Review: Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent

Title: Lying in Wait

Author: Liz Nugent

Published: February 2019, Gallery/Scout Press

Format: Paperback, 336 pages

Source: Personal copy

Summary: 

From the author of the international bestseller Unraveling Oliver comes a “truly outstanding” (Crime by the Book), brilliantly plotted, utterly immersive novel lauded by A.J. Finn—#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window—as “extraordinary…crackles and snaps like a bonfire on a winter’s night.”

My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.

On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons’s life seems idyllic. Her husband,
Andrew, is a prosperous, respected judge; they live in the spacious,
comfortable, well-appointed house where she was raised. And she is
utterly, obsessively devoted to her son, Laurence—her adored only child,
her pride and joy.

But Andrew’s murder of Annie Doyle,
accidental or not, sets into motion a dark downward spiral. It doesn’t
take long for Laurence to suspect that something is very, very wrong in
the Fitzsimons household—and he is determined to discover the truth.

For fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn, Lying in Wait is “a devastating psychological thriller…an exquisitely uncomfortable, utterly captivating reading experience” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

My thoughts: This is the second book I’ve read by Liz Nugent and I am definitely a fan. She has such a knack for pulling you in right from the start with the most amazing first lines and continues to keep you hooked all the way through.

This book is a case where nothing is as it seems and while you most certainly will not love all the characters, you will love reading about them and find you cannot walk away from them. The story is told from three points of view and all have such compelling voices and keep the book moving. The book is a bit like a puzzle – very slowly the author gives us the pieces and try as we might, we cannot put it all together until she has given us all the information, which she does at just the right moments.

This book is not a whodunit – we know right from the start who the murderer is, but rather it’s all about the why and let me tell you, that is quite a complex, layered story. It dark and full of unexpected twists and turns. This author is a master of pushing the envelop to the max when in comes to the uncomfortable, but I never feel like she goes over the top…it always seems like she reigns herself in just at the right moment.

This book is one crazy ride with complex characters. It’s completely addicting and you will find yourself unable to tear yourself from the pages once you start reading it. Liz Nugent has definitely become one of my must-read authors and I will be adding her other books to my list pronto!