Lying in Wait by Liz NugentMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - in and out over 2 days
Pages - 304
Publisher - Penguin Ireland
Source - Shop
Blurb from Goodreads
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
My Review
Part one, 1980, the murder and what follows in the period after. The opening line is one that ensnares the reader straight away, I think my response was ooft! The chapters jump between three characters, Lydia, wife of Andrew and mother to Laurence, Laurence the son of Lydia/Andrew and Karen, sister of the murdered girl. The book spans over thirty odd years, visiting the characters at different stages and how the death of one girl has impacted on them all.
Oh this is a great wee book, the characters for the most part aren't the most likeable but as we go on we learn a bit more about each and how their experiences have shaped them. The book teases out details and secrets as it goes along, keeping the reader hooked chapter after chapter. How far would you go for someone you love, what is unforgivable and how do you keep going when secrets won't stay hidden?
A dark psychological thriller introducing us to a mother whose whole focus is her son, a son who is very tied to his mother but wants his own independence and a sister desperate to find her missing sister. With a very chilling look at how things can quickly get out of hand, the book looks at relationships, family secrets and how they can change the course of many lives. I really liked the story overall the ending I wasn't a huge fan off but it is one of those that you know some folk will bloody love. I felt a bit cut short, I wanted more and they always say a good author leaves the audience wanting more. 4/5 for me this time, absolutely would read more by Nugent!
Oh this sounds good. I've been more into dark psychological thrillers so I may have to pick this one up one day. Brilly review.
ReplyDeleteHi Lainy, this book does sound very psychologically dark and I would venture a guess Andrew and Lydia would be dealing with alot of guilt with regard to the murdered girl. I know what you mean about books falling apart at the end. I've read books like that Wasn't thrilled about the ending to Gone Girl for example. I guess I wanted more justice at the end but as you say many people felt the ending was just right.
ReplyDelete