LESLEY PEARSE

Coronation Day, 1953. Molly Heywood has always been a pillar of strength for her local community, so when her friend Cassie fails to attend the Coronation Day party in the village, it is Molly who heads out in the rain to look for her. But nothing can prepare Molly for what she is going to discover. Now with Cassie gone and her six-year-old daughter Petal missing, it is up to Molly to head to London to uncover the past Cassie kept so well hidden. But will Molly discover the truth before it's too late? Or has Petal disappeared forever?

Lesley Pearse, No.1 bestselling author of The Promise and Belle is back with Survivor, the story of Mariette, a born fighter. It is 1938 and headstrong eighteen-year-old Mari Carrera leaves a gossipy small town in rural New Zealand aboard the SS Rimutaka. Rather too careless with her reputation, Mari is bound for the bustling anonymity of London - but she is all too willing to be seduced by the temptations of the glittering West End. Until war comes and snatches it all away. As the Blitz rains death on London, Mari's life is blown apart. Lost and alone in the burning West End, she learns that to endure this war she must find the strength, selflessness and compassion locked within her. And soon this born survivor must risk everything - putting her life on the line for others. From internationally bestselling author, Lesley Pearse, Survivor is a story of bravery and love. "Utterly riveting, brilliant". (Closer). "Characters it is impossible not to care about". (Daily Mail). "Full of love, passion and heartbreak". (Best). Lesley Pearse's novels have sold over five million copies worldwide. Her sixteen most recent books, including Forgive Me, The Promise, and Belle are huge bestsellers and available as Penguin paperbacks. Lesley lives near Bristol and has three daughters and three grandchildren.

London, 1939.Eighteen-year-old Mari is defiant, strong-willed and selfish. She has craved independence her entire life and now, with the World on the brink of war, Mari has finally escaped the sleepy fishing village of her childhood in New Zealand. After passionately falling for Morgan, the cockney steward aboard ship on her voyage to England, she hastily dismisses him in favour of being taken out by handsome young pilots in the glamorous West end. But, without warning, the Blitz blows her new life apart. Now Mari has the chance to make a difference but can she learn from her mistakes in time?

Fifteen-year-old twins Maisy and Duncan Mitcham have always had each other. Until the fateful day in the wood . . . One night in 1960, the twins awake to find their father pulling their screaming mother from the house. She is to be committed to an asylum. It is, so their father insists, for her own good. It's not long before they, too, are removed from their London home and sent to Nightingales - a large house deep in the New Forest countryside - to be watched over by their cold-hearted grandmother, Mrs Mitcham. Though they feel abandoned and unloved, at least here they have something they never had before - freedom. The twins are left to their own devices, to explore, find new friends and first romances. That is until the day that Duncan doesn't come back for dinner. Nor does he return the next day. Or the one after that. When the bodies of other young boys are discovered in the surrounding area the police appear to give up hope of finding Duncan alive. With Mrs Mitcham showing little interest in her grandson's disappearance, it is up to Maisy to discover the truth. And she knows just where to start. The woman who lives alone in the wood about whom so many rumours abound. A woman named Grace Deville. The Woman in the Wood is a powerful, passionate and sinister tale of a young woman's courage, friendship and determination from one of the world's favourite storytellers.

Ellie is a sweet-natured brunette, generous of heart with a sparkling smile and an accent which reveals her East End background. 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.

Charlie is the latest from bestselling author Lesley Pearse. Her family is threatened and only she can save it... When sixteen-year-old Charlie witnesses a brutal attack on her mother by two strangers she is shocked and terrified. But after talking to the police she realises that her fathers business dealings cant be so innocent.

Lesley PearseLondres, 1990. À la mort de celle qu'elle croyait être sa mère, Daisy, 25 ans, découvre qu'elle a été adoptée. Face à l'indifférence d'un père, la jalousie d'une s?ur et l'incompréhensio

Laura Brannigan is in jail for a murder she claims she didn't commit. For two years she's been battling for justice - insisting the police made a terrible mistake; pleading that she didn't kill her best friend, Jackie. With her spirits at their lowest ebb, she's resigned to her miserable fate - until, out of the blue, a letter is delivered to the prison. At the sight of the letter's handwriting, Laura's heart lurches - taking her back to a different, happier time and memory of an old love . . . 1972 was the year Laura met Stuart and experienced her first summer of love. It was a heady time as she'd only recently been able to stop running. For Laura had always been a survivor: leaving an abusive home at fifteen and then life on her own - until she met Jackie. She and Jackie became best friends, swore they'd be sisters for ever. So what went wrong in the intervening years? And why is Stuart writing to Laura now? Does he have faith in her innocence? And can he help free Laura from prison - and her past?

International number one bestselling author Lesley Pearse brings a compelling story of courage, friendship and love in her brand new novel Without a Trace. Coronation Day, 1953. In the Somerset village of Sawbridge, young shopkeeper Molly Heywood slips away from the celebrations to her friend''s cottage and makes a shocking discovery: Cassie is dead and her six-year-old daughter Petal has vanished without a trace. In her grief, Molly seeks help from her childhood friend George, now the village policeman, but no one can find Petal. The only clue is a letter from London, where Cassie once lived. Despite George''s reluctance and her growing feelings for him, Molly resolves to go to London in the hope of discovering the missing child. Arriving in the big city, Molly quickly learns it''s a dangerous place for a country girl on her own. But there''s hope too - in the Blitz-ruined East End, she unexpectedly finds friendship with strangers from Cassie''s past and, with handsome, mysterious workman Charley, the possibility of something more. However, the closer Molly gets to the truth, the more perilous her journey becomes. She has given up everything - her home, happiness and a chance at love - all to find Petal. But is she also risking her life? From the number one UK bestselling author Lesley Pearse comes Without a Trace, a gripping story of bravery, secrets and love. Praise for Without a Trace ''Epic romantic drama set in post-war London'' Heat Magazine ''A heart-warming and evocative tale that is a real delight to read'' Sun ''A narrative that gallops along, this is quintessential Pearse that will delight her army of readers'' Daily Mail ''Must have'' Sunday Express Praise for Lesley Pearse ''Evocative, compelling, told from the heart'' Sunday Express ''Utterly riveting, brilliant'' Closer ''Full of love, passion and heartbreak'' Best ''Glorious, heartwarming'' Woman & Home Lesley Pearse''s novels have sold over ten million copies worldwide. Her seventeen most recent books, includingForgive Me, The Promise and Belle have all been huge bestsellers. Lesley lives in Devon and has three daughters and three grandchildren.

A compelling new story from international number one bestselling author Lesley Pearse 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 ...? Praise for Lesley Pearse 'Epic romantic drama set in post-war London' Heat Magazine 'A heart-warming and evocative tale that is a real delight to read' Sun 'A narrative that gallops along, this is quintessential Pearse that will delight her army of readers' Daily Mail 'Must have' Sunday Express 'Yet another great Lesley Pearse novel' Woman Magazine 'Evocative, compelling, told from the heart' Sunday Express 'Utterly riveting, brilliant' Closer 'Full of love, passion and heartbreak' Best 'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home 'This gripping tale of war and friendship is perfect for a long day of beach reading.' Marie Claire

Laura Brannigan is in jail for murder. For two years she's been battling for justic - insisting that she didn't kill her best friend, Jackie. Yet with her spirits at their lowest ebb, she receives a letter that takes her back to a different time and memory of an old love ... Twenty years ago was a heady time for Laura: she'd escaped an abusive home and together with new best friend Jackie she'd made a fresh start. The pair had sworn to be sisters for ever. And Stuart had come into their lives - giving Laura a brilliant summer of love. So what went wrong in the intervening years? And why is Stuart writing to Laura now? Does he have faith in her innocence? And can he help free Laura from prison - and her past?

When a beautiful blonde girl is found half-drowned on a beach, she has no memory of who she is or what horrors have left her there. But an article about her in a Brighton newspaper rings alarm bells for beautician Dale, who shows the police photographs of Lotte Wainright. The girls met working on a cruise ship and their friendship blossomed as they sailed the seas of South America, until Lotte fell under the sinister influence of an older American couple. To her regret, Dale hasn''t seen Lotte since leaving the ship months earlier but the girl on the beach although badly bruised is indeed her much missed friend. Their reunion only marks the beginning of a dangerous tidal wave of secrets, lies and nightmares. Where has Lotte been? Who is the man who seems to want to kill her? And what has become of the baby she''s recently given birth to? Dale and Lotte must dig deep and find the strength to hold on against the odds if they are to rebuild their friendship and survive Lotte''s stolen and deadly past

It was Sussex, 2003. When a beautiful blonde girl is found half-drowned on a beach, she has no memory of who she is or what horrors have left her there. But an article about her in a Brighton newspaper rings alarm bells for beautician, Dale, who shows the police photographs of Lotte Wainright. The girls met working on a cruise ship and their friendship blossomed as they sailed the seas of South America, until Lotte fell under the sinister influence of an older American couple. To her regret, Dale hasn''t seen Lotte since leaving the ship months earlier...but the girl on the beach - although badly bruised - is indeed her much missed friend. Their reunion only marks the beginning of a dangerous tidal wave of secrets, lies and nightmares. Where has Lotte been? Who is the man who seems to want to kill her? And what has become of the baby she''s recently given birth to? Dale and Lotte must dig deep and find the strength to hold on against the odds if they are to rebuild their friendship and survive Lotte''s stolen - and deadly - past.

Lesley Pearse, No.1 bestselling author of Stolen and Belle, returns with the phenomenal novel The Promise. Heartbreaking, enduring and masterfully told, The Promise will take you on a breathtaking journey into the battlefields of the First World War. War threatens to take all she has loved and lived for . . . On the outbreak of war, Belle Reilly's husband Jimmy enlists and heads for the deadly trenches of northern France. But Belle knows she cannot stand idly by when so many are sacrificing their lives. Volunteering to help battlefield wounded, Belle is posted to France as a Red Cross ambulance driver. There, a tragic accident brings her face to face with Etienne - a man from her past she's never quite forgotten. Torn between forbidden passion, loyalty and love, Belle is caught in an impossible situation. Will she succumb to the dark forces of this most brutal of wars? Or will fate intervene and finally lead her to lasting happiness? The Promise vividly describes life behind the front line and the tragic choices that war forces people to make. 'Pearse will pull your heartstrings' Sun 'Characters it is impossible not to care about' Daily Mail 'An addictive tear-jerker with characters you'll adore, laugh with and cry for' Bella 'Full of love, passion and heartbreak' Best 'Glorious, heartwarming' Woman & Home Lesley Pearse's novels have sold five million copies worldwide. Her fourteen most recent books, including Belle, Stolen, Gypsy, Faith, Hope, A Lesser Evil, Secrets, Remember Me, Till We Meet Again, Father Unknown, Trust Me, Never Look Back, Charlie and Rosie, are huge bestsellers and available as Penguin paperbacks. Lesley lives near Bristol and has three daughters and two grandchildren

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