Lyin' Eyes book review

Binge reading is the new binge watching.

This series continues to be one of my favourite murder mystery reads.

Lying Eyes by Julie Mulhern is a fiction novel that blends murder mystery, romance, and historical fiction. Set in the 1960s, the story follows Ellison Russell as she navigates family life, murder investigations, and the challenges of managing a bank that her young daughter inherited.

What makes this book especially interesting is that it builds on the history between Ellison and her fiancé, Anarchy. To fully appreciate this story, I highly recommend reading the entire series.

One of the most memorable parts of this book wasn't actually the murder mystery.

Ellison is managing a bank because her daughter inherited it and is still a minor. During her time running the bank, she discovers that the female employees are earning substantially less than the male employees.

The series takes place in the 1960s, and it's really sad to think that we're still dealing with pay inequalities that women have been fighting against since then.

There was one conversation in particular that made me stop and think.

Ellison asks one of the bank managers why a female employee earns such a low wage. His explanation is that women are only there for a short amount of time. They get married, leave, have children, and the bank has to keep retraining new employees. According to him, men need to support their families, so they deserve higher wages.

"Women are only here for a short amount of time. They get married, they leave, and we have to keep retraining them."

The logic is terrible.

It's troubling to read, but it also feels uncomfortably familiar because versions of this thinking have existed for years. There are many reasons why pay gaps have persisted, and this conversation highlights one of the assumptions that women have had to fight against for generations.

What I loved was that Ellison didn't back down.

At first, I thought this was just a subplot. But it actually ties directly into the main story.

Ellison discovers the first body in a thrift store, and while she's there, she runs into one of the employees from her bank. That interaction eventually leads her to question why the employee is shopping there in the first place and ultimately uncovers the wage disparity.

The issue becomes central to the story.

Ellison is essentially telling the bank manager:

This is my bank. I'm a woman who owns it. My daughter is going to inherit it.

Treat the women fairly.

"You cannot penalize employees because of that."

That message really resonated with me.

As an employer, there are certain risks and expenses that come with running a business. Training, recruiting, hiring, and employee turnover are all part of that. Whether someone leaves because they had a baby, because they're caring for family, or because they simply decide not to work anymore, those realities shouldn't be used to justify paying people less.

I really loved that part of the story.

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Would I re-read it?

Absolutely.

If you've read anything by Julie Mulhern, or if you've read this series, I'd love to hear your thoughts. It's funny to call a murder mystery series "cute," but the ongoing romance between the main characters is genuinely adorable and adds so much to the story.

https://youtu.be/79v1quqwTmY?si=dLlvQx4VEJ_xqQWw

Until the next book review, 

Kyla