Book Review: Lying in Wait

Deep buried family secrets bubble up in Liz Nugent's twisty psychodrama Lying in Wait. Primarily unfolding against the backdrop of 1980s Dublin, the unexpected murder of 22-year-old Annie Doyle at the hands of Lydia and Andrew Fitzsimons sets in motion a disastrous chain of events from which there's no return. The tragic tale unspools, in true Rashomon style, over a period of five years from the perspectives of Lydia, her son Laurence, who becomes fixated with the dead girl's family, and Karen, who suspects there's more to her sister's death long after the police close the case, allowing Nugent to use every weapon in her writing arsenal to explore the crime's domino effect and mount an entangled story of deceit and lies through the lens of a creepy mother-son relationship that's equal parts intriguing and horrifying. The result is a brilliant thrill-inducing read which combines an engaging plot structure with astute psychological insight. Highly recommended!