ABOUT THE BOOK:
From the international bestselling author of Unraveling Oliver, an “unputdownable psychological thriller with an ending that lingers long after turning the final page” (The Irish Times) about a Dublin family whose dark secrets and twisted relationships are suddenly revealed.
My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.
On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life—wife of a respected, successful judge, mother to a beloved son, mistress of a beautiful house in Dublin. That beautiful house, however, holds a secret. And when Lydia’s son, Laurence, discovers its secret, wheels are set in motion that lead to an increasingly claustrophobic and devastatingly dark climax.
MY REVIEW:
Lying in Wait by Liz NugentMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent is a 2018 Gallery/Scout Press publication.
Sad, darkly humorous, and thoroughly chilling!
When Annie Doyle disappears, it has a profound effect on her sister, Karen. Law enforcement officials are not at all helpful, having made up their minds what kind of girl Annie was, deciding she wasn’t worth much effort on their part. But Karen never gives up trying to find out what happened to her sister.
Laurence Fitzsimons, a lonely, overweight boy discovers a dark secret about his parents, which haunts him all the way into adulthood. His mother, Lydia, a widow, keeps Laurence on a tight leash, keeping him as close to her as possible, manipulating him, monitoring his relationships, and his yo-yo dieting. Unlike other mothers, she doesn’t support his healthier choices, or emotional growth, wanting to keep him tethered to her.
In an ironical twist of fate, Karen’s life inexplicably intersects with Laurence, which sets in motions a shocking chain of events that even left ME stunned!
I have a few personal reading challenges in mind for 2020 and one of them is to read books by author’s I’ve never tried before. I’ve been meaning to sample Liz Nugent’s books, as they are often highly rated and seem to prompt a great deal of discussion.
I’m not sure why I chose this book as my introduction to this author, as ‘Unraveling Oliver’ has been on my TBR list longer. But I’m glad I plucked this one out of the pile first.
It took me a little while to find my groove with this one. I didn’t know what to make of it and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It took too long to get the good part, but once I got to the last quarter of the book, I was sitting on pins and needles.
I never would have imagined the insane path this story would take me down. It wasn’t until I had finished reading it and had a few days to mull it over that it really started to sink in. The author has a unique style and a quirky sense of humor, too.
The conclusion is a bit depressing, but I also ended up respecting the author’s boldness. I do love a good, unsettling, spine tingling climax, one that lingers for a long while, and this story certainly delivered on that count.
Although I was initially exasperated by the pacing, in hindsight the offbeat plot and execution was genius.
Overall, Nugent left a good first impression. I will definitely read more of her books and am now very excited about reading ‘Unraveling Oliver”. Hope I can fit that one in this year!
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Lying-Wait-Novel-Liz-Nugent-ebook/dp/B078MGGQVH/
https://www.amazon.com/Lying-in-Wait/dp/B07BHTQPXW/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lying-in-wait-liz-nugent/1127238119
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liz Nugent worked as a stage manager in theatres in Ireland and toured internationally before writing extensively for radio and television drama.
Unravelling Oliver was published in 2014, hit the number 1 spot for several weeks and won Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.
Lying in Wait, published in 2016, went straight to number 1 and was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club. It won the Radio 1 Ryan Tubridy Listeners Choice Award at the Irish Book Awards.
In October 2017, Liz won the Irish Tatler Woman of the Year Award in Literature.
Skin Deep was published in 2018. It also went straight to number 1 in the bestsellers charts and scooped two awards at the An Post Irish Book Awards in Nov '18: Crime Novel of the Year AND the Radio 1 Ryan Tubridy Listener's Choice Award.
