Denise Mina is nothing if not versatile. She has penned a slew of bestselling crime series and stand-alone titles, as well as graphic novels, plays and historical fiction. Her latest, THE GOOD LIAR, is a return to the genre for which she is perhaps best known --- sophisticated crime fiction with strong ties to Scotland.

In this case, the Scottish tie is via protagonist Claudia O'Sheil, who grew up in a lower-middle-class household in Glasgow. But thanks to an advantageous marriage and her training as a forensic scientist, she has made her way to the upper echelons of criminal justice in London. Claudia has developed a blood-spatter analysis computer model --- the Blood Spatter Probability Scale --- that has revolutionized crime scene analysis. She is frequently called in as an expert witness for difficult and violent crimes. As a result, she has built numerous key relationships with powerful people. However, she's still figuring it out: "She sometimes felt like an anthropologist among the Masai, deciphering gestures and measuring heads, comprehending only a fraction of what was said."

"THE GOOD LIAR is a taut and twisty crime novel that effectively interrogates notions of principles, power, privilege and protection as much as it does the crime itself."

Clearly, though, Claudia has been at least modestly successful in this pursuit as she accompanies her longtime friend and mentor, Lord Philip Ardmore, to the opening of the opulent headquarters of the Royal College of Forensic Scientists, a project in which Philip was instrumental. Minutes after their arrival, he receives an urgent call. There's been a double homicide at an address he knows all too well.

Philip and Claudia depart the festivities and arrive at the home of Philip's close friend, Jonathan (Jonty) Stewart, and his fiancée, Francesca. Both have been killed, along with the family dog, within the past few hours. Philip identifies the bodies while Claudia introduces herself to Maura Langston, the newly appointed head of the Metropolitan Police, and performs her own analysis of the scene.

In the weeks that follow, Claudia's own blood-spatter tool, along with CCTV footage and other clues, are used to apprehend and detain a prime suspect. But as time passes, Claudia herself becomes more skeptical that the correct perpetrator has been identified, and she must contend with the growing realization that her claim to fame might be fundamentally flawed.

In Mina's suspenseful telling, Claudia's investigation into the murders --- which begins to gain uneasy connections to the recent "accidental" death of her husband --- is interspersed with scenes from a single evening a year later. Claudia prepares to take the stage at the Royal College of Forensic Scientists and, unbeknownst to anyone, will admit publicly that mistakes were made in the case. This impending decision comes at no small cost to Claudia, whose own sense of belonging has been hard-won and, as some members of the elite are more than happy to tell her, is suspended by a single thread.

THE GOOD LIAR is a taut and twisty crime novel that effectively interrogates notions of principles, power, privilege and protection as much as it does the crime itself. Although Mina has suggested that this is a stand-alone title, she also has conveyed openness to revisiting these characters in future books. Readers are likely to clamor for such a sequel, so they can see for themselves the consequences for Claudia and spend more time in the company of this smart, morally complicated protagonist.