A young girl is murdered, and all of the neighbours are suspects. One thing happens after another on this road. There’s a lot of characters, and most of them are not very likeable nor believable. I disliked the characters, and the “who done it” was predictable. I found the writing style and editing difficult.

Loved this book
Been reading Lesley’s books for years
So listening to the audio was a new one
And I loved it
The narrator was brilliant and the story was even better
Thanks NetGalley

I am a massive fan of Lesley’s books so I couldn’t wait to listen to this beauty. Suspects is narrated by Lucy Brownhill and is only 8 hours and 26 minutes long. Lucy has done a wonderful job telling the story of Nina and Conrad who move into there new home, and a body is found close by. bringing the characters to life. We follow a day by day account of what happens building up to the brutal attack.

Suspects is an additive, well written addictive story which I couldn’t get enough off. The more I listened to the more I wanted to know. It is full of different characters. Making you change your mind and guessing from start to finish.

Like you would expect in a crime thriller there is a detective inspector Jim Marshall who leads the investigation. I can see a detective series in the making.

It is well written. I felt right there in the street with the gossips. Reminded me of where I lived when I was younger! I loved that this story is totally different to the authors previous stories. It is a crime thriller set in 2009. So for me it is more updated compared to my favourite Belle Which is set in 1910.

This is a gripping read which I highly recommend. Many thanks to Penguin Random House for giving me the chance to listen to this. All thoughts are my own and not biased in anyway.

I have read/listened to all of Lesley's books. This one is set in the modern-day. It was quite confusing to start with as it is based in a close where something seems to be going wrong in every single house! Who murdered Chloe a young 13-year-old. All of the residents are under suspicion and it is up to DI Marshall to solve. I have always enjoyed Lesley's books. this one was good but not my favourite. Looking forward to the next one!

I really didn’t enjoy this audiobook at all and I’m fairly sure it wasn’t a case of it being one to read rather than one to listen to. The characters were like something out of an 80’s sitcom at times and just too stereotypical to be believable.

This book had a very good narrator, but sadly I did not get on with the story at all. Unlikeable characters and not a great story at all.

I was quite disappointed with this story, I struggled to concentrate on it and found it quite tedious.
The narrator was good though.

Everyone in Willow Close has a secret. When a young girl is found murdered everyone is a suspect but as the investigation progresses the police are no closer to finding the killer. A clever murder mystery which is so much more. I was captured by each individual story and had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon reading through to the shocking ending.

No Spoilers.
I enjoyed listening to this book though I did find it slightly cliched and old fashioned in places. .Its not my usual type of book but it did keep my interest to the end. I did think the murder of a 13 year old girl and the impact it should have on her neighbours was strangely underplayed,, almost secondary to what was going on in their own lives but maybe that was the intention.
Lots of characters to keep track of so I had to keep rewinding but it’s only my 2nd audiobook so that might well be me. Solid who-dunnit which kept me listening..
Well narrated and pleasant voice to listen to.
Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

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

My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Suspects’ by Lesley Pearse in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook was narrated by Lucy Brownhill. 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.

As for the audiobook edition, I felt that Lucy Brownhill, who is an experienced actor and audiobook narrator, did well though her polished narration couldn’t rescue it for me.

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 received this audiobook from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. Good story, Good characters, nicely paced. Narrator did a good job.

This was my first ever Lesley Pearse read although I’ve heard a lot about her. I really enjoyed it. The story was good. I loved Nina & Conrad and Marshall too. I hadn’t figured out who the murderer was and I liked how friendships flourished towards the end. One thing that did annoy me however was there was quite a bit of repetition throughout the entire novel. Background information was reported to us again and again, the same information, which I found to be totally unnecessary. Otherwise I enjoyed it a lot.

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. The audio really brings the book to life. The narrator does voices really well and keeps the plot ticking over.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Audio and Lesley Pearse for an ARC in return for an honest review.

There were some parts of this book that were great but the other parts did not do the book justice. I struggled to keep up with who was who. The story seemed to continuously jump to different characters who weren’t I really involved with the plot. The overall plot of the book was interesting but unfortunately I did not enjoy it.

‘Suspects’ is a well written novel, I would classify it in the ‘murder mystery’ or perhaps ‘women’s fiction’ genres, as while it is a ‘whodunit’ it has a softer feel than many novels featuring murder typically have.

Nina and Conrad are a young couple who move into a street around the time that their new neighbours tragically discover a young teenage girl’s body in the vicinity of the street. What follows is the investigation into her apparent murder with numerous residents coming under scrutiny. As events unfold, Nina and Conrad find themselves embroiled as the street proves that there is a rarely a dull moment to be had there!

While there are a lot of characters and this could have the potential to result in confusion, the narrator is highly skilled in her trade and makes it easy to distinguish between them. I found myself getting gratifying lost in the story, and eagerly anticipated any opportunity to hear what happens next!

I can honestly say the ending of this book surprised me – I wasn’t expecting a twist, but it was a good one!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audio book in exchange for an honest review advance copy.

I don't think I've ever been so glad to click the 'I'm finished' button on a book.
I have read some of Lesley Pearse's books before and really enjoyed them, so was looking forward to this.
In all honesty, it reads like a creative writing piece from my school days. Although I was never the best writer, I would certainly never insert any of the phrases into a book like this. The fat shaming was some of the most offensive writing and I am astounded this was allowed anywhere near the printers. Talk about alienating the readers. I have a close family member currently battling an eating disorder, and this was disgraceful and made me incredibly angry.
As for the plot, it had a great premise but the characters were some of the most stereotypical I've ever read, and the police investigation was so unrealistic, it truly amazed me.
I understand Pearse had writer's block during Covid, but as other books were delayed by other authors, I see no reason why this hadn't had much more editing and substance added.
The audiobook narrator did the best with what she was given, which was not a lot.

I don't have strong opinions on this. It was alright. I didn't see the plot twist coming which was good but I was also so detached from the story that I didn't feel shocked or care that much by the end. A part of me kind of thinks that I might have enjoyed this more if I'd read at a different time or if I'd read the physical book.

But when I consider, why this book didn't work for me, I don't think the format affected my enjoyment so much. The main reason this didn't work for me because we're introduced to a large cast of characters from the start of the book and we learn about them through their POVs. I found it hard to keep track of who was who and what was going on and all their secrets. I also feel like I found out so many secrets so early that the plot wasn't as interesting or in ways that felt boring.

I wish Pearse had only written from Nina and Conrad's perspective and maybe the inspector's and then we could have been introduced to the neighbours with them and learn all their secrets as the story went on.

A second important reason is that I felt like we were told a lot but not shown much and again, it led to me feeling so bored and then I would tune out and then have to rewind.

Overall, this wasn't for me and I wouldn't particularly recommend unless you enjoy this type of mysteries.

The suspects is a mystery thriller surrounding the murder of a young, teenage girl on a close-knit street. As the investigation progresses, it begins to surface that not all is as it seems in this jolly community. As the truth begins to unfold in the lives of those you thought you knew, and as two nee residents move in, you are taken on a whirlwind of a ride, full of twists and turns, until finally the truth comes to light!

I enjoyed this story. I liked the flow of the chapters, they melted into each other fantastically and held my attention, having me going through quite a few chapters in each sitting. The character development was good. I liked how each character in the story had a bit of a secret back story or secret that unfolds as you read on. I did end up predicting who the killer was quite early on, however, I did not predict the ending, that took me by surprise.

The Narrator was fab, using different accents and tones for each character so they were easily distinguishable from each other. As they read, I found it easy to follow and enjoyed the atmosphere they created with their reading.

**I received an advanced copy of this audiobook to listen to and review. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me this opportunity **

There were a lot of characters introduced and I found it confusing to follow and work out who was who. This may have been because I was listening to the audiobook version.

When Nina and Conrad move into their first home on Willow Close they are excited, but on the day they move in a local child is found murdered, all the neighbours seem deeply horrified but as the investigation continues it is found they are all holding secrets. A really good audio book full of suspense.