Liar by Lesley Pearse

Liar by Lesley Pearse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Penguin

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Amelia White dreamed of being a reporter, but the closest she'd come was selling advertising in the local paper.

Until the fateful day she stumbles on a truly shocking scoop.

A murder victim, round the corner from her home.

When the police and reporters descend, Amelia is horrified at the assumptions made and lies soon to be spread about this poor young woman.

Convincing her local paper to let her take up the story herself, Amelia is determined to protect the victim from these smears. But when another body is found, the police investigation stalls.

Now, Amelia's own unfolding investigation may be the only chance of uncovering the truth, and stopping more killings.

If only she can work out who the liar is . . .


My Review

Amelia works for the newspaper selling advertising space but really wants to be a reporter so when she stumbles upon a murder victim her chance finally comes. With her easy going manner and the fact she found the body she gets to have an exclusive and write a piece that she hopes will put her on managements "map". The body discovery also brings a chance meeting of Max, a friend, neighbour and love interest, things seem to be looking up for Amelia but she cannot let go that a killer is still out there and soon finds trouble at her own door.

Set in 1970 it is nice to have a female character who wants to succeed in her career as well as her personal life. The struggles at work, dating and getting caught up in a murder case, when the killer strikes again Amelia is in the heart of it. She wants the story of the victims, who they were and for their families not just sensationalism or tearing the women's characters apart.

Amelia is a character I went back and forth on, she is kind, sweet and for a reporter (ish) she has a big heart. She also has some questionable actions and judgements but we all know someone like that and sometimes it brings a bit more realism to the character.

The book deals in a few topics, murder, abuse of a few varieties, violence, relationships to name a few. I like Pearse's stories, even when I don't love the characters I still get totally drawn in and there are a few to dislike. 3.5/5 for me this time, I think I still have one or two to buy and catch up on but I have read most and either enjoy or love them.

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Dead Inside by Noelle Holten

Dead Inside by Noelle Holten
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 352

Publisher - Killer Reads

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

When three domestic abuse offenders are found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.

The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered. And he is Lucy’s husband.

Now the finger of suspicion points at Lucy and the police are running out of time. Can Maggie and her team solve the murders before another person dies? And is Lucy really a cold-blooded killer?



My Review

A debut novel that grips pretty much from the get go. Domestic abusers are being beaten to death and DC Maggie Jamieson is on the case. These men are despicable creatures and trying to uncover why they may be a target isn't hard, figuring out who would want to is! The investigation is on, in between this we have the main character, Lucy Sherwood, probation officer and link to them all. When the fourth victim turns up Lucy is very much a figure of interest with her own secrets and issues can Lucy prove her innocence? Is she innocent?

There is a lot of focus on Lucy, her personal circumstance, her job and what she has to endure, these men are vile "human beings" and we see two sides of Lucy. Lucy the probation officer who takes no snash and faces these men, their intimidation/threats. Then we see Lucy Sherwood, abused wife living with a controlling, aggressive, violent always ready to trigger husband.

I do like a book where yes we have crime/action/murder etc but you very much get the human aspect with deeper insight into the characters. What they endure, survive and how they manage to put their face on to mask it to the world, their colleagues and those closest, very accurate of how some people live in the real word. Whilst we are getting better at talking about domestic abuse and admitting it exists we still have so much more we need to do. I think if you have experienced this in your lifetime this book will hit more than one emotive tone with you, memories, emotions may well be evoked. It is a book that deals with very disturbing scenarios, characteristics and hard hitting themes, it is hard to believe it is a debut. I very much look forward to more by Holten, a star is on the rise, 4.5/5 for me!

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ARC - The Accident by C L Taylor

The Accident by C.L. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Avon Books

Pages - 404

Source - ARC from Avon

Blurb from Goodreads

The person you trust most may only be telling you half the story …

Fast-paced, suspenseful, this is a book with more twists than a helter-skelter that will keep you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of Before I Go to Sleep and Gone Girl.

Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality.

Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past.

There is a lot that Sue doesn’t know about Charlotte’s life. But then there’s a lot that Charlotte doesn’t know about Sue’s...


My Review

We open up the first chapter in a hospital room, Charlotte is in a coma, she is 15. Her mum and dad are in the room, mum is talking to her, trying to understand why she would do such a thing, trying to get a response. The next chapter throws back to when Charlotte's mum, Sue, many years before and gives us an insight into her life and why she is the way she is at present day. The tale rotates from present day and Sue trying to get to the bottom of why her daughter felt she had to step in front of a bus. Why everyone who cared about her daughter seems to be keeping a wide berth and what was really happening in her daughters life in the run up to the incident. Will Sue find the answers and will it help understand what has happened to her daughter?

This is a fantastic debut novel. The present day is just a distraught mother trying to do what she can for her daughter who is in a coma and she can't understand why or what happened. We flip back and forth to Sue's past, a relationship that was horrific, scary, controlling, abuse and violent to say the least. This gives us an insight into why she behaves as she does and why her husband reacts how he does toward her. The present story is a lot of why and the mum doing detective work, questioning everyone in Charlotte's life. The past is pretty chilling and makes for very compelling reading. Her then partner is a manipulative genius and if you have ever been in a relationship like that or saw someone you love in one, you can't help but see how easy it is for people to be caught up in it. Also how quickly and devastating a relationship like that can be and the impact it can have in the years to come.

I found it hard to put down and raced through it in a day. I can't do a spoiler review, I hate them, however a few of my reasons for it not being a 5 star is looking at it overall and the conclusion of the story and the speed of the end. It is a fantastic read, I would recommend to anyone and I would definitely read this author again, 4/5 for me this time. Thank you so much to Avon for sending me an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of this yourself, from any good retailer from the 10th of April, 2014.

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