Engrossing Page-Turner: Read Our Review of Deception by Lesley Pearse

What happens when the person closest to you has led a life of deception?

After the funeral of her mother, Sally, Alice Kent is approached by a man named Angus Tweedy. He claims to be her father and tells her that he served time in prison for marrying Sally bigamously.

What does he hope to gain 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?

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.

Whatever the cost.

Alice’s journey into her mother’s past is one of incredulity as she discovers a woman shaped by a truly traumatic childhood…

Lesley Pearse’s last novel, Suspects, was a gripping domestic thriller, jam-packed with twists and turns. In her latest novel, Deception, Pearse has written a compelling family drama that will have you hooked from beginning to end. Packed with mystery, heartbreak and complex family dynamics, this is Pearse at her very best.

The novel follows a dual timeline, focusing on Sally in her younger years, and her daughter Alice as she’s picking up the pieces of her mother’s legacy. Pearse explores some darker themes of abuse, sexual assault and hardship, all with a great deal of sensitivity. But it’s how the characters deal with these issues that really makes the novel shine. At its heart, this is a story of connection, relationships and overcoming the struggles we face in life. This is the kind of book that you want to take your time with to really appreciate the complex and compelling story that Pearse has crafted.

The relationship between Alice and Angus was utterly engrossing as Alice struggles to understand the choices that Sally made. The questions and doubts that Alice faces about her mother were really confronting, giving an extra layer of depth to the characters. Don’t be surprised if these characters stay with you long after you’ve put the book down.

If you like a slow-burn read with some elaborate character work, look no further than Deception. This is yet another stellar novel from Pearse.

Buy a copy of Deception here.