The Lying Room. A complex thriller from writing duo Nicci French. A page turner where everyone becomes the suspect!

THE BRAND NEW STANDALONE NOVEL FROM THE MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE

Neve Connolly looks down at a murdered man.
She doesn’t call the police. 

‘You know, it’s funny,’ Detective Inspector Hitching said. ‘Whoever I see, they keep saying, talk to Neve Connolly, she’ll know. She’s the one people talk to, she’s the one people confide in.’
A trusted colleague and friend. A mother. A wife. Neve Connolly is all these things.
She has also made mistakes; some small, some unconsciously done, some large, some deliberate. She is only human, after all.
But now one mistake is spiralling out of control and Neve is bringing those around her into immense danger.
She can’t tell the truth. So how far is she prepared  to go to protect those she loves?
And who does she really know? And who can she trust?
A liar. A cheat. A threat. Neve Connolly is all these things.
Could she be a murderer?

Duffy’s Thoughts On The Lying Room

I have to confess I haven’t read anything by writing duo Nicci French before, so I went in with zero expectations as I turned to the first page.

Neve Campbell is a flawed, normal woman in her 50’s with desires, a career and a marriage which has gone through some testing times. She then becomes caught up in a game of cat and mouse with the police as an officious and tenacious Detective closes the net on a murderer. Neve’s one lie triggers a chain of events which soon spins out of control.

The Frieda Klein Series by Nicci French
Click the image to see the entire Frieda Klein series by writing duo Nicci French

I really enjoyed The Lying Room. I love a good domestic thriller and the writing duo Nicci French deliver a nail biting plot which builds at a steady pace, dropping little clues as they go. There are twists and turns and the cast of characters are all thoughtfully put together. I found The Lying Room quite unputdownable right up until the big reveal.

Like fellow blogger, Debbish, the reveal was a bit of a fizzier for me and didn’t quite tie in strongly enough to the lead-up and to the story arc. There was something a little disjointed and although there was an ‘aah, right’ moment, there was no ‘what the hell! Of course!’ plot twist revelation which is what I was expecting given the polished writing and complexities that took me on a gripping journey to that point.

However, overall, I really enjoyed the read. I guess, sometimes my bookworm expectations become far too high!

The Lying Room book review by Nicci French. A smart, gripping and complex domestic thriller
Published by Simon & Schuster $29.99
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If you like the Lying Room you may also like The Silent Patient and The Girl Before