It is a good novel with a few nice surprises. However, I found that too many descriptions about how they dealt with their lies felt rather flat and too predictable. The conclusion was intriguing and fitted ...
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

Hannah Cole, a confectioner in the St James area near Piccadilly, London in 1749 is struggling to keep her shop open. Her missing husband Jonas is found murdered, his body found in the Thames. Now a widow, Helen believes she has little income until it appears that Jonas had made an investment with a man called William Devereux and in addition has much more money in the bank that she was unaware of. Her priorities are to find her husband’s murderer and to prove that the money was legitimately obtained. Henry Fielding, novelist and chief investigator believes Jonas had got it by criminal means and refuses to grant probate until proven otherwise.
Devereux suggests that Hannah makes iced cream to entice more customers and she relies on him more and more to help her whilst trying to behave with propriety as a new widow.
The novel is structured in four parts with the narrative shared between Hannah and William so we see their thinking. Shepherd-Robinson has written an ingenious story full of twists and turns, lies and deceit, whilst letting us know some of the scheming so that we can be anxious as to how events will play out. As usual her descriptions of London and its citizens give a wonderful picture of the lives of the highest to the lowest members of society. She shows what it was like to be alive at that time and in particular the problems facing single women. This is so much more than a historical mystery; it continues to surprise right to the last page.

Highly recommended and thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

After her husband is murdered, Hannah Cole struggles to make ends meet and keep her confectionery shop open. As Henry Fielding investigates, Hannah turns to new acquaintance William Devereux for support.

However, neither Hannah nor William are entirely what they seem and what follows is an artfully crafted game of cat and mouse set against the highs and lows of eighteenth century London.

A clever historical thriller with fascinating characters. Her best novel yet.

Laura Shepherd-Robinson is a favourite author of mine and this novel demonstrates exactly why. She writes historical thrillers which are witty and compelling with a great deal of historical detail and fully formed characters. There is intrigue, plot twists and romance and a lot of ice cream. Hannah and William were a fantastic fictional couple and I was really rooting for them both. It struck me that not a lot has changed in politics over the years! Having Henry Fielding as the magistrate was a deft touch and I enjoyed the scenes he was in. All in all a brilliant novel and right up there for me alongside 'blood and sugar' , my favourite

Clear your diaries because once you start this deliciously layered and clever historical thriller you will not want to put it down, as the bags under my eyes prove.
Newly widowed Hannah is struggling to keep her father's confectionary shop going as bills increase and her inheritance is bound up in probate (no matter the shop belonged to her father - 18th century law meant once she married it belonged to her now dead husband. Just one of the many jaw dropping details of the plight of women in 18th Century England woven in lightly but impactfully). So meeting William, an unknown friend of her husband who comes with news of investment income she can claim is welcome indeed. Also welcome is his suggestion she add an Italian delicacy to her shop, an iced cream his mother used to make. And that's literally all I can say... It is impossible to give any detailed review of this book without spoilers and so I am going to have to keep this brief because I want every reader to enjoy the non stop twists and turns as much as I did.
What I can say is that once again Laura Shepherd-Robinson employs her research richlyand expertly, every detail authentic, adding texture to the world she conjures up as opposed to showing how much she knows, making this an immersive novel historically and as a thriller. Utterly absorbing, highly recommended.

Another colourful and riveting tale of lies and deceit.

"The Art of a Lie" opens in London, 1749. Widow Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her confectionery shop The Punchbowl and Pineapple, afloat. Since the death of her husband, money has been short, and she has been unable to access his bank account. When Henry Fielding, famous author and new magistrate, appears. claiming her husband was murdered, and that the money in the bank is from the proceeds of crime, things look to get worse. Only when an old friend of her husband's, William Devereux appears, promising to help, do things start to look up. He even suggests to her that she could improve her shop takings by introducing iced cream.

Soon Hannah is drawn into a world of lies, deceit and corruption, not knowing who she can trust. Life for a widow in the 18th century is hard enough, but when certain people start to move in, she realises that there's more at stake then just her shop. As usual, the author tells her story against a colourful and fully rendered background. In this case, 18th century London, with its fine shops, its upper-class gentry and lower class rascals, and readers might very well recognise several famous names. We get to see the light and the dark places, the safe places and the bad, and all populated with characters straight from a Dickens or Hardy novel. Along the way we also learn of some delicious confecti0nery treats.

This book contains several surprises, most of which are revealed to the reader early on, which makes the story all that much more enticing. Knowing certain things brings a different perspective to situations and people. Hannah, Fielding, Deveraux, and others each hides their secrets, and even when they share information, the recipient never know if it's the truth or more lies.

Readers of the authors previous books will love this one, as will fans of Andrew Taylor, Natasha Pulley and Stacey Halls. Thoroughly recommended.

1749, London, and Mrs Hannah Cole is struggling to make a profit at her high end confectionery shop. Since the murder of her husband Jonas three months earlier, tradesmen and suppliers have been taking advantage of her single status and have been inflating their prices. With an apprentice and two workhouse helpers to home and feed, Hannah is despondently thinking that she may have to close the business that was started by her grandfather.

William Devereux, Esquire, wealthy man about town, visits with some good news. Apparently, unknown to Hannah, Jonas had invested money with stockjobber William, and he was in the shop to pay her the quarterly dividend. As they chatted, William mentioned how his mother made him iced cream as a child. Intrigued, Hannah asks about the recipe. This is the start of the ‘friendship’ between the couple as they also battle to unlock the withheld funds of Jonas’ bank account from Henry Fielding, Chief Magistrate of Westminster.

This is not my usual choice of genre, but I did enjoy The Square of Sevens. This book is equally, if not better than TSOS, with both main characters very captivating. Written from their POV, the stories of both Hannah and William are intriguing. Whilst Hannah is the abused wife of Jonas, she is determined to make the best of things, and William is charming and benevolent. Or are they?

A very enjoyable read and I did have a soft spot for William despite his ‘lifestyle’!

Well written and researched, very atmospheric. This author does not shy away from a sad ending scenario, well done! LS-R is definitely a go to writer for me now.

Very useful Historical Note too.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan.

Laura Shepherd-Robinson is fast becoming one of my favourite writers and this book is probably her best one yet. What a superb read. The action takes place in London in 1749. The historical setting is well researched and well done. The characters are wonderful and great fun to read. The narrative shifts between the two main characters and the reader is constantly surprised by their revelations. A lovely, fun, twisty story that kept me engaged all the way through. Highly recommended.

New Shepherd-Robinson? Yes please?
What incredibly good fun!
I felt a bit like one of the old gossiping ladies in the book, when I gasped OUT LOUD at a few things our characters did.
A very entertaining read.
Could even be my favourite by this author, but we do try not to have favourites .
Clever, and fun, and keeps you guessing.

Wow, what a book! This is definitely Laura Shepherd-Robinson's best yet.
Set in 1749, Piccadilly, a young widow, is trying to keep her confectionery shop afloat after the murder of her husband but is barely turning a profit. There is money in her late husbands bank, but Henry Fielding, the famous author-turned-magistrate, thinks it was earned illegally and is threatening to confiscate it.
When William Devereux walks into her shop, claiming to be a friend of her late husband, he tells Hannah about an Italian delicacy called iced cream, Hannah is convinced that this could save her shop.
This is an immersive historical thriller with twists and turns aplenty. Just when you think you've worked an element out, the story twists away in another direction.
Told in a 2-person POV that you get both the main characters' complex back stories.
I loved this.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC

A superb novel by an author that I love, I have read all of her novels and the Square of Sevens was such a masterpiece that I read it twice.
The characters in this novel, particularly Hannah Cole, were exceptionally well drawn and the story was so good, with all the twists and turns, that it kept me enthralled. I do not want to reveal the story or I might spoil it but this is definitely the best book I have read so far this year. World class historical fiction. I cannot recommend this novel too highly, and I would give it more than five stars if I could.

A big fan of the new Laura Shepherd Robinson novel!
A story of a widow in 18th century London who has been left to keep their luxury confectionary shop afloat after the murder of her husband. A visit from one of her husbands friends who seemingly wants to help her cope gives her a lifeline, but is the devilishly handsome William Devereaux all he seems?
A great cat and mouse tale. Lots of twists and turns along with a great insight into life in Georgian London.
Enjoyed this a lot.