The Lying Room

The Lying Room is the first stand alone mystery thriller from Nicci French (the husband and wife writing team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) since the conclusion of the Frieda Klein series.

When Neve Connolly discovers her married lover murdered in his pied-à-terre she takes a deep breath and then works methodically to remove any trace of herself from the crime scene, before returning home to her husband and three children.

“He was dead. he had been murdered. But it wasn’t about her or them. That was irrelevant to whatever it was that had happened here.”

The Lying Room is a taut character driven mystery with its focus on Neve’s desperate attempts to protect her family, and herself, from the consequences of her lover’s show more murder.

“There was no getting away from it. She would have to get on with her life and behave the way an innocent person would behave. The fact that she was innocent–innocent at least of the murder–was no help at all.”

The author’s characterisation is generally strong and believable. A busy wife, mother, employee and friend, Neve is an ordinary woman caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and I could empathise with her impulse to protect her family, despite her obviously shaky relationship with her husband, and daughter. Her stress and fear Is palpable as Neve frantically strives to project a sense of normalcy, even while chaos descends on her home, in the form of a parade of unwanted houseguests, and surprise visits from DI Hitching.

“Even the truth felt like a lie now.”

There are plenty of red herrings in The Lying Room to keep any armchair detective guessing. Aware that DI Hitching strongly suspects she is somehow involved, Neve eventually becomes determined to identify the killer herself, and finds herself clumsily investigating her family, and friends. I didn’t guess the identity of the killer, or their motivation, until quite late in the story, though subtle clues are present earlier.

“Almost every part of the police investigation was wrong or misleading, the crucial evidence had been removed or destroyed. Their narrative of events was entirely false. But after all of that, the conclusions were correct.”

A well written, clever, and gripping novel, The Lying Room is an entertaining mystery. show less

The Lying Room is, I think, the first Nicci French book I have read and it's also easily one of the best books I have read this year. It's a gripping story, a domestic noir that I was completely enthralled by.

Neve Connolly is a wonderful character. She's the sort of person everyone is drawn to, the hub of everything. The book begins with the most ordinary of days and Neve can have no idea that by the end of that day her life will have been turned upside down. She tries to hold everything together, her family life, her work, her friendships, and it drives her almost to breaking point.

I'm being deliberately vague about what happens to Neve; the blurb doesn't give it away so I'm certainly not going to, but this is just a perfect show more storyline. There's nothing outrageous or bizarre about it, Neve is an ordinary woman going about her ordinary life and she really doesn't expect to find herself in the situation she does.

I didn't want to put this book down at all. It completely drew me in, not only to Neve's predicament but also the minutiae of her day to day life and the juggling act she performs. I said before that people gravitate to her and at one point it was almost farcical as she couldn't seem to get rid of the numerous friends hanging around her house.

For me, this is a masterclass in plotting. I know the authors plot their books very carefully and their meticulous attention to detail absolutely shines through. No small detail is overlooked or is unnecessary to the story, each either building up a picture or drip-feeding to the reader the things they need to know. I do love a good domestic noir and The Lying Room is more than good, for me it's outstanding, the authors working in perfect harmony to produce a very honed story.

Normally I like short chapters and this book has very long ones. I didn't care a jot, there could have been no chapter breaks as far as I was concerned. I didn't need the fast pace to keep my interest; the writing, the plotting and the characters did that all by themselves. It's a family based story as much as a thriller or murder story and that's probably why I loved it so very much.

In case you were in any doubt, I would most definitely recommend this book. It's a very human story, with so much to offer the reader. show less

Oh, my yes they've caught the feeling of a family and a circle of friends so perfectly, and the slightly shabby house with the cobwebs up high that one doesn't ever seem to get to, and a child grown up and off to college, and having to prepare a separate meal for everyone's food choices. AS a slice-of-life about a modern family it is filled with the detail that grounds it in the present and makes it feel just like mine (although of course, there is nothing but the most faintest of similarities). Plus lots of twists in the spaghetti. The suspense/mystery/thriller side is equally spot on: clever and complicated and beautifully simple behind the red herrings. Brilliant.

Library copy

I thought this was very good. Neve's rising panic and attempts to carry on as usual were well done, even as her house filled with guests in scenes bordering on farcical. The development of her relationship with her daughter Mabel was touching. I was slightly dissatisfied with the revelation of the murderer,

SPOILERS

who was something of a peripheral character, in whom I had no investment, and whose motive was not even remotely foreshadowed.

4.5 stars.

The Lying Room by Nicci French is an engrossing, suspenseful mystery.

Neve Connolly is a married mum of three who is the main breadwinner in the family. Her husband Fletcher works sporadically while he works on his art. Their sons Rory and Connor are delightful boys but their oldest daughter Mabel's teen years were quite tumultuous. Although still a bit moody and uncommunicative, Mabel is about to leave home for university.

In the midst of all of the family chaos, Neve unexpectedly embarks on an affair with Saul Stevenson, who is also married. Having spent the night before with Saul, she is rather surprised to receive a text from him asking her to meet him at his pied-à-terre. Upon her arrival, Neve is shocked to discover his show more lifeless body and she soon determines he has been murdered. At first planning to call 999, she reconsiders once she realizes how devastating it will be on her family if her affair is revealed. Quickly working to erase all evidence she was ever in Saul's flat, she leaves without notifying authorities. She has a nagging feeling she left something undone at Saul's and she wakes in the middle of night with the horrifying realization of exactly what she left something behind. Will Neve recover her personal property before the police discover Saul's body?

Neve tries to return to her normal life but she is terrified of becoming the prime suspect in Saul's murder. With the murder investigation underway, Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Hitching begins turning up at unexpected and inconvenient times. Neve nonetheless stays the course as she answers his questions with half-truths and outright lies. With so much to lose, she is walking a tricky path as she juggles family life, unanticipated houseguests, the grieving widow and her friends' secrets. On edge, Neve knows the only way to save herself is to try to uncover the identity of Saul's killer. With a surprisingly long list of suspects, will she be able to figure out who murdered him and more importantly,why?

The Lying Room is a brilliantly plotted and well executed domestic mystery. The characters are engaging and well-developed and the storyline is quite clever. With a plethora of suspects, Nicci French expertly ratchets the tension to a fever pitch before bringing this diabolically twisted mystery to an absolutely stunning conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this fast-paced novel to fans of the genre. show less

THE LYING ROOM by Nicci French.
Nicci French is the pseudonym for the writing team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. The married couple have 21 books to their credit.
I was first introduced to ‘Nicci French’ when their Frieda Klein series was recommended to me. I still refer to those books as some of the best psychological thrillers I have ever read.
THE LYING ROOM is a psychological thriller, also. It is tense, riveting and very unique. it includes complex characters and a plot with very interwoven threads.
For me, there is a very deep sense of place - of neighborhoods, of back yards, of guinea pig hutches, of walking, of cycling, of traversing city streets. There is a sense of water - of rivers and towpaths (very reminiscent of the show more Frieda Klein books). There is much personal introspection.
Neve Connolly has a very agreeable ‘outside’ facade with very troubling secrets hidden away ‘inside’.
She plays an elaborate chess game with the police. It could go either way.
A true thriller. show less

I had not read anything before by the husband-and-wife team known as Nicci French, although I have always intended to dive into the Frieda Klein series. When I saw that The Lying Room was a standalone, I thought I would start with that. Although I found it to be a enjoyable, I was also somewhat disappointed.

The Lying Room is a domestic thriller. It is the story of Neve, a married woman — with an unemployed, depressed husband and three children, the oldest of whom is more than a weird handful — who discovers that her lover had been murdered. As Neve proceeds to try to keep herself from being a prime suspect and to figure out who the murderer actually is, she digs herself and her family into a deep well of lies.

I was drawn into the show more story from the very beginning, and enjoyed many of the twists and turns prevalent throughout, but about half way through, I kept saying to myself “get on with it already.” Too much detail and overdrawn scenarios caused the story line to bog down and to unnecessarily slow its movement. Additionally, the ending was somewhat unsatisfying and the last chapter seemed completely unnecessary and repetitious.

All in all, I did find the book to be a more-than-decent read, and I still have the Frieda Klein series on my to-read list. Thanks to the publisher and to Edelweiss for providing me with an advance reader's copy. show less