Lying in Wait

I think I may scream if I see another book compared to Gone Girl. Including a dysfunctional family doesn’t immediately equate to domestic noir. And Lying in Wait is certainly a substantially better read than a lot of the would-be bandwagon jumpers.

There’s most certainly a dysfunctional family at the centre of this book. Lydia Fitzsimons wants the perfect life to go with her house, husband and son. And she’s willing to kill to protect all of that. We know from the start that Lydia and husband Andrew are murderers, thanks to the cracking line: “My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.”

Lying in Wait has a thoroughly sinister gothic feel to it, as it focuses on the grand house which Lydia will do anything to protect. She’s equally protective of overweight son Laurence, although she is disappointed that she has never been able to have more children.

This family, living on past glories, is contrasted with that of Annie Doyle’s, who are firmly working class. Her sister Karen is determined to find out what happened, despite the inherent uselessness of the police, and is absolutely adamant that Annie would not have left without telling her where she was going. The social gulf between the families is huge – Dublin working class v County Dublin upper middle class – made more stark by Karen’s new and thoroughly unexpected career.

Poisonous relationships and secrets are at the centre of the book, which is a very clever and tightly-written psychological thriller. It’s complex, but never convoluted. There’s a fairly small cast, but every character is utterly believable, from the leering copper to Laurence’s eccentric girlfriend. Yes, there’s the issue of unreliable narrator(s), but don’t let that put you off if you’re growing weary of the genre craze. Lying in Wait is intense, dark and one that will linger in your mind for some time after you’ve finished it.