Suspects: The emotionally gripping Sunday Times bestseller from Britain’s favourite storyteller

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The impact of constant change and uncertainty in Lesley’s early years is reflected in one of the recurring themes in her books: what happens to those who are emotionally damaged as children. It was an extraordinary childhood and in all her books, Lesley has skilfully married the pain and unhappiness of her early experiences with a unique gift for storytelling. In the meantime Super Conrad and Nina have moved into the street. He saves the day. A lot. He solves crime. She dyes her hair, which is kinda the same thing. I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for an advance copy of Suspects, a stand-alone novel set in Cheltenham in 2009. The extensive dramatis personae is full of stereotypes. The characters are so wooden that I felt I was in serious danger of getting splinters simply from holding my Kindle.

Suspects is very much a character driven tale with everyone a suspect for something. It is a tale about a neighbourhood with many secrets that can no longer be kept hidden, a dead body and a determined policeman with justice in his sights. A gentle mystery from Lesley Pearse…. The residents of Willow Close are far from what they initially seem and strange, even dark, things happen behind their closed doors. The Promise is set in 1914 in London and reunites the reader with Belle Reilly in this sequel to Belle. Belle has finally found happiness and a life she has always wanted thanks to her husband Jimmy. Now she has achieved another dream that she has always wanted to follow; owning and running a hat shop. But when the first world war starts to slowly arrive like a ship on the horizon, Belle’s crazy life is about to change in ways that she never even saw coming. Kept me reading late in to the night . . . a great story with twists and turns' 5***** Reader Review

The police are inept but it's ok, they'll try their hand at solving murder, arson, gun running, the lot. Obv none of it well, but they have a THIN lady cop to act as a girlfriend, so it's all good... It is there that she meets Etienne, a mysterious man who she first met when she was a child. Belle knows that she still loves her husband but never expected to meet the man who played such an important role in her youth here in Europe. As she continues to talk to him, the young woman and former courtesan finds herself torn when it comes to matters of the heart. Pearse’s Belle Series debuted in 2011 with the publication of Belle. It was followed by The Promise, where main character Belle is desperate to do anything to make her life better. The third book in the series came out in 2014 and is titled Survivor. I haven't read a Lesley Pearse book before but I vaguely knew she was a big name, so when the chance, courtesy of Pigeonhole, came to read Suspects, I grabbed it.

She is married now to her sweet husband. His name is Jimmy and he supports her as she supports them both on the hat shop she finally opened– her dream for so long, ever since she was young. But they can’t see what’s coming as the first world war gathers on the horizon and it is certain that a storm is coming. Belle’s life is so crazy but it’s about to change more than she ever knew possible– is she ready for it? I’ve never read any Lesley Pearse books before. I’ve seen the covers and assumed they’re cosy, historical family dramas, maybe a bit twee and probably not for me. But, when this came up on Pigeonhole as a murder mystery where everyone in the street could be a suspect, I thought I’d give it a try. What a bad idea. I can't even believe it was written by a woman. Full of misogyny, fat shaming and obsessive descriptions of body shape and wardrobe, with stereotypical characters. Women are only good for cooking, cleaning, leading on men and supervising children, whilst men are the Superheroes, especially Conrad. Saint Conrad rescues everyone and dispenses pearls of wisdom, even cutting the grass and scaling a fence after being discharged from hospital with burns.As the police carry out interviews with each resident, it becomes clear that every neighbour has a secret to hide and some will go to extreme lengths to prevent exposure. As always Lesley Pearse writes brilliant characters, people we can relate to know, people we may all know. I really liked Nina and Connor, both had difficult childhoods and are now starting their lives together. They are only in their 20’s, younger than a lot of Willow Close’s residents, but both are wise beyond their years, Connor was orphaned at a young age and Nina is estranged from her family. They are really likeable, with big hearts and I loved Connor’s active imagination, always looking for drama, and here he may have found it. There are some brilliant supporting characters as well that add so much to the book; an escort, a religious fanatic, the street gossip and those that break the law. There is also a lot of drama making this a fast paced and compelling read. Lesley, I’m sorry to be so blunt, if this was your first draft of your first novel then it was good, for at that time, but it hasn’t aged well. I’m not trying to be cruel, but I’m struggling. Belle is the first novel in the Belle series. It is 1910 in London, and a young girl has grown up in a brothel all her life without ever knowing it. Now that she is 15 years old, she has suddenly discovered that all is not as it seems in the Seven Dials. Even though she grew up there, Belle’s life is forever changed and her innocence gone forever when she sees one of the girls that lives there brutally murdered. Over the pas few years I have been grateful to have been offered the opportunity to read Lesley Pearse’s thrillers, and I have enjoyed every one of them. Her new offering is Suspects, set in a a leafy susburb of Cheltenham, Willow Close. Nina and Conrad have been looking for their perfect new home for a while, and find it in Willow Close with its perfect front gardens, tranquil setting and perfect houses with gleaming windows. But on the day they move in the body of a young girl from Willow Close is found murdered in the woods. As the police investigation starts, and residents questioned, Nina and George begin to wonder if Willow Close is less Stepford Wives and more Nightmare on Elm Street.