Thank you to the author & Gallery/Scout Press, #partner, for the advanced copy of Strange Sally Diamond in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Published: July 18, 2023
Summary:
The internationally bestselling author of Lying in Wait returns with a wickedly dark, twisted, and brilliantly observed new novel about an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past.
Reclusive Sally Diamond causes outrage by trying to incinerate her dead father. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.
But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged…
My thoughts:
I was extremely lucky to be handed an early copy of this book from none other than Liz Nugent herself when I met her at a crime festival earlier this year. To say I was excited would be an understatement…she is without a doubt one of my favorite authors and I absolutely loved this one and cannot wait for others to read it – it comes out this Tuesday and I will be recommending it to all I know!
As with all her books, the first sentence once again grabbed me right away and I just knew I was in for quite the ride. This book is dark and twisted, and quite unsettling, but so addicting. Once I started reading it, I thought about nothing else but Sally and the other cast of characters we meet along the way. I loved Sally. She is quirky and yet she is also endearing and it’s hard not to become completely invested in her story. She has quite an unconventional upbringing and that leads her to make decisions that most would think strange but she can’t help it.
It’s really hard to say much more about this story without giving anything away, so all I’m going to say is that this is one incredibly captivating read that is full of twists and turns that you won’t see coming. One of my favorite aspects of Liz Nugent’s writing is the way she creates such multi-dimensional characters that are so complex, yet also real and relatable in many ways. I loved finding out why Sally is the way she is just as much as I loved seeing Sally develop as a character.
This book is entirely unique and oh so dark but I could not love it more. It really is best to go into it as blind as possible and just enjoy how the story unravels. If you’ve never read anything by Liz Nugent before, do yourself a favor and pick this one up when it comes out on July 18th. And if you have read her books before, you are definitely in a for a treat with this one!
