If Michael Robotham is the author, then I'll be reading it! Lying Beside You is the third book in his Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series.
As a child, Cyrus survived a horrendous crime. As an adult, he works as a forensic psychologist who consults with the police. Evie too has survived appalling damage as a child. The one unusual thing she has is her ability to know when someone is lying. Cyrus has taken Evie under his wing, providing a home, an education and someone who believes in her.

Cyrus has been called in to profile on a case involving a murder and the disappearance of a young woman. And at her new part time job at a bar, Evie calls an uber to make sure that an inebriated woman gets safely home. Except she's not safe - she's now missing. Evie was the last one to see her - and the driver. Home life is complicated as Cyrus's brother is now coming for visits - from a secure psychiatric prison.

I really like this pair of lead characters. Cyrus's deductive reasoning and sensible, calm manner is a polar opposite to Evie. She questions authority, rules and struggles to fit in. The supporting cast brings back many familiar faces and new ones as well. I found it easy to discern who I didn't like!

And just as good as the characterizations is the plotting. Robotham never takes the reader on a straight path to the final answer. I now that and yet, I was pretty sure I knew who the culprit was many chapters from the end. I was happily proven wrong as the path took a large turn as the final pages got closer.

Lying Beside You is another fantastic book from Robotham. I'm looking forward to his next book!

4.5 Stars. This is the 3rd book in the compelling Cyrus Haven series. This is a riveting character-based psychological drama and a complex crime story. Cyrus Vance, a forensic psychologist, returns with Evie Cormac. Their shocking and troubled past lives unite both.

We learned that when Cyrus was nine-years-old, his older brother Elias murdered their mother, father and twin sisters during an acute schizophrenic phase. Evie is a 21-year-old woman who looks much younger. She has problems making friends and trusting people. She has left school, where she exhibited controversial views and behaviour. She is lodging at Cyrus's home and longs for his love but feels unworthy of any romantic relationship. He does love her, but not in the way she hopes for. She works part-time in a cocktail lounge and hates the job because she is forced to wear a black dress instead of her usual oversized hoodies. She has been helpful to Cyrus in the past due to her unique ability to detect when a subject is telling the truth.

Now Elias is getting out of the psychiatric hospital where he has been confined for 20 years. He will be staying at Cyrus's home, wearing a leg monitor and ordered to maintain his medication. This makes Evie uneasy, but Cyrus is optimistic.

A handyman, Mitch, has been employed by Cyrus. He was imprisoned for attacking and harming a woman whose apartment was downstairs from his. He is just out of prison and insists he never committed the crime he was charged with. Evie feels strongly that he is innocent, and they develop a friendship.

Cyrus is called to consult on a criminal case where an elderly man has been bludgeoned to death, and his daughter, Maya, has disappeared. A similar crime occurred years before, and a man was charged with a violent sexual attack. The woman survived but has never recovered from the trauma. Now another woman, Danielle, has gone missing after becoming intoxicated before leaving the bar where Evie worked. The suspects were men they had casually met or with whom they had relationships. Once a connection is discovered between the three women, the motivation becomes clear, but there are still several suspects, and time is running out for Danielle to survive her abductor.

Evie tracks down the woman purported to be Mitch's victim in an attempt to prove his innocence. This provokes outrage, but the two women gradually become friends. This is a forward move for Evie, who has two new friends she is determined to protect.

Cyrus learns that Evie, her new female friend, and Elias are missing from his home, and Evie's beloved car is also gone from the premises. Evie finds herself captive with Danielle and her new female friend, with their abductor planning to sentence them to death. The disturbed Elias seems to be lurking nearby. Cyrus is desperately hunting for them, knowing their lives are in danger. Police back him up. The suspense picks up with a breathtaking, intense, and nerve-wracking climax. What will the outcome be?
Highly recommended. There is enough information to make this book an engaging standalone. Still, readers would benefit from reading previous books in the series to gain more background about Cyrus, Evie and their interactions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an early electronic copy of this book.

I’m going to start with this, I was given this ARC for an honest review. However I did not know this was like book 3 in the series, this is NOT and cannot be read as a standalone novel. There’s just too much you don’t know.


I have not read the other books in the series so I was confused on a lot of parts and there were a lot of questions I wanted answered obviously. This book is well written and it’s catchy and if I’ve read the books before I think this one would have been an amazing read, however I did not read the ones before so I DNF this novel.

If I get the time I will try and get the books before this one in the series and maybe someday update this review but as for now, this is it.

Thank you netgallery for the ARC.

Lying Beside You is the third in the series featuring Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac.

Each book is better than the last and Lying Beside You will have you racing to the end, holding your breath and hoping for the best.

Evie and Cyrus are getting into a routine that suits them both.

Evie is struggling to fit into Cyrus's world and his brother is about to be released into Cyrus's care.

The police are investigating a brutal murder and the disappearance of his daughter.

Bodies begin to mount and the tension is palpable.

I was holding my breath and biting my nails as the pages turned quickly.

Michael Robotham is a born story teller and Lying Beside is You is no exception .

Highly recommend this series but be warned you will be hooked from the first page and nothing else will get done.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon and Schuster for a fantastic read.

My goal this year was to read 150 books, and thanks to @netgalley, I just finished my 150th one. What better way to feel better today than curled up with a good book. This was a very action-packed, suspenseful read. There were some great twists throughout and characters that had you questioning who was “good” and who was not. There were some stereotypes and comments that I think could have been removed, but I wonder if they were being used as a way to build character. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read in my books. I really need to read more by this author.