I really enjoyed this book. The story is gripping, with satisfying twists, and the characters are likeable, and believable. I particularly liked the witty dialogue, and the family dynamics of Neve and her family. A really great read.

Neve seems successful personally and professionally but having got herself into an affair with her boss, finds herself arriving at his flat and being greeted by his dead body. Desperate to save herself and her family from the fall out of her affair being discovered, she covers up all trace of the affair and her presence in the flat.

Neve now has the added stress whether she completely cover hid her tracks added to problems at home with her eldest daughter and overhanging it all the question of who killed her lover and why all of which taint her discussions with the detective in charge of the case.

Overall a good psychological thriller and an excellent example as to how tangled a web a lie can weave.

"The Lying Room" is the story of Neve Connolly, married woman and mother of three. On the surface, Neve has it all: she's attractive, she's popular, she's married to her college sweetheart, and she has a lovely home. But Neve is stifled. Her relationship with her husband is distant, her daughter is recovering from drug misuse issues and prone to lashing out, and her business has been swallowed up by a larger firm. It's no surprise then, when Neve embarks on an affair with her new boss, Saul. He's attentive, romantic, and Neve has his complete attention. Until the day she lets herself into his apartment and finds him brutally murdered. Neve frantically cleans up the crime scene to remove any traces she was ever there, and then returns home, hoping that no-one will ever find out about her secret. But Neve has forgotten something. And with every new deception or misdirection, the web she's weaving is becoming increasingly tangled. Can Neve extricate herself before it's too late? Who did murder Saul? And could the truth be closer to home than Neve thinks?

I rattled through this book in a few hours as I didn't want to put it down! The writing is brilliant, and the characters are well writen and believable. Even as you're sympathising with Neve's choices, you're screaming internally: No, don't do that! Haven't you seen CSI/The Bill/Law and Order?! I liked that I suspected several characters of the murder, too - I do generally find it easy to guess the killer/twist, but I didn't guess this one at all. My only criticism was that once the killer is revealed, it's all wrapped up a little too quickly - I wanted more!

This may be the first Nicci French book I've read, but it won't be the last.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The authors behind Nicci French have written a terrific twisted standalone psychological thriller that so aptly illustrates just what a tangled web we weave when first we start to deceive. Neve Connolly is a well liked wife and mother in her forties, working at a publisher she and her friends had helped to establish. She has been married to Fletcher for twenty years, he is a depressed illustrator, their relationship has become stale, she has 3 children, including the troubled Mabel with her problems with drug addiction, now on the cusp of leaving for university. Life has not been a bundle of laughs, but Neve has embarked on an affair with her married boss, Saul, which has helped to invigorate her. So when Neve gets an unexpected message from him, she cycles over to his flat, arriving to the shocking sight of a dead Saul, with a blood stained hammer by his side.

A desperate Neve does not want her family to find out about her affair as she makes the decision to wipe all traces of herself at the flat, not only herself, but that of the murderer too, an act that will have devastating repercussions for Neve. DCI Alastair Hitching is the contained detective in charge of the investigation, a man for whom no-one is above suspicion, time and time again he keeps returning to Neve. As her friends turn up at her home, Neve lies to the police, lies, lies and lies again to those around her. She wonders who the killer is, whilst having to live with the burden of her web of lies and deceit, whilst simultaneously trying to continue her normal busy everyday life. This is a complex, well plotted tense thriller of twists, packed with tension, with great characters, that is truly a compulsive read. You can always rely on the Nicci French writers for fabulous crime reads, this standalone is another great addition to their canon. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.

The Lying Room by Nicki French. This was a great read. All the ingredients of tough family life, relationship strain and the daily routine but interwoven with a shocking murder. The twist was certainly not what I expected! It does make you reflect what any of us is capable of and how untruths and deceptions can accumulate and actions spiral as a result. Overall the pressures and disappointments of family life and relationships is sobering. Nicci developed her characters and storyline very well. Really enjoyed this

Nicci French is a favourite author of mine. This is a compellingly dark book, and I'm not sure how I felt about the characters.
Poor Neve, having an affair only to find her lover dead in his flat. She has been set up to be there and reacts as most of us wouldn't, with icy cold precision, cleaning every surface of evidence, her mind ging faster than the speed of light.
The lies she has to tell to protect herself and later her daughter, the sad Mabel, become almost too intense. You wonder when she will break down and forget something. Inspector Hitching has his suspicions but can't tie her in completely. She's one step ahead all the time, and the book races on taking us gasping with the extraordinary story.
It's a superbly written book. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a review copy.

Married mother of three Neve arrives at her lover's flat for an assignation. She finds him murdered. Her first instinct is to call the police. This would lead to her affair becoming known though. She can't bear the impact it would have on her family. She sets about cleaning and clearing the flat to remove every trace of her...

A psychological thriller with many twists and turns. A drama of family and friends too. Good characterisation, with Neve a surprisingly sympathetic character. I enjoyed it and didn't predict the ending. Perhaps just a touch far fetched though.

Neve married to Fletcher who she met at Uni along with here Colleagues Renata, Tasmin and Gary who she still works with They had set up their own art firm but with times as they are they were brought out by a much bigger firm Redfern but are all in a office by themselves. Neve and Fletcher have 3 kids Mable who is heading of to Uni herself in a few days time and 2 boys Rory and Connor both much younger.

But it's the action that is so much more interesting but you need to know these characters, the other is one of the bosses Soul and Nerves lover or was till she goes to see him at his flat one morning only he's dead and a 🔨 hammer to the head was how. Like most people I guess she panics if she reports it her affair will be out in the open. What follows is a fantastic read that keeps you hooked and guessing with lots of possible culprits, great characters and suspense. Hitchins the investigating officer keeps popping into see Neve not quite Colombo style but just as annoying for her. There's also the widow Bernice she keeps popping up but you need to read this great book but be warned once you start you will not want to put it down. Even after the truth comes out the final pages are still nail biting in a very creative way you will have to read to discover and enjoy, don't cut your nails before reading you may need them to bite on.
For me this is easily A 5 🌟 star read, and one you will want to recommend once you have read it.

Nicci French never fails to deliver an exciting thriller full of twists and turns. A gripping read that hits all the right spots.

Fantastic book as expected. Nicci French never gets it wrong. The characters were on the whole likeable and realistic. The story had suspense and a twist I genuinely didn’t see coming.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

How far would you go to protect your family and friends! A well written book with plenty twists and turns. This is a very enjoyable story

An engaging thriller which questioned family and friendships and how far you might go to protect them. A very enjoyable read.

Thanks for allowing me to review this book.

I enjoyed this novel which is a stand-alone book.
This is very well written with a gripping plot which will make you unable to put the book down

This was a very tense, psychological thriller. Lots of twists and turns and secrets. A stressed family, a wife having an affair and a catastrophic finale.

Loved this book, I didn't want it to end! Loved the characters.....I was able to imagine how they looked, their surroundings.....I could really SEE them and picture their lives. I spent the whole story trying to guess the conclusion and was so far off when it was revealed. Would definitely recommend.

A main character who lies. cheats and interferes with a crime scene.....not someone you would expect to sympathise with. However, it is testament to good writing that this character is actually very likeable and you find yourself rooting for her on some level. I enjoyed this book and will seek out others by this author.

A standalone thriller from top crime writer Nicci French. An enjoyable read, but not her best. Plenty of twists and turns, and good characterisation. Well worth a read.

What an amazing book! Really good description of characters and a good storyline. Highly recommended. Kept me guessing.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It took me awhile to get into it. It is such a great psychological thriller with good twists. This is the type of book you read in one sitting. I enjoyed some of the characters interactions but one think I didn't like was the focus on drinking. There is a few cliches in this book but I expected that. I enjoyed the feeling of being trapped in a situation you can't get out of and it made the suspense really good.

Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave !!
Nicci French never fails to deliver and The Lying Room is now officially one of my favourites.
Married with 3 kids -Neve cycles to her secret lover's apartment one morning -only to find he has been brutally murdered . She decides to clean all traces of her ever having been there -in case her family find out what has really been going on. She then has to invent lie after lie to cover her tracks -getting herself deeper and deeper in trouble . A real page turner !

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest opinion