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 … 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.
For fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn, this novel is a “seductively sinister story. The twists come together in a superbly scary denouncement, which delivers a final sting in the tail. Brilliantly macabre” (Sunday Mirror).more
A tense, taut, almost gothic thriller… impossible to stop reading.
Quite the ride! Liz Nugent has a refreshing voice. This was such a unique telling of a tragedy that it gripped me to the very last paragraph. The ending worked well, although I definitely wanted a different one. Such is life.
Her characterization was spot on brilliant. There were many lines that caused fits of laughter, and many others that induced moments of sobbing.
Heading out to find more Liz Nugent novels …
Best opening line ever!
In Lying in Wait, author Liz Nugent takes sociopathy to a whole new, nightmare-inducing level. The story begins with the murder of a young woman and an explanation about that event: “My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.” Readers are introduced to Lydia Fitzsimons and her husband, a respected judge, parents to Laurence, a socially awkward, overweight boy. They reside in her beautiful family estate in Dublin and appear to have an idyllic life. However, Lydia’s son, Laurence, discovers a part of the secret Lydia and her husband, Andrew, have been keeping. And Lydia simply cannot have her plans derailed. She will do anything to achieve the goals she has set for herself and her son. Anything. Laurence is devoted to his mother and unable to break away from her psychological grip, often because of her histrionics and manipulations that he blindly fails to recognize. As he unwittingly furthers Lydia’s diabolical schemes, he is pulled deeper and deeper into her twisted plot and unable to extricate himself. The action is nonstop, and Nugent throws in surprising plot twists that readers will not see coming, leading to a jaw-dropping, devastating conclusion that will shock even the most savvy readers of psychological thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
This book was better than I expected. I usually don’t enjoy flitting from one person’s perspective to another but it worked well with this story. I also wasn’t sure I’d like the idea of a crime having already happened and then the perpetrators and those affected dealing with the aftermath. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Characters well drawn and the whole thing very believable. The character of Lydia was both hateful and strangely fascinating at the same time. It was well written and kept my interest from start to finish. My only criticism would be the ending but think this more about personal preference. It was both unexpected and consistent with what had gone before but it made me feel sad (slight spoiler here) that justice wasn’t done and no-one ever discovered the real truth.
One of the most perfect books I have ever read. That is all.
Ending was unexpected!
This psychological thriller book had me hooked on the first page. A page turner with Lydia being a victim and a villain and her husband is a prosperous judge. An outstanding book with a chilling plot.
This is an admirable thriller, the first of Liz Nugent’s books that I have read, but I will definitely now get her other novels. Psychological depth, the sense of quick pacing, a really satisfying book! I am a new fan of Liz Nugent’s!
Oh boy. Strap yourself in for this one.
I kept seeing this book everywhere, and couldn’t WAIT to read it. So when it landed on a Kindle sale for $3.99, I snapped it right up. The first night I started reading it, it kept me up until around 2 AM. I couldn’t stop.
I don’t like to write book reviews that include any sort of synopsis. Not only because I personally prefer to go in blind, or semi-blind, but it’s easy enough to glance at the description on the Goodreads, Amazon, or whatever page and I feel it to be quite redundant. So I will just say that, like most books I read, this is a murder story that doesn’t really go the way you think it will. It’s not a MYSTERY, because the opening detail reveals what happened and who did it. The interesting part of this story is how things spiral out of control from there, and how many peoples lives this very huge mistake shapes and changes.
I finished the book this morning and I feel…weird. Disturbed. Dirty. What a great book. There is some serious creepy Oedipal vibes happening between Lydia and her son, Laurence. I got kind of a V.C. Andrews sense from the writing style. I am haunted – the subject matter could have been spun very badly. It could have been trite, or oversexed, or cliche. Instead, Liz Nugent has struck a perfect macabre balance and woven a tale that will make you feel unsettled, fascinated, and shaken.
Dark and Devious!
Well, this one really surprised me! The novel begins with the fact that a woman’s husband killed a young girl, but didn’t mean it. This is stated by the woman. However, the husband didn’t actually kill the girl, but his wife delivered the fatal blow. The wife is controlling and isn’t too affected by the death, the husband, on the other hand, is frantic. The son, nearly an adult, is suspicious of his parents and what happened.
As the book progresses, the mother becomes more controlling of her son, Laurence. Laurence tries to break away from his mother, but the secret they keep is keeping them together. When Laurence meets Karen, the sister of the dead girl, he believes his life is going to change for the better.
What Laurence doesn’t count on is his mother’s inability to let go, which leads to a shocking conclusion.
This is an interesting study in the sick minds of some people. I really enjoyed this novel! I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #LyingInWait #LizNugent
I enjoyed this book even though one of the characters was not at all likeable. The mother of the story obviously had a personality disorder and was unstable. The story is about her unraveling and the chaos she chooses to create around her. It is also a story about how people become enmeshed in each other without realizing it and how difficult it is to detach yourself from the webs. I had three scenarios that I thought could be possible endings but none of them were correct. This book is worth a read
Lydia Fitzsimons and her husband get caught up in some deadly business that takes a wrong turn. He’s a judge and she comes from a prestigious family so there’s a lot at stake. The things that happen afterwards are shocking, unpredictable, diabolical and…fascinating.
The opening line of this story sets the tone: “My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.” Obviously, it got my undivided attention from that moment and I never got distracted. It’s delivered through three points of view: Lydia’s, Annie’s sister Karen, and Lydia’s son, Laurence. There aren’t many more details I can share without ruining your reading opportunity but I can tell you that there aren’t any heroes here or many likable characters. However, I couldn’t stop listening because I needed to know more, about these people and whether it would have some acceptable resolution and the motivations surrounding Annie’s murder.
Three narrators were used for this story and I’m so glad I opted for the audio version because all of them delivered stellar performances. I could vividly see Lydia, every facial expression and physical characteristic. When the story concluded, I knew there was no other ending that would have worked but it was dark. This is my second book by the author and she’s now an auto read, including the audio format as real care and attention is being given to who is selected to represent the characters. They made a really good book an exceptional reading experience. Just don’t expect the stories to be sweetness and light. This is the very definition of a psychological thriller.
This book begins with a murder. You know who did it; no mystery here. Then the story really starts. Told from three different viewpoints: the mother, the son and the son’s girlfriend. It was very readable and had a surprising twisted ending. Chilling.
Lying in Wait starts off with a bang but then it slowly fizzles. The storyline went from interesting to plodding between Laurence’s obsession with the Annie’s family and his gaining and losing weight I grew bored. Laurence’s mother, Lydia is a Wacker-doddle. Rarely leaving her home cutting herself off from people and her husband’s family you can’t help but wonder why no one says anything about her behavior. As the story unfolds you may find it hard to believe she actually gets away with murder and some of her disturbing tendencies towards babying her son.
Could not stop reading because of all the twists and turns. Story is told from the viewpoint of several characters but the reader knows what is actually true. Very suspenseful and the ending left me breathless and disturbed for days! Great read!
A roller coaster ride.
I really enjoyed this book. I like the way it is written with the different points of view from the different characters. It is well written and an interesting story. A bit of a frustrating end, but I couldn’t imagine any other ending!
Well this is amazing, a psychological thriller that really delivers and definitely lives up to the buzz and reviews that are generating for this book. It was crazy creepy, sometimes almost made me gasp (I’m not kidding here), this is one heck of a good read.
This book features a true psychopath, the meaning of which is “Psychopathy is a personality disorder which has symptoms expressed over a wide range of settings.Socially, it expresses extensive callous and manipulative self-serving behaviors with no regard for others, . . . is associated with repeated delinquency, crime and violence, but may also present itself in other, maybe even successful social settings” quoting from Wikipedia. This is the perfect description of Lydia, the wife and mom in this story. There are later developments that point to Laurence’s state of mind, but I won’t spoil the plot.
From the blurb for the book you know that this is a dysfunctional family headed by Andrew, a judge in the county. His wife Lydia is a dedicated wife and mother, so dedicated that you will be shocked at all of the secrets she will share with you, decidedly creepy. Most of the story revolves around their only child, Laurence and keeping him at home at all costs. Laurence is a character you will not soon forget, he will go from a chubby, unpopular, socially inept child to a manipulative, domineering adult, crazy people in this book!
I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. We are pretty much listening to these characters recount events that happened to them. So we will get Lydia’s expression of a how a crime was committed and then Laurence’s view about how it unfolded for him. Very clever and done so well.
I had never read a book by Liz Nugent but I understand that “Unraveling Oliver” the book she wrote previous to this one is outstanding, I can’t wait to read it. I hope this review encourages you to pick up a copy, you will love it!
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.