New historical fiction books to read in 2025

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Extract | Never Look Back by Lesley Pearse

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Extracts

Never Look Back by Lesley Pearse

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Till We Meet Again by Lesley Pearse

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Dead to Me by Lesley Pearse trailer

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Lesley Pearse on character inspiration and travelling the world

The Girl with the Suitcase

She took another woman’s place. Now she must live with the consequences... 
Discover an unforgettable novel from the 10-million-copy bestselling author, Lesley Pearse. 
'Captivating' Woman &amp; Home 
‘A gripping story of reinvention, deception, and the weight of choices made under pressure' 5* Reader Review 
'Once you pick this book up, you won’t want to put it down!' 5* Reader Review 
'Pearce never disappoints' 5* Reader Review 
-- 
London, 1941 
 
When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth she realises their lives couldn’t be more different. 
Elizabeth is beautiful and charming, about to set off on a dazzling adventure to Ireland where she’s inherited a grand house. 
Mary, shy and meek, has nothing to look forward to but the dreary life of a maid in Hampstead. 
But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground Mary’s life is suddenly changed forever. 
After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for Elizabeth and hands over her suitcase with Elizabeth’s money and tickets to Ireland inside. 
This is Mary’s chance to escape the hardship of her life and start afresh. 
Will she take it and what could go wrong? 
-- 
PRAISE FOR LESLEY PEARSE: 
 
‘Storytelling at its very best’ Daily Mail 
‘Gripping and suspenseful’ Daily Express 
‘A twisting and intense read’ Woman's Own 
***** 5 STAR READER REVIEWS ***** 
‘I absolutely devoured the book’ Reader Review, Netgalley 
‘I read this in a couple of days as I just couldn’t put it down!’ Reader Review, Netgalley 
‘I was hooked from the start and couldn’t stop turning pages long into the night. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me holding on… truly wonderful’ Reader Review, Netgalley 
'Absolutely beautiful” Reader Review, Netgalley 
‘Lesley Pearse has a real gift for bringing historical settings to life, and I found myself completely immersed in Mary’s journey. A heartfelt and inspiring read?I couldn’t put it down!’ Reader Review, Netgalley

International bestselling author Lesley Pearse has lived a life as rich with incidents, setbacks and joys as any found in her novels. 
 
By the mid sixties she was living in London, sharing flats, partying hard and married to a trumpet player in a jazz-rock band. She has also worked as a nanny and a Playboy bunny, and designed and made clothes to sell to boutiques. 
 
It was only after having three daughters that Lesley began to write. She published her first book at forty-nine and has not looked back since. 
 
Lesley is still a party girl.

London 1941When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth she realises their lives couldn’t be more different.But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground Mary’s life is set in change forever.After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for Elizabeth and hands over her suitcase with Elizabeth’s money and tickets to Ireland inside.This is Mary’s chance to escape the hardship of her life and start afresh.What could go wrong?

Betrayal

Discover the story of a good woman with a terrible, haunting secret 
Eve should never have married Don Hathaway . . . The man is a bully – but, after one drunken rage too many, Eve takes their children and leaves him. Don, however, is bitter. And getting away from him entirely proves impossible. Until the day Eve decides to teach Don a lesson – and it all goes horribly, hideously wrong. And this poor mother fears she’s lost everything. Eve loves her children so much, but now she bears a terrible burden that she cannot ever share. And she knows it won’t be long before her past catches up with her. Eve desperately wants to hide from the truth. 
 But is she risking everything? PRAISE FOR LESLEY PEARSE: 
 
 'Storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 
 
 'Gripping and suspenseful' Daily Express

Evocative, compelling, told from the heart

Intriguing, heart-tugging, beautifully written

Gritty, painful and packed with surprises, but also brimming with the sensitivity and empathy that have made Pearse a readers' favourite, this is a story that grips from first page to last

With her trademark insight into relationships, Lesley Pearse thrills and entertains in this exploration of being a strong woman

Eve should never have married Don Hathaway. He is a bully. Worse than that, he hurts her. 
But, after one drunken rage too many, she has the courage to leave him. 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?

Deception

THE GRIPPING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
What happens when the person closest to you has led a life of deception? 
 
'Full of suspense and intriguing characters' MY WEEKLY 
'A gritty, gripping drama' WOMAN'S WEEKLY 
_______ 
 
No one wants to believe their mother is a liar . . . 
 
After her mother's funeral, Alice Kent is approached by a man who insists he's her real father. Initially upset and disbelieving, Alice soon discovers that tugging at this loose thread unravels the expertly woven tapestry of lies which was her mother Sally's life. 
 
Faced with this staggering deception, Alice decides she must learn the whole, terrible truth about her mother. 
 
But is she prepared for the dark journey back to Sally's traumatic childhood and the evil forces which came to shape the woman who claimed to love her? 
_______ 
 
'Brilliantly builds intrigue' WOMAN & HOME 
 
'A raw, truthful and moving account, building intrigue as Alice gradually uncovers her mother's life of deception, lies - and love' WOMAN'S WEEKLY 
 
'Written with Pearse's typically engaging and effortless style of storytelling, Deception is an intriguing book of highs, lows, struggles and perseverance' CULTUREFLY 
 
Praise for Lesley Pearse 
 
'Storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 
 
'Gripping and suspenseful' Daily Express 
 
'A twisting and intense read' Woman's Own 
 
 
Lesley Pearse, Sunday Times bestseller, March 2024

This is a heart-wrenching journey as dark secrets are exposed and we understand the decisions Sally was forced to make

A complex and gripping relationship drama

Unpredictable and full of unexpected twists, this is a compelling read

This book brilliantly builds intrigue as Alice uncovers her mum's life of deception, lies and love

Full of suspense and intriguing characters

A twisting, turning and utterly addictive tale of mystery, hardship and self-survival

Written with Pearse's typically engaging and effortless style of storytelling, Deception is an intriguing book of highs, lows, struggles and perseverance

A gritty, gripping drama . . . A raw, truthful and moving account, building intrigue as Alice gradually uncovers her mother's life of deception, lies - and love

Praise for Lesley Pearse

The emotionally gripping Sunday Times bestseller from Britain’s favourite storyteller

Suspects

What do you do when your dream home becomes your worst nightmare? . . . THE GRIPPING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM LESLEY PEARSE 
 
'A riveting page-turner' Woman's Weekly 
'A real page turner from beginning to end' 5***** Reader Review 
'Sensational storytelling' My Weekly 
________ 
 
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 . . . 
________ 
 
READERS ARE GRIPPED BY SUSPECTS: 
 
'Kept me reading late in to the night . . . a great story with twists and turns' 5***** Reader Review 
'Gripping with lots of twists' 5***** Reader Review 
'Lesley Pearse knows how to bring her characters alive' 5***** Reader Review 
'A gripping storyline. Lesley at her best' 5***** Reader Review 
'A master storyteller' 5***** Reader Review 
'A suspenseful domestic drama' 5***** Reader Review

A compelling yet heartwarming novel which shows storytelling at its very best

A gripping tale packed with twists and turns

A riveting page-turner full of suspense and suspicion. Gripping!

Suspects is a suspenseful and intriguing mystery that will keep you guessing

Thrilling and suspense-packed . . . With an enthralling plot, a cast of fascinating characters, and Pearse's addictive storytelling, Suspects will grip from start to finish

A fast-paced, psychological drama . . . with an enthralling plot, a cast of fascinating characters, and Pearse's addictive storytelling, Suspects will grip from start to finish

This is a book to talk about, to drill down into the story and really think about it

On the day Nina and Conrad Best move into their new home in picture-perfect Willow Close, a body is discovered. 
 
The residents gather around a police cordon - one of their neighbours has been brutally 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. 
 
But have they moved into a nightmare?

A missing teenager. An outcast woman. And a girl determined to find the truth . . . From the Sunday Times bestselling author

The Woman in the Wood

Discover the addictive and gripping novel from the bestselling author of You'll Never See Me Again, Lesley Pearse 
 
'A gripping novel' HELLO! Magazine 
_______________ 
 
London, 1960. 
 
The lives of teenage twins Maisy and Duncan change for ever the night their mother is sent away. 
 
Sent to live in the New Forest with their cold-hearted grandmother, Mrs Mitcham, they feel unloved and abandoned. 
 
And when one day Duncan doesn't come home from exploring in the forest, no one - least of all his grandmother - appears to care about his disappearance. The police, who've found the bodies of other missing boys, offer little hope of finding Duncan alive. 
 
Yet Maisy refuses to give up. 
 
Though she doesn't know the woods well, she knows someone who does. The strange old woman who lives at their heart . . . 
 
Dare Maisy enlist the help of the woman in the wood? 
 
And what will she find if she does? 
 
-- 
 
'A real page-turner, a family story that is multi-layered just as you'd expect from Lesley Pearse, who is deservedly one of the world's favourite story tellers' My Weekly 
 
'Characters it is impossible not to care about . . . this is storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail

Fifteen-year-old twins Maisy and Duncan Mitcham have always had each other. Until the fateful day in the wood . . .

A real page-turner, a family story that is multi-layered just as you'd expect from Lesley Pearse, who is deservedly one of the world's favourite story tellers

Heart-warming and evocative, a real delight to read

A narrative that gallops along, this is quintessential Pearse that will delight her army of readers

Lesley Pearse 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. 
 
 Connect with Lesley and keep up to date with what she's been doing: 
 
 Follow her on Twitter @LesleyPearse 
 
Follow her on Facebook @LesleyPearseAuthor 
 
Sign up for her newsletter www.lesleypearse.com

Fifteen-year-old Maisy Mitcham and her twin brother Duncan lose their mother to an asylum 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 . . .

Liar

The enthralling Sunday Times bestselling story of a young female journalist exposing murder and lies in her search for the truth, from the international bestseller Lesley Pearse 
 
THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 5 BESTSELLER AND WINNER OF THE WOMAN & HOME BOOK CHOICE AWARD 2020 
 
'A compelling page-turner' DAILY MAIL 
______ 
 
Find the liar. Find the killer . . . 
 
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. 
______ 
 
'Gripping and suspenseful, a fast-paced murder mystery, love story and a young woman's journey of self-discovery' Daily Express 
 
'This latest book from master storyteller Lesley Pearse is gripping and full of twists. With an addictive and pacy plot, this will keep you guessing until the end' My Weekly 
 
'A page turner full of suspense, compelling and heartwarming, Liar is a brilliant read. I couldn't put it down' Woman's Way 
 
'Gripping and suspenseful - a murder mystery, love story and journey of self discovery' S Magazine 
 
Praise for Lesley Pearse 
 
'Storytelling at its very best' Daily Mail 
 
'Evocative, compelling, told from the heart' Sunday Express 
 
'Intriguing, heart-tugging, beautifully written' Closer 
 
 
Lesley Pearse, Sunday Times bestseller, March 2024

Gripping and suspenseful, a fast-paced murder mystery, love story and a young woman's journey of self discovery too

A tale of love, friendship, murder and intrigue, this latest book from master storyteller Lesley Pearse is gripping and full of twists. With an addictive and pacy plot, this will keep you guessing until the end

A page turner full of suspense, compelling and heartwarming, Liar is a brilliant read. I couldn't put it down and it is a must for all crime lovers

From the first page this heartfelt, atmospheric novel sizzles with suspense and tension . . . Surprising twists and turns leave you guessing until the end . . . gripping story: ideal summertime reading

Liar has all the elements that make this author so popular

Gripping and suspenseful - a murder mystery, love story and journey of self discovery

Lesley Pearse brings together a nostalgic Seventies backdrop with an edge-of-your-seat story of suspense

Like a twisty and suspenseful TV drama, Liar keeps you firmly on the edge of your seat

One of the most thrilling book club books

Included in 'Best new titles out this month'

Amelia White always dreamed of being a reporter . . . 
And it might never have happened if she hadn't stumbled on a young woman's body. Horrified at the lies being spread about this murder victim, Amelia talks a newspaper editor into letting her tell the true story.Yet when more bodies turn up, it's clear the police are baffled. 
Uncovering new witnesses as well as suspects in her search for clues, Amelia realises that the only way to stop the murders is to find the liar among them. 
But will doing so make her the killer's next victim?

Lesley Pearse

I couldn&rsquo;t put this book down. Although harrowing at times, Lesley&rsquo;s indomitable spirit shines through. What an inspiration, what a book!

Searingly honest, and fabulously entertaining, Lesley's life story is a poignant and powerful story that is truly unputdownable

A totally gripping read, by turns tragic, mad-cap, heartbreaking and mind-blowing. And anyone who can read that final chapter without bursting into happy tears has to have a heart of stone

An incredible life story from a literary icon, Lesley Pearse&rsquo;s truth is even more gripping than her fiction

This inspiring, heart-warming, extraordinary memoir will have you captivated

Humorous and heartbreaking, Lesley opens up to her readers in a way that is rare and very special. I was so gripped I read it twice

What a roller coaster of a ride. I couldn't do anything else until I'd finished this book. Gripping, heart wrenching. A true life Woman of Substance. It was an amazing read

Lesley is a survivor, you'll certainly want to read the extraordinary story of her life. Inspiring and hopeful, this heartwarming memoir will have you captivated

[Lesley] is a great storyteller, and like all good stories The Long and Winding Road concludes with one terrific twist

Moving and heartwarming, this is a must read . . . one of our favourite authors

Early on this book, Pearse says she doesn&rsquo;t want it to be a misery memoir, and it isn&rsquo;t. This remarkable woman has somehow succeeded in bouncing back from everything that life has thrown at her, and you can only salute her resilience and cheer at the contentment she has finally found

This inspiring, heart-warming memoir will have you captivated

My Autobiography

Lesley Pearse didn't publish her first novel until she was 48. Now she has sold over ten million books around the world and is a constant presence on the bestseller chart. 
 
A writer of heart-stopping stories, Lesley's books are filled with heroines struggling to make it in a difficult world. 
 
Yet this description could apply to Lesley herself. In this, her first ever autobiography, she tells of growing up in an orphanage after her mother's death, her racy twenties in London during the swinging sixties and working as a bunny girl and dressmaker. 
 
Packed full of Lesley's signature warmth, wit and poignancy, this is the story of a woman and a writer fighting against the odds to achieve her dreams.

Lesley Pearse

Praise for The Long and Winding Road

I couldn’t put this book down. Although harrowing at times, Lesley’s indomitable spirit shines through. What an inspiration, what a book!

Searingly honest, and fabulously entertaining, Lesley's life story is a poignant and powerful story that is truly unputdownable

A totally gripping read, by turns tragic, mad-cap, heartbreaking and mind-blowing. And anyone who can read that final chapter without bursting into happy tears has to have a heart of stone

I couldn’t put this book down. Although harrowing at times, Lesley’s indomitable spirit shines through. What an inspiration, what a book!

Searingly honest, and fabulously entertaining, Lesley's life story is a poignant and powerful story that is truly unputdownable

A totally gripping read, by turns tragic, mad-cap, heartbreaking and mind-blowing. And anyone who can read that final chapter without bursting into happy tears has to have a heart of stone

I couldn’t put this book down. Although harrowing at times, Lesley’s indomitable spirit shines through. What an inspiration, what a book!

Searingly honest, and fabulously entertaining, Lesley's life story is a poignant and powerful story that is truly unputdownable

A totally gripping read, by turns tragic, mad-cap, heartbreaking and mind-blowing. And anyone who can read that final chapter without bursting into happy tears has to have a heart of stone

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Series by Lesley Pearse

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Articles featuring Lesley Pearse

New historical fiction books to read in 2025

Never Look Back by Lesley Pearse

Till We Meet Again by Lesley Pearse

Dead to Me by Lesley Pearse trailer

Lesley Pearse on character inspiration and travelling the world

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