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 couldn’t stop reading! Absolutely a triumph!”
- Frieda McFadden - Author of The Housemaid
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.
‘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
Utterly extraordinary: this is a book bristling with nuanced characters, carat-cut, facets flashing - none more so than Ruby.
- AJ Finn
‘Liz Nugent is a genius and this is her best book yet’
- Lisa Jewell
‘A brilliantly dark and tangled web that every reader will be completely ensnared by. Liz Nugent weaves these sorts of twisted tales better than anyone else. Such a wild twisty ride and yet every moment has the ring of emotional truth’
- Graham Norton
“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“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”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.”
— Tammy Cohen“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