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. But, after one drunken rage too many, she has the courage to leave him. Eve is warned 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 goes horribly wrong.

Eve loves her children but now she carries a terrible burden that she dares not share. Has she betrayed her and her children's futures?

Betrayal is Lesley Pearse's brilliant new pageturner.

Spring 1935. Two girls meet by chance on Hampstead Heath. To an outsider, they could not appear more different. Verity is well-mannered and smartly dressed, living with her parents in a beautiful house close to the heath. Ruby is dishevelled and grubby, used to a life of squalor where she is forced to steal to survive. Yet there's an instant affinity between them, and when their fortunes are shockingly reversed, it is the strength of their friendship that keeps them resilient to the challenges and hardships they face.

As Britain prepares for war, Ruby finds herself in Devon with the world at her feet and enjoying her first taste of romance. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Verity is forced to leave behind everything she has ever known and a shadow from the past threatens her chances of a new beginning. But through it all, the girls are always there for each other. Until the day Verity does the one thing that will break Ruby's heart.

In a country torn apart by fighting, will Verity and Ruby survive long enough to find a way back to each other? Or do some betrayals go with you to the grave ...?

One of the world’s bestselling storytellers, Lesley Pearse writes brilliantly about survivors. Why? Because she is one herself . . .

Born during the Second World War, Lesley’s innocence came to an abrupt end when a neighbour found her, aged 3, coatless in the snow. The mother she’d been unable to wake had been dead for days. Sent to an orphanage, Lesley soon learned adults couldn’t always be trusted.

As a teenager in the swinging sixties, she took herself to London. Here, the second great tragedy of her life occurred. Falling pregnant, she was sent to a mother and baby home, and watched helplessly as her newborn was taken from her.

But like so many of her generation, Lesley had to carry on. She was, after all, a true survivor. Marriage and children followed – and all the while she nurtured a dream: to be a writer. Yet it wasn’t until at the age of 48 that her stories – of women struggling in a difficult world – found a publisher, and the bestseller lists beckoned.

As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Lesley’s story really is A Long and Winding Road with surprises and uplifting hope around every corner . . .

She committed the ultimate betrayal. Now someone knows the truth . . .

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.

But, after one drunken rage too many, she has the courage to leave him. Eve is warned that it's a difficult path, yet she needs to give her children hope for the future.

Don, however, is bitter. And getting away from him entirely proves impossible.

Until the day Eve tries to teach him a lesson - and it all goes horribly wrong . . .

Eve loves her children, but now she carries a terrible burden that she dares not share.

Can she protect her family from the truth? Or has she betrayed their trust forever?

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.

A heartbreaking historical novel from the No.1 bestselling author of Stolen Charity Stratton's bleak childhood is changed for ever when both her parents are killed in a fire. Separated by the authorities from her younger brothers and sister, Charity is sent out to work as a skivvy in a boys' boarding school. Her loneliness and misery are eased when she falls deeply in love with the dashing but fickle sixth-former, Hugh Mainwaring, but when she discovers she is pregnant with Hugh's baby she soon realises just how alone she really is. Determined to be reunited with her siblings and to make something of herself, Charity runs away to London and begins to forge a new life.

War threatens to take all she has loved and lived for . . . When Belle Reilly's husband Jimmy enlists and heads for the trenches of Northern France, she knows she cannot stand idly by awaiting his return. Volunteering to help the wounded, Belle is posted to France as a Red Cross ambulance driver. There, tragedy brings her face to face with Etienne, a man from her past who she'd never quite forgotten. Torn between forbidden passion, loyalty and love, Belle is caught in an impossible situation. Will the brutality and carnage of war make the honorable path the hardest one to take? Or will fate intervene and finally lead her to lasting happiness?

Is there a murderer across the street?1964.Twenty-three-year-old Katy Speed is fascinated by glamorous Gloria and the goings-on at her house over the road.Who are the mysterious women that keep coming and going in the strange black car?Then one night, Gloria's house burns to the ground. Bodies are found in the wreckage.And Katy's horror turns to disbelief when her own father is arrested and charged with murder.Determined to prove his innocence, Katy sets out to uncover the truth about the mysterious house across the street and find the real murderer.But that means risking her own life . .

One of the world’s bestselling storytellers, Lesley Pearse appears to have everything. But heartbreak has scarred her life . . .

Born during the Second World War, Lesley’s innocence came to an abrupt end when a neighbour found her, aged 3, coatless in the snow. The mother she’d been unable to wake had been dead for days. Sent to an orphanage, Lesley soon learned adults couldn’t always be trusted.

As a teenager in the swinging sixties, she took herself to London. Here, the second great tragedy of her life occurred. Falling pregnant, she was sent to a mother and baby home, and watched helplessly as her newborn was taken from her.

But like so many of her generation, Lesley had to carry on. Marriage and children followed – and all the while she nurtured a dream: to be a writer. Yet it wasn’t until at the age of 48 that her stories – of women struggling in a difficult world – found a publisher, and the bestseller lists beckoned.

As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Lesley’s story really is A Long and Winding Road with surprises and a little hope around every corner . . .

When her husband returns shell-shocked and broken from the Great War and his mother makes her life a misery, Betty Wellow discovers how bitter and hard life can truly be. But it is not until a devastating storm sweeps through their small fishing village and endangers her life, that she sees her chance to escape – and takes it.Fleeing to Bristol, she changes her name to Mabel Brook and takes a position as a maid. But tragedy strikes once more after the sudden death of her mistress and she is cast back onto the streets. Penniless and alone Mabel suffers a brutal attack before being rescued by a psychic named Nora Nightingale. There she gets her first taste of those who receive messages from the dead and realises she may have this gift herself.But it isn’t long before Mabel receives her own message and is forced back to the very place she has escaped. A place of heartbreak and perhaps even murder – but Mabel realises that to secure her future she must confront her past one last time.

Fifteen-year-old Maisy Mitcham and her twin brother Duncan watch their mother being sent away one night in 1960.The twins are sent to their grandmother's country house, Nightingales. Cold and distant, she leaves them to their own devices, to explore and to grow. That is until the day Duncan doesn't come home from the woods.With their grandmother seeming to have little interest in her grandson's disappearance, and the police soon giving up hope, it is left to Maisy to discover the truth. And she will start with Grace Deville. A woman who lives alone in the wood, about whom rumours abound . . .

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? . . .

Gripping, suspenseful and completely unputdownable, Liar will have you on the very edge of your seat.

Camellia Norton is orphaned at fifteen when her mother's body is fished from a river in rural Sussex. And when she discovers a cache of letters amongst her mother's effects she realises that the past she has always been so sure of has been built on a tissue of lies. Devastated, she runs away to London, and loses herself in a metropolis that offers opportunity, temptation and danger, especially to a young girl hungry for love and acceptance. But her past won't stay buried forever, and eventually Camellia begins the long journey towards uncovering the truth about her background, and also, ultimately, about herself.

Discover the captivating story of courage, daring and love from the No. 1 international bestseller Lesley Pearse 'Evocative, compelling, told from the heart' Sunday Express With her reputation in tatters, 17-year-old Mari needs to get away from the gossip of her small town. So the chance to leave for London seems like the perfect fresh start. But war is brewing . . . And when London is overwhelmed by the Blitz, Mari's glamorous new life is blown apart. Lost and alone, she must learn what it means to survive . . . ____________ 'Utterly riveting, brilliant' Closer 'Characters it is impossible not to care about' Daily Mail 'Full of love, passion and heartbreak' Best 'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home

Discover the moving novel based on a true story about a woman triumphing against overwhelming odds, from the international bestseller Lesley Pearse She made one mistake, and now she'll never see home again . . . Mary, a Cornish mariner's daughter, makes the biggest mistake of her short life when she steals a silk hat. Convicted and sentenced to be transported to Australia, she endures horrific conditions aboard ship before landing in a brutal and barbaric country. It will take all her courage just to survive. But Mary is also determined to make something of herself in this rugged man's world. And she dreams that one day she will find a way of crossing the cruel seas that lie between her and home . . . _________ 'With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 'An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry' Woman's Weekly 'Utterly riveting, brilliant' Closer

_______________________________ When nine-year-old orphan Georgia James is unexpectedly fostered by the kindly Celia and her bank manager husband she can hardly believe her luck. But then - on her fifteenth birthday - she suffers the cruellest betrayal of all at the hands of her foster father and is forced to run away, leaving everything she loves behind her. Penniless, sleeping rough, Georgia is soon introduced to the sleazy Soho world of brassy strippers, sweat shops, camaraderie and hardship. Fired by a fierce ambition, blessed with an extraordinary voice, her long struggle for fame and fortune begins. But even when she reaches the top she finds that the scars of the past can open up to ruin her... Steeped in atmosphere and raw emotion, Georgia is the story of a determination to succeed against all the odds and of a burning first love.

In Willow Close, everyone is a suspect . . .

Nina and Conrad thought they'd discovered their dream home.

But on the day they move in, a body is found - the victim attacked and killed in the woods.

As police interview witnesses, they soon discover each resident hiding their own secrets. Because few in the Close are exactly who they seem . . .

Nina and Conrad thought they'd found their dream home.

Now, it might just be their worst nightmare . . .

In the East End, twelve-year-old Tara witnesses her villain of a father almost kill her mother. She forges a determination then and there to change her life. This is the story of three beautiful and talented women. Mabel, whose great love for a gambling man has brought her close to insanity; gentle Amy, who marries a man brutalised by war and failure; and Tara, who is hungry for success and life on her own terms. To have both, she must battle against the legacy these two women have left her, the deep prejudices and dangers of Whitechapel in the 1960s - with its gang leaders, rogues, market traders and dolly birds - and the passionate love she has had since girlhood for the charming wideboy and villain, Harry Collins.

Pre-order the brand-new novel from Lesley Pearse - Betrayal . . . 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. But, after one drunken rage too many, she has the courage to leave him. Eve is warned 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 goes horribly wrong. Eve loves her children but now she carries a terrible burden that she dares not share. Has she betrayed her and her children's futures? Betrayal is Lesley Pearse's brilliant new pageturner. Praise for Lesley Pearse: 'Storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 'Gripping and suspenseful' Daily Express 'A twisting and intense read' Woman's Own

From the internationally bestselling author Lesley Pearse comes the compelling tale of one girl caught in a family mystery, a struggle against cruelty and a quest for love Without her mother she is alone in the world . . . 1930. Twelve-year-old Adele is placed in a bleak, cruel children's home after a family tragedy drives her mother to madness. But when trust is betrayed Adele has no choice but to run away . . . Alone and friendless, she heads for Sussex, to seek out the grandmother she has never known. However, the journey, without food or shelter, leaves her desperately ill. Surrounded by the beautiful Rye Marshes, Adele is finally nursed back to health. Can she now dream of a new life? And what will happen when her mother reappears, bearing shocking family secrets? Praise for Lesley Pearse: 'With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 'Utterly riveting, brilliant' Closer 'Lose yourself in this epic saga' Bella 'An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry' Woman's Weekly

Fifteen-year-old Maisy Mitcham and her twin brother Duncan lose their mother to an asylum one night in 1960 and soon after, the twins are sent to their grandmother's country house, Nightingales. Cold and distant, she leaves them to their own devices, to explore and to grow. That is until the day Duncan doesn't come home from the woods.

With their grandmother seeming to have little interest in her grandson's disappearance, and the police soon giving up hope, it is left to Maisy to discover the truth. And she will start with Grace Deville. A woman who lives alone in the wood, about whom rumours abound ...

Lose yourself in this powerful historical novel based on a real life tragedy from the internationally bestselling author Lesley Pearse For one girl, betrayal goes hand in hand with trust . . . When their father tragically kills their mother, Dulcie and her sister are sent to an orphanage. Told that a 'better life' awaits them in another country, they are shipped off to Australia. But the promises made turn out to be lies. And it seems to Dulcie that everyone who ever said 'trust me' somehow betrayed that trust. So when she finds a kindred spirit in Ross, another orphanage survivor, hope swells in her heart. But can she ever get over the past betrayals and learn to trust again? And can she fight not only for herself, but also for her sister? Praise for Lesley Pearse: 'With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 'Lose yourself in this epic saga' Bella 'An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry' Woman's Weekly

Ellie is a sweet-natured brunette, generous of heart with a sparkling smile and an accent which reveals her East End background. Bonny is beautiful and spoilt, with cascades of blonde hair, the brightest pair of blue eyes and a mouth like Cupid's bow. The two girls meet in London at the end of the war when, seduced by two American airmen, they pool their wits and resources and set off to make a living on the stage. Set against the hardship and austerity of post-war Britain, and the glamour and ruthlessness of life in variety theatre, their story is one of sacrifice and burning ambition. But most of all of a powerful friendship that lasts against all odds.

Take a journey across America with a poor Victorian flower girl in her epic journey to a better life, from the internationally bestselling author Lesley Pearse As voted by readers as their favourite Lesley Pearse novel ___________ One good deed takes her into another world . . . Sixteen-year-old Matilda is a poor Covent Garden flower girl until the day she saves the life of Tabitha, a minister's daughter. Welcomed into Tabitha's family, Matilda is offered the chance of a lifetime. She leaves behind London's slums and enters the darkest corners of New York. Traveling across the vast plains to the Wild West, she finds herself in San Francisco, a city in the grip of the gold rush. Streetwise and strong-willed, Matilda forges a new life for herself and Tabitha among pioneers like Captain James Russell - a man to whom she is deeply attracted. Yet a civil war will soon rip apart this new nation . . . Can Matilda and those she loves brave separation and carry on, never looking back? ___________ 'With characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 'Heart-warming and evocative . . . a real delight to read' Sun 'Lose yourself in this epic saga' Bella 'Utterly riveting, brilliant' Closer 'An emotional and moving epic you won't forget in a hurry' Woman's Weekly

DISCOVER THE CAPTIVATING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME AGAIN, LESLEY PEARSE Is there a murderer across the street? 1964. Twenty-three-year-old Katy Speed is fascinated by glamorous Gloria and the goings-on at her house over the road. Who are the mysterious women that keep coming and going in the strange black car? Then one night, Gloria's house burns to the ground. Bodies are found in the wreckage. And Katy's horror turns to disbelief when her own father is arrested and charged with murder. Determined to prove his innocence, Katy sets out to uncover the truth about the mysterious house across the street and find the real murderer. But that means risking her own life . . . _________ * * * * * - Heat 'Must read' Saturday Express 'Heart-warming and evocative, a real delight to read' Sun 'A narrative that gallops along, this is quintessential Pearse that will delight her army of readers' Daily Mail 'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home 'Evocative, compelling, told from the heart' Sunday Express 'Gripping' Hello