Lying Beside You: The gripping new thriller from the No.1 bestseller (Cyrus Haven)

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The legal representative, Judge Aimes, is a small, rather plump man in a pin-striped suit, with greying hair swept back to form a wave that covers a bald spot. Dr Cyrus Haven, a forensic psychologist is the survivor of a terrible family tragedy in which his brother murdered his parents and twin sisters. This is also new information, although I’ve noticed him dropping Bible quotes into our conversations on my fortnightly visits to Rampton. I was literally hooked into the book from start to finish and the author's writing was really great! This brilliant novel is a whodunnit that morphs into a serial murder that evolves into a chase-to-save-the victim, and then adds a final twist.

A slow burn but once the series of events begin to fit the puzzle, there’s no stopping the action and I am hoping there will be a sequel - I liked the dynamics between the characters, the humour and the pathos! That these easter eggs are meaningless and even befuddling to new readers might make sense in terms of costs and benefits. Evie, a troubled teenager starts working in a bar and then she sees a woman named Daniela getting into a car and was never seen again. Elias is on parole and coming back to live with his younger brother having murdered their parents and sisters in a schizophrenic attack.The pace builds and the last part is a hold your breath, tension fuelled, suspenseful and dramatic confrontation.

All of which might strain credulity were it not for the insightfully drawn characters and superb sense of place that the author conjures up with laconic ease, razor-sharp wit, and, above all, compassion. I enjoyed this book, which has a gripping plot but I nearly did not continue after the first page because it started with extreme and upsetting violence.Evie is a good soul, she was definitely my favourite character and the relationship between her and Cyrus is beautifully drawn! I will start of by saying I have not read any of the previous books from this series, so I did not know what to expect but I was really drawn to the idea behind it. Cyrus shares a house with Evie Cormac, a 21 year old refugee who has seen some terrible things and is hoping for a quiet life. A door is unlocked and we are escorted along wide corridors that smell of pine-scented floor polish and phenol. And because lying is as common in Nottingham, England as it is anywhere else, Evie can be an uncomfortable presence.

Cyrus and Evie are one of my favourite duo's, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an ARC of Lying Beside You, the 3rd book in the series. Cyrus is part of the tam investigating this, He is also attending a hearing to see if his mentally ill brother is allowed to be released from a secure institute and he is trying to keep his lodger / ex foster child from getting into too much trouble, The case becomes much bigger and involves three women and an old conviction.Michael Robotham always does so well in his thrillers to keep the reader entertained and engrossed and this one is no different.

Cyrus is also dealing with the fact that his brother, who killed their parents and twin sisters nineteen years ago, is about to be released from the psychiatric hospital and will be coming to stay with him and Evie. What I loved about this novel was Robthams exceptional writing, he honestly grabbed my interest from the start where I instantly felt invested.

The ongoing unconventional relationship between Cyrus and Evie is brilliantly written and weaving in the other characters, namely Elias, Mitch and Lenny only heighten the depth of the story. Along the way, he has found Evie, a housemate who has lost her family and been through the care system, a traumatic route to say the least. I have not read anything by Michael Robotham before and this book is part of a series however it was easy enough to read as a standalone and was easy to follow.