Nothing but Lies: A Daniel Whelan Mystery

At the start of Stacey’s extremely readable third Daniel Whelan mystery (after 2012’s No Holds Barred), the ex-cop agrees to help martial artist Joey Suzuki, a colleague from his days on the dog squad, to whom he owes a favor. Joey fears that someone is stalking his fiancée, Tamiko. Along with his trained police dog, Taz, Daniel moves into the cottage Joey and Tamiko share in a village outside Bristol in England’s West Country. One of Daniel’s duties is to drive Tamiko in a horse van to shows where she looks after a wealthy woman’s horses. On the surface, everything is serene, until the intrusion of Tamiko’s sister, Hana, pursued by her abusive partner, Jafari. Then a fatal hit-and-run reveals that a homicidal psychopath is lurking in the neighborhood. Daniel and Taz work as a perfect team in pursuit of the killer, and their warm relationship helps make this a feel-good book despite the mayhem. [em](Dec.) [/em]