The Lying Room by Nikki French

This book had me gripped from page one and guessing right until the very end.  I read this in two sittings and honestly didn't want it to end.

Synopsis

‘You know, it’s funny,’ Detective Inspector Hitching said. ‘Whoever I see, they keep saying, talk to Neve Connolly, she’ll know. She’s the one people talk to, she’s the one people confide in.’
A trusted colleague and friend. A mother. A wife. Neve Connolly is all these things.
She has also made mistakes; some small, some unconsciously done, some large, some deliberate. She is only human, after all.
But now one mistake is spiralling out of control and Neve is bringing those around her into immense danger.
She can’t tell the truth. So how far is she prepared  to go to protect those she loves?
And who does she really know? And who can she trust?
A liar. A cheat. A threat. Neve Connolly is all these things.
Could she be a murderer?

Author: Nikki French
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Publication Date: 3rd October 2019

My Review

This book had me gripped from page one and guessing right until the very end.  I read this in two sittings and honestly didn't want it to end.

Neve is a people person, she is constantly surrounded by an army of friends and whenever someone has a problem she is their go to person.  Her home life is chaotic, she's juggling raising 3 children, a depressive husband and a teenager that is due to go to university but has been a very troublesome teenager.  There really is no wonder that Neve fell into an illicit affair with her new boss,Saul.

When Saul, is found brutally murdered in his flat Never goes into overdrive. She has to protect her family from the secret life that she has been living but it's far harder than she ever imagined.  She is also not the only person that has been keeping secrets and the book just keeps revealing more and more from not one but all of the characters.

I really loved the complex character of Neve.  She just came alive on the page.  You could literally feel her strength but at times you got to see her almost crumble.  One scene that really stood out for me was when she went out to spend time with Whiskey, the little family pet guinea pig.  It was very touching and such a normal thing to do.  It was nice to have a book that didn't have the expected cat or dog as the family pet and Yes, I am a guinea pig lover so that was a big plus from me.

As the book twists and turns and we get to better know Neve, and her friends it's not long before Neve is secretly looking at each of them as the potential murderer.

This book was very fast paced just how I like my books to be.  My only little niggle was the murder scene. It was a little far fetched.  However, having never been in that position myself who knows what would be possible to cover up a crime.

I could write about this chilling book for a long time however that would mean revealing too much of the storyline and I really don't want to spoil this for anyone wanting to read this so all I can say is just read it.  If your a lover of Crime fiction this in my opinion is a winner.