Lie in Wait is the second novel from author G.J. Minett. Published by Bonnier Zaffre, Lie in Wait is due for release on 25th August 2016.
I have not read G.J. Minett’s, much praised, previous novel Hidden Legacy so I was looking forward to getting my hands on this one. I would like to thank Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my, as ever, honest review.
The Blurb:
‘Owen Hall has always been different. A big man with an unusual fixation, one who prefers to put his trust in number patterns rather than in people, it’s unsurprising that he’d draw the attention of a bully.
Or a murder investigation.
And, in the storm of emotions and accusations that erupts when a violent killing affects a small community, it soon becomes clear that a particularly clever murderer might just get away with it.
All they’d need is a likely suspect . . .’
Sometimes you read a book and you actually just cannot decide your feelings towards certain characters. This for me was one of those books.
G.J. Minett has written a novel involving a staggering number of individuals.
We have the main protagonist, Owen Hall. Owen is someone who has had it very tough in life. As a result of a traumatic birth, he developed unusual personality traits which have made him a target of bullying all through his school years. He has an uncanny fixation with numbers, aswell as a difficulty expressing himself without stammering or getting confused.
Owen is a landscaper by trade and a very talented one. Through a chance meeting, he becomes reacquainted with Abi, his childhood crush. Abi has always had a soft spot for Owen and stood by him in school where others walked away. Abi was not afraid of the bullies and Owen always felt in safe hands when in her company. Abi, in need of a garden overhaul, hires Owen to sort out her landscaping.
Callum, Abi’s childhood sweetheart and now husband is a very self-centred and over confident individual. Having a very successful career has only bolstered his ego further and nothing will get in his way to achieve what he wants.
His father Phil, an ex-cop, sees his son for what he really is but Phil is grieving for the loss of his wife Sally and wastes no more time pandering to his son’s ways. Phil now works in security and is battling with self-confidence issues.
An unexpected murder in the community forces everyone together in a very complicated web of lies and deceit. True personalities are exposed as we discover who is behind this act of violence.
The chapters of Lie In Wait are divided up by date and character. The reader is sent to the past and the present as the story unwinds over a couple of months.
Graham Minett casts a net over so many different story lines, it defeats me how he manages to pull them all together so successfully into a coherent storyline…but he does!!
It is a book that moves swiftly from scene to scene. It is a book that changes rapidly between different characters. It is a book you will want to read in as few sittings as possible. There were a couple of scenarios I felt stretched my imagination just a little too much but I enjoyed the direction they were taking and wanted to see where they ended up.
As I read this book I felt all sorts of emotions. With Owen my feelings jumped from sympathy to empathy but at no point did I harbour any ill feelings towards him. Callum, from the beginning was someone I just did not warm to. His attitude and general arrogance is played out very well as the story unfolds . Abi…well Abi is quite a complex character. I found I had very mixed feelings towards her and as a character, I didn’t find her very appealing.
Lie In Wait is a fast paced book that you need your wits about you. It’s not complicated but it helps if you are switched on when reading it. It is a crime novel with all the typical line up of good guys and bad guys..but I hasten to add, G.J. Minett incorporates them all into a very enjoyable read.
Who was the victim?
Who perpetrated the act?
Who is guilty?
Who is innocent?
Only one way to find out…you will just have to read it yourself!!
Who is G.J. Minett?
Graham was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and lived there for 18 years before studying for a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages at Churchill College, Cambridge.
He taught for several years, first in Cheltenham and then in West Sussex before opting to go part-time and start an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester. Completing the course in 2008, he gained a distinction for the dissertation under the guidance of novelist, Alison MacLeod and almost immediately won the Segora Short Story Competition with ‘On the Way Out’.
Other awards soon followed, most notably his success in the 2010 Chapter One novel competition with what would eventually become the opening pages of his debut novel.
He was signed up by Peter Buckman of the Ampersand Agency, who managed to secure a two-book deal with twenty7, the digital-first adult fiction imprint of Bonnier Publishing.
“The Hidden Legacy” was published as an eBook in November 2015 and the paperback version is scheduled to be released on August 25th 2016.
The second book in the deal, entitled “Lie in Wait”, will be published as an eBook on August 25th 2016 and the paperback version will be on the shelves in bookshops around the country in February 2017.
Graham lives with his wife and children in West Sussex but retains close links with the rest of his family in Cheltenham.
