THE TRUTH ABOUT RUBY COOPER
“If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened.”
The eagerly awaited sixth novel from award-winning crime writer Liz Nugent will be published in the UK & Ireland on March 12th 2026 and in Canada and the US in Aug/Sept.
“I loved this book so much! I was invested in every character so deeply that I couldn't stop reading until I got to the last page!
Absolutely a triumph!”
-Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times bestselling author
This addictively dark new novel by international number one bestselling author Liz Nugent will be published in the UK & Ireland on March 12th 2026 by Penguin Sandycove and in August/September in Canada & USA by Simon & Schuster.
Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close knit church community in Boston.
But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family's world to implode.
Across decades, the fallout leaves a wake of destruction behind Ruby in Dublin and Erin in Boston.
Not that Ruby wants to think about the past.
But it can't stay a secret forever.
“How to do this dazzling book justice? An utterly gripping story about how one incident reverberates across time, damaging and destroying lives. No one plumbs the human condition, its moral quandaries, quite so deeply and brilliantly as Liz Nugent. I read it as if in a fever.”
— Shari Lapena
“Liz Nugent is a genius and this is her best book yet.”
- Lisa Jewell
“What a read! Such a wild twisty ride and yet every moment has the ring of emotional truth.”
- Graham Norton
“…another utterly compelling, dark and unsettling piece of work that’s going to give me a book hangover for weeks.”
— John Marrs“An absolute belter of a book. Every time I put it down, I couldn't wait to get back in. The Truth About Ruby Cooper is Liz Nugent at her dark and twisty best.”
— Louise Kennedy“It's a triumph, truly - ambiguous, seductive, infuriating, and both sad and full of life.
Utterly extraordinary”
- AJ Finn
“Utterly compelling and brilliantly imagined…all the way to the last dark twist.”
— Anthony Horowitz“The Truth About Ruby Cooper is dark, fearless and compelling – in other words, classic Liz Nugent.
Utterly distinctive and unique, this is another unforgettable work from an outstanding and brilliant crime writer.”
— Jane Casey“A brilliant page-turner about family secrets, sibling rivalry, and sex as a weapon.
This is another dark, twisted Liz Nugent winner. I loved it!”
— Robyn Harding“An incredible work - so layered and nuanced. But above all an incredibly courageous perspective. I loved this.”
— Imran Mahmood
“Fearless and unforgettable. Just like its protagonist, this book nudges its way into your life until you can think about little else. The Truth About Ruby Cooper is a story of nightmares, but so beautifully told.”
— Abigail Dean“Nugent is one of my favourite all-time writers, and her latest is not just a crime novel, it's a study in humanity. Deserves to be massive.”
— Gillian McAllister“Liz Nugent is fearless in the places she will go to uncover our basest, darkest impulses. Ruby Cooper is her most morally complex character yet. Utterly compelling.”
“Unputdownable, acid-sharp, and emotionally brutal — Liz Nugent at her most compulsive.”
“An author of extraordinary talent. I don’t doubt that Liz Nugent’s novels will become literary classics sitting alongside Christie, Highsmith and P.D. James.”
“You will struggle to find darker characters and more wickedly clever tales than those from the mind of Liz Nugent.”
“Only Liz Nugent could have written this book and only Liz Nugent could have conceived of a character like Ruby Cooper.
This is an unflinching, frequently and darkly funny, sometimes disconcerting and always gripping story that will stay with readers long after the final page has been turned.”
— Sinead Crowley“Lydia Fitzsimons, Sally Diamond and now Ruby Cooper – only Liz Nugent can create deeply dark, disturbing tales with flawed female characters that are an absolute pleasure to read.
Addictive and awe-inspiring, from the first page to the last.”
— Diane Jeffrey“Deeply dark and utterly unexpected, only Liz Nugent can create characters like these.
Drawing us deep into Ruby Cooper's world, this is a maestro at work. Another sensational read - clear your diary and prepare to be hooked!”
— Sam Blake“I loved it...and you will too.
Liz Nugent is a master of the dark side of human psychology and human nature.”
- Edel Coffey
"A dark, twisted and grippingly addictive read, that drags you in by the lapels, and won't let go.
No one writes compelling characters like Liz Nugent.”
- Neil Lancaster
“An intense and gripping novel about a lie that destroys lives and unravels a family over decades.
Liz Nugent gets deep into the heads of her characters and lays bare their most human impulses, no matter how dark.
A must-read author at the top of her game.”
— Gillian McMillan“Liz Nugent writes with complexity, nuance, and disquieting depth. Relentless and uncompromising, The Truth About Ruby Cooper weaves thorny moral challenges into an irresistible story. Truly memorable.
This powerful novel will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.”
— James W. Ziskin“Told in Liz’s inimitable style, this elegant thriller explores the impact of a singular act dubbed The Incident on two sisters, and the reverberation lasts a lifetime.
Beautifully written, as always, Liz has an enviable ability to create characters we recoil from but find endlessly compelling.
I could not stop reading.”
— Fiona Cummins“I bloody loved it. Liz never fails to surprise and capture and shock. The writing was sublime as always, and the themes dark and hooky.
It’s topical and timely. She is brave to approach the subject this way, but these cases (rarely, fortunately) do happen. I hope it flies, but I think it will.
Absolutely brilliant.”
— Louise Swanson