Suspects by Lesley Pearse

Synopsis
On the day Nina and Conrad Best move into their new home in picture-perfect Willow Close, a body is discovered.

Hurrying inside with their belongings, they see horrified neighbours gather around the police cordon – one of the residents has been attacked and brutally killed in the woods.

When police start to interview the residents of the Close, they soon discover each neighbour harbours their own secrets. Because everyone on the Close is far from what they seem.

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

But have they moved into a nightmare . . . ?

Review

Over the pas few years I have been grateful to have been offered the opportunity to read Lesley Pearse’s thrillers, and I have enjoyed every one of them. Her new offering is Suspects, set in a a leafy susburb of Cheltenham, Willow Close. Nina and Conrad have been looking for their perfect new home for a while, and find it in Willow Close with its perfect front gardens, tranquil setting and perfect houses with gleaming windows. But on the day they move in the body of a young girl from Willow Close is found murdered in the woods. As the police investigation starts, and residents questioned, Nina and George begin to wonder if Willow Close is less Stepford Wives and more Nightmare on Elm Street.

If we are all honest we all love to have a bit of a nosey into other people’s lives, wonder what goes on behind closed doors and it is this curiosity that underpinns the plot of this book. The chapters take the reader day by day from July 18 2009 the day of Chloe Church’s murder and continues through the investigation. There are many different voices in this book, from Nina and Connor’s who have just moved into Willow Close, to Detective Inspector Jim Marshall in charge of the investigation, through to the neighbours, Maureen and Rob who found the body, the devestated parents, and those who have plenty of secrets to hide. Whilst there is the tension and suspense of the murder investigation, and seeing the characters lives implode, there are also many humerous moments as a contrast. Lesley Pearse takes the mundane of ordinary life in suburbia and turns it into something sinister, something that could happen where you live, making it more realistic, and making the readers voyeurs.

As always Lesley Pearse writes brilliant characters, people we can relate to know, people we may all know. I really liked Nina and Connor, both had difficult childhoods and are now starting their lives together. They are only in their 20’s, younger than a lot of Willow Close’s residents, but both are wise beyond their years, Connor was orphaned at a young age and Nina is estranged from her family. They are really likeable, with big hearts and I loved Connor’s active imagination, always looking for drama, and here he may have found it. There are some brilliant supporting characters as well that add so much to the book; an escort, a religious fanatic, the street gossip and those that break the law. There is also a lot of drama making this a fast paced and compelling read.

Suspects is surely another bestseller for Lesley Pearse. Her writing flows seamlessly, and her characters are memorable with a verisimilitude about them which I loved. Actioned packed, with plenty of drama I highly recommend you read this book and take yourself to Willow Close and be a voyeur to the secrets behind the doors. A suspensful and compelling read.

Suspects by Lesley Pearse is published 24th June 2021, published by Penguin Michael Joseph price £20.00 in hardback.

I would like to thank Penguin/Michael Joseph and Meghan Denholm from edpr for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.