Book Review: Lying in Wait | Liz Nugent

If there were ever a book to capture dark, comedic noir, Lying in Wait would be the one for 2018. This book is incredibly twisted, and yet there was levity and humor despite the darkness of the book. I felt “WTF?!” in the best way when reading this! Liz Nugent really has a talent for writing. I loved how this book was told like the characters repeating a story from some point in time after the events had happened, rather than experiencing it live. That may not sound appealing, but I believe it was that distance from the events happening that allowed for the lightness when recounting incredibly dark stories.

About the Book

Lydia Fitzsimmons has the perfect life…

Her husband is a successful judge, they live in her beautiful family home, Avalon, and her son Laurence adores her. Avalon isn’t just any home, it is a gorgeous old-money mansion with sprawling grounds and a pile of family secrets. Lydia can’t imagine ever leaving Avalon. She is essentially a recluse, preferring to stay at Avalon as a wife, mother, and homemaker, while her husband flourishes in his career. But one night everything changes.

My husband didn’t mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.

Lydia is forced to do the unthinkable—help her husband cover up a murder. She buries this secret the same way she has buried all of the others—in the safety and security of their family home, Avalon. Lydia and Andrew may be able to hide their secret from outsiders, but what will they do when someone inside the home—someone much closer to it—discovers the truth?

Reflection

There is something so matter-of-fact in the way these characters tell their story. The Fitzsimmons family is one that is easily able to separate emotion from action, with the exception of Andrew. I found Lydia and Laurence to be completely fascinating characters. The way they react to everything from shock, to hurt, to anger, is incredible to behold. They don’t process their emotions the way many of us do. For that reason, Andrew stands in such stark contrast to them. He is someone completely overwhelmed by his emotions, and unable to keep them in check.

We see this same theme play out with other characters—Helen, Dessie, Bridget, Karen, Annie. All of them tend to either be ruled by their emotions, or be surprisingly good at separating them from their actions. This is not to say that those actions aren’t driven by their reaction to the events around them. To the contrary, the characters that seem the least motivated by their emotions are probably the most irrational of the group.

There is a scene early on (that I won’t spoil because it is so wonderful) with Laurence that honestly made me laugh out loud when I read it. Another awesome reviewer, Carrie, said she wasn’t sure at times with this book if she should laugh, cry, or cringe. That is the perfect description of this book! I dare readers to find a dull character among the lot.

The ending of this book is the icing on the “WTF?!” cake for this read! It was crazy, but sort of perfect for the story and the characters. I was so delighted by this book! It was my first by Liz Nugent, but it will certainly not be my last. I’m looking forward to sharing this book with other readers!

Publication Date: 6/12/2018

Many thanks to Gallery Books and to Liz Nugent for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.