Lying in Wait
by Liz Nugent
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 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 denouement, which delivers a final sting in the tail. Brilliantly macabre” (Sunday Mirror).
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Momma Says: 2.5 stars⭐⭐⭐
Lying in Wait has one of the most brilliant opening lines that I've come across and a cover that practically screams, "Read Me!" The first chapter lives up to that, hinting at a growing tension as this family covers up a heinous act. However, after that first chapter the story slows down considerably while we learn about a sociopathic matriarch who will go to any length to have things her way and the family she controls through manipulation and lies.
The storyline, while not exactly original, is interesting - deeply dark and twisted, but interesting in and of itself. There's no real mystery here, as such, since we're told the who, what, and when from the beginning. The only suspense is the actual why, which the author does eventually get around to, and when and how it will all be revealed. The latter takes us on a disturbing, albeit rather circuitous, journey of deceit, greed, and manipulation. The pacing does pick up in the last third or so of the book, but it did feel like it took a considerable amount of time getting there.
Even with the pacing, my biggest issue lay with the characters. With the multiple points of view in this one, I would've expected at least one stand out character, somebody to empathize with and possibly even root for, but there's not a likable person in the bunch. We have the self-entitled Lydia, who is nothing short of devious in her manipulations of those around her, including her only child, Laurence, who doesn't have enough backbone to break free from his mother's iron grip. No matter how many birthdays we see Laurence through, his inner musings never progress beyond juvenile and so much emphasis is put on his weight that it becomes his only distinctive characteristic. Then we have Karen, who is wishy-washy to the extreme. One minute she's utterly consumed by the need for answers about Annie's disappearance and the next, she's in no hurry. Throw in a couple of Laurence's girlfriends - one a user and the other practically a doormat - and the only character I found any real sympathy for was Karen and Annie's father, who is so far on the periphery that we never really get to know him. Even our victim doesn't inspire much in the way of compassion once everything is revealed. Unlikable characters in this type of story is to be expected and many times, the flawed characters stand out, but it just didn't work for me here. Everybody has an agenda and eventually, Annie's murder became more excuse than reason for their actions.
I really think this is one of those stories that either works for a reader or it doesn't and while, I didn't hate it, I certainly didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.
❃❃ARC provided by NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
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