to have a grudging respect for Cal Dion's talents as a cop. But having been tasked with keeping and eye on Dion by his boss, he is still suspicious.

In this book, the reader gets much more background information about the constables in the North Shore RCMP Detachment. (This book is a departure from the Stonechild and Rouleau series.) We learn about JD, Dave, Cal and the other police officers. We witness their interactions and their intentions. It is very informative. This book is packed with little nuggets of information. I really enjoy police procedurals and this is one of the best. It is a well written novel, as are are of R.M. Greenaway's novels. She is a great writer and I look forward to the next book in the B.C. Blues crime series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dundurn Press for forwarding to me a copy of this exciting and interesting book for me to read, enjoy and review.