2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year for Best Novel (nominee)
“Shocking, disturbing, and utterly original.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author
This “haunting and poignant tale, one that won’t be easy to forget any time soon�� (Mystery and Suspense Magazine), follows an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past—from internationally bestselling author Liz Nugent.
Reclusive Sally Diamond is thrust into the media spotlight when she tries to incinerate her dead father, causing widespread outrage. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from hungry reporters and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the repressed memories of her horrific early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, 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 he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this “truly incredible reading experience” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
Genre: Mystery
This “haunting and poignant tale, one that won’t be easy to forget any time soon�� (Mystery and Suspense Magazine), follows an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past—from internationally bestselling author Liz Nugent.
Reclusive Sally Diamond is thrust into the media spotlight when she tries to incinerate her dead father, causing widespread outrage. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from hungry reporters and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the repressed memories of her horrific early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, 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 he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this “truly incredible reading experience” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Totally and utterly gripped by Liz Nugent's latest. If this isn't made into a major Netflix series, I'll eat my own knicker elastic. An absolute wow of a read." - Claudia Carroll
"Strange Sally Diamond peels your heart with a paring knife in one continuous paper-thin coil. Dark, disturbing, utterly compelling." - Tammy Cohen
"Dark and mesmerising . . . one of the most compelling character-led novels I've ever read. [It] blew me away." - Fiona Cummins
"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 did not want this book to end! What a brilliant character and a wonderfully woven story. So very dark and clever and it completely broke my heart." - Susi Holliday
"Such a terrific read . . . [Sally is] an amazing character." - Anthony Horowitz
"I loved every damn second of it." - Lisa Jewell
"Vivid, pacy, taut but so very moving . . . This novel feels *different* . . . it defies categorisation." - Marian Keyes
"I'm struggling to find words to describe how wonderful this book is. All at once it's dark, funny, compelling, shocking and heart-breaking with perfect characters and unrelenting tension. The best book I've read in years. Just incredible." - Neil Lancaster
"My God what a brilliant book!" - Shari Lapeña
"Just like Sally herself, this book is absolutely unique. Dark, gripping, unsettling - it pulls off that rarest of feats, combining characters you truly care for with gasp-inducing twists and turns. Loved it!" - Ellery Lloyd
"It's compassionate and challenging, letting us imagine the lives that are forgotten when the news cycle moves on . . . a very special book." - Val McDermid
"An extraordinary book. Compulsive reading, with one of the most complex, intriguing and moving characters I've ever encountered in fiction." - Clare Mackintosh
"Another bloody scorcher from Liz Nugent that kept me up to the wee hours to finish. Liz is one of the most intelligent, original, twisty crime writers working in the genre today." - Adrian McKinty
"A brilliant, brilliant book. I don't have the skill to give this novel the kind of praise it deserves. It's devastating. It's beautiful. It's mesmerising. Clever. Surprising. Completely immersive. In total awe." - Imran Mahmood
"Achingly beautiful with a cast of characters that'll remain with you long after the final page is turned. Already one of the must-read books of 2023." - John Marrs
"I LOVED IT! Strange Sally strides onto the page, fully formed and funny as hell (this is Liz, we're talking dark funny). I was hooked from the first paragraph and then Liz toyed with me, I held my breath, gasped, laughed and cried. This is twisty, original and pitch-black. I'll go anywhere with Liz but only in daylight." - Nikki May
"I absolutely devoured this book. Sally Diamond is the most fantastic character. Liz Nugent has created a dark, twisted, gripping, intriguing, heart-stopping tale full of characters who, despite the horrors they inflict, are victims in their own right." - Sinéad Moriarty
"One of the most original, and spine-tingling books I've read in ages, Draws you in to the close, claustrophobic world of rural Ireland and the life of an emotionally withdrawn woman whose dark, hidden past is coming back to haunt her. Crackling with tension, this book with have you turning the pages late into the night. An absolute triumph." - Abir Mukherjee
"Liz Nugent has outdone herself. Twisted and twisty, dark and gripping, no one is going to forget Sally Diamond in a hurry!" - Graham Norton
"Twisted, shocking, and very, very, dark, Liz Nugent has created a character for the ages in Strange Sally Diamond." - Louise O'Neill
"It creeped me out (in a good way). Think Room and The Collector but add a dazzling/unique main character and encroaching dread. Terrific." - Ian Rankin
"Be prepared for a roller coaster ride - Sally Diamond is going to get under your skin." - Vanda Symon
"Liz Nugent dares to go where many won't. What a compelling storyteller she is. Always challenging. I laughed out loud only to recoil from my laughter as the story unfolded. For this is wickedly dark territory.And yet amidst the darkness, she allows a light to glimmer - that of a diamond." - Sarah Winman
"Strange Sally Diamond peels your heart with a paring knife in one continuous paper-thin coil. Dark, disturbing, utterly compelling." - Tammy Cohen
"Dark and mesmerising . . . one of the most compelling character-led novels I've ever read. [It] blew me away." - Fiona Cummins
"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 did not want this book to end! What a brilliant character and a wonderfully woven story. So very dark and clever and it completely broke my heart." - Susi Holliday
"Such a terrific read . . . [Sally is] an amazing character." - Anthony Horowitz
"I loved every damn second of it." - Lisa Jewell
"Vivid, pacy, taut but so very moving . . . This novel feels *different* . . . it defies categorisation." - Marian Keyes
"I'm struggling to find words to describe how wonderful this book is. All at once it's dark, funny, compelling, shocking and heart-breaking with perfect characters and unrelenting tension. The best book I've read in years. Just incredible." - Neil Lancaster
"My God what a brilliant book!" - Shari Lapeña
"Just like Sally herself, this book is absolutely unique. Dark, gripping, unsettling - it pulls off that rarest of feats, combining characters you truly care for with gasp-inducing twists and turns. Loved it!" - Ellery Lloyd
"It's compassionate and challenging, letting us imagine the lives that are forgotten when the news cycle moves on . . . a very special book." - Val McDermid
"An extraordinary book. Compulsive reading, with one of the most complex, intriguing and moving characters I've ever encountered in fiction." - Clare Mackintosh
"Another bloody scorcher from Liz Nugent that kept me up to the wee hours to finish. Liz is one of the most intelligent, original, twisty crime writers working in the genre today." - Adrian McKinty
"A brilliant, brilliant book. I don't have the skill to give this novel the kind of praise it deserves. It's devastating. It's beautiful. It's mesmerising. Clever. Surprising. Completely immersive. In total awe." - Imran Mahmood
"Achingly beautiful with a cast of characters that'll remain with you long after the final page is turned. Already one of the must-read books of 2023." - John Marrs
"I LOVED IT! Strange Sally strides onto the page, fully formed and funny as hell (this is Liz, we're talking dark funny). I was hooked from the first paragraph and then Liz toyed with me, I held my breath, gasped, laughed and cried. This is twisty, original and pitch-black. I'll go anywhere with Liz but only in daylight." - Nikki May
"I absolutely devoured this book. Sally Diamond is the most fantastic character. Liz Nugent has created a dark, twisted, gripping, intriguing, heart-stopping tale full of characters who, despite the horrors they inflict, are victims in their own right." - Sinéad Moriarty
"One of the most original, and spine-tingling books I've read in ages, Draws you in to the close, claustrophobic world of rural Ireland and the life of an emotionally withdrawn woman whose dark, hidden past is coming back to haunt her. Crackling with tension, this book with have you turning the pages late into the night. An absolute triumph." - Abir Mukherjee
"Liz Nugent has outdone herself. Twisted and twisty, dark and gripping, no one is going to forget Sally Diamond in a hurry!" - Graham Norton
"Twisted, shocking, and very, very, dark, Liz Nugent has created a character for the ages in Strange Sally Diamond." - Louise O'Neill
"It creeped me out (in a good way). Think Room and The Collector but add a dazzling/unique main character and encroaching dread. Terrific." - Ian Rankin
"Be prepared for a roller coaster ride - Sally Diamond is going to get under your skin." - Vanda Symon
"Liz Nugent dares to go where many won't. What a compelling storyteller she is. Always challenging. I laughed out loud only to recoil from my laughter as the story unfolded. For this is wickedly dark territory.And yet amidst the darkness, she allows a light to glimmer - that of a diamond." - Sarah Winman
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Used availability for Liz Nugent's Strange Sally Diamond