Deception: The Sunday Times Bestseller 2022

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Eve should never have married Don Hathaway. Yes, he gave her two beautiful children - Olly and Tabitha - but he's a bully. Worse than that, he hurts her. But after one drunken rage too many, she has the courage to leave him. Eve is worried that it's a difficult path, yet she needs to give her children hope for the future. Don, however, is bitter. And getting away entirely from him proves impossible. Until the day. Eve tries to teach him a lesson - and it all foes horribly wrong.

Before I jump into this review, I must stress that Ms Pearse doesn't shy away from the distressing themes in Betrayal. Not only does domestic and physical abuse recur heavily, there are also graphic descriptions of peodophelia/grooming and suicide. So please be aware before choosing to read. I look forward to a new book from Lesley Pearce she never seems to disappoint, and this is no exception. Yet although it took me a few days ( that’s a lot for me ) I wanted to finish the book and see the final outcome 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. 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.

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. Although the crime mystery aspect is at the centre of the action in Liar, Lesley Pearse also includes her trademark element of romance. The love story is more of a side piece, but it offsets the intrigue element of the novel. Amelia’s love interest in the tale is a dashing man, who initially appears to be absolutely perfect, but slowly as the story progresses he loses his sheen. I was quite suspicious of Amelia’s lover from the early stages of the novel and I think this was justified. Pearse does an excellent job of illuminating her central romance in suspicion and deception. It adds plenty of depth to the story at hand.

A raw, truthful and moving account, building intrigue as Alice gradually uncovers her mother's life of deception, lies - and love' WOMAN'S WEEKLY

Though the themes in this story are upsetting, they are offset by the strength of the characters. Eve is never less than a sympathetic character. The bleakness of her life with Don and her subsequent struggles are lightened not only by her own courage and determination, but by the strength of the other characters in the book, who are a testament to the fundamental good heartedness of most people. 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. A Lesley Pearse book is always one that has a very easy flow to the writing. The characters are a mix of personalities bringing many relevant themes to the fore, in this case focusing on domestic abuse, bullying and dominating behaviour. As Amelia pieces together clues, the reader gets an insight into lives lived and the long lasting impact of actions taken in the past. Amelia has always doubted her own ability and, at times, her vulnerability exposes her to very confusing and very challenging situations. She questions herself many times, doubting her judgement, unsure of who and what to believe. Bestselling author Lesley Pearse weaves her writing web of magnetism and lures you in with a tale of hard times, abuse and survival. 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.

Opening with a brutal act of violence upon his wife, Donny Hathaway establishes himself as a brute of the worst sort. This is clearly not the first time he has bestowed this casually bloody act on Eve, but the effect it has on her is to determine that it will be his last. 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 Hathaway has no option but to leave her violent husband but as with all bullies Don Hathaway refuses to admit that he has a problem and can't let Eve and his children have the peaceful life they crave. Setting up a new life for herself and her children isn't easy for Eve but with sheer grit and determination she takes them out of poverty and into a more settled existence except that Eve is burdened by a dreadful secret which overshadows her future happiness.

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This new book from popular author Lesley Pearse has all the right ingredients. Eve’s husband Don drinks, and he's violent to her. She says to herself she never should have married him. But they have a girl Tabitha (Tabby), and a boy called Oliver, the children are a joy. Don says he’ll turn over a new leaf, but he'll never change. At one point things become better…. then go bad again so that she starts to think, could she get away? 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? Betrayal looks at the worst kind of domestic violence and does so with a sharp eye for detail and a sympathetic way of recounting a story which is all too familiar namely that of women who are scared of the consequences of leaving a violent partner. In Eve Hathaway the author has created a feisty and determined woman, who once away from her violent husband, has the ability to make a new life for herself and her children and yet with the shadow of uncertainty hanging above her the author shows just how fragile this new life can be and learning to trust isn't easy as Eve discovers to her cost and that of her family's safety. Eve is a battered wife who lives in constant fear of her violent husband Don. She eventually finds the courage to leave him, taking their two children, Olly and Tabitha, with her. In due course she gains the legal right to return to the marital home with her kids. Don now lives elsewhere with his new girlfriend. However, Eve hasn't seen the last of him. He keeps retuning to his garden shed in the dead of night to sleep off a drunken stupor. Eve finally snaps and makes a terrible decision that has repercussions for everyone. 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.