Um, the main character in Lying in Wait is batshit crazy.
Well, one of the main characters. There are several who are more than a little “off,” but the one I’m talking about is Lydia, the woman who tells you within the first few pages that she committed a murder. She relays this information so matter-of-factly, it’s as if she’s telling you what groceries she just picked up from the store. La di da. Bought this, bought that, murdered a woman. Just another day.
I mean, she seems a bit bothered by it. She didn’t really set out to kill anyone; it just kinda happened. But, really, she’s more put out by the inconvenience of having committed a murder than anything else. And, by having to figure out what to do with the body.
This happens in the first chapter, and Lydia’s “management” of the situation definitely sets the tone for how the rest of the novel plays out. Lydia actually reminded me a lot of Adele in Behind Her Eyes; the confident, controlled way she has of dealing with adversity is absolutely chilling. Expect a high level of cray-cray to come barreling your way.
Lying in Wait is excellent. What sets it apart from a lot of other thrillers I’ve read is that the major crime — the murder of Annie Doyle — has already happened; the story is actually about the aftermath and cover up of the horrendous act. When I first started reading, I was like, Okay, this is interesting, but how long can this premise be dragged out? After you commit and conceal a murder, either you’re caught or you’re not. Where else can the story really go?
But, on it went, and in the most gripping, unpredictable, and creative ways that kept the story and your adrenaline pumping.
Lying in Wait is told from various viewpoints, a technique which author Liz Nugent executes remarkably well. So many novels employ this time-honored format, but few contain characters with such distinct and personalized tones, emotions, thoughts, and quirks as this novel does.
As a result, the reader is able to see all different sides of the story. It gets to the point where you take on some of the characters’ optimism and hope things will turn out differently, even though you know they can’t. But, the hope is well planted, and you are a bit surprised each time you are reminded of the crucial, incontrovertible truth — that Annie is dead, has been dead since the very beginning of this book — which makes each “reveal” all the more devastating.
A case where you especially want to hope is with Laurence, Lydia’s son. He’s probably my favorite character in the book, particularly in the beginning of the novel. You first meet him when he’s an overweight, awkward teenager, and he’s amusingly a kid after my own, always-hungry heart. In one early scene, a girl tries to seduce him by luring him to her unchaperoned house with promises of cake. When he shows up, he’s actually disappointed not to see any cake, even as the girl is not so subtly coming on to him. Hilarious.
This innocence, of course, doesn’t last, and as Laurence grows up over the course of the novel, which spans five or six years, his story arc makes you both eternally hopeful and breaks your heart.
I was on pins and needles the entire time I was reading this novel, especially toward the end. I wanted to rush through the last few chapters so I could find out what happened, but I also wanted to hold off in order to delay what I knew was going to be a shocking ending. I was reading Part 3 and kept saying out loud, Oh my god. OH MY GOD. I can’t believe this. Holy crap. I normally can keep to myself while reading, but this was just too much. That level of cray-cray I mentioned earlier? It suddenly escalates to an unpredictable level, moving from utterly depressing to fantastically disturbing, leaving you aghast at the final turn of events.
And, the ending. OH, THE ENDING.
The ending is terrifying.
Add this one to your list, thriller addicts. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more from Nugent in the future. I, for one, plan to be catching up on her other novels while I wait.
What are some thrillers that truly shocked you this year? Sound off below!
You totally had me hooked at the first sentence of this post lol. I am always looking for a good thriller to read and I’ll definitely have to dig into this one.
Hahahaha. It’s so true!! Wait until you meet this woman. She’s freakin’ nuts. You’re going to love this book!
Ooooh interesting! I like books that play on the conventions of genre, and setting a thriller AFTER the thrilling incident (murder) sounds like a really cool twist. Plus, I’ve been bingeing the My Favorite Murder podcast lately, so I’m totally in the mood for books about the bad guys/gals 😉 thank you for sharing this review, awesome stuff!
It was definitely a different twist, and I was amazed at how the author kept the story going so well “after the fact.” I stumbled across another book lately from this point of view–kinda–but I can’t remember the title right!! (Maybe because it’s nearly 5am and I’ve been up since 3:30am?!?! LOL.) If I remember it, I’ll let you know!