Very clever story of murder, long-term friendship, and deceit told mainly through the life of one key character as she lies to friends, family and the police while trying to solve the crime and save her family life.

Neve,a wonderful mother ,wife and a friend to all. Dark days loomed as the suspicions fell on her good long time friends and colleagues. A murder ,to Neve's lover and boss,Saul. .Who could have done such a thing? Suddenly Neve came under suspicion herself but ,even more frighteningly could she also be the next victim?

Wonderful book with twists and turns that gets you pondering ,just like Neve,who could have done such a thing and even more puzzling ,why?
Another great book by Nicci French .I have read quite a few of their books but this ,to me ranks among the best.
Loved every page .

Neve Connelly gets a text from her lover Saul one morning to meet him at his flat. When she gets there she discovers that he has been brutally murdered. Terrified that her affair might be discovered, with the ensuing devastating effect on her children especially the somewhat unstable Mabel she eschews calling the police and instead cleans the flat to erase any trace of her ever having been there. And so begins an almost farcical series of lies to cover up what she has done.

This is a readable enough novel with lots of tension throughout. Neve goes through a stressful time not least because a whole host of friends from university land on her unexpectedly and seem to be intent on staying forever. But there are elements that just don't add up - the resolution for one. I found that most unconvincing. And the characterisation was very sketchy. Neve herself was not particularly well characterised. We are told throughout that she is a warm person to whom people are drawn but this isn't how she comes across in her actions. She doesn't seem to have warm feelings even towards her own children, two of whom she virtually ignores except to feed them. The daughter Mabel is also unconvincing being almost too difficult and unpleasant to believe.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

When Neve finds her boss/lover dead, she believes her actions are what start seemingly a complex web of lies ... I’ve never read anything by this author before, but I found her style of writing to be so vivid - it almost felt like I was watching a tv show (and I think this book would make a great one!). I think the plot is ultimately nothing new, but it’s got some surprising twists and will suck you in in the end!

This was the first Nicci French book I read. So glad I found another author that I will return to for further enjoyment. Her detailed style, twists and turns, and of course keeping you hanging on a thread are what I look for in a thriller. Highly recommended.

A sure-fire hit, with a strong focus on family tensions in this thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my views.
Firstly, it’s strange to read something by this twosome that isn’t part of a series.
We begin with Neve Connolly on her way to meet Saul, her boss, who she’s having an affair with. I have to confess that, initially, I was quite judgmental towards Neve, and couldn’t believe her actions when she arrives at the flat to discover Saul’s dead body. A man has been killed and her first thoughts are to clean the place so nobody discovers the truth of her affair! That’s the sign of a particularly strong character that I wasn’t sure what to make of.
As the story progresses we watch the investigation into Saul’s death unfold. We also learn that many people around Neve have secrets of their own, some of which are potentially more dangerous than others.
This was a story I raced through, never quite sure who was hiding what - or how significant the hidden information would be.
The final moments of the main story were fraught with tension, and I’m still rather surprised at the turn this took. Not quite sure what it says about modern policing, and my only gripe was with the final chapter that actually showed us the start of these events. It felt unnecessary as we’d already been told this.

The Lying Room is a very clever psychological thriller that kept me gripped from the first chapter .Neve married to Fletcher for 20 years has been having an affair with her boss and when she receives a text to meet up at his Covent Garden flat she arrives to find him dead on the floor with his head caved in .She panics and instead of calling the Police she scrubs the flat from top to bottom to eradicate all signs of her being there.Her whole world is turned upside down ,she lies to the Police ,her husband her children and her friends .Neve is going out of her mind but then she decides to become detective herself and find out who has murdered Saul .The story twists and turns and I wondered what nightmare could happen next !A very enjoyable read .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and Netgalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Nicki French writes another brilliant novel . I loved the characters and the steady build up . It must have taken some working out for the plot to all come together. Very clever novel indeed, highly recommend

I enjoyed this book for what it was. A mystery. There were a few plot holes and the villain in the story had no real reason to do what they did.

All in all an enjoyable read

Another unputdownable mystery/thriller from the Nicci/French team. A complete story with no multi-volume narrative arc as in the Day-of-the-Week series, but there are echoes of Freda Klein in the main character with her friends, difficult teenage relation and knowledge of London waterside walks. The plot is well developed although creaks a bit at the end and I would have thought that the detectives would have pulled more at the loose threads, but maybe I have been too influenced by TV super-cops. Nevertheless I finished the book in a 4 hour late-night marathon which says it all really.

I’m a huge fan of the husband and wife author team of this book so was immensely grateful at being allowed to read an early copy.. in truth I’ve always wondered how that can possibly work - do they write a page each or alternate chapters perhaps? No, common sense dictates that couldn’t possibly work. And this book does.
Less of a psychological thriller and more a murder mystery this gripped me from the start. Neve is married to Fletcher with two young boys, Rory and Connor and a girl, Mabel about to go to university. Family relationships have been strained of late and Neve has been having an affair with her boss Saul. One morning expecting to meet Saul as arranged in his London flat, Neve arrives to find him dead, clearly murdered. She panics and her subsequent actions lead to events spiralling out of control and affecting the dynamics of her relationships with family and friends..
I couldn’t put this down and would thoroughly recommend you give it a go.

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.