Publication Date: February 20, 2024
“A thrillingly dark and atmospheric tale, richly evocative of its time, especially for those of us old enough to remember 1968.”—John Banville
An 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.
Nicoletta Sarto is trying to land a story that will guarantee her a spot among the male-dominated newspaper staff.
It’s 1968 in Dublin, but Nicoletta stumbles on a 25-year-old mystery that she’s determined to solve after a missing woman’s remains are found. Author Claire Coughlan brings two time periods together in Where They Lie.
As Nicoletta tries to discover what really happened to Julia Bridges, she stirs up the past. As she delves into a connection regarding Gloria Fitzpatrick, a midwife convicted of murder, a startling secret comes to life.
Where They Lie is a slow-moving story, which, given the genre, is a bit surprising. However, the author weaves the background before delivering a shocking twist.
Where They Lie serves up a slice of history showcasing a woman’s quest to earn a spot among her male counterparts.
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.
