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Once upon a Lie

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Once upon a Lie

By: Lisa Ballantyne
Narrated by: Sarah Barron
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About this listen

 'GRIPPING, TENSE AND MOVING' Claire McGowan

'A PAGE-TURNER OF A THRILLER' Saskia Sarginson

'TENSE AND SHOCKING' Renee Knight

'I WAS ABSOLUTLEY GRIPPED' Karen Dionne
________

Clare and Lorraine have been friends since college and trust each other with their lives. So when Lorraine, a single mother, needs a much-needed night away without her children, she calls on Clare and her husband Sam to look after them. They're godparents - what could go wrong?

While Clare and Sam believe the children to be asleep, the unimaginable happens and Clare finds baby Theo lifeless in his room. The police are called. Statements are taken. But the biggest nightmare for any parent is about to spiral out of control.

Because a lie has been told. An enormous and terrible one.

Out of Clare, Sam and Lorraine, one of them isn't telling the truth . . .
________

A thrilling, emotional page-turner about the lies we tell to keep the ones we love safe, from the Richard & Judy Book Club bestselling author.

What everyone is saying about Lisa Ballantyne's thrillers:

'Gripping' Clare Mackintosh

'Sophisticated, suspensefu' Lee Child

'Tense' Sunday Times

'Unsettling and compulsive' Rosamund Lupton

'Moving' Guardian

'Emotionally intense' Richard & Judy Book Club

'Grips like a vice' Daily Mail

'Thought-provoking' Gilly Macmillan

'Tense' Rachel Abbott

'A page-turner' Daily Express

'I couldn't get this book out of my head' Jenny Colgan

'Outstanding' Daily Record©2020 Lisa Ballantyne (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK Crime Fiction Fiction Suspense Crime

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All stars
Most relevant  
Amazing book
Unique and believable storyline with so many different facets. Did not predict the end at all which makes it more enjoyable. Will be following this author closely now.

Highly recommended

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Story was ok but the backwards and forwards in time was confusing as the reader did not change her tone - also quite monotonous voice.

A good twist

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What a great read really good. A real page turner definitely recommend. The characters really good and loved the fact set in Edinburgh.

Brilliant

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Loved the excellent writing, and the narrator who truly brought the characters to life. However one star knocked off due to guessing very early in the book who had murdered the boy. This knowledge did detract from my overall enjoyment as I felt it was so obvious. Nevertheless a very good audiobook.

Almost perfect

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I’m not keen on reviews as they can put people right off or encourage them to listen. They also say too much at the very beginning when the ending is almost disclosed. I guessed at the beginning of this but the ending still revealed a surprise. I wanted to stop listening half way through because it’s a sad story throughout, but I’m glad I stuck with it.This review isn’t telling you much only that it’s a book worth listening to but be aware it’s a sad, sensitive subject.

A sad story, one I almost stopped listening to but glad I didn’t

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Guessed the ending very early on but I still enjoyed it. The narrator just sounds so depressed!

Good book

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loved the way this story dealt with the cycle of pregnancy and miscarriage, the raw pain of endless loss of a child with a real and honest empathy. Then it led us through the fallout of that loss, the endless aftermath of despair, guilt, separation; the slow rebuilding of a life that is different. Then there's that twist at the end.....

the raw pain of it

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One of my favourite books is Lisa Ballantyne's The Guilty One, this new book is good but not in the same league. Essentially a child dies whilst in the care of friends understandably the fall out sees the friendship torn apart and lives changed forever. The characters are beautifully developed and I felt real empathy for the two women. The narration was also very good. I did sort of guess the end and found the lead up to the twist brilliant and very clever. A very satisfying listen from a good author.

Great book from one of my favourite authors

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Excellent, I really enjoyed this book and the audio was brilliant.
I highly recommend it.

Excellent

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It kept my attention but I think the twist was very obvious. It was a very easy listen.

Good listen but nothing special

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