I love Caro Ramsay’s Caplan series, and Where She Lies does not disappoint. Ramsay delivers everything I crave in a mystery—complex characters, morally murky motives, and twisty plots that keep me guessing right up to the final pages.
This installment drops us into the murky world of the ultra-online influencer elite, as DCI Christine Caplan is called to a glamorous (and slightly sinister) Scottish castle turned celeb wedding venue. A young “It Girl” and ex-supermodel named Koi—face of a lifestyle empire—has been found dead on the rocks below a cliff, but where is the body? Was it a tragic accident, a staged suicide, or something far darker? Caplan must pick her way through a minefield of curated personas, brand deals, and weaponized grief to uncover the truth.
The family at the heart of this story is gloriously dysfunctional—nepo babies, fame addicts, and master manipulators—and Ramsay writes them with delicious precision. Every one of them is hiding something, and none of them seem particularly interested in helping Caplan unless there’s an opportunity for a photo op or a follower boost. The misdirection is masterful; just when you think you’ve figured it out, Ramsay pulls the rug out from under you again.
And the setting! The brooding Highland castle, windswept cliffs, and the ever-present scrutiny of the press and social media give the whole novel a gothic-meets-modern vibe that I absolutely devoured.
Caplan remains one of the most compelling detectives in Scottish crime fiction—sharp, no-nonsense, and endlessly human. Her internal struggles add depth without ever slowing the pace.
If you love smart, atmospheric crime with plenty of red herrings and a killer final twist, Where She Lies is an absolute must-read. Caro Ramsay just keeps getting better.