We have to trust that the judicial system is based on truth. They want us to believe that it’s never about wealth, power and prestige. It makes us wonder how many people are wrongfully convicted of murders and sent to prison for years. I suspect it may be a shocking number.

Professor Claudia O’Sheil was about to present her findings of a highly publicized murder case based on forensic analysis to an audience of influential scientists and leaders in London. However, before this happened, readers were given the back story that led up to this point.

The author described the characters and scenes as if you were watching it on a screen. Claudia had a complex life with financial issues. Her husband recently died from a car accident working on legal case and he left her with bills and grief. It affected her two boys and sister as well.

I read this on the edge of my seat with a trail of deep deception from the high courts. It’s graphic with the description of dead bodies and realistic with a dialogue that includes strong emotions.

I always wonder how much truth there is in a story about a criminal case. It certainly seemed believable. Did the title give the plot away? You’ll see. I really didn’t want the book to end.

My thanks to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of July 29, 2025.

In THE GOOD LIAR, written by Denise Mina, Doctor Claudia O’Sheil prepares to give a speech about her most famous criminal case, murders that occurred two years earlier at Chester Terrace. Instead of offering scientific evidence that helped convict the murderer of Jonty and Francesca in what is called The Incident at Chester Terrace, she has other plans. I want to know what Claudia ends up speaking about. What are her other plans?

I like the premise of this story, but for me, it is an unfulfilling read. There is an abrupt change in the direction in the plot early on in the book that I find confusing at first. When I see where the story is going, I’m frustrated. I realize it is going to take a while to get to the answer to my question. The plot is too slow-moving for my liking, and the narrative is too wordy. Despite my dissatisfaction, I am willing to read something else written by this author. Thank you, Little Brown and Company and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of THE GOOD LIAR.

Denise Mina has become one of my favorite mystery writers. This book centers around a scientist who is a blood spatter expert. She is called in for her opinions after a murder of a father and his fiancee. Her testimony turns to be flawed after new reseach has been found. Her choice-does she stick with her testimony or does she admit the mistake and ruin haer career and family?

This was a twisty thriller that moved at a quick pace. Even though the storyline goes back and forth in time, it is easy to follow. The characters were well-defined and colorful. If anything, I wish that story were a little longer because I can only imagine the next scene. I will keep a lookout for this author in the future.

Review of Digital Galley Edition

Professor Claudia O’Sheil, a blood spatter expert, is set to speak to a distinguished audience about her most famous criminal case: the Chester Terrace murders. She’ll outline the facts and explain how her scientific evidence helped secure the conviction of a brutal murderer.

But Claudia is wiser today than he was then and she plans to deliver a different speech . . . despite the devastating fallout, she’s going to tell the truth.

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The unfolding narrative has less to do with the actual crime than with corruption, with the rich and powerful convinced they can keep the truth hidden simply because of the power they believe they wield. Claudia, the main character in the telling of this tale, comes to realize that she can either be truthful or she can be caught up in the web of lies perpetrated by the entitled wealthy and elite. What will she choose to do?

Plot twists abound; this unique and absorbing tale keeps readers guessing even as it keeps those pages turning. This captivating thriller, with its present-day tale balanced by a look into the past thanks to its dual timeline, keeps readers well-informed. Tension permeates the telling of this tale, filling each page with suspense and trepidation.

Readers who enjoy tales of families and power and conspiracies will find much to appreciate here as the story races toward a denouement all readers are anxious to reach.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Little, Brown and Company / Mulholland Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TheGoodLiar #NetGalley

It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Denise Mina, but I’ve liked the ones I’ve read. I’m adding this one to the list. The plot was solid, the characters fully fleshed out. Dr. Claudia O’Sheil is about to blow the lid open on how her forensic evidence falsely accused a man and led to his conviction in a double murder one year earlier. Claudia was behind a blood spatter analysis program that became the industry standard and was a key component in the case. Now what she has to say will destroy not just her life but that of several others.
The story veers back and forth between the present day and the time of the murder investigation. It moves at a nice steady pace and there’s a constant underlying sense of tension.
Mina’s writing is descriptive without being overly wordy - that ability to nail a character or a scene in just a sentence or two. The book delves into class, corruption and power.
Claudia is a great main character. She’s dealing with her husband’s untimely death and some serious family issues. And she’s finally trying to grow the spine she lacked the year before. She let herself get sucked in by her ego, her desire to maintain her reputation and a lifestyle she’d never had before. It’s unclear until the bitter end whether she’ll have the strength to do the right thing.
This will not appeal to those that want their mysteries to be all about action. My one complaint was that Mina wasn’t consistent about using first vs. third person narration.
My thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown & Co for an advance copy of this book.

Are you looking for your next thriller? Watch out for The Good Liar by Denise Mina. It's available this summer. This is one you won't want to miss.

I am a big fan of Denise Mina but this novel was a big disappointment. The story line was blurry and I could not follow the explanations and the character relationships, I majored in English and taught it. I adore the British novelists and read a huge range of literary genre. Mina uses the third person at times and then seemed to switch…this choice created many instances when I often could not discern who was speaking. The mystery of her husband’s death was so vague and I thought it was solved too abruptly. She claimed they were divorcing but gave no reason. Her sister’s addiction was never fleshed out and her relationship to Charles was left undiscussed. Unfortunately, the book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger… not an ending I liked at all.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Good Liar.

I've never read this author before so I went into this with an open mind.

This wasn't what I expected; the mystery is a side-note to the personal drama and trauma of Claudia O'Sheill, the blood spatter expert, who is still mourning the unexpected death of her husband.

Claudia is no Dexter Morgan; there's little suspense and urgency to the narrative.

The narrative is focused on the shameful antics and despicable behavior of the privileged elite, the backstabbing, the coverups of the wealthy and politically connected.

Claudia, unlike Dexter, is not likable; in fact I found it difficult to believe she was an expert in her field, and she's a mother.

She's incredibly naive, despite her desperate social climbing, erratic and immature. Perhaps its because her husband died under disturbing circumstances but she was not mentally well.

She's got a huge chip on her shoulder, like she's embarrassed to come from humble origins and has to help her sister, who is a recovering addict.

I actually liked her sister better; she seemed more well adjusted than Claudia.

The narrative opens with Claudia preparing to deliver a bombshell revelation that will destroy her career, many others and the reputation of forensics.

The beginning is the ending and is dragged out for several chapters intertwined with flashbacks into how we arrived to the present.

It's a long, slow slog to understand where and how Claudia came to make the momentous decision she did.

The reason behind the murder and whodunit is revealed quietly nearly at the end of the narrative and not that much of a surprise.

I wasn't a fan of the author's writing style; it was summary-like with random info dumps of exposition.

This author isn't for me but I'm grateful I was given the opportunity to read The Good Liar.

The Good Liar is a tense well paced read that captured my attention from beginning to end.

Dr. Claudia O'Sheil is a well renowned blood splatterer that is called to a brutal double murder at Chester Terrace in London.

The case is being handled with kid gloves as the upper echelon of the police do want any mistakes like the Lord Lucan fiasco.

The book is told in two timelines where Claudia is about to blow up not only her world but many others.

The past takes us back to the investigation at Chester Court and all its complexities.

Denise Mina has woven a suspenseful story that shows both good and evil and that keeps you guessing.

I could not put the book down , read it one sitting and am still thinking about The Good Liar.

Hiighly recommmend you grab your copy and settle in for a roller coaster of a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the privlege of reading and reviewing The Good Liar.

Claudia Atkins is a forensic scientist who has been taken to find the murder of an engaged couple, found slashed to death in their London home. Claudia's life is further impacted by the 'accidental' death of her husband James. She seeks the help of her colleague Sir Philip Ardmore, and close friend Charlie in solving the murder case, and the clues point to the slain aristocrat's son. Claudia disagrees with this conclusion, and encounters many lies and misdirection through her investigation. Denise Mina is masterful in tying loose plot threads together in this gripping novel.

The Good Liar by Denise Mina is an interesting mystery, and the premise is intriguing. Claudia, a blood spatter expert, grapples with the morality of her flawed testimony in a high-profile murder case. The setup offers a lot of potential tension, and the idea of someone in the audience being the real murderer is a captivating hook.

However, for me, the pacing felt a bit off. It took me a while to get invested in the story and the characters. There were moments when the narrative dragged a bit, leaving me wanting to skip ahead to the more engaging parts.

Overall, The Good Liar was an engaging mystery with some good plot twists, but was a slow burn for me.

#NetGalley @littlebrown

It took me a bit to get into this one, but as the story progressed I began to really appreciate and enjoy it. It's a crime procedural novel highlighting corruption and how progression in how crimes are analyzed can affect individuals who have been wrongly convicted. While this novel is suspenseful it is also moving and thought-provoking. I really couldn't wait to read the ending to find out what Claudia ended up doing.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company | Mulholland Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Good Liar begins as Claudia O’Sheil, a forensic scientist who has developed a program to analyze blood splatter, is about to give a speech. This speech will reveal the truth behind the wrongful conviction of an innocent man over a year ago. His case focused on an horrific crime. Jonty, a wealthy English nobleman and his fiancée were savagely stabbed to death, Claudia arrived at the scene with Lord Philip Ardmore, her mentor and superior, just as Jonty’s nephew was quickly, perhaps too quickly, arrested for the crime. Claudia knows that procedure has not been followed. She soon realizes that she has stepped into a spider’s web of deceit, political intrigue, financial misconduct and murder. Claudia is still grieving the death of her husband eight months earlier. Although his death was ruled a suicide, Claudia believes he was murdered because of He was investigating an offshore corporation with deeply concealed owners. Her sister Gina, an addict, is using again and stealing from her until she disappears. These themes twist around each other until a thought-provoking conclusion which makes you wonder how far you would go to uncover the truth?

Denisa Mina has delivered a compelling multilayer thriller that asks more questions than it answers. When is a gift considered a bribe? How does political ambition affect others? How far would you go to protect your career…or your family? The Good Liar will stay with you long after you finish the final pages. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and Denise Mina for this ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the early ebook copy of “The Good Liar” by Denise Mina! Having read several of Ms. Mina’s previous thrillers, I was eager to read “The Good Liar” and it did not disappoint! We begin the novel with Claudia O’Sheil, a highly regarded forensic scientist, contemplating sabotaging the careers of herself and her boss by revealing an error that has resulted in the imprisonment of an innocent person. But is Claudia correct - or simply paranoid? She has been dealing with so much: difficulties in her marriage followed by the unexpected loss of her husband, a sister in and out of rehab, and the needs of her two young sons. Plus Claudia feels very insecure in her social status, particularly given that her boss is Lord Arthmore. We go back and forth between two timelines: at the time of the murder Claudia is called to investigate; and a year later, as she prepares to reveal a secret that will end her career and her life as she knows it. This is a complex and engrossing plot! I started the book in the afternoon; and woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it and had to finish it! This was a 4-star read for me, and I would highly recommend for those who like thrillers/murder mysteries/police procedurals! ! Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ebook! #TheGoodLiar #NetGalley

What would you do if telling the truth could destroy your life — but staying silent lets a killer walk free? In The Good Liar, Denise Mina delivers a morally complex thriller that asks exactly that. Blood spatter expert Dr. Claudia O’Sheil helped convict a murderer in one of the UK’s most high-profile cases. But a year later, she’s discovered something horrifying: the evidence was tampered with, and she was manipulated into sending the wrong person to prison. Now, standing in front of London’s elite at a prestigious forensic conference, Claudia has a choice. Expose the truth and lose her career, reputation, and maybe even custody of her children. Or stay silent, protect the life she’s built… and knowingly leave a killer unpunished.

This book thrives in the morally gray. Claudia is a brilliant scientist, a grieving widow, a flawed mother — and a woman paralyzed by the weight of consequences. Mina doesn’t offer easy answers; she presents a tightrope walk between duty and self-preservation, justice and survival. The structure — flipping between the day of the murder and the day of the speech — ratchets up the tension every chapter. The real "thrill" in this book isn’t blood and gore, but what we’re willing to justify when we think we have no other choice.

Very interesting concept and I think my students will get a lot out of reading this and would make for some good discussions on morality issues and courage. The style might not be a favorite as it was more of a detached style

I enjoyed this suspenseful story of murder and forensic science. Claudia O'Sheil is a scientist who is quickly rising through the ranks, mixing with the rich and titled citizens of Great Britain. On top of her workload, Claudia is mourning the loss of her husband, trying to raise two boys, and keeping her sister safe from her addictions. So many key players involve Claudia in their schemes and it becomes difficult to distinguish between good and evil. The suspense kept me reading late into the night This book is sure to hit the high notes for crime story lovers.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

What a well done tale by Denise Mina. I was an early fan of her work, did. It enjoy some of her middle work, and now this title clearly is a highlight of the year for mystery fans. Using one day in the protagonist’s voice we see her make decisions based on misinformation. Whether it’s the death of her husband, the misinformation attributed to a murder scene, or day to day events the climax comes roaring to the end and makes you ask is it. Better to be safe or tell the truth. Complex narrative, taut writing, a book that you’re almost afraid to read the ending.

From the moment Jonty and his fiancée are found brutally murdered, this story had its hooks in me. But what kept me flipping pages deep into the night wasn’t just the crime — it was the slow, crackling revelation of everything behind it.

In the Good Liar, follow Doctor Claudia O'Sheil, a renowned blood spatter expert, as she finds herself at the center of a forensic investigation that quickly unravels into something far more sinister. She's accompanied at the crime scene by her mentor, Phillip, but something immediately feels... off. Basic protocols are skipped. Evidence is poorly preserved. And Jonty's son — a troubled young man who seems clearly innocent— is arrested almost immediately.

What makes this novel so compelling is its dual timeline: one strand unfolds the events of the murder in real time, while the other fast-forwards to a year later, with Claudia preparing a speech for the opening of the new forensics institute.

What’s revealed over the course of the narrative is a deepening web of conspiracy, buried truths, and questions. Claudia’s personal losses — especially the mysterious death or suicide of her husband not even a year before — begin to tangle into the same thread as the murder investigation. Nothing is coincidence. And no one is safe.

Mina doesn’t just deliver tension — she gives us complex, human characters. Claudia’s relationship with her children is real and raw, and her half-sister, battling addiction, is drawn with empathy and dimension. The emotional stakes run just as high as the investigative ones.

Would you do the right thing, even if it meant losing everything?

#BritishThriller #MinaMystery #RandomHouseUK #VintageBooks #ForensicFiction #TwistAfterTwist #CrimeReads #BookReview