There isn’t a single book written by Lesley Pearse that I have not yet read and I was so delighted to have the chance to read and review her latest book.. Yet again Lesley has written an absolutely fabulous book and one that had me glued to every page. This book was such a page turner and I devoured every page. Just wonderful.

This is the first novel I have read of Lesley Pearse and will be looking out for others as it was quite a read. Amelia works for a local newspaper selling advertising space. Her background is poor from an abusive family with an alcoholic mother and father quite willing to punch his way in and out of trouble. Her aspiration is to become a reporter and maybe write a book when one day she comes across the body of a young woman. Convincing her employer to allow her to investigate she soon finds more bodies. Cleverly plotted as Amelia becomes involved the twists and turns keep coming. Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and Lesley Pearse for my ARC of ‘Liar' in return for my honest review. Great read and highly recommended.

Full disclosure: I am a huge Lesley Pearse fan so it's pretty much a given I will love her books (and this is book 28!). I found Liar to be a real page-turning read. Our protagonist is Amelia White who lives on her own in her bedsit in London. It's 1970, flower power is done with, and Amelia is concentrating on her job at a newspaper. She wants to be a reporter but at the moment she's only tasked with selling advertising space. However, her working life is about to take an unexpected turn when she discovers the body of a dead woman and because it was her discovery she is allowed to write about it for the paper. This is only the start for Amelia, though, as she finds herself in all sorts of difficult situations. If at times she seemed a little too good to be true, and if she did seem to get into rather too many of those difficult situations, it didn’t alter my enjoyment because this is such an engrossing story that I found myself completely immersed in. Pearse is a consummate storyteller, weaving together the sensational and the ordinary to create a really great domestic noir/murder mystery. Amelia is such a likeable heroine and I so wanted her to escape her past and make a new life for herself. She turns amateur detective, delving into her own investigations into who killed the woman. This steps up a gear when the killer strikes again. The ending was not a total surprise as I'd started to get an inkling as to who it might be but not until much later on in the story and after the author had already led me down a different path. It was a really cleverly executed denouement. Once again Lesley Pearse has written a fabulous tale which had me hooked from page one. Liar is a delight to read, full of her customary compassion and warmth.

“Liar” is the global no.1 bestseller author Lesley Pearse’s twenty eighth novel and is a suspenseful, gripping page turner that is in Pearse’s traditional style of storytelling. 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? Set in the year I was born, I was very interested in the music, fashion and ambience of that era. I particularly liked the mention of the women’s fashion, from the miniskirts to the kinky boots and the talk about hippies and flower power. Without doubt the author has passionately researched the era well and I felt I was living in the 1970’s as the events unfolded. Leslie Pearse can write an astounding family drama novel with a mystery element and always gives voice to women lost in history or damaged by their childhood. Although this is a cracking standalone crime mystery, it doesn’t come anywhere near the author’s previously fantastic novels, for example “Never Look Back” and the ‘Belle’ series. Ideally, I would have loved the whole back story of Amelia’s life before she moved into her bedsit as it happened to her, to really feel the emotions of the events that brought her to where she is now. Saying that, reading a Lesley Pearse novel for me, is a like wearing a comfortable pair of slippers. I’m guaranteed a great read, I’ve read nigh on all her novels and each of her main characters become a best friend before the story ends. If you’re a die hard Pearse fan, you’ll love this regardless but if you’re new to her writing I would suggest starting with some of her earlier blockbusters, just to understand how dedicated she is to portraying her characters in loving, passionate and thrilling way. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

London 1970's: Amelia White works for a local paper selling advertising space. She hope's one day to make it as a reporter. She doesn't have much money so when she sees a pair of white boots that she's been yearning to have sticking out the rubbish that's piled up on the street, she has to have a closer look. Unfortunately the boot is still attached to a leg. It's not long before another woman's body is found. Amelia decides to do her own investigating along with her new boyfriend, Max. Lesley mentions some of the events that happened in the 1970's: decimalisation, power cuts, the Vietnam War, the refuse collectors strike and the fashions they wore. Amelia has not had an easy life. Her father liked to beat her and her mother was always drunk. Amelia is a strong character. She is determined to find out who the killer is. I thought the pace was slow for around the first 20% but then the pace picked up. The book is well written and easy to read. There's lots of twists but some parts are predictable. But who was the liar? You'll need to read the book to find out? I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK- Michael Joseph and the author Lesley Pearse for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Liar #NetGalley