Deception: The Sunday Times Bestseller 2022

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By the next evening, mum and kids are staying in a women's refuge and major plans to ensure a happier future are in motion. Of course, this doesn't sit too well with Don. One night, Eve decides to teach her husband a lesson... And it goes horribly wrong. With dreams of being a writer, she now works on a newspaper selling advertising. She very much keeps to herself with the occasional love interest but Amelia is very careful about any relationship she undertakes. She has seen the control that a man can exert and wishes for better choices in her own life. Amelia sets off for work one day very much aware of the stench from the rubbish piling up in corners, due to the delayed bin collections. Her eye is brought to a pair of very stylish white boots amidst a pile, but on closer inspection, Amelia makes a horrid discovery. There is a body attached to the boots, a young woman who was very obviously murdered. A neighbour comes to Amelia’s aid, a young man who Amelia had never paid much attention to up to now. A spark is ignited during that distressing day, giving Amelia a glimpse into a different future. But Amelia is cautious and treads lightly in the relationship that follows. 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?

LIAR is not a typical murder mystery. There are none of the graphic descriptions of violence we now expect to read as standard in many crime fiction books. Lesley Pearse ‘does’ crime in her own gentle way. Turns out that one of the flings is grooming/ sleeping with her daughter, so she catches him and calls the cops. To be honest, I am a little tired of the central characters being painted as very flawed individuals to make them seemingly more interesting. It turned me off this a bit from the outset. Once again we have a woman who is gullible and naïve, when women are generally quite intuitive. Seriously be original and write about a normal person but devise a great plot. Her life is as interesting as the fiction that she writes, and perhaps even stranger. Lesley Pearse has had a very dramatic and eventful life. Her mother died when she was just three years old under circumstances that were tragic. Their father had been at work at sea and a neighbor spied Lesley and her brother outside without coats and that led to finding out that their mother had died.In parallel to her detective work, Amelia’s personal life is also facing difficulties, leaving Amelia with more than one battle to deal with. One thing we learn as readers is that Amelia is very courageous and fearless…but can she come out of this unscathed? Belle is a simple courtesan, but she knows that the assets she has now will not last. She is going to have to find a way out of this world, whether finding something else to do or escaping completely. Belle has to get out and get away from the men who want her attention and this world entirely. But the road ahead will be full of dangers, even for someone as resourceful as she is. Eve, when we first meet her, was timid and shy but through no fault of her own as Don’s actions made her feel worthless, powerless and useless. She is naturally reserved having being brought up not to tell tales but finally she garners enough courage to go to the police and report what has been happening to her. She knows she needs to get away from Don, for her children not to grow up in a home where domestic violence is common place. Eve is to be admired for having the strength to do the right thing and soon herself and the children are placed in a women's refuge run by Marianne.

So, Amelia persuades her newspaper editor to allow her to take on the story so she can uncover what sits behind the smear campaign that seems to dominate the story rather than the loss of life. As her investigation begins and Amelia is drawn further into the case, more bodies are discovered, yet people aren’t talking; everyone one seems to know something, but everyone seems to have a problem telling the truth. Why the conspiracy of lies? There were times where I just wanted to grab Eve and run away..like to hell with this world and all its downsides! Amelia is horrified to find the body of a young woman; murdered and left out with the rubbish, just around the corner from her home. Her horror grows as the newspapers sensationalise the murder; spreading false stories about the victim and the life she led. This is based in the 1970’s in West London. A time of power cuts and dustbin men going on strike. Amelias past family life was awful. A Father who drank aplenty and liked using his fists. A mother quite partial to the bottle too. Who neglected her children and had to fend for themselves. A natural storyteller, Lesley has lived an eventful life but is also inspired by others’ stories of courage and adversity, often giving voice to women lost in history and people damaged by their childhood experiences.’

Publication Order of Ellie Books

However, following our ‘bad / worst theme’ Amelia meets a new man who she hopes will give her the love, friendship and stability that so far has escaped her. Then Mr nice guy turns out to be bad as well (I can say no more) but worse than this she discovers the body of a young woman in a dumpster not far from her home. Young, beautiful but left like trash. Eve should never have married Don Hathaway. Yes, he gave her two beautiful children - Olly and Tabitha - but he is a bully. Worse than that, he hurts her. Faced with this staggering deception, Alice decides she must learn the whole, terrible truth about her mother.

Eve Hathaway's husband Don is the worst kind of bully. For years she's put up with his beating and berating towards herself and their children Tabby and Ollie. Finally, FINALLY after one too many instances of the abuse, Eve finds the courage to walk away. I can't help to admire Eve, Tabby and Ollie's transformation from beginning to end. Despite all the nastiness thrown at them, they've chosen to rise above it and make a better life for themselves. With Lesley Pearse's reputation for grippy, gritting stories that never shy away from the seamier side of life, I was expecting distressing themes from Betrayal. And, yes, this story pulled no punches – literally – from the very start. Then her husband enlists in the Army and is sent to the battlefields. Belle starts to realize slowly that her entire life is on the verge of falling apart. But she is resilient and will not stand by and watch it happen. Belle volunteers to help treat the wounded and ends up working abroad as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross In France. Set in 1970, West London, Amelia White is selling advertising space for the local newspaper but has aspirations to be a reporter. After stumbling upon the body of a young woman dumped among the rubbish piled high on the street due to the dustmen strikes, she is given the perfect scoop to show her budding talents to her editor. When Amelia is horrified by the lies spread about the victim she is determined to find the truth and convinces her editor to report the story. But when another body is found and then another, could she be the key to discovering the killer by working out who the liar is?This book touched and covered so many tough subjects, that are relevant and happening in today's times! Marianne goes on to be a role model/mother figure for Eve always offering good advice and being there for her when she needs it. Spending weeks in the refuge means Eve starts to change and for the better. Gone is the scared women who was afraid of change, meeting new people or even trying to do things for herself as in indulging her passion of curtain making and interior design. When they divorce comes through Eve feels confident enough that she can return to the family home and start afresh but the threat of Don still lingers on. From statistics we all know and are aware that some children grow to be just like their parents, but, there are choices and Amelia was aware of what was good and what was bad. What was right and what was wrong. I really liked this. I liked it much better than ‘Suspects’, and ‘Deception’, the last 2 books from Lesley Pearse. This is more like her earlier novels e.g. ‘Rosie’, and ‘Father Unknown’, which I loved. I really enjoyed it, and was eager to read on to find out what would happen.