The Lying Room is a intrigiing tale of a tangled web of infidelity and deceit.
A dysfunctional family, an affair and a persistent police sergeant who doggedly pursued the truth after a successful business man is found dead in his London flat. Members of his staff come under suspicion and the twists and turns of the story take us on a journey as we finally piece together the events of that day.
Well written and well told this is a riveting read-another triumph for Nicci French

Very enjoyable thriller with some awful self obsessed, selfish characters - just the kind of book I love! A story where all the characters have some dark secrets, with plenty of twists and surprises when these are revealed.
This author has written some brilliant books, and I would certainly recommend this one.

* spoiler alert ** I very much enjoy Nicci French books,and thos one was certainly entertaining.
I can't imagine how your first thought on finding your lovers dead body ,is to scrub the flat clean of al traces of you. There seemed to be no panic at actually finding a dead body.
The main character Neve, was so likeable,that I forgave her that....she was so likeable she was everyone's rock and friendly ear.
I've got to be honest,at points,the whole book felt like a farce,mainly the comings and goings at the house.
So,entertaining as it was,just a bit too far fetched for me to take it seriously.

Compulsive reading, this is an addictive suspenseful psychological thriller like no other.

The plot is unpredictable with lots of twists and turns along with solid engaging characters.
There is also a sense of dread as the story deals with the deep and dark corners of the human psych.

I very much enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone!

This was my first Nicci French novel. It is a standalone book, not linked to the series by the same authors.

Neve Connelly finds a dead body and instead of calling the police she removes all evidence of herself from the murder scene. As the story unfolds you learn about Neve's family and the problems they have overcome together. The police obviously get involved and the detective repeatedly returns to speak to Neve - the tension builds and builds.

There is a great twist towards the end and you eventually find out who the murderer is. Not who I thought! It's a classic 'whodunnit' book, perfect for the summer/holiday read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nicci French is one of my fave authors and she does not disappoint in this tense novel. Neve, a married woman has a brief affair with her boss Saul. One day on an assignment to meet him at his flat, she arrives to find him murdered. She goes into a panic and immediately begins to conceal evidence of the affair, beginning the start of many lies. She lies to the police, Inspector Hitching who is constantly on her back. She deceives her husband and 3 children. Lies to her work colleagues and her circle of friends. There is so much lying that I thought Neve deserved a medal!! She is on edge as she works out somebody knew about the affair and then goes on to find the killer.
A gripping read.

Neve Connolly looks down at a murdered man.
She doesn't call the police.

‘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?


I’m such a huge fan of Nicci French books so thank you very much to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for the ARC on this book in exchange for an open, honest review.

It’s the first standalone novel in quite a while after the Freida Klein series. I did keep thinking initially that I was still reading about Freida purely because that’s the character I’ve got to know so well in the last few years but as the story progresses I got to know the character Neve and the kind of person she is. I kind of loved that I felt there were some similarities in Neve and Freida and I actually love that!

The first few pages had me gripped and I couldn’t have guessed which way this story was going to go. I totally didn’t guess the ending either, which I loved as I think it’s a better book when it’s not predictable.

So in the write up it describes Neve as a liar, cheat, a threat and possibly even a murderer. I found myself routing for her though, she just wants to protect her loved ones at the end of the day, ok so she wasn’t squeaky clean, her lies kind of spiralled and I wanted to shout at her through the book sometimes 😂 but I don’t think she wanted to hurt anyone.
I loved the character Hitching too and I think he had a soft spot for Neve in a strange way.

What I love about Nicci French books is how they draw me in, i get this great image of the setting and what it looks like and the characters so much so that even when the book ends I feel like I really know these people I’ve just read about.

I’ll be honest it’s not my favourite ever Nicci French book but I loved it all the same and have given 4 stars. If you love a good Psychological Thriller then this is def worth a read. If you’ve never read a Nicci French book then where have you been?! I recommend reading everything this amazing writing duo have ever released.

Fantastic. Unable to put it down. Full of twists and turns and a real detective thriller. Fully recommend

In hindsight, I changed my rating from 5 stars to 4. I don't do this often, but I read parts of the book again before writing my review, and I found out what kept nagging me.
Ok, it is a great psychological thriller. It is the kind of book you want to read in one sitting. However, what was nagging at me was the drinking. The continuous drinking.
Don't get me wrong. I do like a glass of wine with dinner and I do like a drink when chatting with friends too. I have nothing against alcohol - in moderate quantities.
But Neve and her friends? They drink and drink and drink. And when they are not drinking they are thinking about having a drink.
I'm not surprised Neve is making mistake after mistake because she is almost drunk or completely drunk most of the day. And when she isn't, she's hangover. Ditto for her friends and family.
I would have liked her and the other characters to be sober every now and then, to see how the story would have played out then.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this digital review copy.

Well I'm really not sure where and when I'm going to find the time to write my review...too busy filling the washing machine and emptying it, too busy filling and emptying the dishwasher, too busy cleaning the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedrooms, too busy cleaning out the guinea pig hutch, too busy changing the bed linen...phew! I'm exhausted - but still have time for an extra marital affair!! Only to end up scouring the evidence from the flat of my dead lover!!! FFS.....writing duo Nicci French - what on earth were you thinking when you collaborated on this book? And oh my word - the endless musings of the main character. She would have driven me to murder HER!
Well written but too long and meandering. Honestly, IMHO, not a patch on what the NF duo usually offer up. The story just dragged on and on and on - all the inner thoughts of the Mum, the weird daughter, the boring husband and the 2 sons. The only character I gave a damn about was Whiskey the guinea pig! Sorry - this one wasn't a winner for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher though for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and quickly finished it. Very well written and I didn’t guess how it would all work out out at the end and I thought it was a satisfactory ending - recommended

Neve is cheating on her husband, Fletcher. Saul, her romancer, has arranged to meet Neve but he has been murdered. What unfolds breaks everything apart.

I struggled to enjoy this book as I haven’t read any of Nicci’s books before but I’m sure plenty will love it. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed reading many Nicci French novels, and this is typical of their output. Although I felt irritated by Neve's reaction to her situation and found the police and forensic work somewhat hard to believe, it still remained a gripping read. It was hard to put down.

I was really looking forward to this Nicci French book but I was sadly disappointed. It was Ok but not outstanding. I didn’t like the characters and I found some parts difficult to believe- would an ordinary person be able to clean a crime scene so thoroughly that forensics could find nothing at all! There is an obvious need for proofreading as I found the lack of capitalisation really irritating. It might just be me but every time “neave” appeared I thought it was “never” and had to re-read the sentence.
I am really sorry to write a negative review about a Nicci French book as it is the first one I have not liked. However, it will not stop me reading the next one.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

I have read a lot of Nicki French books and loved them. I think that the story in this book was good but I lost interest in places. I did not like Neve and I struggled to keep reading as I thought the book was a bit too long as well.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Lying Room
Nicci French
Publishers: Simon and Schuster UK
Publication date: 3/10/19


Tense slow burning thriller. Neve is an ordinary working wife and mum hiding a secret. A murder leads her to make choices which embroil her deeper and deeper into a living nightmare. How far will she go to protect her children and keep her family together. Twists and turns galore, I couldn't wait till find out "whodunnit".

I'd like to thank the author, publishers and netgalley for providing me with a free advanced digital copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

Having avidly read all of the Freida Klein books, I was initially a bit disappointed to have to immerse myself in a different world. But I soon forgot and become engrossed in Neve's chaotic but terribly ordinary life. I am a big fan of Nicci French and this latest book doesn't disappoint.

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?

Neve Connelly is married, three children with one child about to go to university, she works part time with three people she knew from college. Her husband, Fletcher, works from home although it appears as if he is earning very little. Their relationship used to be strong.

Neve is having an affair with one of her bosses from work, who is also married. It has not been going on for long. One morning, over breakfast she receives a text message, which she assumes is from him to meet up again. Unexpected but she doesn’t hesitate even though she thought he was away at a conference.

She lets herself into his London flat to find him dead with his head caved in and a hammer lying next to him. This is where Neve begins making decisions, which are going to radically change her life forever. Who killed her lover, who knew about her visit and who can she trust?

Some of my favourite parts involved Neve versus Inspector Hitching, those portions crackled with tension in a kind of cat and mouse chase with no real indication who might come out on top. Hitching pays visits to her more and more often. It’s a game of cat and mouse, her lies closely guarded in a fight to the very resolution of this excellently well plotted book

This is a well written book with a gripping plot that will make it difficult for you to put the book down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review.

This is a standalone novel from the husband and wife duo who have written many other good books. Therefore I was very excited to have the opportunity to read their latest offering. This is another well written gripping book that 'forces' you to keep reading beyond the time of night it is possible to do so! A tangled web of lies that it becomes more and more impossible to get out is the situation that the main character Neve has got herself into. Will she get out of it? What is she trying to get out from and why? Well you'll have to read it to find out!

Neve Connolly is the central character in this new standalone novel from the acclaimed thriller writing duo known as Nicci French. Neve is a working mother of three whose husband Fletcher is a stay at home Dad trying to establish a new career. Their fragile daughter Mabel is their oldest child and is preparing herself for university. Neve is popular, caring and has time to help any of her many friends. She’s a reliable person to help you through tough times, someone you can trust to keep your secrets and not gossip about you. But her complicated life explodes when there is a takeover at her working place. She decides to work part time and comes under the notice of her handsome new (married) boss Saul. A bored housewife, a stale marriage, and the prospect of spicing up her life with desire and a romance with her boss a thrilling alternative to her stale marriage and mundane lifestyle.
But then early one morning Saul unexpectedly requests that Neve visits his flat in town for a love tryst. She cycles to the flat, using her key to gain entry to it only to discover the body of her lover dead on the floor, a hammer nearby and blood pooled around him. She is absolutely torn into pieces. If she phones for the assistance of the local police her marriage will definitely be precarious at the very least. Her two boys and poor, unsettled Mabel could be left without her love and care, especially if the police make a case against her. She makes a decision that shatters her life into tiny disassociated fragments. She cleans up after the murderer, calmly removing all evidence of her relationship with Saul from the house and systematically cleaning every room so that her DNA is obliterated. It’s a far-reaching mistake that alters her life forever. She has turned from a trusted person into a liar. She is soon questioned under the all-seeing eye of DCI Hitching and her troubles multiply exponentially, lies tripping off her tongue by an uncountable amount, all in the effort to keep her secret safe. But Hitching pays visits to her more and more often. It’s a game of cat and mouse, her lies closely guarded in a fight to the very resolution of this excellently plotted novel. Neve turns investigator in a closely run race to discover the identity of the murderer. But will she succeed and help to bring the murderer to account?
I’ve read many novels by this writing duo and this one stands beside them all in my opinion. The writing is incisive and the plot development immaculate. The characters are relatable and diverse, skilfully developed and with a job to do. The tangled web of deceit and revenge is neatly woven and finally untangled in a thrilling and unexpected finale. It was a work of pure artistry and this novel kept me held in suspense and tension until the final few pages.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Simon & Schuster UK through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. It’s a good read and my review reflects this fact.