Suspects lives up to it's title as in short order we have a close full of suspects!
Complex, well written and full of interesting characters. I did guess early on who had done it but was interested in the back stories of all the characters.

I love Lesley’s books, I wasn’t sure what I was getting with this one as I’d seen mixed reviews about it. I have to say it’s not my favourite book but I still enjoyed it. There was a lot going on with all the different neighbours, but I did guess the killer fairly quickly. Although I’d guessed correctly I still enjoyed reading about all the different characters. Lesley is still one of my favourite authors and I look forward to reading whatever book she brings out next.

I was surprised that I had not heard of Lesley before and this was the first book I was reading by her. I must say I was surprised at the cover as it does not come across as a crime novel. I must admit as long as you can put aside some of the unbelievable elements in this book it is a fantastic read. At times it gets somewhat confusing with so many characters but this soon sorts itself out with each set of characters having their own thread and storyline..
My only real problem with the storyline is that all the characters seem to have something to hide and that the main theme of the story is a difficult one to tackle.
I hope that some of the characters continue to be used in subsequent storylines as they could be well developed .

Sadly I found this book to be very disappointing and didn’t in any way live up to the usual standard of this authors previous novels.

Much like Liar which is the only other Lesley Pearse book I’ve read, Suspects starts with murder right from the offset. Couple Nina and Conrad are new to the picture-perfect community of Willow Close and soon learn everything is not as it seems. The death of Chloe, a young girl, puts the fellow residents from her cul-de-sac in the spotlight, but who killed her and who else is hiding something?

I love a whodunnit and whilst this does leave you waiting till the end to find out killed Chloe, the overall reveal is a tad disappointing, but if you’re fan of a slow burn you may enjoy this aspect more than me. During my buddy read on Instagram, myself and Louise agreed that the HUGE number of characters did feel a tad confusing at times. Also we both were heavily against the use of misogynistic comments and the fat shaming that was used as a denominator of their appearance every single time, which is disappointing to see from a female writer.

That being said I did however enjoy learning about who else was involved in illegal activities on the street, showing that you can never quite know what someone is hiding. I would describe this as more of a domestic drama, than a thriller, and it does rely heavily on cliches and stereotypes to carry the story. If you’re looking for a novel that looks at the aftermath of a crime and the reverberations felt on a community, and a shattering of the perfect looking street (much like in Desperate Housewives) then this one is for you.

Conrad and Nina are looking forward to moving into their forever home on Willow Close.
But on the day they move in they arrive to find police everywhere and one of their new neighbours tells them that the body of one of the other neighbours' young daughters was found murdered in woodland at the back of the houses.
DI Marshall is investigating the killing but as he digs deeper into the lives of the occupants of the close long held secrets and lies begin to be exposed. An arson attack quickly follows and it looks like the girl’s death was a catalyst for things to spiral out of control for more than one of the Close’s residents.
Conrad and Nina are wondering what they have moved into
I did quite enjoy this. It was different to the other Leslie Pearce books that I have read. There wasn't much detail about the police investigation, it focused more on the people in the close and how the death and subsequent revelations affected them. I did guess who had killed Chloe fairly early on but I was hoping I was wrong.
I felt there were too many characters and it got a bit confusing sometimes who was who.

I love Lesley Pearce's books and she has smashed out another awesome one here.

Completely right from the start. When Nina and Conrad move to Willow Close a young girl is murdered and everyone in the close is a suspect. There are a lot of characters in the book and they are very quickly introduced in the first couple of chapters, its a lot to take in and keep up with but it all makes sense through the book. Each household has something different going on which is explored during the book.

Each character is well developed with this own back story and ongoing saga, any one of them could be the murder but it doesn't become clear until the end, which is excellent.

Everyone in the close has their own secrets which are exposed during the book, it's an interesting and involved read which will keep you turning the pages and will make you wonder what secrets your own neighbours have and which secrets you have that they would be shocked by!

Suspects is a stand-alone novel set in Cheltenham in 2009.

Nina, a florist and care worker, Conrad Best have found their dream home - 3 Willow Close. The Bests move in but on the same day, a body is found. The subsequent police investigation centres on the neighbours and uncovers more secrets than the residents would wish for.

This is my first read written by Lesley Pearse and I'm rather surprised that this is the case. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I found it a compulsive novel as I became immersed in the residents’ lives, wanting to know where things were heading. The tale concentrates on the reverberations of an incident and how it affects the people involved. There's a police investigation, but it’s a springboard for suspects behaviours rather than being the story's main focal point.

Full of deep secrets and drama, it’s engrossing to read and is very strong in its characterisation, so the reader gets to know all the residents through the individuals' perspectives and also the opinions of their neighbours. Filled with mistrust, blame and many questions, the author cleverly blurs lines and casts doubt all over with turns and unexpected reveals. Suspects is definitely worth a look.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Penguin Michael Joseph via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

When Nina and Conrad Best move into their new home in Willow Close the body of neighbour 13 year old Chloe is discovered. The police suspect the killer lives locally and until the culprit is found every resident on Willow Close is a Suspect and have secrets that they don't want revealed!!!
I've read all of Lesley Pearse's books to date and while I enjoyed Suspects it wouldn't be up to the usual standard I've come to expect from Lesley Pearse and her style of writing seemed different to the books she has previously written.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the arc of suspects my review is honest and unbiased.

It's been a few years since I picked up a Lesley Pearse booked she was an author that I started reading in my teens.

This was a very different read to how I remember the Lesley of my past and I found it bland, sluggish and a bit certainly not up to her usual standard.

Good read.

Young couple Nina and Conrad move to their new home. It seems a nice neighbourhood, they'll be happy here. But the day they move in, a serious crime has occurred. The peaceful little haven they thought, may not be so quiet and content. The residents begin to speculate what could have happened, and who could have been involved.

This was easy reading, no fireworks, just a good read. A good neighbourhood/village saga, with a crime thrown in-murder. A good mix, and moves along well.

I don’t think this was her best book, but I liked it well enough. I was a bit surprised to see some low star reviews, and I didn’t read them, so they didn't put me off, or sway my judgement, as it seemed to be reading ok to me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lesley Pearse for the chance to read this book.

I have read most but not all of Lesley's books and never ever thought I would want to give a book of hers less than 5 stars.
I have found that some of the older books that are more centred on one person are more to my taste and that I dont particularly choose her 'mystery' books for that genre more for the author. However this book was terrible.

I did stick with it to the end mainly because I wanted to know if the person I had known committed the crime had done so and for the reasons I suspected - and like other reviewers I was correct.

The writing was not up to the usual standards - it was inconsistent and often confusing - trying to remember all the neighbours and their misdemeanours was difficult. I am sure that there would never be such dark secrets behind closed doors in a street.
But the thing that annoyed me - no not annoyed - made me angry - was the weight stigmatisation and 'fat shaming'. .
This started on page 1 and was a theme throughout the book - and was frankly offensive and added nothing to the narrative.

I rarely give a full synopsis of a book in a review - and I dont feel it will add anything here. There were shocks and twists and turns but all in all the whole thing was predictable

‘Welcome to Willow Close, where everyone is a suspect . . .”

My thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Suspects’ by Lesley Pearse in exchange for an honest review. I also took part in the online group read organised by The Pigeonhole.

Nina and Conrad Best have just moved into their new home in picture-perfect Willow Close. Yet as they arrive there are police and the like in the street. The body of 13-year-old Chloe Church, who lived in the Close with her parents, has just been discovered in the nearby woods.

During the police investigation into the murder pretty much everyone aside from the Bests could re the killer. In addition, various secrets come to light and Conrad and Nina begin to think that their dream neighbourhood might instead be a nightmare!

This is my first experience with Lesley Pearse’s writing and while it seemed a strong premise, I was very disappointed. Fellow pigeons, who have been long time fans of the author, reported that they considered that this novel was not up to her usual standard. Still, I have to review it based on my experience rather than whether the author was having a blip.

So what was the problem? The writing seemed very amateurish, and completely disregarded the advice of ‘show, don’t tell’. Maybe this is her usual style but it wasn’t what I would expect from a seasoned author.

In addition, although set in 2009 the attitudes expressed by characters seemed more suited to something written decades earlier. Worse was the misogyny and body shaming throughout the novel. It was excruciating that people’s appearance was constantly used as an indicator of their character. Anyone not slender was portrayed as slovenly and lazy, and yes, a bad person. It was cringeworthy.

Even though a child living on the Close had just been murdered it hardly seemed to impact on the lives of the residents. Then there is the sheer number of dark secrets that came to light. It strained credibility.

The characterisation was at times bordering on parody; such as Conrad Best, who Pigeonhole readers nicknamed ‘Super Conrad’ given his constant jumping in and saving the day while still finding time to romance Nina, who appeared to be the only wifey in the Close who worked; aside from the ‘tart with a heart’. The police in ‘Suspects’ were inept, though luckily Super Conrad was at hand,

However, I will say that reading ‘Suspects’ in an online group setting with the ability to swap comments, did almost place it in the ‘so bad, it’s good’ category.

I read a great deal of crime fiction and thrillers, including the popular psychological thriller sub-genre, and the best I can say is that if this was an attempt for the author to branch out then for me it fell flat. The reveal of whodunnit was anticlimactic.

Glancing through other reviews it is clear that many readers enjoyed ‘Suspects’ but it just didn’t work for me on a number of levels.

However, I have taken to heart the perspective of my friends on The Pigeonhole that are enthusiastic about Lesley Pearse’s other books and plan to sample one or more that they have recommended.

A rare 1 star.

I am a fan of Lesley Pearse and have always enjoyed her books. This particular novel is a departure from her usual style and she is to be applauded for trying something different. However, in my opinion, she did not quite pull it off.

The beginning introduces almost every character that will form part of the story and it felt too much too soon. It was very difficult to keep up with who was who and I was confused at times.

In her other books she is a great storyteller and is so good with her portrayal of characters but in this book they all felt a little two dimensional. I also found one or two of the things they did improbable.

It presents as a 'who dunnit' and I had worked out who the murderer was at a fairly early point along with the motive. They was little in the way of twist and turns and this book did not quite work for me.

Intrigue from page 1, who in a quiet street could have committed such a crime, until the truth behind the
neighbours appears bit by bit. Everyone becomes a suspect but the least likely, could they have really commited this crime. This book keeps your attention until the last page.

Wow, there is so much going on in this one little road. I can’t believe how well threaded together all these stories were. Lesley Pearse is such a good writer - this book whizzed by as there is never a dull moment. It’s so interesting to read about the everyday lives of everyday people. The main crime is solved, but on the way to solving it, there is an eye opening journey.

I love Lesley Pearce and have been a big fan of her writing, however she needs to stick to her usual style. Crime is not for her and she doesn't write it well. It's not gripping and their are much better crime writers out there. Write your usual book Lesley and I look forward to them

I love a Lesley Pearce book and have read all her books. This one was a great read. It was the story of Conrad and Nina who move into their new home in Cheltenham, the day they arrive they find their has been a body found in the bushes in their street. Nobody in the street is above suspicion!
We follow all the residents in the street most of whom have some sort of skeleton in their closet.
I enjoyed the guessing of who had done it but found it quite difficult to keep track of so many couples and who was married to who!
In all a great read as always. Definitely worth reading.
Thank you Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley and last but not least Lesley Pearce for an early copy of Suspects.

It’s been some time since I’ve read a book by Lesley Pearse and that’s my loss because I’d forgotten what a brilliant writer she is, Nina and Conrad move into their dream forever home on the very day that the body of little Chloe is found, and so begins a brilliant tale. It took me a little while to work out who was who in Willow Close but oh what a lot they are. Each resident has a story to tell and a personality to go with it. At one stage there’s so much going on you almost forget theres a child’s murder to investigate
A really enjoyable read by a master storyteller

I am a huge fan of Lesley Pearse having read and enjoyed her previous books. Sadly for me though I did struggle a little with this one, it didn’t seem like her writing style somehow. Having said all that though I will still be looking out for her next book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.