Published by Penguin Books in July 2016 and by Simon & Schuster in the US in 2018 Lying in Wait is a psychological thriller that explores the corrosive impact of a young woman’s murder on two families. On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life—wife of a respected, successful judge, mother to a beloved son, mistress of a beautiful house in Dublin. That beautiful house, however, holds a secret. And when Lydia’s son, Laurence, discovers its secret, wheels are set in motion that lead to an increasingly claustrophobic and devastatingly dark climax.

The mini-series will be produced by Treasure Entertainment’s Rebecca O’Flanagan and Robert Walpole, as well as Winnick. Irish writer David Turpin has been hired to develop the project. Turpin is best known as the screenwriter on Gothic fantasy The Lodgers and chilling thriller The Winter Lake.

Liz Nugent writes psychological suspense novels including Unravelling Oliver, Skin Deep and Little Cruelties. All her four books topped the Irish bestsellers list. She has won 4 Irish Book Awards, a Dead Good Books Award, Irish Woman of the Year Award for Literature, and most recently, the James Joyce Medal for writing in February 2021. Her books have been translated into 16 languages. She has also written extensively for radio and television in drama and animation.

Liz said: “I am so particularly delighted that Lying in Wait will be produced by my old friends at Treasure Entertainment, a company whose work I have long admired.  I’m also thrilled that a luminary of the calibre of Katheryn Winnick will direct. I am looking forward to working with such a dynamic and hard-working team. My mind is racing with the possibilities of how, together, we might bring this modern Gothic story to life on screen.  Huge thanks to my agent Marianne Gunn O’Connor and CAA’s Michelle Kroess and Jiah Shin for all the hard work to make this magical alliance become a reality.”

“We are thrilled to have secured the option on Liz Nugent’s book “Lying in Wait”. We are massive fans of Liz’s work and believe that it is ripe for adaptation,” said Rebecca O’Flanagan. “We are so looking forward to powering forward with this and working with Katheryn in bringing these fascinating characters and story to the screen.”

“I was captivated by the interesting and dynamic characters Liz Nugent created in Lying In Wait.  I couldn’t put the book down,” said Katheryn Winnick. “I knew it was something I needed to be a part of the second I finished reading it.”

The deal was brokered by CAA and Niall Murphy at Treasure Entertainment. Winnick is repped by CAA, Alchemy Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein.