"Where They Lie" by Claire Coughlan is a captivating and beautifully atmospheric debut novel that keeps readers hooked until the end. The story is set in Dublin in 1968, and it revolves around junior reporter Nicoletta Sarto's investigation into the 25-year-old mystery of actress Julia Bridges' disappearance and her connection to the notorious Gloria Fitzpatrick.
This novel's ability to transport readers to the winter of 1968 in Dublin makes it remarkable. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail fully immerse the reader in the setting, allowing them to experience the atmosphere and ambience of the time. It is a beautiful combination of historical fiction and mystery, providing a fascinating backdrop for the unfolding events.
Nicoletta Sarto is an excellently crafted and relatable protagonist in the story. Her struggle to succeed as a young woman in a male-dominated field is a central theme throughout the book. Coughlan expertly allows us to witness Nicoletta's professional and personal journey, making her triumphs and challenges real and relatable. Having a strong and determined female lead is refreshing, and Nicoletta's character development is one of the book's highlights.
The story's plot is captivating and has many unexpected twists and turns. As Nicoletta investigates the mystery surrounding Julia Bridges' disappearance, she discovers disturbing secrets and becomes involved in the dubious world of illegal abortion. The author has handled these delicate topics with sensitivity and has provided insightful observations, thus making the story not just a thrilling murder mystery but also an exploration of significant social issues.
The author's writing style is captivating, and the story flows effortlessly from one scene to the next. Coughlan's talent for building tension and suspense is admirable as it keeps the reader on edge, eager to discover the truth alongside Nicoletta. The story's pacing is just right, with enough suspense and revelations to keep the readers engaged throughout the narrative.
"Where They Lie" is a remarkable and fascinating novel. Combining historical fiction, mystery, and social commentary creates a captivating and thought-provoking reading experience. Claire Coughlan's debut is exceptional, and I eagerly anticipate her future works. I highly recommend this novel to anyone seeking a page-turner that will linger with them long after they have finished reading.

Where They Lie opens with the discovery of bones in a rich jeweller’s garden that are the remains of an actress that went missing years ago. It is Christmas in 1960’s Dublin and a young reporter called Nicoletta Sarto is given the job of reporting on it. This is an incredibly evocative, atmospheric mystery - you never doubt that you are in 1960’s Dublin and are made aware of the challenges women in Ireland faced at that time. This is a compelling, immersive read.

Dublin 1968
Nicoletta Sarto is a junior reporter for the Irish Sentinel and want to get to the head of the game and prove her male colleagues wrong. When she get involved investigating the body of actress Julia Bridges being found after disappearing 25 years earlier. Gloria Fitzpatrick was given a life sentence for a murder but instead went to institution for the criminally insane but committed suicide later. The whereabouts of Julie’s body was not known until now.
Nicoletta’s investigative journey leads her, to Gloria Fitzpatrick but, Julia’s past working in a local theatre and an underground abortionist. Nicoletta also finds out about her own past and things about her childhood she was not aware of.
Thank you, Simon and Shuster UK, for a copy of ‘Where they lie ‘by Claire Coughlan. I am really surprised how much I enjoyed this and how good this book is. As the cover of the book doesn’t give anything away.
I got straight into this intense, atmospheric read. This has an original storyline and characters, and it flowed well. It has great twists and turns even though some of the subjects in it where a bit difficult to read. As this is a debut novel, I can’t to read more from this author and see how they develop. 4 stars from me.

Dublin 1968 - Ambitious junior reporter Nicoletta Sarto, from the Irish Sentinel, becomes entangled in a 25-year-old mystery when the bones of Julia Bridges are unearthed near Dublin. As she delves into Julia's disappearance and her connections to the infamous Gloria Fitzpatrick, Nicoletta unravels the clandestine world of illegal abortions.

This is a captivating and original novel with a fantastic ensemble of characters - highly recommended.

I found this book really hard going it wasn’t what I was expecting it seemed like it lost its way in what it wanted to be. Not for me but thank for the ARC

Where They Lie was one of those wonderful books that I started to read with no expectation and feel that it will definitely be one of my books of the year.
It's set in Dublin in 1968 when junior reporter Nicoletta Sarto is covering the story of Julia Bridges, an actress whose body has just been discovered, 25 years after her disappearance.
It's a beautifully atmospheric novel really immersing the reader in the winter of 1968 in Dublin and what it was like to be a young woman reporter at the time. It is an intense read covering many issues but centre stage is the wonderful creation of Nicoletta. It's a compelling novel with a twist that I did not see coming but it fitted seamlessly into the plot. I felt that this was a highly original novel that I absolutely loved and would highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I really enjoyed the mystery of this books, the twists and turns are what made it enjoyable for me as it kept me guessing and surprised me which not many books do anymore.

A thriller who makes you wonder who did it. Nicoletta Sartos is as reporter from the Irish Sentinel. The story line has a twist to it, and it makes you want to read it more to find out who did it, and how the story line ends. This book would be ideal as a movie.

This is a dark Irish-noir novel set in 1960’s Dublin when women were beginning to assert their independence. Nicolette Sarto is a junior reporter for a Dublin newspaper covering a story which she hopes will lead to a promotion. There are so many twists and turns that you feel disorientated at times but I found myself cheering for Nicoletta and willing her to overcome all her problems. I’m not sure that the romance side was needed, or believable, but overall a very good read.

Honestly, I found this book difficult to get through. I found it was quite a long slog to get through and didn't find myself engaged in the story. However, I do think that the murder mystery had brilliant twists which I truly didn't see coming, something I often don't find in this kind of charming murder mystery. Overall, I would say if you are looking for a book to really sink your teeth into then this would be for you, however if you are looking for a lighter, easier read then avoid this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I found myself really pulled into the plot of this book. The characters and their back stories are just as compelling as the core mystery they're out to solve. One thing I never like is when too much time is spent away from the main plot and moving it forward. The author never did this - time was spent exploring back story for the characters, but never at the expense of pace of the main plot.

The book is beautifully written, describing the locations in Ireland in depth and colour that it makes you feel like you're immersed in the story and standing right there with the characters.

There's more than one twist in this book and one of them really came out of left field. I wasn't expecting to be surprised when reading this. It almost lulls you into a false sense of security. But the revelations were really satisfying.

A truly enjoyable mystery with a great cast of characters. Can't wait to read more from this author.

Spoiler free review:

One thing I will say, before reading, check TW as there are some topics/themes in the book that some might find upsetting.

Personally, I found this book quite a difficult one to read. Not because of the themes/topics, but because I found parts of it very hard to follow.
The book is written in 3rd person, and so many different characters are mentioned, so that coupled with some of the language used, meant that I found it difficult to connect relationships between characters and remember who was who, especially when we're not told all that much about some of them. This led to me going around in circles and rereading parts several times to get a grip on things so it took me much longer to read than a book this size normally would.

That being said, the actual plot/story itself, I found quite entertaining. It had a really good premise, and for the most part, the plot developed quite well. The twists & turns were completely unexpected and I found myself trying and failing to guess what was coming (the mark of any great murder mystery.)

Overall it was a charming Irish murder mystery with a good plot that I just wish had been executed a little differently to make for an easier read. I'd recommend to fans of the genre, but just advise that sometimes it can be tough to get through (although that is only my opinion and others may well find it very easy to digest.).

Where They Lie was a difficult book to get through, and for more reasons than one. Whilst I did finish the book within 2 days, it took effort. No spoilers, ever.

The plot - I’d describe this as a historical murder mystery book. There is a dash of romance sprinkled in, with lots of blurred lines and a family tree that makes your head spin. Before I go further, this book has triggers, so in authentic me style: CHECK YOUR TRIGGERS PEOPLE. This book is set in Dublin in the 1900’s following an actress’ murder that seemed to be quickly solved with a woman who paid the price on death row. However our main character, Nicoletta, believes there is more to the story and in a bid to uncover the truth, and secure a promotion in her journalist career, she’s determined to find the answers.

I’ll seperate this into the pros and cons, because it’s the only way I’ll make sense of anything otherwise.

The cons - this story was a lot to read. Not just for the heavy topics, but the sheer content. It was a short book by contemporary standards, but the content inside and the words used made it a hard slog to get through. I became confused around who was who, and what relation they had to other characters, and who I was supposed to like (besides Nicoletta) because they all had a negative vibe.

The pros - the plot twists and turns were shocking, and I truly had no idea until they were revealed. Each one was perfectly intwined into the story so you find yourself asking “how did I not see that?” . I love Irish stories, and this had all the charm of Ireland combined with a juicy story I just wish had been better executed for easy reading.

All that said, maybe it was just difficult for me. What was difficult for me to get through may fly by for yourself. I wouldn’t take my review as a warning against reading, but I certainly wouldn’t reread a book I had to force myself to finish in order to get answers.

Absolutely astounding, dublin in the 1960s brought to life with a female reporter tracking down the story she was made to uncover. The intricacies of her city and working mind set the pace and the story ebbs and flows windingly. The story sharp tongued and set at a brisk pace, definitely one to read in 2023, unmissable.

3.5 stars


Slower paced than I'm used to, but it was just putting everything in place.
Setting the scene, and getting us to know our characters.
Our reporter is out to make a name for herself, and finds more than she could ever expected.
Interesting characters, and situations formed only from being in that time and place.
Enjoyable read.