Lesley Pearse is one of the UK’s best loved novelists and is a true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines that keep the reader hooked from beginning to end. Lesley Pearse introduces you to characters that it is impossible not to care about or forget and she writes different genres including crime and historical all with real passion and realism.
Truth is often stranger than fiction and Lesley’s life has been as packed with drama as her books. She was three when her mother died under tragic circumstances. Her father was away at sea with the Royal Marines and it was only when a neighbour saw Lesley and her brother playing outside without coats on that suspicion was aroused – their mother had been dead for some time. The children spent three years in grim orphanages before her father remarried a veritable dragon of an ex-army nurse. Lesley and her older brother were eventually brought home, to be joined by two other children who were later adopted by her father and step mother; thus continued a stream of foster children.
Lesley’s desperate need for love and affection as a young girl made her a party girl during the swinging 60’s and she had various jobs from nanny to bunny girl to designing clothes. She lived in damp bedsits while burning the candle at both ends as a ‘Dolly Bird’ with twelve inch mini shirts. Lesley has been married three times and has had some really hard times. Writing probably kept her sane throughout all of this and much of her own life is portrayed in her books. She now lives near Bath and is president of the Bath and West Wiltshire branch of the NSPCC. She has three daughters and a grandson.
Forgive Me (2013)
When Eva Patterson returns home from work one day, a devastating scene awaits her. Her mother, Flora, lies dead in the bath. Beside her is a note saying only: ‘Forgive Me’. Flora’s suicide changes everything. When Eva discovers that in her will Flora left her an artist’s studio in London, she finds a collection of Flora’s paintings and old diaries. Searching for answers, Eva encounters a psychic who mysteriously warns her to beware of a ‘sleeping serpent’, which she soon discovers refers to a shocking crime in Flora’s past. Will discovering the truth destroy Eva’s belief in everything she holds dear and will Phil stand by Eva even when her journey leads her and those she loves into certain danger?
Gypsy (2009)
Fifteen-year-old Beth’s life is shattered when she and her brother Sam are orphaned, believing that only in America can they make a fresh start. In New York, Beth’s talent with the fiddle earns her the friendship of gamblers, chancers and other rogues. Dodging trouble across America, Beth and her friends head for the Klondike River in search of gold. How far must Beth go to find happiness and will her travels lead this gypsy to a place she can ever call home?
Father Unknown (2006)
Losing her adopted mother threatens all she’s ever had. Daisy was adopted, but when her mother dies, she finds her secure existence thrown into turmoil by the discovery of a scrapbook. Inside it is information about her real mother. However, when Daisy drops everything to go in search of her roots, she uncovers a harrowing story of greed, misery and corruption. She also risks hurting her adored Dad, the only true family she has left. Can she cope with the truth about her real parents and more importantly, who is the real Daisy?
Secrets (2005)
Without her mother she is alone in the world. Twelve-year-old Adele is placed in a bleak, cruel children’s home after a family tragedy drives her mother insane. When the owner betrays her trust, 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 nursed back to health. Can she now dream of a new life? What will happen when her mother reappears, bearing shocking family secrets?