The Art Of A Lie
THE ART OF A LIE is a beguiling cat-and-mouse thriller played out across the streets of 18th-century London. From The Sunday Times bestselling author of THE SQUARE OF SEVENS, Laura Shepherd-Robinson.
That’s the trouble with stories, especially the ones you write for yourself. Sometimes you think they've ended, when they've barely begun . . .
London, 1749. Following the murder of her husband in what looks like a violent street robbery, Hannah Cole is struggling to keep her head above water. The Punchbowl and Pineapple, her confectionary shop on Piccadilly, is barely turning a profit. Henry Fielding, the famous author and new magistrate, is threatening to confiscate the money in her husband’s bank account, because he believes it might have been illicitly acquired. And even those who claim to be Hannah’s friends have darker intent.
Only William Devereux seems different. A friend of her late husband, Devereux helps Hannah unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his death. He also tells her about an Italian delicacy called iced cream, an innovation she is convinced will transform the fortunes of her shop – if only she can learn how to make it. But their friendship opens Hannah to speculation and gossip and draws Henry Fielding’s attention her way, locking her into a battle of wits more devastating than anything, even her husband’s murder.
Reviews
Told with authority and panache, Shepherd-Robinson takes us on a breathtaking, tension-filled, kaleidoscopic whirl through the Georgian London of the striving middle classes and those that would prey upon them. A murder, a romance, a con, a woman fighting for her future, and the best desserts in town. This book has it all. Masterful. Historical fiction at its very best.
Laura Shepherd-Robinson has excelled herself with this most artfully constructed novel, which toys with our emotions and plays havoc with our expectations. She has an instinctive feel for the textures of eighteenth-century life - and an almost supernatural knowledge of contemporary confectionary skills and the art of the sophisticated con-trick. Read and enjoy. Historical crime fiction doesn’t get any better than this.
A spellbinding, utterly immersive, meticulously researched novel that grips as a thriller and yet also plunges the reader into a fully realised and vibrant world. The work of a master storyteller.
An irresistible confection to beguile, bemuse, and delight ... with a slither of ice at its heart.
A fast-paced historical narrative that pits two protagonists against each other in a wily battle of wills. Confident, engrossing, and as taut as any thriller.
This book is an absolute treat, with deceit layered on deceit. As always, Laura brings Georgian London to life in all its wit and wickedness. I devoured the story like a bowl of fresh iced cream, and I won't be able to walk the length of Piccadilly without thinking of Hannah Cole and her shop of sweet temptations.
Fiendishly clever and completely gripping. I loved it.
Twisty, atmospheric, wickedly entertaining. Goes down like a gulp of iced cream on a summer's day.
How I long to visit the Punchbowl and Pineapple on Piccadilly… I simply couldn’t look away from THE ART OF A LIE. A story as sweet as ‘iced cream’, as tense as spun sugar, as clever as a trickster and as beautifully written and masterful as everything by the wonderful Laura Shepherd-Robinson. An absolute treat of an historical crime novel. Sheer perfection.
THE ART OF A LIE is a delicious mystery and I savoured every twist and turn. An impeccably atmospheric, startling and clever historical thriller that kept me guessing to the final page. Completely brilliant!
A triumph! A delicious romp of cat and mouse infused with sumptuous plotting, THE ART A LIE is a novel of rich delectable appetites to be savoured right to the very last chapter.
This book is as delicious as the sweet cakes in the Punchbowl and Pineapple. Full of brilliant twists and turns that keeps the reader completely hooked to the final page. Laura just gets better with every book. I adored it.
Nothing short of exceptional.
A thrilling ride through the streets of 18th century London, full of twists and turns, unforgettable characters, evil deeds and delicious food. I loved it.
Richly imagined, fiendishly clever and twisty as hell, this an up-past-midnight page turner from a writer at the top of her game. An absolutely glorious cat-and-mouse tale.
The queen of historical crime has done it again: The Art of a Lie is a propulsive, twisty and immaculately researched mystery, bringing the grime and glamour of Georgian London to roaring life.
Everything I could want in a novel. A scintillating set-up, characters you care about and a plot as silky and sly as the devious protagonists. And everything underpinned by research that is lightly worn while adding a wonderful depth.
With shades of Sarah Waters’ FINGERSMITH, THE ART OF A LIE, is a twisty, turny masterpiece.
A glorious tale of men and women with secrets, love, heartache, deceptions and comeuppances. Historical but also thematically current this is highly recommended.
Astonishing. THE ART OF A LIE is Laura Shepherd-Robinson at the height of her considerable powers. Of course it’s beautifully written and richly detailed, but it’s also fiendishly twisting and properly thrilling. A rare and wonderful story.
A twisty confection as subtle and delicious as one of Hannah's iced creams. I loved it
This book has a notably perfect ending.
Artfully plotted, its world beautifully rendered, THE ART OF A LIE is a glorious tale of double-dealing and desire, of commerce and chicanery, its pages filled with unforgettable characters and exquisite details. I loved it!
Dazzlingly good.
A delicious treat of a book that brings Georgian London vividly to life.
As in her previous work, THE SQUARE OF SEVENS, Laura Shepherd-Robinson takes delight in pulling the rug out from under her readers’ feet and the revelation of the identity of Jonas’s murderer is only the first in a number of narrative surprises she springs on us in this cleverly structured and consistently enjoyable novel.
I loved this enthralling historical caper'
A pleasingly sophisticated and twisty novel.
Laura Shepherd-Robinson is one of the most beguiling historical crime novelists
Brilliantly researched and masterfully told, this page-turner is every bit as delicious as Hannah’s apricot tarts
Captivating and very clever
A plot that is gripping right until the very last.
A beautifully written story with some truly unexpected twists and turns.
A moving and atmospheric joy of a novel.
THE ART OF A LIE tackles the human capacity for dissembling in a richly textured narrative, reminding us that Shepherd-Robinson has few equals in the field of the historical crime novel.
Delicious mystery rife with deceptions, detections and dalliances.
THE ART OF A LIE tackles the human capacity for dissembling in a richly textured narrative, reminding us that Shepherd-Robinson has few equals in the field of the historical crime novel.
One of Shepherd-Robinson’s strengths as a writer is the seamlessly entertaining way she incorporates her research.
If you love a slice of clever, witty and twisty historical fiction, then read this book. You won’t regret it.
A brilliant novel
Rich, immersive.
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