The latter statements do not name anyone so they serve to pique the reader’s interest rather than reduce the tension. The major chapters are separated by occasional media reports relating to incidents within the chapters and by extracts from police statements read into evidence at a trial. This incident is reprised at the novel’s conclusion so the Prologue gives the reader a glimpse of where the trajectory of the narrative is heading. The novel commences with the ‘Prologue’ describing an incident which occurs one month after the beginning of the novel. As Margot says of herself: ‘you get the bad boys out of the way in your teen years, then you find someone kind and caring to marry’. Her husband – Gabe – is the one point of stability in this collection of practitioners of untruths, obfuscations and misinformation. Margot is married and has two children – July who is completing her HSC and Evan who is 13 and a ‘gamer’. Margot has three clients who are integral to the story: Joe – a moderator for a social media platform where he is required to view images which may be considered at the very least as ‘inappropriate’ Xanthe – who is highly-anxious and lies and Cormac – a highly intelligent young man who was referred to Margot by his university lecturer for writing A grade assignments for other students. To make matters even more interesting, there is a link between the other person involved in the incident and one of her current clients. Margot Scott is a clinical psychologist with a somewhat unethical incident in her past which is alluded to but about which the whole truth is not revealed until towards the end of the novel. It is the journey towards the outing of the truth and the solving of the mystery which is the heart of this novel. But as Shakespeare almost said ‘truth will out’ and a mystery will always be solved. In his third novel, JP Pomare again explores the grey area between truth and lie and the unfortunate – and sometimes tragic – consequences which fall on those caught between the two.

Lies of p review