An unputdownable crime fiction set in rural France, meet Rocco and the Price of Lies by Adrian Magson.

The plot:

Murder by suicide? Three senior government officials – a judge, a politician, and an ex-police chief – are all dead by their own hands.

Inspector Lucas Rocco finds himself once more doing the bidding of the Interior Ministry: undertaking an investigation meant to avoid a scandal for the government while ignoring unpalatable truths. It’s a near-impossible task, as he’s soon convinced that a common denominator must be at play.

Resisting demands to reach a rapid conclusion, he finds signs of top-level fraud, theft and deception. And when he narrowly survives an attempt on his life, he realises that he has nothing to lose by bringing the truth out into the open – whatever the risks.

A seriously enjoyable crime fiction

Rocco and the Price of Lies is so compelling; it covers fraud and deception, as well as giving you, as the reader, little bits of information, where Rocco (the protagonist of the series) is blind. You just want to shout at the characters and point them in the right direction. It’s a simple concept, but the whole take on it was just fabulous.

Whilst I have been assured this book can be read as a stand-alone, I couldn’t really build an image of what Inspector Rocco looked like, but his personality came through well enough – I just couldn’t picture him in my head. My only other minor disagreement is that the letters are mentioned so frequently, I would’ve just liked for that to be inserted into the text, but that’s just my personal preference.

It’s a quick read, due to lots of conversation and chapters often lasting 3-5 pages. It’s definitely one of the more toned-down crime fictions, with a lot less violence, but it’s action-packed to the point you won’t want to put it down.

I really enjoyed the writing – despite the short sentences, you still get lots of descriptions of locations, and being set in rural France, I was alllllll for this.

A seriously enjoyable crime fiction. It’s engaging, fast-paced and offers the thriller effect during the last 40 pages. I’d recommend starting with book one of the series, as this will help you build the image of Rocco, but if you’re looking for a quick crime fiction, The Price of Lies will do the trick. Be right back… off to hunt down the other books in the Rocco series.

Rocco and the Price of Lies, Adrian Magson, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository 

Pages: 299

Publisher: The Dome Press

Genre: Crime Fiction