Book Review: Lying In Wait by Liz Nugent

A dark, twisty domestic noir from the author hailed as Ireland's answer to Gillian Flynn.

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

Lydia Fitzsimons lives in the perfect house with her adoring husband and beloved son. There is just one thing Lydia yearns for to make her perfect life complete, though the last thing she expects is that pursuing it will lead to murder. However, needs must - because nothing can stop this mother from getting what she wants...

Given the comparisons drawn between Liz Nugent, author of Lying In Wait, and Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl, I wasn't sure I'd like this book. After all, I was one of the, seemingly, few people who didn't like Gone Girl! But after getting through Lying In Wait in just a few days, I'd be more inclined to compare Liz Nugent with Virginia Andrews; certainly when it comes to this book, at least.

This is a compelling read; one that is in no way predictable, or easy to read. The story twists and turns at every opportunity, and it had me guessing right up until the final page. I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined how this book would end; and I walked away from it with feelings of shock, surprise and relief. It's an exhausting read; not just because of how convoluted it gets, at times. There are very few characters to like; to want to see succeed. Laurence is an overweight asshole. Lydia is a psychotic, messed up bitch. And Andrew is a browbeaten, weak-willed murderer. The whole Fitzsimons family are detestable, then. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel when we meet Karen Doyle, Annie Doyle's sister. She is innocent, and pure; desperate to find out what really happened to her sister. It's her chapters I enjoyed the most; although the Fitzsimons family's chapters were what really pushed the story along. 

Lying in Wait was nothing like I expected it to be; it opens well, but the story loses pace immediately after the introductory chapters. But it's worth playing the long game with this book; as the story unfolds, more and more is revealed about the Fitzsimons and the Doyle's. And the story really steps up a gear when Laurence befriends Karen, and secrets are revealed. 

Rating: ****