This was one wild ride of a story! I did not want to put it down. The author used an interesting direction in relating this murder mystery. It is in fact not a mystery about who murdered the victim (that is revealed from the start), but rather a crazy thriller of what happened after the fact as the murderers attempt to cover up and live with the after effects of their crime. Things get pretty unbelievably insane and like an accident scene, it is awful to see but nearly impossible to look away.
If you like the unpredictable, and are intrigued by the description of this book, I urge you to give it a try. It will surprise you- of that I have no doubt. Just don't look for a neat and tidy ending.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Found it very slow and wanted to stop reading multiple times unfortunately. I had a couple of friends who highly recommended this book so I was eager to read it. I have Unraveling Oliver but have not gotten to that one yet. I might wait a while on that one now.

“My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.”

Seriously, with an opener like that, how could I not keep reading? Who in the world says “the lying tramp deserved it”? Who is this person?! I must follow her around. I must! And I mean immediately. Thus begins my clenched trip down the psycho’s path.

But the sad truth is, you know one psycho, you know them all. They sort of all seem the same—mean, sly, twisted, clever. After all, evil is evil. I guess what I’m trying to say is that despite that killer opener, she (Lydia) is pretty much an ordinary psycho. And that can get boring. But what makes a psycho unique is the creepy things they come up with to carry out their agendas, and Lydia is pretty good at doing creepy.

I’m making it sound like this book is all about Lydia the Evil. It’s not. There are two other narrators (the “good” ones, both of whom are angsty, earnest, and sympathetic) and they have center stage for most of the book. These were the characters that grabbed me. Man were they well-drawn and vivid! I could clearly see their bods and the inside of their heads. We have one guy (the son of the psycho) who is sweating a horrific secret; one woman (the sister of the victim) who is sad, successful, and on a mission. There are also two other minor female characters that pop off the page. The relationships—between the psycho and her son (she was definitely a smother-mother), and between the son and female friends—were believable and rich, and they kept me thoroughly entertained.

I can’t say I was happy with the ending, but I will say it was clever, very clever. And such a surprise. Who am I kidding? I was more than unhappy with the ending—it pissed me off royally! I planned on taking the high road and pretending it didn’t bother me much, but the whisperer in my head keeps saying liar, liar pants on fire! It still didn’t keep me from giving out 4 stars.

There are no extraneous characters, there are no side trips. The prose is good, the pace perfect, the plot unusual and plausible (in a thriller kind of way). The characters aren’t one-dimensional or stereotypical, which is a big selling point for me. Really, I can’t think of anything bad about this one. Yet I keep having a little nag in my noggin: Even though it was a fast, near-perfect read, the whisperer in my head (there she is again!) keeps muttering “lightweight.” This bugs me because I don’t understand the whisper. The only thing I can come up with is that I didn’t highlight. (I didn’t know until now that I required this activity, but apparently I do!) The whisperer says it’s not great literature, and it isn’t as good as, say, Gone Girl. I tell the whisperer to shut up, because damn, I liked this book—a lot!

In fact, the book passed my thriller test in flying colors. Did the psycho give me the heebie jeebies? Oh god yes. Did I eyeball the page numbers? Never. Was I always hot to pick the book up? Yes. Was I dying to find out what would happen? Yes. Was I surprised? For sure! Oh, and an important question: Do I want to read everything else this author writes? Absolutely! I hope to read Unraveling Oliver soon.

Sometimes you just need to escape, and this book took me far away from the state of the universe, my own sigh-ful problems, and the beckoning dishwasher. The story glued my hands to the Kindle and proceeded to take over my head for a while. A fast read, yum yum yum. Dark and twisty without any gore. Un-put-down-able!

I definitely recommend this book, especially to those who like fleshed-out characters with their thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Is there any relationship more sacred than that between a mother and her child? In these two novels we see two very different mother/child dynamics play themselves out.

Stage, Zoje. (2018, July). Baby Teeth. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN: 978-1250170750

In Baby Teeth, Suzette really does love her daughter, 7 year old Hanna, but the years of caring for this difficult child whose tricks and behavior continue to escalate are taking a toll on her mental and physical state. Hanna has been expelled from just about every private school in the area for behavoiral issues that border on psychopathic and she is selectively mute. (A doctor tells Suzette that Hanna is capable of talking but is choosing not to do so.) And her husband is no help, Hanna only shows him her angelic side and he thinks she can pretty much do no wrong. Suzette is hopeful that the next school, the next doctor, the next psychologist will be the one to figure out what to do to fix everything. But Hanna has other ideas. If she can make Mommy go away, then she’ll have Daddy to herself.

I struggled through this book a little. Parts of it really do sweep the reader along but then the story as a whole feels long and drags in places for me. I did appreciate that all the characters are shown in less than perfect light at times and the scenes where Hanna acts most like a child, most like her age are what makes the rest of what happens so much more startling in contrast. Which is to say I think there will be many readers for this book and there is enough here for me to look for the author’s next work.

After I finished the book, I saw someone else’s review where they commented that this was much more on the horror side of the spectrum and that fits much better in my opinion. Dear publishers and reviewers: Not everything is a thriller and people will read things that are not. However, I can’t help but think the overall creepy factor of the book would have been much improved without the dual narratives that are so popular these days. I almost feel in stories like this it becomes a crutch. The author doesn’t have to figure out how else they might convey information to the reader, they can just have whichever character relay it. It would have been a more subtle, creepier story without this.

Review Excerpts:

“Deliciously creepy…the author keeps the suspense taut…offering a terrifying glimpse into the inner thoughts of a budding sociopath.” ―Library Journal

“Tightly plotted, expertly choreographed…. Stage palpably conveys Suzette’s fear, anger, frustration, and desperation while exploring the deleterious effects that motherhood can have on one’s marriage and self-worth. …Stage fuses horror with domestic suspense to paint an unflinching portrait of childhood psychopathy and maternal regret.” ―Kirkus

“Stage’s deviously fun debut takes child-rearing anxiety to demented new heights. Stage expertly crafts this creepy, can’t-put-it-down thriller into a fearless exploration of parenting and marriage that finds the cracks in unconditional love.” ―Publishers Weekly

“A totally engaging and unnerving read. Debut novelist Stage has convincingly created one of the youngest villains ever, and readers will be unable to resist the urge to meet Hanna.” ―Booklist

Nugent, Liz. (2018). Lying in Wait. New York: Gallery/Scout Press. ISBN: 978-1501167775

The publisher also bills this as a thriller and it is but not is a typical one. The book opens with Lydia and her husband killing Annie Doyle and burying her in their backyard. The reader along with the characters spends the book waiting for someone to find out. Lydia’s husband dies from the stress of what they’ve done and Lydia’s teenage son Laurence knows more than she realizes and begins to become somewhat obssessed with the family and especially sister that Annie left behind.

There is a kind of slow burn to this story as events pile one on the other and the two families get more intertwined. Will this be the time that someone discovers what happened? As the story moves along, the reader becomes more aware of who Lydia really is and what she is doing to get what she wants. I don’t want to say too much here.

This would be a great crossover book to give to teens because so much of the story belongs to Laurence. It is one of those books where you feel like you are watching a train wreck-awful and gruesome and you shouldn’t but you can’t look away. Until right near the end and the whole thing switches back on itself and dear reader you’ll have to read it for yourself, I don’t want to spoil the ending for you.

Review Excerpts

“Like Unraveling Oliver (2017), this is a whydunit, not a whodunit, and the real meat lies in Nugent’s exploration of motherhood, mental illness, and what could drive a person to murder… A page-turner chock full of lies and betrayals and a very creepy mother-son relationship.”-Kirkus Reviews

“A devastating psychological thriller… Lydia is the most intriguing puzzle; equal parts victim and villain, she simultaneously inspires pity, outrage, and horror. The result is an exquisitely uncomfortable, utterly captivating reading experience.”-Publishers Weekly

“[A] chilling tale of the sociopathic mind… Readers who love sinister psychological thrillers will tear through these pages.”-Library Journal

“Nugent introduces an unforgettable cast of characters in this tour de force…astonishing….everyone should grab it the second it appears.”-Booklist

What both these books do so well is play into Jungian archetypes and Freudian complexes. There is such a feeling in both that everything is a matter of degree. Daddy’s girls and momma’s boys and mothers who love too much and not enough. Who wouldn’t act this way if pushed too far?

There are very few characters in LYING IN WAIT for one to like but that does not detract from the reader’s enjoyment. A barren, obsessive, sociopathic woman, her somewhat weak willed husband, their son and a teen aged prostitute are the interwoven threads at the heart of this precautionary tale of “nature versus nurture”.

Beguiling, wicked, and taut with suspense and paranoia, Liz Nugent delivers mad and darkly original scenes and divergent perspectives as devastating as any I’ve ever read with a startling, pitch-perfect finale.

Well, this one really surprised me! The novel begins with the fact that a woman's husband killed a young girl, but didn't mean it. This is stated by the woman. However, the husband didn't actually kill the girl, but his wife delivered the fatal blow. The wife is controlling and isn't too affected by the death, the husband, on the other hand, is frantic. The son, nearly an adult, is suspicious of his parents and what happened.
As the book progresses, the mother becomes more controlling of her son, Laurence. Laurence tries to break away from his mother, but the secret they keep is keeping them together. When Laurence meets Karen, the sister of the dead girl, he believes his life is going to change for the better.
What Laurence doesn't count on is his mother's inability to let go, which leads to a shocking conclusion.
This is an interesting study in the sick minds of some people. I really enjoyed this novel! I look forward to reading more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #LyingInWait #LizNugent

What a trip! Lying in Wait kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I thought I knew what was going to happen but boy, I was wrong. This not only kept me guessing but also tugged at my heart strings. If you have ever loved, lost, been bullied, lost trust in your parents or tried to start a new path for yourself, you will be able to relate on some level.

"My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it"...
Let's be honest, that line caught your attention. You probably want to know why he killed her and what she did to deserve it. Well you're for sure going to find out, but be warned, you're going to have to buckle your seat-belts for this crazy ride. The story is told through many points of view, Lydia, the wife of the man who killed Annie Doyle, their son Laurence who discovers that something is not quite right with his parents, and Karen, the sister of the victim, Annie. This is an attention grabbing story full of quite a few shocking developments and is well worth the read.

What a fantastic book! It kept me guessing until the very end. I will recommend this to all my friends.

Another fantastic suspense novel!! This book will keep you up all night reading it! I am a huge fan. If you like thrillers and a little bit of creepiness... this one is for you!

The story centers around the disappearance of Annie Doyle, a heroin addict and prostitute, Andrew Fitzsimons, a respected judge, his wife Lydia and their young son, Laurence. From the very first paragraph you know that the Fitzsimons family leads a dysfunctional life, although it seems perfect from the outside. Andrew has a successful job, Lydia lives in the perfect home, and Laurence has everything he ever wanted. But inside- things are much different and that house holds a secret that no one wants to escape. As Laurence comes to understand what happened to Annie Doyle, Lydia becomes unhinged and will do whatever it takes to keep her son within arms reach. She is trying to protect him after all, right? As the story progresses, the story becomes nastier and murkier, with many twists along the way... many of which I DIDN'T see coming! The first line of this book immediately drew me in and kept me turning until the very last page. If you're looking for a good suspense novel this summer, make sure to grab this one. I was sure I knew where this book was going, but it kept proving me wrong time and time again!

This is a great read! I absolutely loved Unraveling Oliver, so Liz Nugent had set a pretty high bar for herself. She aced it again with this book!
Lydia, the matriarch and one of the three views this story is presented from, will absolutely give you the creeps. What an arrogant, self-centered, heartless woman who is capable of murder and will do whatever’s necessary to benefit her family name and her darling son Laurence. And he’s another “Psycho” in the making, it appears. Spoiled, overweight and lazy, dear Laurence can do no wrong. The innocent party is Karen, who’s desperately searching for her estranged sister Annie, a young woman forced from home who never had a chance.
We learn in the first sentence that Annie has been murdered by Lydia’s husband Andrew, a Judge. Lydia makes it clear that the murder is all Annie’s fault. Who else could have precipitated it? The little drug-using prostitute had it coming.
This gives the story an interesting perspective. As the story unfolds, only mom and dad know Annie is dead and buried in the garden. As events unfold, Laurence is soon in on the deception, but is he honest with Karen? No, he begins wooing Karen and bringing her into the dangers that exist between him and his controlling mother.
I make a point not to write anything in my review that may spoil the read for others, but I can carefully say this: you’re gonna love the ending. Not all stories end the way we assume they will. This is one of the few that will prove you wrong in your assumptions. Just read it. Then read Nugent’s other book, Unraveling Oliver. I will definitely be following this author for future books!
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for making it available.)

Wow! Liz Nugent really knows how to write about psychopaths!!!! This is every bit as good as Unraveling Oliver. Amazing storyline and characters that keeps you hooked beginning to end!!!

From the first line -- 'My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it' to the very end, I was hooked. This is a story told from differing points of view in flashbacks and reminiscences about a mother and son and the terrible tragedy and murder that connect them.

Everyone is trying to write the "next Gone Girl" and I think Nugent gets pretty close. There are many twists and turns and surprises that I didn't see coming, but there were also some that any reader would predict. Was I on the edge of my seat? YES! Were there times when I said aloud -- Are you kidding?!! YES! Much like watching one of those horror films where the girl goes into the basement in the dark, alone -- this book keeps the reader turning pages, unable to turn away even though you KNOW that something bad is going to happen. For fans of suspense who want a great read to just fall into and close out the world, this is it!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I held high hopes for this book immediately intrigued by the first line and it did not disappoint. Told in alternating point of views between the three characters we are given a look into their lives as secrets come to light that can't stay buried forever. I highly recommend this book.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Wow, this book was well written and kept me intrigued! While I can't say I loved the ending, it made sense. I would recommend this book someone looking for a darker story. It was an original story in which the reader has to wait for the other characters to know as much as they do. I can't wait for Liz Nugent's next book!

Wonderful psychological suspense. The mother is so loathsome that you have to read what she might do next. The ending was very well written, what a twist. Loved this and a good novel for book discussions.

This is a twisty mystery that focuses on different POVs. I liked that aspect because important details were never given from everyone’s POV, so the reader knew much that the characters didn’t. However, each chapter rehashed the previous events from someone else’s viewpoint, so maybe the book moved slower than it had to.
For some reason, I had trouble visualizing a lot of it, but this wasn’t enough to make me put it down and I did enjoy the plot well enough.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

This book was pretty great. It really sucks you in, by about a third of the way through I didn't want to put it down. Each twist  in the road just made me more addicted to the plot. There was a sick and twisted feeling as the reader connects with the characters though, as many of the narrators in the novel have dark sides and dirty secrets. The book alternates between three different time periods and multiple points of view. I thought it was especially interesting that Lydia and Annie's characters were both institutionalized at different points against their will. The plot twisted in a way that I did not expect, and I definitely did not see the ending coming at all. The ending was still crazy sad, but I guess I should have expected that based on how the book was going. I also thought it was interesting that the book looked at the difference in upper and lower classes and also the change in generations. Also there are some significant differences between the way things worked in Ireland at that time compared to everywhere else. Overall I thought this was a really great book and I would definitely recommend it!

I was extremely excited for this title and I waited diligently for my approval through Net Galley. I knew my library was going to get this regardless, because Nugent's last book (Oliver) was well received. I never got around to reading it, but I knew it was a psychological thriller and those were the kinds I liked.

Unfortunately, I DNF-ed this one pretty hard at 30%. I just couldn't get into this who-done-it family drama. Perhaps the narration through the several pivotal characters threw me off. I'm usually not repulsed by a fractured event, multiple views of one story are often engaging and interesting but this one fell flat for me. I loved the narcissistic, indulgent mother, but I could have thrown out the chapters I read of the son's perspective. Dull, boring, perpetually whining. I couldn't care less about his take or his relationship issues with his father. Karen (the victim's sister) was at least developing a little from the stereotypical devoted-sister-and-girlfriend to a tenacious citizen detective, but still couldn't keep me entertained enough to withstand the sniveling Laurence.

The cover art is beautiful, and I really wanted to like this novel more, but I just never wanted to pick it back up. Once the murder-suspect husband has a strategic-for-the-plot heart attack, I was out of there and never looked back. I've read other reviews that claim this is the thriller of the century, a real mind-boggling psycho drama, and maybe if I held on longer I would get it. But I just didn't want to, and there were so many other books to read.