Not many people know this, but I have Lincolnshire roots. However, until now I’ve not come across a crime series set in the north-east part of the county where my ancestors fished, made bricks and wove baskets going back into time immemorial. All that has changed now that I’ve discovered DS Butler’s Karen Hart series, which is set in Humberstone, just a hop and a skip from where said weaving took place. So, I needed to find out more…
Danica is a bit of a weaver too – carefully crafting procedural plots that keep readers glued into their armchairs, turning the pages to find out what happens next. And she keeps them coming back. Lie To Me is the 12th novel in the Karen Hart series, which is a fantastic accomplishment. With this, alongside her standalone novels and the DS Jack McKinnon series, Danica has sold over a million books.
Arriving on 8 September 2026, Lie to Me takes Karen and her team into a case with a creepy, folkloric feel to it. A man has been murdered with the mark of a scythe branded onto his flesh. Before long, another victim is discovered with the same scar. What is the killer’s message? For Karen’s colleague DI Arnie Hodgson, this will be a deeply personal case as one of the victims was his childhood friend. As autumn rolls in, you might want to stock up on biscuits, tea and coffee, and get ready for some serious reading with Danica’s latest Lincolnshire mystery.
We decided to invite her to join us on the site to talk about little more about her background, the new novel, her characters and where things are headed for DS Butler. Welcome, Danica!
First off, I’d love to know how you ended up writing crime fiction, because your career started in chemistry, didn’t it?
I’m a scientist turned crime writer. I used to work in a hospital pathology lab and then in research, which sounds a world away from fiction, but lab work and detective work have a surprising amount in common. Both are about asking questions and looking for answers. It wasn’t until I was living abroad in Bahrain with my husband that I finally wrote my first crime novel, and by the time we came back to the UK I was hooked.
When we moved to Lincolnshire I knew I’d found a place I wanted to write about. Big skies, quiet villages, and plenty of places to hide a body! We’ve since moved to Hampshire, but Lincolnshire will always hold a special place in my heart.
What are crime fiction lovers going to love about Lie to Me?
There’s a creepy Victorian branding iron, a coastal town with residents who are keeping decades of secrets, and a group of old friends who all remember one summer evening differently. And of course there’s a twist or two I hope nobody sees coming!
Who is DS Karen Hart, what originally inspired the character and how have you developed her over time?
Karen is a detective sergeant with the Lincolnshire Police. Her husband and daughter were killed before the series begins, and that loss drives her. I wanted a main character who was compassionate and relentless when looking for answers. Over 12 books, Karen has slowly rebuilt her life, found a kind of surrogate family in her team, and even let herself fall in love again.
More so than in other books Karen’s colleague DS Arnie Hodgson steps to the fore here. Who is he and similarly what inspired him?
Arnie is the old-school detective of the team. He’s grumpy, partial to a sausage sandwich and much cleverer than he lets on. He began as a side character in the earlier books, but I knew there was an interesting backstory hiding behind all his bluster. Lie to Me is where we finally find out what it is.
What are they up against in Lie to Me?
They’re up against a killer who has stayed hidden for a very long time, and who is willing to kill again to make sure their secrets stay buried. When Karen and Arnie start talking to Arnie’s old friends in Humberston, it’s clear that not everyone is telling the truth, and they realise one of Arnie’s old friends might be a murderer.
How did you come up with the intriguing and unusual setup to the story?
I liked the idea of a character who’s been missing for 35 years and comes back home, only to be murdered, because it poses two mysteries at once. Why did Arnie’s friend Damon vanish all those years ago, and why did coming home get him killed? It’s a terrible shock for Arnie.
Can you tell us more about Humberston and the book’s setting? What role does it play in the story?
Yes, Humberston is a real place. It’s a village on the north-east Lincolnshire coast, near Cleethorpes. I’ve taken a few liberties, and my version has a much darker history than the real village. The crimes and sinister Victorian landowner are all my invention! For Arnie, it’s the place he was happiest as a teenager, but it’s also the place his childhood ended, so going back is really difficult for him.
The idea of a Victorian scythe symbol branded onto the victim and other characters too, as it turns out, sounds really creepy and ritualistic. Can you tell us more about that and what kind of atmosphere you wanted to create for readers generally?
I wanted something that would give a touch of eerie folklore. The scythe is the Grim Reaper’s symbol, but it’s also an ordinary farming tool, and I liked how that connects with Lincolnshire’s rural side. The branding is ritualistic, which means the killer is leaving a message. I hope readers enjoy the creepy atmosphere following the team as they piece together what that message is alongside the whodunnit.
What are the larger themes that you wanted to explore in Lie to Me?
Underneath the mystery it’s a book about the importance of friendship. Arnie lost his first real friends back then. Thirty-five years later, he’s found friends worth trusting again in Karen and the team, and they’re supporting him through the toughest case of his life.
Is it a book that can be read standalone or do you recommend getting in at the ground floor with Bring Them Home?
Readers can definitely start here. Lie to Me focuses on Arnie’s past rather than Karen’s, so it’s actually one of the easier entry points in the series. That said, if you’re the sort of reader who likes reading in order, Bring Them Home is where Karen’s story begins.
What other crime books and authors have influenced you, and what are you reading right now?
Peter James is the author who got me hooked on modern police procedurals, along with Mark Billingham, and I adored Colin Dexter’s Morse novels. I have a signed copy of Last Bus to Woodstock and I went to hear him talk at the Oxford Literary Festival many years ago. My love of crime fiction all really began with Agatha Christie, as it does for so many writers.
I’ve just finished reading an excellent Peter James short story called John Grebble Is Gone, and next on my TBR pile is The Oxford Detective Society by Faith Martin. I’m really looking forward to diving into that one. I did my post-doc at Oxford and love books with familiar settings.
What’s next for DS Butler and DS Karen Hart?
More Karen Hart books, I’m happy to say. Book 13 will be set in and around Lincoln, with the university playing an important part. The whole team will be back, and I think Arnie has earned a less traumatic case, though I can’t promise he’ll get one! I’m also working on a standalone, which will be my first standalone book for quite a few years.
Lie to Me is out on 8 September 2026, and you can guarantee your copy using our buttons below. To find out even more about DS Butler and her books, head over to her author website, and you can also check out the next book in the series, Show No Mercy, on Amazon already.
