What is the title of your latest release?
THE NEXT WIFE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
From her hiding place the old lady watches as he carries his new wife over the threshold. She had thought the house would lay empty forever. The lamps, the paintings, all the furniture – it was all just as before. He had changed nothing for this new wife. The young bride’s laughter jolts her. As if regard for the past was all forgotten. But this is the present and her mind is whirring with what she has just learned. He had changed something after all, which would allow him to hide in plain sight. He’d changed his name…
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
It takes place in the City of Bath. At the time of writing this story I was working at Bath Spa railway station. This story started there. From wondering about all the people who start their journey by getting on a train. To wondering where their journeys end.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Yes. Martha is my heroine in this story.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Indomitable. Feiesty. Adorable.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
For research I was able to shadow the British Transport Police, which is a national special police force that polices the railway network of Great Britain, which consists of over 10,000 miles of track and 3,000 stations and depots. Wearing civilian clothes, I was keen to examine their uniform and was amazed at how heavy it was when they allowed me to try it on. The total uniform and personal protective equipment (PPE) weighs approximately 7 to 8 kg (15 to 18 lbs.) Officers in specialist roles will carry additional weight, as they are equipped with ballistic plates and firearms.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I draft on a daily basis, reading from beginning to end what I have written the day before. If I have a few days break, I then reread entire work to refresh my memory of content which can take several hours before I can continue writing the story.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I start off with good intentions when beginning a new story with little bowls of nuts and sliced apples, before I then start dreaming of chocolate, sugary confectionary, ice cream! I try not to have chocolate in the house when writing, otherwise I’d gobble it all up. Instead, I let my characters have sweet treats, which is so unfair don’t you think?
Describe your writing space/office!
I turned the smallest bedroom into an office when I first began writing, with a proper desk and chair, but found I couldn’t think unless sitting on a bed, propped up by pillows and my laptop balanced across my lap. It’s not a good habit as I write for 10 hours a day, and often through the night, and wonder why towards the end of the book I can’t rise off the bed! As a trained nurse, I should know better and adjust my posture every thirty minutes and afford myself distraction breaks, but the creative process keeps me in this cycle and is a habit I haven’t been able to shake. All the while I’m hooked, I’m not leaving my lair.
Who is an author you admire?
Patricia Highsmith. I love the pervading sense of menace throughout her books.
Is there a book that changed your life?
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. I read this book when I was about 19 as a student nurse. Up until then I devoured romance novels. It was like a switch. I couldn’t read another love story. I was no longer seeking a happily-ever after ending. I wanted the adrenaline rush of thrillers, immersing myself in dark, dangerous situations. I’ve remained addicted to the genre ever since.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was over the moon to hear from my UK publisher that THE NEXT WIFE was going to be published by Grand Central Publishing! It was initially published in the UK in 2020, so to have this happening after this many years was a tremendous surprise.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I like to read psychological, spy, legal thrillers. Stories that center on organized crime, serial killers. I also enjoy Cold War-era novels, and Nordic Noir with socio political themes.
What’s your favorite movie?
The Shawshank Redemption. I’m amazed to have discovered only recently that the inspiration for the movie was based on a book by Stepehen King, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”. I cannot now wait to read it!
What is your favorite season?
Summer. Preferably abroad in the heat of the Mediterranean, as a proper summer in the UK depends entirely on your expectations. The British talk a lot about the weather, even in a sunny week, as constantly checking for cloudy spells or showers. We can experience four completely different seasons in the same day. That is why we are all obsessed with the weather! And you can guarantee the one week you decide to go abroad for your holiday for the sunshine, England will be hit by a heatwave while it rains in the country where you are.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With as little fuss as possible. While I love celebrating other people’s birthdays, I hate the spotlight. More often than not I’ll book a small holiday and take the family away. That way we can all have fun.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’m currently watching for the second time, Downton Abbey. A period drama series set in the English countryside of Yorkshire, home of the aristocratic Crawleys and their staff. I highly recommend it. It features stunning period costumes, historic estates and dives into a bygone era with historical pageantry, casting the beloved actress Dame Maggie Smith.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Seafood, which isn’t considered a cuisine but is my favorite food. From the classic British battered fish and chips to a cold seafood platter served on a bed of ice with mussels, clams, and oysters. On my honeymoon in New Orleans, I ate seafood gumbo. Delicious!
What do you do when you have free time?
I repair my body and mind from the months of writing. I walk and swim most days, and I read! I find it almost impossible to read fiction when writing my own stories, so I go for long periods without this pleasure. I reengage with my large family – five brothers, five sisters, a hundred and more nephews, nieces, plus greats, my three children, six grandchildren – and catch up on all their news that has been happening while I’ve been hibernating for half the year. I usually have a surge of energy return and want to engage different parts of my brain on things I feel I’ve missed out on.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’ve just submitted the first draft of my eighth book to my UK publisher – set in a hospital in London where a patient tells a nurse her husband is a murderer – which I hope readers will enjoy!
A dark, heart-stopping story of what really goes on behind closed doors—perfect for fans of The Surgeon, The Housemaid, and The Family Across the Street.
I should never have married him. I ignored the warnings. It’s what you do when you’re in love. Ignore what you don’t want to see.
My husband is everything I ever dreamed of. A handsome, successful doctor who swept me off my feet.
Our new life together is perfect.
He’s perfect.
But am I good enough for him? I never seem to get anything right. And I’m starting to feel a little afraid of the man I married.
He’s taken away my bank card and my phone. I don’t know what to think or what to do. I gave up everything for him and now I’m trapped.
Then a stranger comes to our door. She tells me that I can’t trust my husband.
That I should ask him what happened to his first wife.
Thriller Psychological [ Grand Central Publishing, On Sale: June 9, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781538778760 / ]
Liz Lawler grew up sharing pants, socks, occasionally a toothbrush, sleeping four to a bed. Born in Chatham and partly raised in Dublin, she is one of fourteen children. She spent over twenty years as a nurse and has since fitted in working as a flight attendant, a general manager of a five star hotel, and is now working with trains. She became an author in 2017 when her debut novel Don’t Wake Up was published by Twenty7.
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