I was a latecomer to this series, joining for the second installment, Fifty Fifty and adored it. I used to be a James Patterson fan (way back when) and while not altogether convinced that quantity equals quality, I love that he’s partnering with other authors and giving some the attention that deserve (like Australia’s Candice Fox, for example) but might not have otherwise got. Internationally at least, in Fox’s case.

And this series’ Harriet Blue feels as if it has Fox’s fingerprints (I was tempted to say paw prints, but am pretty sure I went down that analogous route in my previous review) all over the fabulous creation.

Liar Liar (Detective Harriet Blue, #3)
by James Patterson, Candice Fox
Series: Detective Harriet Blue #3
Published by Century
on July 26th 2018
Source: Penguin Random House Australia
Genres: Crime Fiction, Thriller / Suspense
ISBN: 1780898770, 9780143787471
Pages: 368

Goodreads

Detective Harriet Blue is clear about two things. Regan Banks deserves to die. And she’ll be the one to pull the trigger.

But Regan – the Georges River Killer and the man responsible for destroying her brother’s life – has gone to ground. And now Harriet needs to disappear too – before her colleagues stop her carrying out an act that could end her career, her freedom, even her life.

Suddenly, her phone rings. It’s him. Regan. And he wants to play ‘catch me if you can’.

Within hours Harry is following his clues along a path of devastation down the Australian south coast. Town by town, Regan is taking lives, and each one is someone she knows well.

With both of them wanted on every newspaper and every television screen, time is running out. Harry needs to stop this killing machine fast before her chance for vengeance slips away . . .

Harriet’s gone rogue as this novel opens. The events at the end of Fifty Fifty mean she’s on a mission for revenge and the person who’s set her off starts taunting her. Regan offers a trail of sorts… playing a game and wanting her to discover how he came into her brother’s life and where his own life of violence started.

What I really love about this book and Harriet is the way she’s forced to ponder her own character. I talked in my previous review about the similarities between Harriet and Eden Archer – the lead in Fox’s most excellent Hades / Eden / Fall series.

Harriet however has some moments of conscience Eden didn’t much care about and is a little aghast when Regan compares them (he and Harriet, I mean).

It’s something Fox (in particular) does well – digs deep into that good vs evil debate and has us questioning our own morals and ethics when it comes to revenge, vengeance and justice.

It means this is a lot more than a cat and mouse type ‘chase’. Both Harriet and Regan are being hunted by an overly ambitious and not-friendly police force but her trusted mainstays, and fellow cops (Whitt, Pops and Tox) try to bring her in… or at least protect her from herself AND their over-zealous colleagues.

In this outing Whitt teams up with a new partner and she’s a hard read… supportive on one hand but kinda like that friend who is an enabler-of-bad habits on the other.

The Patterson influence also is reflected in the short chapters which keep the pace moving and readers engaged…. although the plot itself and the characters are enough to keep us riveted. I suspect Patterson’s influence (or his audience’s) also prevent Fox from going as dark as she might normally… (which this lover of psychological thrillers doesn’t mind at all).

This book ends on an interesting note and I’m really really hoping there will be more. I definitely want to know how she survives this next stage. I’m wondering if her relationship with Whitt will ever go anywhere. And I still wanna know more about Tox. Though in reality, I just want more Harriet. #fullstop

Liar Liar by James Patterson and Candice Fox will be published in Australia by Penguin and available from 30 July 2018.

 I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.