‘Truth Finally Told’ by Barbara Fagan Speake

Published by Spiral Publishing Ltd,
11 June 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-06-856704-9 (PB)

Detectives Annie Macpherson and her husband Dave Ellison of the Westford Police Department are still coming to terms with the shooting of their boss Captain Franconi three months ago. He is slowly recovering. Standing in for him at the moment is Acting Captain Bronski.

News comes in of a woman being stabbed in her own home, Annie and Dave attend. The woman’s husband admits to the crime but says she is a stranger who keeps coming into the house. Something weird is definitely going on, especially when a set of knives is found under the husband’s bed – they have separate rooms. 

In the midst of this investigation, an Eliza Farrington reports to the police that her brother Jack has gone missing, along with his computer gear. She reveals Jack had started an online true crime group. Their father Brian had been shot and killed ten years ago during a robbery in a convenience store. The perpetrator had never been caught, and Jack is trying to get closure.

Dave’s father was injured and paralysed in a pursuit following the crime and he remembers it well. It is revealed the case was dealt with by an officer at the time who was useless and is now in prison.

As the present team look into the crime further, it is wondered if the killing of Brian was the main intention and the robbery was just a cover up. Could the then perpetrator have heard of Jack’s renewed interest in the case and have kidnapped him? Is he even still alive?

It comes to light that Brian was a popular baseball coach at a local school and children came to him for advice on all manner of subjects. The team now have to try and trace the pupils who had confided in their coach. A very difficult task after ten years, but which reveals some very disturbing information. Can the present detectives actually get to the truth after all this time?

An intriguing and complex investigation which keeps the reader guessing throughout
Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Tricia Chappell

Barbara Fagan Speake was born and brought up in Connecticut, on the eastern seaboard of the USA. She moved to the UK in 1972 following her marriage and had a varied career as a research psychologist, clinical psychologist and senior manager in the NHS. A previous author of non-fiction books, she turned her attention to fiction writing in 2001. Barbara creates her characters from both the US and the UK and draws on her experiences of both countries as well as on her professional background. A fictional city in Connecticut, Westford, was the setting for her standalone debut novel, Secrets Only Sleep (2005). She continued to use the setting for the novels in her Scottish Detective and has now written seven further books in the series featuring Detective Annie Macpherson.

www.barbarafaganspeake.com  

Tricia Chappell. I have a great love of books and reading, especially crime and thrillers. I play the occasional game of golf (when I am not reading). My great love is cruising especially to far flung places, when there are long days at sea for plenty more reading! I am really enjoying reviewing books and have found lots of great new authors.