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Lying in Wait
'He could just see himself, in a year or so, going back home with his pockets stuffed with cash and his Da, Zach and Ma welcoming him with big smiles and open arms. It would be that grand he could hardly wait.'
But when Malachy Flynn finds himself mixed up with the Conway family in Dublin, he realises that making money isn't always easy - or legal. Then there's gang boss, Brogan. No-one messes with Brogan. Ever.
Northumberland farmer Tom Oliver prefers the company of married women, but time’s running out for him when his new dairyman moves to Netherwell Farm with his dangerously attractive wife and her pretty younger sister.
In London, Mal falls in love with Tom’s niece, Jess, but they are forced to flee to Northumberland when his secret past catches up with him. Revelations and death turn everyone's lives upside down. Can Mal protect those he loves or will he forever be watching over his shoulder, waiting for Brogan to take revenge?
But when Malachy Flynn finds himself mixed up with the Conway family in Dublin, he realises that making money isn't always easy - or legal. Then there's gang boss, Brogan. No-one messes with Brogan. Ever.
Northumberland farmer Tom Oliver prefers the company of married women, but time’s running out for him when his new dairyman moves to Netherwell Farm with his dangerously attractive wife and her pretty younger sister.
In London, Mal falls in love with Tom’s niece, Jess, but they are forced to flee to Northumberland when his secret past catches up with him. Revelations and death turn everyone's lives upside down. Can Mal protect those he loves or will he forever be watching over his shoulder, waiting for Brogan to take revenge?
- GenresMystery
404 pages, Paperback
Published October 19, 2011
2 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Jasper
11 books63 followersI've always been a reader and for the past six years I've been writing fiction. I read across a wide range of genres and I find it fun to select features of various genres to use in my writing without sticking to one in particular.
I have published three e-books in the past year and I'm currently working on two new novels - one a sequel to my second book, Meggie Blackthorn, and the other a sexy romance which I'll be publishing under a different author name later this year.
I worked for many years in prestigious UK universities, where I did a variety of administrative tasks, including organising summer schools, study tours and other events, as well as working as PA to an eminent archaeologist.
For most of the year I live in Spain with my husband but we spend a considerable amount of time in the UK with our family.
I have published three e-books in the past year and I'm currently working on two new novels - one a sequel to my second book, Meggie Blackthorn, and the other a sexy romance which I'll be publishing under a different author name later this year.
I worked for many years in prestigious UK universities, where I did a variety of administrative tasks, including organising summer schools, study tours and other events, as well as working as PA to an eminent archaeologist.
For most of the year I live in Spain with my husband but we spend a considerable amount of time in the UK with our family.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 21, 2012
Mal Flynn leaves the home he has shared with Ma. Da and brother Zach to seek his fortune in Dublin; there just isn't enough work for him to stay on with his family. He doesn't go to the safe lodgings that have been arranged for him and with work almost impossible to find, his money begins to run out. When Mal is befriended and offered work as well as a place to stay he is, at first, delighted but he soon realises that the work and his new friends are not what they seem.
Mixed up in criminal activities and drawn into the gang in ways he could never have imagined, Mal knows he must get away. His journey takes him to England where he finally finds the company of good people and a chance of love. But his past is still on his trail and wshes him nothing but harm.
This story is split so that the reader follows Mal's search for a settled life and at the same time a farming family in Northumberland. Eventually the two come together in a neatly crafted turn of events that was totally believable.
The Northumberland part of the story is peopled by a family of complicated characters with problems that finally come to impact on Mal's life and his on theirs.
The drama really builds towards the end and a there is final twist for good measure. A good story of love, greed and revenge, very well told.
Mixed up in criminal activities and drawn into the gang in ways he could never have imagined, Mal knows he must get away. His journey takes him to England where he finally finds the company of good people and a chance of love. But his past is still on his trail and wshes him nothing but harm.
This story is split so that the reader follows Mal's search for a settled life and at the same time a farming family in Northumberland. Eventually the two come together in a neatly crafted turn of events that was totally believable.
The Northumberland part of the story is peopled by a family of complicated characters with problems that finally come to impact on Mal's life and his on theirs.
The drama really builds towards the end and a there is final twist for good measure. A good story of love, greed and revenge, very well told.
May 23, 2012
This book has something for everyone. The main character, Mal, is the thread that draws the plot strands together. Part thriller, part romance. Evocative settings, moving from Ireland to England, city to countryside.
The plot follows Mal's development from red-faced innocent to unwitting criminal. He circulates through society, making very human mistakes and bad decisions. There's an element of the martyr in him as his own ideals cause Mal to deny himself a normal, decent life. But the people that surround him come to see the goodness in his heart.
I found the characters very real and the locations authentic. Well worth the read.
The plot follows Mal's development from red-faced innocent to unwitting criminal. He circulates through society, making very human mistakes and bad decisions. There's an element of the martyr in him as his own ideals cause Mal to deny himself a normal, decent life. But the people that surround him come to see the goodness in his heart.
I found the characters very real and the locations authentic. Well worth the read.
February 8, 2016
I enjoyed the fact that there were a lot of unexpected things happen in this story although some times it was a little confusing I loved the twists which kept you turning the pages as fast as possible
September 7, 2012
the writing was good but the story pulled a little. it was great to see how the main character developed, you could say he grew up.
March 30, 2013
waffled on a bit in place but a good end and a reasonable read overall
April 13, 2013
Before I start, let me point out that this isn't really my kind of genre but I didn't realise that until I was about a quarter of the way through. Lying in Wait is very much a 1970s-era, semi-underworld IRA thriller, without quite as much of the subterfuge and thrills that one might expect.
That said, Elizabeth Jasper's writing style is pleasant enough. The prose flows easily and is never stodgy or hard-going. I wouldn't say the story was particularly pacy, but it moved along quickly enough. The book is also rather long, so the reader gets their money's worth.
I would've rated this 4*, if not for the two main gripes I have. The first is easily fixed. I found 135 mistakes or typos of every kind - typos, words missing, hyphenation, many question marks missing. It looked to me as if the text had been spell-checked but not proofread. It needs a good proofread and dare I say, a little editing too. Some minor happenings get a whole paragraph, other major ones warrant hardly a line.
The 2nd gripe is rather more difficult to fix. The denouement for me was quite unbelievable and the outcome predictable. The Kerry scene was rather chaotic and I'm not sure I really understood who did what for the most part.
All said and done, I quite enjoyed this book. It just needs a little polishing. 3.5/5
That said, Elizabeth Jasper's writing style is pleasant enough. The prose flows easily and is never stodgy or hard-going. I wouldn't say the story was particularly pacy, but it moved along quickly enough. The book is also rather long, so the reader gets their money's worth.
I would've rated this 4*, if not for the two main gripes I have. The first is easily fixed. I found 135 mistakes or typos of every kind - typos, words missing, hyphenation, many question marks missing. It looked to me as if the text had been spell-checked but not proofread. It needs a good proofread and dare I say, a little editing too. Some minor happenings get a whole paragraph, other major ones warrant hardly a line.
The 2nd gripe is rather more difficult to fix. The denouement for me was quite unbelievable and the outcome predictable. The Kerry scene was rather chaotic and I'm not sure I really understood who did what for the most part.
All said and done, I quite enjoyed this book. It just needs a little polishing. 3.5/5
March 15, 2013
For those of you who like stories of characters involved in compromising situations, there’s a lot of that in this book. It would be tough to categorize it in a specific genre but it doesn’t seem to belong under “mystery.”
Mal leaves his family home in Ireland to find work in Dublin. Things don’t appear to be going in his favor until at a grungy pub someone approaches him with an offer of work. The offer seems too good to be true and he soon discovers he’s in over his head with the wrong people.
The book seemed to go on for ages though it’s not at all tiresome. (Does that even make sense!?) It is a bit over the top when his less than stellar past is accepted without any challenge from those he’s now involved with. Relationships were restored way too easily. The police detective assigned to look into a mail bomb readily allows Mal to become involved in matters best left to the authorities.
There is a bit of a twist at the end. All in all, a decent read. I'd probably rate it a 3.5.
Mal leaves his family home in Ireland to find work in Dublin. Things don’t appear to be going in his favor until at a grungy pub someone approaches him with an offer of work. The offer seems too good to be true and he soon discovers he’s in over his head with the wrong people.
The book seemed to go on for ages though it’s not at all tiresome. (Does that even make sense!?) It is a bit over the top when his less than stellar past is accepted without any challenge from those he’s now involved with. Relationships were restored way too easily. The police detective assigned to look into a mail bomb readily allows Mal to become involved in matters best left to the authorities.
There is a bit of a twist at the end. All in all, a decent read. I'd probably rate it a 3.5.
September 24, 2012
2.50
This is a story about several different people in Ireland and England. Mal leaves his family's farm to go to Dublin for work. He gets mixed up with a crew of criminals that have ties to the IRA. Things go south fast and he leaves town with a suitcase full of their money. Tom is a bachelor living on his dairy farm with his widowed sister. Her daughter Jess is moving to london for school. Tom has an affair with his caretakers wife while engaged to her sister. Mal meets Jess while living in London on the run from the gangsters. Where they begin to fall in love. The gangsters hes hiding from track him and hurt the innocent friends of Mals who have no idea of his past. It takes a minute for all of these people to tie in together. This book is suppose to be a thriller but I really felt it was more drama than thriller until the end. I believe I would of enjoyed this more as a movie than a book.
August 21, 2021
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include LYING IN WAIT by ELIZABETH JASPER in the library of Awesome Indies'
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews