Strange Sally Diamond
Crime Novel of the Year, Irish Book Awards 2023
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4.3 • 481 Ratings
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
**Selected for BBC 2 Between the Covers 2023**
**WINNER Crime Novel of the Year, Irish Book Awards 2023**
**SHORTLISTED for The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award**
**SHORTLISTED for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2024**
Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.
Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she cannot remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends and big decisions, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.
But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world? And why does her neighbour seem to be obsessed with her? Sally's trust issues are about to be severely challenged . . .
*****
'In Sally Diamond, Nugent has given us an astounding creation with a singular voice . . . an absorbing, twisty, compulsive psychological thriller with surprising humour and pathos' Sunday Independent
'Strikingly well-observed and consistently surprising' The Times
'Incredible' Sara Cox
'Strange indeed . . . and smart, too! Shocking, disturbing and utterly original, Strange Sally Diamond will grip you from first page to last' Paula Hawkins
'Irresistibly compelling, this dark story is shocking yet endearing. A brilliant read that will suck you in' Crime Monthly
'Liz Nugent has outdone herself. Twisted and twisty, dark and gripping, no one is going to forget Sally Diamond in a hurry!' Graham Norton
'It creeped me out (in a good way) . . . Terrific' Ian Rankin
'Dark, compelling and deeply moving' Ruth Ware
'So, so good! Sally gets under your skin and worms her way into your heart. I didn't want it to end' Jane Fallon
'I'm lost in admiration for Liz and her writing . . . vivid, pacy, taut but so very moving' Marian Keyes
'Jaw-droppingly clever . . . One of the best books I've read in a long, long time. I can't stop thinking about it' Lucy Foley
'An outstanding achievement which transforms the dark psychological thriller map with both bravura and delicacy. One for the ages' Maxim Jakubowski
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Sally Diamond is the sheltered loner anchoring Liz Nugent’s latest thriller. The story starts apace with Sally disposing of her adoptive father’s dead body in a rubbish bag—a literal interpretation of a glib remark that brings the police to her doorstep. Then it kicks into high gear when she finally learns the horrifying circumstances of her true parentage. The tension peaks again when a familiar teddy bear from an anonymous sender arrives. Events unfold through Sally in the present timeline and through Peter (the half-brother she didn’t know she had) for the period leading up to and beyond her birth. Nugent tends to put her readers into the minds of unequivocal villains, and Peter’s perspective is typically complex. Sally, meanwhile, is refreshingly endearing, well-intended and often funny, even as she struggles with the appropriate (or at least, socially acceptable) emotional response to each devastating revelation. At once a coming-of-age story and a disturbing psychological mystery, the twists and turns of this novel will keep you hooked until the end.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nugent (Lying in Wait) outdoes herself in this chilling exploration of her title character's pitch-black past. Ruthlessly bullied as a child in Ireland, Sally has lived a quiet life with her parents, rarely venturing outside. When her widower father dies just before her 44th birthday, Sally incinerates his body with the garbage, thinking she's honoring his wishes to "put him out with the trash." Instead, the act draws outrage from neighbors, authorities, and the media, suddenly thrusting the reclusive Sally into an unwelcome spotlight. She's always known that she was adopted, but slowly—with the aid of letters her "father" left behind, plus a series of messages from a mysterious stranger who may hail from Sally's blurry past—she comes to know the precise horrors of her backstory. Can she overcome them and learn to navigate a world she barely understands? Nugent fashions an unforgettable protagonist in Sally, and never loses sight of her characters' fundamental humanity, even as she piles on twists and steers the narrative into exceptional darkness. Inventive, addictive, and bold, this deserves a wide audience.
Customer Reviews
Interesting and Well written
An interesting perspective
Sally is a really interesting character with great supporting roles around her
I would highly recommend as it’s very well written and easy to get lost and caught up in the story
Strange sally Diamond
Brilliant. Not too many characters to have to monitor. Fast paced and entertaining
Great read, couldn’t put it down
Great read, couldn’t put it down!