Friday 29 July 2016

Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent (2016)


The last people who expect to be meeting with a drug-addicted prostitute are a respected judge and his reclusive wife. And they certainly don't plan to kill her and bury her in their exquisite suburban garden.

Yet Andrew and Lydia Fitzsimons find themselves in this unfortunate situation.

While Lydia does all she can to protect their innocent son Laurence and their social standing, her husband begins to falls apart.

But Laurence is not as naïve as Lydia thinks. And his obsession with the dead girl's family may be the undoing of his own


Review 

A thrilling, dark read.
I find myself still thinking about these characters even though it has been a good many days since I finished reading it. It is a little bit slower in pace than I normally like but it is a quick read none the less.

What I loved most about the story were the characters, especially Lydia. She is both scary and hilarious. She is very posh and thinks of herself as being a cut above the rest. She is very disdainful of everyone outside her immediate family. The death of a woman at the hands of her husband is merely an inconvenience and nothing to get worked up over. Her lack of conscience is astounding and her little quips and mannerisms add humour laced with acid. 

I couldn't help but feel sorry for their son Laurence who grew up under the influence of these twisted role models. His story makes compelling reading as he moves from young teen to adulthood. He isn't completely oblivious to his parent's crime and his own actions in response to this becomes his own undoing.

A psychological drama with a twisted ending I didn't see coming.


Thanks to Penguin Random House Ireland who provided me with an advance reading copy.

Available now in all good bookshops

The Book Depository currently have it on sale with 34% off and includes Free delivery internationally.



Publisher's Information and other praise for Lying in Wait


'Gone Girl fans will love Liz Nugent's Lying in Wait ...it twists, it turns, its characters are utterly despicable and it is a compulsive triumph' Stylist 'A stunningly talented writer' Sophie Hannah 'An unputdownable psychological thriller with an ending that lingers long after turning the final page' Irish Times From the award-winning author of the No 1 bestseller, Unravelling Oliver 'My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.' Lydia Fitzsimons lives in the perfect house with her adoring husband and beloved son. There is just one thing Lydia yearns for to make her perfect life complete, though the last thing she expects is that pursuing it will lead to murder. However, needs must - because nothing can stop this mother from getting what she wants ...This is a dark, twisty and utterly gripping domestic noir that you won't be able to put down from the author hailed as Ireland's answer to Gillian Flynn. 'A tense, taut, almost gothic thriller where the tension tightens to near unbearable proportions ...impossible to stop reading. A brilliantly written, stand-out novel.' Marian Keyes 'Taut, crisp, clear, a storm-warning of a book. It has the eeriness of The Turn of the Screw; but as these screws turn, a mighty tension takes hold. Masterly' Sebastian Barry 'Deliciously twisted, shot through with dark and acid humour and the denouement is truly chilling.' Sarah Hilary 'Lying in Wait is a gradual descent to the very heart of darkness. Liz Nugent's characters are as unforgettably monstrous as they are believable. A superbly crafted novel and an absorbing portrait of the purest kind of evil.' Jane Casey 'I thought it impossible to match the brilliant Unravelling Oliver, but this Liz has done. Not only is her style beautiful, but she keeps the reader on the edge of their seat from page one until the completely unexpected ending. I read Lying in Wait in one sitting. I just couldn't bear the suspense. I absolutely loved it.' Amanda Redman 'As I finished the last page I actually stood up and gave a round of applause to my empty sitting room. Seriously ...She writes compellingly, creates posh sociopaths like no-one else and she doesn't flinch when the end demands what it demands. Lying In Wait is a story you genuinely should not miss' Rick O'Shea, RTE


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