Lying Beside You is another twisty, multi-layered instalment in Aussie author Michael Robotham's fantastic Cyrus Haven / Evie Cormac series. It's great stuff!

Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven is called to consult on a brutal murder, from the scene of which a woman has been abducted. When a second woman goes missing, Cyrus - assisted by his former ward and housemate Evie Cormac, with her unique intuitive skills - must race to find a link between the victims before time runs out for the missing women.
Meanwhile, the delicate equilibrium of Cyrus and Evie’s existence is inevitably disrupted when Cyrus's brother Elias joins the household. He's just been released on parole, having served twenty years in a secure psychiatric facility after killing his (and Cyrus's) parents and younger twin sisters while suffering from a psychotic episode. It's a situation that anyone would find confronting, but for Evie, it's like living in a powder keg.

Lying Beside You is a fast-paced and gripping thriller, in which author Michael Robotham explores the long-reaching effects of past trauma, and the concepts of responsibility, forgiveness and redemption. Robotham continues the nuanced characterisations and relationship dynamics that are a feature of the previous two books in the series, and the introduction of Elias as a character provides a mechanism for a deeper delve into the complex psyches of the series lead characters, Cyrus and Evie. This is a fantastic series, and I'll be waiting with bated breath for the next book to be released...

I'd highly recommend Lying Beside You to any reader who enjoys complex psychological thrillers.

Thanks to the author, Michael Robotham, publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fantastic title.

Lying Beside You is the third book in the Cyrus Haven series by award-winning Australian author, Michael Robotham. While Evie Cormac tries to please Cyrus by getting a job and completing her schooling, DS Lenny Parvel requires his opinion in the case of a murdered father and a missing daughter. It’s not her case, and Cyrus is not exactly welcome, but his input is noted.

Police can’t initially decide if Maya Kirk is on the run for patricide, or has been abducted, but Cyrus is quickly convinced that she is also a victim. When a second young woman is abducted from outside the bar where Evie works, she is the only reliable witness. At the same time, Evie manages to get herself into trouble with the police while trying to prove the innocence of someone falsely convicted.

Cyrus, while distracted by his brother’s day release from Rampton, tries to puzzle out motive: “I am starting to understand this crime. The details have been floating in front of me like snippets from a film that needs to be edited into a story. The person responsible is no longer a mystery. I can see the world through his eyes.” While the reader is privy to all the important facts that Cyrus or Evie discover and, unaware of their relevance, don’t immediately share, the lightbulb moments are very satisfying.

In this instalment, Cyrus has his Identity stolen, reluctantly attends a car race, climbs up a lift shaft, and employs a handyman. Evie’s safe haven, being Cyrus’s house, is invaded by guests of whom she is understandably wary: a schizophrenic brother and a newly-released prisoner; but her unique ability to detect lies directs her trust. With each book, the reader gets to know Cyrus and Evie a little more, as they grow and develop.

Robotham again gives the reader a tightly plotted story liberally sprinkled with enough misdirection to keep the reader guessing right up to the nail-biting climax. There’s plenty of dark humour and the banter is often entertaining. This third dose of Cyrus and Evie is, if that’s actually possible, even better than the first two, and one tiny incident promises fans that the story of this pair is not yet over. Brilliant crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK