Tell Me A Lie, C.J. Carver

Dan Forrester and Lucy Davies return in the second novel in this series: TELL ME A LIE. It's hard to say that these novels must or must not be read in sequence, or if there's enough leeway for readers to start anywhere. There is a bit of back story in this second outing that should help fill in the gaps for new readers, but those returning to the series may notice the obviously similar structure deployed in both novels. Again we have seemingly disparate story-lines converging, pulling the two main characters into a collaborative relationship, although in TELL ME A LIE that happens much earlier on than it did in the opening novel SPARE ME THE TRUTH.

Character development does also seem to have stalled slightly, and it feels like we're slipping into a lot of predictable elements. The diverging plots, the struggle with amnesia which is more of the same, and a woman's private life that's another car crash, all places we've visited before. 

On the upside there is still plenty of action, and a complex plot evolving here with heaps of red herrings and TELL ME A LIE is populated by more than enough sub-plots and intrigue to keep a reader on their toes.