Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: And Nothing But The Truth
SERIES: Lindenshaw Mysteries #7
AUTHOR: Charlie Cochrane
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 314 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2024
BLURB:
Some truths don’t set you free.
The pandemic may be winding down, but for Chief Inspector Robin Bright, life never really goes back to normal. One second, he’s having breakfast with his adorable husband—and their equally adorable Newfoundland, Hamish—and the next, he gets the dreaded call: a body’s been found. What initially appears to be a mugging gone wrong turns out to be murder, and Robin is on the case.
Adam Matthews is happy to act as a sounding board—much as he tries not to get involved—but when Robin’s case intersects with a mystery from within their own family, he’s embroiled whether he likes it or not. Loquacious genealogists, secret pregnancies, and a potentially dubious inheritance all ensure that Adam won’t be doing his hundred-and-one headteacher tasks in peace anytime soon.
Lies pile onto lies, and the more the story changes, the more the killer is revealed. Without proof, however, Robin and his team are powerless, and the murderer isn’t the only one with something to hide. But Robin won’t stop until he’s found the whole truth, and nothing but.
REVIEW:
I usually start a review with a brief ‘this is the story’ bit. However, I’m not sure what to say on this occasion. So, read the blurb and get ready to become one of the investigating team because I felt like one of the bunch in this beautifully British detective story– we have a murder to solve and will leave no stone unturned to get to the truth – awesome.
Yup – I loved it.
It is a story of how two adoptive histories can turn out so different, and while one shouldn’t talk ill of the dead – those in the coffin aren’t always angels either.
The story is told in the third person, past tense, from the viewpoints of Chief Inspector Robin Bright, who is in the thick of the investigation, and school headmaster Adam Matthews, who helps by giving an outside view. COVID is used mainly as a reference point that many will connect to – it is a reason for XYZ, not a mainstay or significant point of discussion, which is right considering murder is the mystery that needs solving – COVID is a minefield all in its own.
And Nothing but The Truth is book seven in the Lindenshaw Mysteries, which the reader does not have to have read previous installments to enjoy. I can vouch for this statement because I have not read the preceding books. However, given the breakfast chatter between Robin and Adam at the story’s beginning, I wondered if reading the previous books wouldn’t have given me a better understanding of the characters and events under discussion. That was the only wobble that I had while reading. The story drew me in once the investigation got underway, and I felt like one of Robin’s squad. I was alongside the team, following the thought process and theorizing while silently having my own ideas. Seeing things I’d thought of come up in conversation gave me confidence in the investigation, the story, and the author. Because, let’s face it, everyone tries to see a missed loophole in every detective story.
While there is a lot of information to process, there are briefing segments that consolidate what is known while filtering facts from gossip, and what is relevant to the case. I found the piecing together of a person’s life – fascinating. Building a picture of the victim’s life and the people within was akin to a ten-thousand-piece jigsaw and then some. When complete, these people I knew nothing about had faces and histories I had feelings about.
The imagery was superb, too. I could easily picture myself in that fly-on-the-wall position, watching the easy flow of conversation, none of which came across as engineered. Ideas were floated while munching the dog, and the icing on the cake was the many Britishisms. It was awesome to read things like, ‘not a sausage’, ‘bugger all else’, ‘cheeky sod’, ‘stonking, etc. – I smiled every time I read them and was proud to read everything familiar to me in a quality story.
Similarities to the case cause Robin to question aspects of his own ancestry search and the differing viewpoints on discovering long-lost relatives. Adam’s support was beautiful. It made a refreshing change to have protagonists who were in a secure, established relationship. It allowed the investigative process to shine. The more I read, the more I got involved, and the more I liked what I read.
The ending was satisfactorily completed, albeit there was a crack or two in the door for things to develop in another book. I was thoroughly entertained and wish I’d discovered this series much earlier.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] Reviewed by Taylin […]