The Lying Room: A Novel by Nicci French

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

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 thoughts:

As a huge fan of French's Freida Klein series, I was super excited to dive into their newest book, The Lying Room.  A standalone novel, this story focuses on a woman, her affair, her lover's death, and a web of lies she can't seem to keep control of.  Chock full of twists and turns, this book had me turning pages faster and faster just to get to the end - I had to find out what happened! I was hooked and I was in deep.  This book had me on the edge of my seat and I loved every minute of it.

Neve is unhappy, so she has an affair.  It's a midlife fling, so what could go wrong? Well, her lover could be murdered.  Yep, Neve goes to see him and finds him dead.  So, what's a mistress to do? Well, clean up.  Neve doesn't want anyone to find out about her connection to her lover, so she scrubs their little love nest clean - getting rid of anything she may have left behind, along with any clues the murderer may have left.  Of course, she can't help but think she forgot something - a thought that plagues her to no end.  And then, the investigation into the murder leads the police to her.  Yikes! What's Neve to do? Lie, and lie a lot.  Soon, she is caught up in a HUGE web of lies that seem to keep spiraling out of her control. Plus, the murderer is watching Neve...uh, oh...looks like Neve may be in danger.  And, that is all I will write.  I don't want to give away the ending.  Nope, this is one book you have to experience for your self.  Definitely check it out!

The writing is top notch, the characters are unlikeable (but that is what makes them so interesting in this story), and the story is unputdownable.  What more could you want? I absolutely LOVED The Lying Room! I found myself easily caught up in Neve's drama and couldn't help but try and figure out what was going on. I just loved the mystery, the thrills, and all of the lies - so much DRAMA.  Such a great book by a terrific pair of writers. I can't wait to read more of their work.

I would happily recommend The Lying Room to fans of Nicci French and anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book!!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Lying Room

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!