Liar by Lesley Pearse #LiarBook @LesleyPearse @MichaelJBooks @ed_pr #LoveLesley #PaperbackPublicationDay

 

Find the liar. Find the killer . . .

Amelia White didn't expect her career as a reporter to start like this: by finding a young woman's body, just around the corner from her Shepherd's Bush bedsit.

With rumours already spreading about this poor murder victim, she seizes her chance to write the true story.

But when more bodies are found, the police are baffled.

Reporting on the story, Amelia meets witnesses as well as suspects. If she can only work out who the liar among them is, she may be able to stop the murders.

Or might she turn herself into the next victim? . . .

Liar by Lesley Pearse is published in paperback by Penguin Michael Joseph today, 4 March 2021.

I originally reviewed Liar for the Express in June last year to celebrate the hardback publication. I'm delighted to share that review here today, especially for paperback publication day. 

It’s 1970 and Amelia White lives alone in a small bedsit in Shepherd’s Bush, London. This tiny room has become her oasis, after escaping from her violent father and downtrodden mother.

Amelia loves to write and her dream is to become a reporter, instead she sells advertising space at her local newspaper.

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.

She is given the opportunity to write her side of the story, and when another victim is found, Amelia becomes determined to track down the killer; the police certainly don’t seem to be on the right track.

Lesley Pearse is a masterful storyteller; her depiction of the 1970s is wonderfully done; with sounds, fashion and customs realistically recreated.

Amelia is a strong minded, often impulsive character who only sees the best in people. Along the way she encounters people who will threaten her and people who will cherish and nuture her.

Liar is gripping and suspenseful. It’s a fast-paced read that incorporates a murder mystery, a love story and a young woman’s journey of self discovery too.

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 5 BESTSELLER AND WINNER OF THE WOMAN & HOME BOOK CHOICE AWARD 2020

'A compelling page-turner' DAILY MAIL

'This latest book from master storyteller Lesley Pearse is gripping and full of twists. With an addictive and pacy plot, this will keep you guessing until the end' My Weekly

'A page turner full of suspense, compelling and heartwarming, Liar is a brilliant read. I couldn't put it down' Woman's Way

Praise for Lesley Pearse

'Storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail

'Evocative, compelling, told from the heart' Sunday Express

'Intriguing, heart-tugging, beautifully written' Closer

Lesley Pearse was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. She left home
at 15 and headed to London where she worked her way through many jobs – from corsetry sales, to musician’s muse, to nanny; from gift shop owner to dressmaker – finally finding her true vocation whenshe became a published author age 49.

The 1970s were a pivotal decade in Lesley’s life. She lived in London with her second husband John, a musician managed by Don Arden. A talented trumpeter, John had played with Dusty Springfield, Lulu and David Bowie, and the start of the decade saw the birth of their beloved daughter, Lucy and a record deal for John with his band, Sansom. The future looked bright but then the house they lived in was sold – ironically to become a homeless shelter – and the family found themselves homeless. John lost his record deal and his mental health began to suffer. Their luck seemed to change when they found a small general store in Borough Green, Kent with a cheap lease that Lesley, ever resourceful, transformed into a gift shop but on the night before opening, the snow came and no one

visited the shop. Times were desperate and John became increasingly unwell, until Lesley had no choice but to have him sectioned. They eventually parted and Lesley found herself alone with Lucy. It was while hitchhiking to a job interview that she was to meet her third husband, Nigel, and find the love and security that would enable her to start writing. Lesley is now a global bestselling author, with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

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.

She is passionate about her research and her stories have taken her far and wide: from Alaska to the Crimea.

Lesley now lives in Torquay in Devon where she loves to spend time with her grandchildren. 

Twitter @LesleyPearse