Before becoming a full-time writer, Liz Nugent worked in Irish film, theatre and television. In 2014 her first novel, Unravelling Oliver, was a Number One bestseller and won the Crime Fiction Prize in the 2014 Irish Book Awards. Her second novel, Lying in Wait, went straight to Number One in the Irish bestseller charts, remained there for nearly two months and won her a second IBA. She lives in Dublin with her husband.
It Should Have Been You (2025) Andrea Mara "I was hooked from first page to last as the twists got twistier and all of the characters squirmed while waiting for their darkest secrets to be revealed. May I suggest a new Irish blessing? May you never live in a neighbourhood created by Andrea Mara. Andrea is blessed with a gift for knowing our darkest fears and playing on them like a virtuoso violinist, and I am here for it."
Count My Lies (2025) Sophie Stava "Utterly intriguing, the pages turned themselves. Count My Lies goes beyond the bad nanny trope and moves to much more interesting and sinister territory. Absorbing."
Burn After Reading (2025) Catherine Ryan Howard "Once again, CRH has upped her game and come up with the most devious plot yet. The relationship between a ghost writer and her subject is separated by the thinnest of veils, especially when he is a murder subject, in this ingeniously twisted, intriguing and entertaining mystery. Bravo!"
Blood Like Mine (2024) (Blood , book 1) Stuart Neville "An action packed thriller, the mid-way twist in this book will leave you as breathless as several victims on the pages of this relentlessly-paced and unexpectedly moving story as the reader is propelled towards the truly shocking conclusion. Bravo Stuart Neville! Utterly brilliant."
What Have You Done? (2024) Shari Lapena "I inhaled this book in less than 48 hours and what a treat it was. What Have You Done? exceeded all expectations. A total reading pleasure."
Nilesha Chauvet "It's a long time since I've read a thriller that is quite so well written on a subject that I haven't seen tackled before."
Our Holiday (2024) Louise Candlish "Louise Candlish has excelled again with this story of a coastal community butting heads with the big city blow-ins. Hugely entertaining, this book is so full of tension and intrigue, it was a joy to read and I absolutely loved it. Brava!"
Will Dean "It is a tour-de-force. If your daily job can kill you in multiple ways, you certainly don't expect to be targeted by your colleagues. Chilling, intriguing and educational in a most entertaining way."
High Society (2024) Daniel Kalla "What a rollercoaster read! A psychiatrist experimenting with psychedelic drugs on her addicted patients was probably not going to end well, but as the story developed and skeletons queued up to fall out of the cupboard, I was totally riveted. Beautifully written and ingeniously plotted, readers will be taken on a trip beyond their imagining."
In Her Place (2024) Edel Coffey "It's an incredible read of despair, love, hope and betrayal. I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Finding Sophie (2024) Imran Mahmood "An exciting and compulsive read - Mahmood has surpassed my expectations with an astonishingly twisty tale of despair, deception, and desperation."
The Book of Secrets (2024) Anna Mazzola "The Book of Secrets is a gripping historical thriller where the readers' dilemma is that we are rooting for both sides - the investigator and the women he is hunting. A hugely entertaining read, but also an important one in an era when women's rights are being called into question."
Three Little Birds (2024) Sam Blake "Once again, Sam Blake has created a wonderfully complicated protagonist in Carla Steele, a tenacious and whipsmart facial reconstruction expert. As Carla puts flesh on the bones of a skull, Blake adds layers to the skeleton of the story with vivid characterisation and intriguing plotting. She is as forensic as her character and this story is told so authentically that it feels like a real life investigation told in real time. Griptastic!"
A Game of Lies (2023) (DC Morgan, book 2) Clare Mackintosh "Fans of Clare Mackintosh have something great to look forward to. Deeply rooted in the glorious Welsh countryside, Ffion is the sparky bilingual cop you didn't know you needed and now she's investigating a death in a reality game show, but is it a game or a trap? Another hit!"
Black Thorn (2023) Sarah Hilary "Sarah Hilary has done it again with this tale of toxicity in all its forms. Excellent writing and tight plotting on top of shifting sands make Black Thorn an unforgettable read with the most sympathetic protagonist I've read in years."
All Of Us Are Broken (2023) (DS Saul Anguish, book 2) Fiona Cummins "A gripping thriller. All those damaged characters harbouring secrets. Absolutely intriguing. Loved it."
The Square of Sevens (2023) Laura Shepherd-Robinson "What a magnificent novel. I would advise any reader to set aside reading time to fully concentrate on this brilliantly complex story. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this is one of the most intriguing books I have ever read."
The Drowning Woman (2023) Robyn Harding "A story of an unlikely friendship takes the darkest of turns in Robyn Harding's latest excellent thriller. She is one of the very best storytellers and with each book, she exceeds my expectations. The Drowning Woman is no exception."
Toxic People (2023) S D Monaghan "Reading Toxic People by S.D. Monaghan is the reading equivalent of walking a tightrope between two high buildings. We are afraid to take our eyes off the page to get to the finish. Beautifully written, the story reveals itself at breathtaking pace. The plot is taut and clever and the characters entirely credible. Compulsive, intriguing and wildly entertaining, Toxic People is a terrific read and S.D. Monaghan has hit the ground running."
Tell Me What I Am (2023) Una Mannion "What a captivating book! The writing is exquisite, the plotting is intricate and the story is utterly compelling. I loved it."
Don't Look Back (2023) Jo Spain "A griptastic thriller, Jo Spain's Don't Look Back keeps us guessing as the story twists itself inside out and upside down. Everyone has secrets, but how many of them are deadly? Brilliant characterisation and plotting as we have come to expect from Jo. Compelling, enthralling and entertaining."
The Institution (2023) (Connie Woolwine, book 2) Helen Fields "A wonderful, compulsively gripping rollercoaster of a read."
Dirty Laundry (2023) Disha Bose "An extraordinary book! . . . Dirty Laundry is an absolutely compelling, original, and intriguing example of domestic suspense at its very finest."
A Death at the Party (2023) Amy Stuart "A terrific family drama. I adored it - absolutely compulsive reading as all the family skeletons are clamouring to get out of the cupboard. I inhaled this book over twenty-four hours."
The Close (2023) (Maeve Kerrigan, book 10) Jane Casey "The Close is Jane's best Maeve Kerrigan novel yet. Absolutely brilliant!"
My Father's House (2023) (Rome Escape Line Trilogy, book 1) Joseph O'Connor "Gripping, compelling and utterly brilliant. O'Connor's gift for exquisite language shines through."
Truly, Darkly, Deeply (2022) Victoria Selman "What a gripping and intriguing novel. I loved the intensity of the relationships of all three main players and the tension never flagged for a moment. Such a spellbinding thriller."
Hawk Mountain (2022) Conner Habib "Dripping with menace from the first page, this story of childhood enemies meeting up fifteen years later is utterly enthralling. Brilliantly written with homoerotic undertones, this savage tale is uncompromising in its reflection of teen friendships and isolation, and unflinching in its examination of the delicacy of the human body. There is gold among the gore. I found it compelling, shocking, and beautiful."
Complicit (2022) Winnie M Li "A deep dive into the sleazy underbelly of the film industry prior to #MeToo, COMPLICIT is a brave look at the innocents, the predators, their enablers and those who turned a blind eye to sexual harassment, abuse and rape. Winnie M Li weaves a story that is compelling, courageous and brutal in the best possible way."
Idol (2022) Louise O'Neill "I don't think I've ever enjoyed hating a character as much as I hated Samantha Miller. This fierce tale of toxic female friendship is unlike anything I have read. Highly original, unflinching and with a devilishly dark conclusion, I loved every page of it."
Black Butterflies (2022) Priscilla Morris "An astonishingly good debut, chronicling one of the darkest times in global history. Zora's story broke my heart, and I hope will open the hearts of all those who read it to refugees. We live in a time when history is destined to repeat itself."
(Shaw and Darmody, book 1) Gill Perdue "Thrilling and utterly compulsive."
This Might Hurt (2022) Stephanie Wrobel "I don't know if blood is thicker than water, but I know that my blood ran cold at several points reading this book. Filled with menace, this was a gripping and compulsive read from first page to last. I thought I'd never get off that island!"
Such a Pretty Smile (2022) Kristi DeMeester "Kristi DeMeester is certainly an exciting new voice. Her exploration of toxic female friendships and her deep dive into the darkest parts of the human psyche made this a riveting, compulsive and horrifyingly entertaining read."
The Unheard (2021) Nicci French "What an intriguing, compelling page-turner. I ate it up in two days."
Daughters of War (2021) (Daughters of War, book 1) Dinah Jefferies "Love, grief, abandonment, betrayal and secrets … I adored it."
Still Life (2021) Sarah Winman "I loved this extraordinary, astonishing and exquisite novel. The story of damaged characters restored and repaired by the truth and beauty of Tuscany, as Florence itself is restored and repaired post-war and post-flood is beautifully told. A joy and a pleasure, my book of the year."
Rachel Ryan "I didn't put it down until I had turned the final page. A rollercoaster of a read, the pace is relentless, resulting in a denouement that will take your breath away. Bravo, Rachel Ryan!"
Home Stretch (2020) Graham Norton "Beautifully written. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy read. Utterly fantastic."
The Guest List (2020) Lucy Foley "Compelling, entertaining and highly enjoyable, Lucy knocks this one out of the park."
Grown-Ups (2020) Marian Keyes "Marian Keyes's gift for storytelling is utterly magnificent. I feel like I've met every single character in this book. I may even be a character in this book. Nobody nails chaotic families like Marian."
The Liar's Daughter (2020) Claire Allan "A brilliantly paced, intriguingly plotted and thoroughly enjoyable story. One of the best psych thrillers I've read this year."
The Island (2019) (Hulda, book 2) Ragnar Jónasson "This kept me guessing right up until the final pages. I loved the vivid landscapes, brilliant characterisation and intricate plotting. Bravo!"
On My Life (2019) Angela Clarke "This book was so heaped with tension, threat and menace that I had to read it very quickly! Absolutely engrossing and entertaining as well as being a searing indictment of the penal system. This is an eye-opening, jaw-dropping read that will keep you up to the wee small hours."
The House on Vesper Sands (2018) (Inspector Henry Cutter and Sergeant Gideon Bliss, book 1) Paraic O'Donnell "Like the love child of Dickens and Conan Doyle, but funnier than both."
Foe (2018) Iain Reid "I’m not sure that humans have hackles, but something was creeping up my spine as I read this book, and I welcomed the shivers of shock and delight…. A mind-bending and genre-defying work of genius."
Becoming Belle (2018) Nuala O'Connor "Thoroughly engrossing and entertaining read. O'Connor's meticulous attention to period detail and scrutiny of the upper classes and their shallow lives [is] reminiscent of Edith Wharton at her very best. It also makes us question whether women have ever really escaped from the censorious judgement of Victorian times."
The House Swap (2018) Rebecca Fleet "Rebecca Fleet has created a perfectly contained cast of credible characters in a story so intriguing that you will be guessing right up to the last page. And it’s beautifully written too. I loved this book."
The Gravity of Love (2018) Noëlle Harrison "Noelle Harrison connects her beautifully drawn characters and weaves them into a story that entangled, enchanted and entranced this reader."
My Little Eye (2018) (Starke & Bell, book 1) Stephanie Marland "My Little Eye is an enthralling, intriguing and twisty tale for all of us armchair detectives who think we know it all."
Truth Be Told (2017) Kathleen Barber "Are You Sleeping will more than likely keep you up all night as this most compelling suspenseful novel unfolds. A classic whodunnit gets a very clever modern treatment that left this reader's heart racing right up to the last page."
Dangerous Crossing (2017) Rachel Rhys "A proper old-fashioned tale of thwarted romance, impossible glamour, murder and mayhem on the high seas . . . The pages turn themselves."
Girl Unknown (2016) Karen Perry "Full of intrigue and incident and keeps us guessing until the very last tragic page."
