Lying in Wait

by Liz Nugent

Gallery /Scout Press

Publication Date : June 12, 2018

Pages : 320

Synopsis from Publisher:

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.

I hear by declare Liz Nugent, the master creator of gripping and ominous opening lines. With one sentence Nugent poses many questions. Who is the voice behind the opening line? What happened to them? What happened to the person they are referring to? Nugent’s ability to grab the readers attention is nothing short of amazing. What is even more amazing is Nugent’s ability to keep the reader’s attention.  Lying in Wait had me racing to the end because I just had to know the conclusion, yet wanting to dive even deeper into the minds of these fascinating and complicated characters.

Andrew Fitzsimmons is a well known and respected judge in Dublin Ireland. His wife Lydia is the apple of his eye and his son Laurence while awkward and sometimes distant, has the potential to be as influential as his father. When Andrew murders Annie Doyle, the bricks which have built the Fitzsimmons’ carefully structured life begin to crumble. 

Karen, Annie’s sister, is devastated by Annie’s sudden disappearance. She is finding it difficult to balance her feelings of anger and fear. When she crosses paths with Laurence things begin to get extremely complicated and she becomes even more determined to learn what has become of her sister. 

Readers learn very early on what happened to Annie Doyle. Despite knowing this, I was just as intrigued by Annie as I was by the living characters, maybe even more. Nugent has surrounded Annie with mystery. Readers learn about Annie from her sister Karen, the police investigating her murder, her parents, even the murderer. I found this so compelling and it made me very sympathetic to Annie who is not able to speak for herself. Annie’s true character is lost in a cloud of opinions and perceptions of the other characters. This is the element which made me race to the end of the book hoping to learn more about Annie and the truth.  

I love unlikeable characters, the meaner and crueler, the better in my opinion. I especially enjoy them when an explanation for their bad behavior is given. In Lying in Wait, Nugent gives explanations for the bad behaviors of most of the characters. However, the explanations do not justify their actions. In fact, their actions seem more like an overreaction. Leading me to the conclusion that most of the characters are just selfish, self-absorbed, narcissists. This is far from a bad thing, I rather enjoyed it. Nugent has created characters that will stop at nothing to get what they want or feel they need, truly diabolical.

Have you ever read a book and after you have finished it thought, I really wish I could learn more about that character? This the second time Nugent has left me with this thought. While the story is full of character development, I still want to know more about characters. The character which really left me wanting more is Andrew’s mother, Eleanor. While she was very strict, abrasive, and to the point, I have a feeling there much more beneath the surface. Learning more about Eleanor would give more insight into Andrew and maybe explanation some of his actions. 

I could never write a review that would be able to fully explain how much I loved Lying in Wait. The characters, the pacing, the plot, the portrayal of numerous emotional time bombs just waiting to explode - all perfection. Readers looking for a read full of characters you will love to hate should add Lying in Wait to their list of must reads. 

Murder and Moore Rating :

5 out of 5 Stars