#ATBR2019 Review: The Lying Room by Nicci French @tlcbooktours @wmmorrowbooks @jessmapreviews
The Lying Room
by Nicci French
Thank you TLC Book Tours and William Morrow for these copies!
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: October 1, 2019
Paperback
432 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
In this thrilling standalone from the internationally bestselling author of the Frieda Klein series, a married woman’s affair with her boss spirals into a dangerous game of chess with the police when she discovers he’s been murdered and she clears the crime scene of all evidence.
One little secret between a married woman, her lover, and a killer.
It should have been just a mid-life fling. A guilty indiscretion that Neve Connolly could have weathered. An escape from twenty years of routine marriage to her overworked husband, and from her increasingly distant children. But when Neve pays a morning-after visit to her lover, Saul, and finds him brutally murdered, their pied-à-terre still heady with her perfume, all the lies she has so painstakingly stitched together threaten to unravel.
After scrubbing clean every trace of her existence from Saul’s life—and death—Neve believes she can return to normal, shaken but intact. But she can’t get out of her head the one tormenting question: what was she forgetting?
An investigation into the slaying could provide the answer. It’s brought Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Hitching, and Neve’s worst fears, to her door. But with every new lie, every new misdirection to save herself, Neve descends further into the darkness of her betrayal—and into more danger than she ever imagined. Because Hitching isn’t the only one watching Neve. So is a determined killer who’s about to make the next terrifying move in a deadly affair….
My Review:
I'm at a bit of a loss on what I fully think of this novel. As an avid thriller reader and a lover of the domestic subgenre, I did enjoy the quick read and found it entertaining. However, I did have some issues with certain parts.
I needed more background on Mabel and why she was the way she was. If I had acted like that with my mother... uff, I'd hate to think how she would've reacted. I appreciated the realistic marriage in which both parties have become too comfortable and how marriages go through rough patches. What can be forgiven, what can't - the unknowing of how you truly feel over all in a situation that you may not feel stuck in, but you're not also happy in. Solid.
And then there's the murder itself. While I didn't figure out who the killer was until it was revealed, it didn't make a ton of sense to me. Not in how Neve figured it out. Not in the reasoning why. When we do get a little backstory, it still doesn't make more sense. Maybe I needed this elaborated more so that it was a clearer picture in my mind.
Now, aside from all of the above, the authors did keep my interest piqued. I did enjoy the group of friends and the longevity of their relationships. The complications that come as you get older and your lives change from partying college friends to being more responsible in your daily actions.
I think for the readers who don't read a ton of thrillers, this may truly be your cup of tea as it's a fun ride into domestic drama. Suspend some reality. For those of us who read a ton of these books, the ending may be a bit underwhelming and it's not much new from what we've read time and time again.
As my first Nicci French book, I'm glad I found these authors and am curious to read another by them to see how that resonates for me.
★★★
I needed more background on Mabel and why she was the way she was. If I had acted like that with my mother... uff, I'd hate to think how she would've reacted. I appreciated the realistic marriage in which both parties have become too comfortable and how marriages go through rough patches. What can be forgiven, what can't - the unknowing of how you truly feel over all in a situation that you may not feel stuck in, but you're not also happy in. Solid.
And then there's the murder itself. While I didn't figure out who the killer was until it was revealed, it didn't make a ton of sense to me. Not in how Neve figured it out. Not in the reasoning why. When we do get a little backstory, it still doesn't make more sense. Maybe I needed this elaborated more so that it was a clearer picture in my mind.
Now, aside from all of the above, the authors did keep my interest piqued. I did enjoy the group of friends and the longevity of their relationships. The complications that come as you get older and your lives change from partying college friends to being more responsible in your daily actions.
I think for the readers who don't read a ton of thrillers, this may truly be your cup of tea as it's a fun ride into domestic drama. Suspend some reality. For those of us who read a ton of these books, the ending may be a bit underwhelming and it's not much new from what we've read time and time again.
As my first Nicci French book, I'm glad I found these authors and am curious to read another by them to see how that resonates for me.
★★★
Jessica's Review:
I’ve read a few books from Nicci French’s Frieda Klein series and really enjoyed them. THE LYING ROOM is a new standalone book and it was a really fun and twisty ride. The authors bring us on a crazy ride that shows us just how complicated the web gets once you start to lie. Weaving new stories, new explanations – one lie can spiral out of control.
Neve Connolly has a secret. She’s been having an affair with her boss, Saul. She’s been meticulous about keeping the details straight and not giving any hint to her busy husband or her children. Neve goes to meet Saul the morning after and she comes across a murder scene. Terrified that she could become a suspect and have her dirty secret come to light, she immediately begins to clean away all traces of herself from his life. After she leaves the scene she has that nagging thought in the back her mind – did she forget anything?
With DCI Alastair Hitching on the case they are brought to Neve’s front door. The lies continue and the web continues to grow more complicated. Can she keep her stories straight and spare her husband and children from knowing of her deception? This one moved really quick and I read it in two sittings. Lots of suspense and lots of twists. I would highly recommend this for your fall TBR.
4 stars
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