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. But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . . Sally has learned to live with and accept herself for what she is - a recluse and ‘strange’. Someone socially awkward that is mistrusting of others, and whilst something ‘rare’ and different, she doesn’t know how she got to this place and why her father has encouraged her to disengage from the world around her. Sally hasn’t had anything to do with the outside world, she finds it impossible to have a conversation with strangers, and hates people touching her. After her mother died, it was just her and her psychiatrist father in an isolated house in Ireland, and he was quite happy for her to stay home. However, after it’s discovered what she did with him after his death, the world’s media turn up at her door together with the local guards (police) and for a time her name is on everyone’s lips. Then messages start to turn up from a stranger, who seems to know a lot more about her than she does herself, because Sally has no memories of her life before 7 years of age, when her mother and father adopted her, but she’s about to find out, and her life will be completely turned upside down.

I think readers who enjoy authors like Will Dean , Michael Robotham or Lisa Jewell should add this one to their reading lists. But then the day arrives and when Sally finds her father has stopped breathing- the reclusive and “Socially Deficient” Strange Sally Diamond does just that-attracting the attention of an entire town! Nugent pens a thrilling, utterly immersive mystery that, paired with Sally’s unique, unforgettable voice, makes it a true winner. . . Nugent is at the top of her game here, and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next.” 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 . . .Overall, I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy reading about the psychological effects of trauma and abuse. Sally is an unforgettable character! After her father passed away, Sally found herself alone to navigate a large scary world. And it’s not like Sally is a child. In fact she’s a full grown adult. Just a very sheltered one. Sally is strange. And quirky. She has a tendency to interpret things quite literally which draws unwanted attention to her now, at the age of 43. People remember Strange Sally Diamond. Her autism; her odd behaviours. Some even remember the horrors she endured before she turned 7. She doesn't. But now those memories are creeping to the surface. Her writing is attracted to the sinister, the seedy, the cynical. The characters are typically obsessed with self-preservation and self-advancement at any cost, completely oblivious to the collateral damage that will almost inevitably ensue.

This inspired set-up also enables Casey to write what is effectively a traditional village mystery, in which a closed circle of characters are skilfully directed through a sequence of teeming, superbly staged set-piece scenes (at times, I would have liked a dramatis personae, and even a map). The suburban murk is gradually dispelled, dark secrets emerge and the multiple plot lines erupt in a thrilling series of revelations and confrontations. Liz Nugent has written a haunting and poignant tale with a full palette of emotions, one that won’t be easy to forget any time soon. A skilled author, she has certainly done her homework and her storytelling is powerful and captivating. As a police procedural series develops, we grow less interested in procedure and more invested in the police. After a series of maladroit, mean-girl manoeuvres in previous outings, it is nice to see Georgia step up here, both professionally and personally. It is a measure also perhaps of Maeve’s growing confidence that she is no longer perceived as a threat. With a searching, mordant, sensitive, occasionally outraged eye for social status and human error, a fearless heart and a finely honed sense of the ridiculous, Maeve Kerrigan is such a winning character. It is a testament to Jane Casey’s great subtlety and skill as a novelist that she makes us care quite so much about her. Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say. I loved this book so much! I have read and enjoyed everything Liz Nugent has ever written and Strange Sally Diamond is no exception. This was a read-it-in-one-sitting book for me. It was such a unique physiological thriller and I literally could not put it down. It is told in a very clever way via two points of view and two timelines that eventually collide into a surprising ending.STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND is a riveting story about a very unique woman. Sally sees the world and processes things differently that most people, perhaps due in part to her traumatic childhood, or not. When her dad jokingly told her to throw him out with the garbage when he dies, she did just that. However, burning her dead father's body in an incinerator brought the wrong attention to her doorstep, including some ghosts from her horrific past. This line gives us a peek into a society where divorce is clearly not as straightforward as it is in western cultures. The reader is forced to wonder why Lin has to return to this village, where he’s returning from, why he wants to divorce his wife and how long this has been going on. We get the sense that our protagonist is tired of the annual pilgrimage and yet, he is relentless. He needs this release. We know immediately that the book is well named.

As she begins to discover the horrors of her early 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. Best known for his Artemis Fowl series for children, Highfire was Colfer’s first adult fantasy novel, a genre I had avoided because of my own narrow mind. But this line hooked me straight away. Vern, as it turns out, is a dragon, the last of his kind and a confirmed anthropophobic. The opening line shows that we have failed him. This fact is unequivocal. Why would he ever have anything to do with us in the future? I had to read on to find out in this wildly entertaining take on being antisocial. Peter, Mark, Conor Geary, and Tom: these men really made my head spin! Author Liz Nugent expertly reveals their relationships with Sally; and, Tense and suspenseful and often creepy, Liz Nugent has delivered a haunting and poignant tale, one that won’t be easy to forget any time soon."A whole world and three distinct characters have been created in this one sentence. Our narrator is aware of the fact that he is an alcoholic, but does Thomas know that the narrator is? Does he know that he is? Where is poor Mr Kelliher going to find a third alcoholic to keep his doors open? A small bar in a country town depending on alcoholics sounds like a sad and desperate place. What a fantastic setup for a story. I promise you that what follows does not disappoint. The book opens with Sally Diamond and her adoptive father laughing about putting him out with the trash when he dies. Sally thinks the joke is that her father says she’ll be crying her eyes out, but she never cries, so har har. Olivia O’Leary. I’m disappointed to hear that she won’t run for the presidency. She’d be excellent. I'm just going to start by saying that this is a difficult read at times and won't be for everyone. It's very dark and if you have triggers they are probably here: abuse of every sort including r*pe, pedophilia, gaslighting, kidnapping, isolation, misogyny, among many more. The first part of this sentence points to an average man on an average day. The second part indicates something huge is about to happen. Thomas is no average character. Who chooses a library to make a sacrifice? Reading it today, one might suspect Thomas to be a suicide bomber, but in 1998, when I first read it, that didn’t enter my mind. Even if it had, I would have been wrong. What sacrifice is about to be made? Why the library? What’s going on between Thomas and his twin brother?

I should mention that the story revolves around themes of abuse, violence, pedophilia and rape with some graphic scenes that might be triggering for some. Strange Sally Diamond is the story of a reclusive woman who, after the death of her adoptive father, discovers the grim and harrowing story of a childhood she does not remember. Endearingly odd, Sally is forced to come to terms with her past and find her community. But there’s a man on the other side of the world who knows more about Sally than she does herself, and he’s watching her. Sally Diamond is seen as strange, in her forties, she's lived an isolated life in a remote rural house. She avoids social interaction. An event following the death of her father drags her name into the limelight, with unwanted media and police attention.

In 2016, Nugent was awarded the Ireland Funds Monaco Bursary to be the Writer-in-Residence at The Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco [17] and was also Writer-In-Residence in the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris [18] in April 2019. It is fair to say I didn’t engage with this book at the beginning and the notion that anyone would be so clueless that they would take the comment “when I die put me out with the rubbish” as being a genuine request felt too farfetched. However, as I continued reading and the plot deepened, I became fully immersed in the story and loved Sally as a character whose was learning to deal with all her life experiences.