Liar by Lesley Pearse - #BookReview

"The stink from the bags of rubbish piled against a wall in Scotts Road made Amelia involuntarily gag and cover her nose. The local dustbin men had gone on strike, and the council appeared disinclined to make any alternative arrangement. People had resorted to piling their refuse on side roads like this one - anywhere just as long as it wasn't outside their own home."

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 . . .

***

I am giving away my age here (not that I care - it's only a number) but I remember the refuse collection strike during the 1970's. Admittedly, I was only a child and we lived in London but I can still remember  the stink and seeing rats running over bags of rubbish which were accumulated in the streets. An image which has stayed with me to this day.

That said, I found the author's description of this time completely authentic. I did, however, think that I had worked out who the killer was at an early point but there were ample twists and turns that soon proved my assumptions to be incorrect.

Amelia's character was well presented. She was likeable and it was interesting to see her grow and mature as she is faced with a series of dishonesty, deception and lies. Throughout the whole book I was questioning who were the people that she could really trust as, unlike Amelia, I found that I could not accept most of the characters at face value. 

However, as a reader we were able to witness Amelia's strengths and weaknesses. She is resolute in the way she deals with issues that she is confronted with alongside a naivete and vulnerability.

Ms. Pearse is a good storyteller. I have read some of this author's books before but have not done so for some time. It was nice to reengage with her writing and I will not leave it so long before I read another.

ISBN: 9780241426609

Publisher: Michael Joseph

About the Author:

Lesley Pearse is one of the UK's best-loved novelists with fans across the globe and sales of over 2 million copies of her books to date. She was told as a child that she had too much imagination for her own good. When she grew up she worked her way through a number of jobs, including nanny, bunny girl, dressmaker and full-time mother, before, at the age of forty-nine, settling upon a career that would allow her gifts to blossom: she became a published writer. 

Lesley lives in Devon and has three daughters and four grandchildren. 

Liar is Lesley's 28th novel to be published.