Book Review Lying Beside You Michael Robotham

Lying Beside You

Michael Robotham

Summary

Two missing women. One witness. So many lies…

Twenty years ago, Cyrus Haven’s family was murdered. Only he and his brother survived. Cyrus because he hid. Elias because he was the killer.

Now Elias is being released from a secure psychiatric hospital and Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, must decide if he can forgive the man who destroyed his childhood.

As he prepares for the homecoming, Cyrus is called to a crime scene in Nottingham. A man is dead and his daughter is missing. Then a second woman is abducted. The only witness is Evie Cormac, a troubled teenager with an incredible gift: she can tell when you are lying.

Both missing women have dark secrets that Cyrus must unravel to find them – and he and Evie know better than anybody how the past can come back to haunt you . . .

Comments

This book is the third in a series of psychological thrillers featuring Cyrus Haven, who is a criminal Forensic Psychologist, and it reads well as a stand-alone story. It is a ‘whodunit’ with interesting, interweaving plot lines. We all found this to be a page turner with engaging and quirky characters, most of them with traumatic pasts. The writing style was clear and comprehensible and the use of character names for chapter headings did not interfere with the flow of the storytelling.

Evie and her minder Cyrus are the main proponents but all the other characters have a purpose and add interest to the satisfying plot. After many false leads and an eventual terrifying stand-off, there is a ‘twist in the tale’ ending.

Every member of our Bookclub enjoyed this story and some obtained books 1 & 2 to read the backstories. We are all looking forward to reading book 4.

8/10

Read by Dundas Readers

Top Loans of 2021

Are you looking for some new reading material? Check out our most borrowed titles of 2021!

Adult Fiction

  1. The sentinel (Jack Reacher book 25) by Lee Child
  2. Daylight (An Atlee Ping book 3) by David Baldacci
  3. Force of nature by Jane Harper
  4. The survivors by Jane Harper
  5. Hidden in plan sight by Jeffrey Archer

Adult Non-Fiction

  1. A promised land by Barack Obama
  2. Atomic habits by James Clear
  3. The subtle art of not giving a f*ck by Mark Manson
  4. Becoming by Michelle Obama
  5. The happiest man on earth by Eddie Jaku

Young Adult

  1. Magnus Chase and the ship of the dead by Rick Riordan
  2. Dragon Ball super. 1, Warriors from Universe 6! by Akira Toriyama
  3. Dragon Ball super. 2. The winning universe is decided! by Akira Toriyama
  4. They both die at the end by Adam Silvera
  5. To kill a mockingbird a graphic novel by Fred Fordham

Childrens

  1. The getaway (Diary of a wimpy kid 12) by Jeff Kinney
  2. Crazy Weird! (Weirdo, book 6) by Anh Do
  3. The bad guys. Episode 8, Superbad by Aaron Blabey
  4. Everything’s amazing (sort of) by Liz Pichon
  5. Totally weird (Weirdo, book 5) by Anh Do

Top eAudiobooks (Borrow Box)

Adult

  1. A promised land by Barack Obama
  2. Becoming by Michelle Obama
  3. The survivors by Jane Harper
  4. Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens
  5. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Young Adult

  1. Shadow and bone (Shadow and bone, book 1) by Leigh Bardugo
  2. The book thief by Markus Zusak
  3. Midnight sun (Twilight, book 5) by Stephenie Meyer
  4. Six of crows (Six of crows, book 1) by Leigh Bardugo
  5. The ballad of songbirds and snakes by Suzanne Collins

Children

  1. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
  2. 130 storey treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
  3. Diary of a wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney
  4. Spooky weird! By Anh Do
  5. The BFG by Roald Dahl

Top eBooks (ePlatform)

Adult

  1. The happiest refugee by Anh Do
  2. The dry by Jane Harper
  3. Animal farm by George Orwell
  4. 61 hours (Jack Reacher) by Lee Child
  5. The missing sister (Seven sisters, book 7) by Lucinda Riley

Young Adult

  1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
  2. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
  3. The boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyne
  4. Stormbreaker (Alex Rider, book 1) by Anthony Horowitz
  5. The hunger games by Suzanne Collins

Children

  1. The meltdown (Diary of a wimpy kid, book 13) by Jeff Kinney
  2. The pocket money blues (Billie B Brown series) by Sally Rippin
  3. The witches by Roald Dahl
  4. This is a ball by Matt Stanton
  5. The playground problem (Hey Jack series) by Sally Rippin

Top Streamed Movie/Series (Beamfilm)

  1. Top of the lake series
  2. Mother is wrong
  3. A French village series
  4. Mary Magdalene
  5. The deep blue sea

Goodreads Best Books of 2021

Announcing the winners of the 13th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards, a major book award decided by readers. Congratulations to the best books of the year! Why not reserve one or more titles now and see if you agree with the votes. We have all of the winners of the categories below and many of the nominees. With so many titles to choose from you are sure to find something to read this Summer.

Book Review Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Our MJ Readers book club enjoyed reading ‘Force of Nature‘ by Jane Harper this month. Read their thoughts below.

About the Book

Lost, Cold, Desperate … Danger Runs Deep

Five women reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking along the muddy track. Only four come out the other side.

The hike through the rugged Giralang Ranges is meant to take the office colleagues out of their air-conditioned comfort zone and teach resilience and team building. At least that is what the corporate retreat website advertises.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case – and Alice knew secrets. About the company she worked for and the people she worked with.

Far from the hike encouraging teamwork, the women tell Falk a tale of suspicion, violence and disintegrating trust. And as he delves into the disappearance, it seems some dangers may run far deeper than anyone knew. (from the publisher)

Comments

As with Jane Harper’s other novels, we felt that the environment was a central ‘character’ in this story. It was a menacing force that emphasised the dysfunctional relationships, frailties, jealousies and paranoia that each character displayed in some degree. We were drawn in by the story and it kept us guessing to the end. The conclusion was cleverly tied up and there was healing and understanding of how regrets from the past impacted each character and their ongoing relationships. Another enjoyable read.

Read by MJ Readers