She Treads Softly: Their Deadly Truth

Friday, November 21, 2025

Their Deadly Truth

Their Deadly Truth by Carla Kovach
12/17/25; 322 pages
Bookouture
Detective Gina Harte #18

Their Deadly Truth by Carla Kovach is a highly recommended procedural and the 18th novel in the Detective Gina Harte series. Enough background information is provided that it can be enjoyed as a standalone novel for the investigation.

When a body is found in the trunk of a parked car, Detective Gina Harte and her team are called in to investigate. The body is identified as Kain Pickering and the car belonged to his deceased mother. At her house, where Kain was living, a blue teddy bear is found. Kain's sister Lindy Pickering is notified. She admits to police that her brother had a lot of issues but has no idea who would kill him. When another murder happens with a blue teddy bear at the scene, it becomes clear that someone is targeting specific victims. Then DCI Briggs is suddenly pulled off the case and a new DCI is brought in for the lead.

The writing is very good and the pace moves quickly in this intricate case that may involve events from the past but also seems to be targeting a friend group of women too. A teddy bear left at the scene or homes is one of the clear clues that mark the victims. All the clues are logically followed and there is a lot going on as several suspect emerge in the investigation continues. This is a unpredictable procedural, so just go with the clues uncovered and follow the action as the team investigates.

There continues to be more character development for Gina in this outing. For readers new to the series, some events in Gina's past are mentioned in the narrative which are helpful to introduce her and her history. The hidden personal relationship between Gina and DCI Chris Briggs is still on the rocks.

As an aside, one clue is a blue hoodie and the team searches a house for it. This actually had me laughing at the absurdity of it as a clue because any search of my home would unearth all manner, styles, and hues of blue hoodies along with hoodies of many other colors, sizes, and variations.

Their Deadly Truth is a good choice for readers who enjoy procedurals and especially for those following the Gina Harte series. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.