The Dead Lie Down: A Novel

Written by Sophie Hannah

Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre

A heart-stopping novel of psychological suspense from the internationally bestselling author of The Wrong Mother and The Other Woman's House

Ruth Bussey once did something wrong - horribly wrong - and was nearly destroyed by her punishment. Now, she has tentatively rebuilt her life and unexpectedly found love with a man named Aidan Seed. But Aidan also has a secret, and one day he confides in Ruth: years ago, he killed a woman named Mary Trelease. Ruth's initial horror turns to confusion when she realizes that she knows Mary Trelease, and Mary is very much alive. So why does Aidan insist that she's dead? 

The fourth book in Sophie Hannah's beloved Zailer and Waterhouse series, The Dead Lie Down is a sophisticated, addictive page-turner that will appeal to fans of Laura Lippman and Tana French.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Jun 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781101195994

Sophie Hannah

SOPHIE HANNAH is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous psychological thrillers, which have been published in 51 countries and adapted for television, as well as The Monogram Murders, the first Hercule Poirot novel authorized by the estate of Agatha Christie, and its sequels Closed Casket, The Mystery of Three Quarters, and The Killings at Kingfisher Hill. Sophie is also the author of a self-help book, How to Hold a Grudge, and hosts the podcast of the same name. She lives in Cambridge, UK.

Reviews for The Dead Lie Down

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

but not right away...this 4th in the series has the twistiest plot yet. Maybe a bit too much, but once again, the characters in the mystery are full of depth and intrigue. And as for Zailer and Waterhouse: don't miss the worst engagement party ever!

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What I love about Sophie Hannah's books is how expertly she confuses me. I never have a hold on where her stories are going, I'm never able to predict the ending, no matter how many psychological thrillers I've read before. She doesn't follow a formula, and each book is a unique ride of twists and turns that somehow all make sense by the time the last page is turned.In The Dead Lie Down, Hannah starts from what seems to be an impossible premise. Ruth Bussey's boyfriend, Aidan Seed, has confessed to murdering a woman who is still alive. Ruth, hiding a terrible past of her own, is desperate to figure out the truth and somehow protect the life she has built on shaky foundations.Art, class, love, sins, survival, resilience, and family all intertwine in an incredibly suspenseful story. Hannah beautifully uses alternating points of view, upping the tension even more. Just when something is about to be revealed, a new chapter starts, and the information you've been wanting to know so much is now another chapter away, making it impossible to put the book down.If you love authors like Tana French, and are looking for another great psychological thriller to add to your to-be-read shelf, I highly recommend The Dead Lie Down.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. My first encounter with this author and she is wonderful. I will read more.

[juva_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The writing in this book is just to my taste. The story telling is masterly and controlled. However, as the book progressed I began to lose my initial enjoyment. This book is not for the faint of heart. Horrible thing after horrible this is recounted in vivid detail. I began to feel like the whole book was just one sequence of suffering after another.The plot is intricate but by the end it is so complicated it's almost convoluted. Overall, the effect is haunting. But it's definitely not for everyone.

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read and enjoyed three other Sophie Hannah books, and this was the next for me to read in the Zailer/Waterhouse series. I had taken note of the many poor reviews, but was prepared to make up my own mind.It's a long read, but I enjoyed it very much. It's about Ruth Bussey, a damaged woman whose boyfriend, Aidan, tells her he has murdered a woman who Ruth knows is definitely alive. This is the sort of storyline this author excels at, taking something seemingly implausible and making it into a gripping read.I was left guessing throughout the majority of the book, and couldn't see how the story could be resolved. As it happens, it did get resolved in quite a convoluted fashion, and I admit that I found the end quite confusing, but at no point did I get bored with the story or feel the need to skim or even give up, which is the acid test for reading enjoyment for me.This isn't her best book, but I still enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next in the series.

[mariabiblioteca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a delightfully mind-bending, twisty-turny read.

[ellenr_79 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slow start but once engaged, this was an enticing read. Plotting turned out to be quite intricate. Characters weren't too likable but were well-developed and complex.

[mumineurope · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another very gripping psychological thriller, this time with Ruth, Adam and May

[maneekuhi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

(aka - The Other Half Lives; don't get me started on Hannah's dual titles for EVERY book.) First, I love most of Hannah's books. TDLD is the 4th in the series, the 4th I've read and it was disappointing. The first half provides a lot of character background, told in the usual non-chronological order and by multiple points of view, including the protagonist speaking in alternating chapters in the first person. But this is Hannah's style and I usually get into it after a bit, but this time it was too much of who knew what when and is what they knew or thought they knew true. Well, at the end, I felt I could pass a "facts of the case" test with marks in the low 90's. But I have to admit, I would score in the mid-thirties on "what were the characters' motivations" ( I was concentrating too hard on getting my facts straight). It was all too much like work and there were moments when I felt like I was just plowing through. And I don't get Simon, a character no one likes, and he's rather critical since the Simon-Charlie romance thing is a significant piece of this book (maybe some readers see him as a project for Charlie and are hooked by the prospects of a turn-around, or tragic moment, but he really started to bore me in this one). All that having said there are many excellent moments in the book, including a fight between two women in their thirties, slinging rapid-fire insults at each other, spewing prize-winning lines that we mere mortals only think to say hours after the narrow window of opportunity has closed. All this concluding with the perfect climactic gesture. Then a nice moment when Charlie professes her love for her dolt of a fiance during a rather incredible moment. I'll read the next one in the series but I'll wait a bit before doing so.

[ellenh_28 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was somewhat difficult book to read, The language was confusing for me until I became used to it, about half way thru. Despite that, the story was compellilng enough to keep me going. It kept me wondering about these 3 main characters, Ruth, Aidan & Mary, I had a hard time putting it down. Wish I'd read the first one about the two detectives if there was one.

[picardyrose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An odd awkward woman named Ruth falls in love with a man who confesses that he once murdered someone named Mary Trelease. But Ruth knows Mary, who isn't dead at all. There's a great convergence of great minds thinking alike at the end, but mostly I sure was surprised.

[sanddancer_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating concept for a crime and I was utterly absorbed by it. The plot perhaps doesn't hold up to close scrutiny, some of the characters behave oddly and I guessed the twist some way before it happened, despite these flaws, I was lost in it for the course of the book and still enjoyed it.

[teresa1953_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have been a fan of Sophie Hannah since reading "Little Face", but I found this novel too long and somewhat rambling. The behaviour of some of the characters seemed highly unlikely and I found myself not caring one bit what happened to them. None of the intrigue of her previous novels....sorry but Sophie can write so much better than this.