Where They Lie, Claire Coughlan
Where They Lie, Claire Coughlan
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Where They Lie
A Novel

Author: Claire Coughlan

Narrator: Aoife McMahon

Unabridged: 10 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/20/2024


Synopsis

“A thrillingly dark and atmospheric tale, richly evocative of its time, especially for those of us old enough to remember 1968.”—John BanvilleAn immersive, literary thriller set in 1960s Dublin about an ambitious young female journalist whose investigation of a long missing actress will take her through misty streets and the tangled underworld—and force her to confront the long buried secrets of her own past.Some stories demand to be told. They keep coming back, echoing down through the decades, until they find a teller . . .Dublin, 1943. Actress Julia Bridges disappears. She was last seen entering the house of Gloria Fitzpatrick, who is later put on trial for the murder of a woman whose abortion she facilitated. But it’s never proved that Gloria had a hand in Julia’s death—and Julia’s body has never been found. Gloria, however, is sentenced to life in an institution for the criminally insane, where she’s found dead a few years later from an apparent suicide, and the truth of what happened to Julia Bridges dies with her.Until . . .Dublin, 1968. Nicoletta Sarto is an ambitious junior reporter for the Irish Sentinel when the bones of Julia Bridges are discovered in the garden of a house on the outskirts of the city. Drawn into investigating the 25-year-old mystery of Julia’s disappearance and her link to the notorious Gloria Fitzpatrick, Nicoletta becomes immersed in the tangled underworld of the illegal abortion industry, stirring up long-buried secrets from her own past.A beautifully atmospheric, timely thriller, Where They Lie uses a murder mystery as a lens to focus on the long struggle of women fighting to achieve autonomy and succeed in a man’s world.

About Claire Coughlan

Claire Coughlan has worked as a journalist for many years, most recently for publications such as BookBrunch and the Sunday Independent. She was a recipient of the Words Ireland National Mentoring program, funded by Kildare Arts Service and the Arts Council. Coughlan has an MFA in creative writing from University College Dublin, and she lives in County Kildare with her husband and daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) on March 13, 2024

In 1943, the city of Dublin sees the disturbing disappearance of Julia Bridges. An actress who was last seen entering the premises where former midwife Gloria Fitzpatrick worked and lived, it was rumored for years that she had been responsible for Julia vanishing. So when, several years later, a nei......more

Goodreads review by Southern Lady Reads on February 20, 2024

I love historical fiction novels that are a quick read! Especially when it comes to murd3r mysteries? There's something satisfying about being able to flip through a book quickly and have a satisfying ending - even if it's not exactly the one that you thought it would be. THOUGHTS: - Although dealin......more

Goodreads review by Erin on January 21, 2024

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date: Feb. 20, 2024 Nicoletta Sarto is a journalist in Dublin in 1968. Desperate to get ahead in a man’s world, she has her eyes set on advanc......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews on February 24, 2024

Where did Julia Bridges go? How did she just disappear? Did Gloria Fitzpatrick a midwife who was accused of murdering a woman during an abortion have anything to do with her disappearance twenty-five years ago? Then Julia’s body is found and identified by her wedding ring. Nicoletta Sarto a young journa......more

Goodreads review by Aoife on January 17, 2024

A promising debut novel from Irish writer Claire Coughlan, Where They Lie is historical fiction set in 1960s Dublin in the murky world of illegal abortions. Nicoletta Sarto is a reporter working the Christmas Eve shift at Irish newspaper The Sentinel, when a police report comes in that a woman’s bod......more