The Lying Room by Nicci French
Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller
Read: 9th October 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 3rd October 2019)
★★ 2.5 stars
The husband and wife duo making up Nicci French was one of the first psychological thriller authors I had read and have long been one of my favourites. It has been quite some time since I have read anything by the duo with the rapid influx of so many other authors now flooding the market, and in my opinion, better.
So when THE LYING ROOM came up for request I thought it was time I headed back to one of my old favourites. However, I was somewhat disappointed. Maybe the style no longer appeals to me and I prefer the punchier thrillers of newer authors or maybe this book was lacking where previous ones were better - I'm not sure. It's not a bad book, but I don't think it's their best either.
“O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!”
There is no greater truth than those within these lines when it comes to Neve Connolly. She has been married to Fletcher for some twenty years, having met him at university, but has also been engaging in an affair with her boss. When during the usual morning derisive banter she receives a text to meet him at his Covent Garden flat, she does at the first opportunity after sending the children off to school and kissing hubby goodbye.
But when she gets there, he's dead...laying in a pool of blood with his head caved in. Beside his body is a hammer, the obvious murder weapon. Knowing there are traces of her all over the flat from their clandestine meetings, Neve goes into a blind panic and sets about scrubbing the flat clean of any trace. She strips the bed and throws the sheets in the washer whilst systematically washing dishes, scrubbing floors and wiping down every surface she come into contact with. She removes her clothes, makeup, shampoo, toothbrush, perfume - anything that would indicate she had been there. Tossing everything in bin bags and with a last look at the place, she leaves the flat and tosses the bags in the bins that are emptied daily in this affluent neighbourhood. And only then does she cycle home.
It's not until the middle of the night that she is laying in bed and realises suddenly - her bangle! She had taken it off and left it on the windowsill when washing the dishes. She dresses herself quietly so as not to wake Fletcher and soundlessly leaves on her bike, cycling her way back to the flat. But when she gets there, she cannot find her key. It's not in its usual hiding place and short of breaking the door down, she is left with no option but to return home.
The next day her key miraculously makes an appearance at the bottom of her bag and when she has shunted the boys off to school and Fletcher is seconded to his study to work, she surreptitiously makes her back to the flat and lets herself in quietly. Saul's body is still laying lifelessly, his eyes staring into nothingness. Neve rushes into the kitchen and reaches for her bangle...but it's not there! Maybe she dropped it? Maybe it's in another room? Or did bin it accidentally? But then she notices that something else is missing...the hammer. Someone else has been here. But who? Only the killer would remove the murder weapon...but did they take her bangle as well?
Neve knows she is now in a precariously dangerous situation. Someone knows about her and Saul. Someone is trying to set her up. Or...does someone actually want her dead and they killed Saul instead? It doesn't make any sense. Everyone loves Neve. She's the one everyone goes to, the one everyone gravitates towards, to confide in, to talk to. She's the sensible one. Everyone loves her. So who would want to frame her...or worse yet, kill her?
What ensues is a kind of cat and mouse game with Neve attempting to find out who would want to do this to her and what they hoped to gain from it. She goes around blindly looking for clues while all the while trying to maintain some form of normality at home. But someone knows her secret...and is keeping her secret. And nothing prepares Neve for the shock of discovering who it is. Or why they are keeping her secret.
Neve finds herself up against DCI Hitching's questions on more than one occasion. At first they are just seemingly friendly exchanges but soon turn into more ardent questions, creating a real tension which is palpable. I could almost feel the tension Neve felt whenever Hitching turned up at her house. He was there so often it appeared he must have suspected her as Neve panicked with his every visit.
But her primary concern was for her somewhat wayward daughter Mabel. Protecting her above all else was paramount...no matter what the outcome, Mabel must be protected. Although there are times I just wanted to slap Mabel. Her disrespect for her mother was evident, not just in the way she spoke to her but in addressing her as "Neve" rather than "mum"...just as she addressed her father as "Fletcher". That is just disrespectful to your parents to address them as such where I come from, and for that of authority. Mabel's past was alluded to quite often and the trouble she had brought both her parents but it wasn't really explored. I felt that that should have been explained in more detail as part of her backstory.
Told in the third person narrative, THE LYING ROOM is wholly from Neve's perspective. We see the story unfold through her eyes, see what she sees and feel what she feels. But the fact that it is in the third person I would sometimes confuse conversing characters when it would just say "she said" and I found myself re-reading the dialogue to work out which "she" was being referred to.
And honestly? How one person can survive on so little sleep is beyond me. Neve seems to remain awake all night only to return home and see to her family or the never-ending visitors to their house. All on little to no sleep...and after her own investigations. She would be too emotionally drained to remain upright.
However, my biggest gripe with the book were the endless chapters. I loathe long chapters and it strikes me as a little odd that authors continue to write such lengthy chapters when readers have stated how much they detest them. I nearly died when I found they were over an hour long! Admittedly, the last few chapters were shorter but most of them were 58 minutes and upwards! That is far too long in my opinion. There were plenty of opportunities to cut each chapter down into shorter, punchier chapters throughout the more lengthy ones and yet they weren't. Shorter chapters are snappier, punchier and easier to pick up and put down for those readers who are too busy for lengthier ones. This fact alone reduces reviewer rating.
THE LYING ROOM is a compelling read but it's not the writing duo's best. There were several points which disappointed me, some of which I can't divulge due to spoilers. But I certainly wasn't satisfied with the ending.
THE LYING ROOM is a slow burning psychological thriller with a strong domestic drama attached to it. It is well plotted and there are several twists to keep you guessing. I especially enjoyed DCI Hitching and his lulling you into a false sense of security. I always felt there was more to him that met the eye, and he was completely likable and fun. It's just a shame there isn't a series featuring him. I found him far more appealing than Neve.
I would like to thank #NicciFrench, #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchusterUK for an ARC of #TheLyingRoom in exchange for an honest review.
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