Deception: The Sunday Times Bestseller 2022

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A gritty, gripping drama . . . A raw, truthful and moving account, building intrigue as Alice gradually uncovers her mother's life of deception, lies - and love * Woman's Weekly *

Alice always knew that her mother had faults and kept secrets but learning this information sets her off on a path to find out more about her life before Ralph. She wants to uncover the whole truth; the good and the bad. Alice's journey into her mother's past is one of incredulity as she discovers a woman shaped by a truly traumatic childhood... Written with Pearse's typically engaging and effortless style of storytelling, Deception is an intriguing book of highs, lows, struggles and perseverance * Culturefly * Any issues with the book list you are seeing? Or is there an author or series we don’t have? Let me know!She had accepted Sally's many faults, and her reluctance to never speak of the past. But faced with this staggering deception, Alice knows she must uncover the whole truth about her mother.

Deception has a seemingly simple plot as Alice tries to find out about her mother’s past, but told through Alice’s modern 2015 perspective interspersed by her mother’s decades of life, there’s a gradual uncovering that draws in the reader and makes them experience the truth in the same way as Alice uncovers it in a very satisfying narrative. Once again, Lesley Pearse delivers a captivating blend of personal drama and mystery in "Deception." Her writing style is a breath of fresh air, effortlessly guiding readers through a story that is both engaging and easily digestible. Belle is set in London in 1910 and is the debut novel in the Belle series by Lesley Pearse. Belle is 15 years old at the time of this novel. As a young girl, she has lived in the Seven Dials in a brothel for all of her life and for most of it had no idea what was really going on in the name of commerce upstairs. 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? After the funeral of her mother, Sally, Alice is approached by a man call Angus Tweedy. He claims to be her father and tells her that he served time in prison for marrying Sally bigamously. What does he expect to get from telling her this now, thirty years on? How can her adored dad Ralph not be her true father? And why did her mother betray her so badly?

Raunchier than I’m used to from Lesley Pearse, Deception conveys the eras, particularly of Fleur’s experience, to perfection. Touches of realism such as the musical Hair add a sense of authenticity and the sexist, male dominated world feels so convincing. This story is cleverly written from Alice’s perspective and as Alice is on her journey of discovery, it switches to that of her mum. There are no massive twists, just a really well thought out plot which is both interesting and compelling. Personally, I found "Deception" to be thoroughly enjoyable. Lesley Pearse’s work is a definite recommendation if you have an affinity for crime and mystery genres.