The Lying Room

A Novel

By: Nicci French

Narrated by: Jan Cramer

In this thrilling standalone from the internationally bestselling author of the Frieda Klein series, a married woman’s affair with her boss spirals into a dangerous game of chess with the police when she discovers he’s been murdered and she clears the crime scene of all evidence.

One little secret between a married woman, her lover, and a killer.

It should have been just a mid-life fling. A guilty indiscretion that Neve Connolly could have weathered. An escape from twenty years of routine marriage to her overworked husband, and from her increasingly distant children. But when Neve pays a morning-after visit to her lover, Saul, and finds him brutally murdered, their pied-à-terre still heady with her perfume, all the lies she has so painstakingly stitched together threaten to unravel.

After scrubbing clean every trace of her existence from Saul’s life—and death—Neve believes she can return to normal, shaken but intact. But she can’t get out of her head the one tormenting question: what was she forgetting?

An investigation into the slaying could provide the answer. It’s brought Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Hitching, and Neve’s worst fears, to her door. But with every new lie, every new misdirection to save herself, Neve descends further into the darkness of her betrayal—and into more danger than she ever imagined. Because Hitching isn’t the only one watching Neve. So is a determined killer who’s about to make the next terrifying move in a deadly affair….

Flawed Plot

I'm a huge fan of Nicci French books, but this one was not her best. The logic and actions of the main character, Neve, as she deals with discovering her murdered lover make no sense and the fact that she's able to deceive the police with such weak cover ups is farfetched. The final reveal of the murderer and their motivation is also really a stretch. That being said, the narrator is good and I was mildly entertained by the book, although frequently frustrated by the direction of the plot.

This was exceptional even for N. French

This book was a departure from the usual murder mystery formula and I loved it. I think it's worth a read just for the dinner party scene!

Engaging story. Lots of twists and turns

I really enjoyed this story. The characters were believable and so were the relationships. I tried to guess the killer but fun twist at the end made it impossible.

Page Turner !!!!!

What a great pick I made on this book, definitely page turner, hooked from first chapter. Love all characters

Always like Nicci French novels, this was not a disappointment , although a bit dragged out at times.

The narrators voice volume fluctuated at times so low I had to replay it , which took away from the overall,enjoyment .