Black lies by Mercedes Mercier

Mercedes Mercier introduces us to the  grim reality of prison life in Black lies. Dr Laura Fleming is a psychologist at Westmead Prison and is asked to interview Tomas Kovak, a prisoner who has been locked away for life for a brutal murder of a young pregnant woman. He is dying from cancer and the authorities are desperate to find out where his victim’s body is buried. He has refused all contact with psychologists in the past and as Laura talks to him, she becomes convinced that he does not fit the usual profile of a murderer. She begins to investigate, interviewing people from his background. Is Kovak the murderer or is there someone lurking and watching her from the shadows?

The background of prison life makes this stand out from other mysteries featuring psychologists as the main investigators. Mercier vividly describes life in prison and how desperate it can be for some offenders. The story is told with flashbacks to the past, gradually revealing what has happened and keeping the reader in suspense wondering what is really going on.

Mercier has created a very relatable character in Laura, a very clever woman who refuses to ignore her intuition even though it brings her into danger. I found myself holding my breath in the later parts of the novel as she gradually unravelled twisty past events with a stunning outcome.

Although this is the second book featuring Dr Laura Fleming, it reads well as a stand-alone, although readers may want to find White noise, the first in the series. And people who enjoyed the Joe O'Loughlin and Cyrus Haven series by Michael Robotham are likely to enjoy Black lies.

Themes: Murder, Psychologists, Mystery, Prisons.

Pat Pledger