Originally published: 5 September 2019

Author: Adele Parks

Published by: HQ Stories

Genre: Domestic Noir

Length: 448 pages

Reading dates: 2-6 September 2019

I met Adele Parks a few years ago at a charity event on Worthing Pier and she was great to listen to and chat to, so when I saw she had a new book out, I was really keen to take part in the blog tour.

I also discovered that I have a little connection to this story that I had completely forgotten about. Back in November 2017, Adele asked for help on Facebook wanting to talk to someone who worked in the prison system.  I contacted my friend who works in a prison library who got in touch with Adele.  Anyway, they had a chat and I forgot all about it.  Very excited last night to unexpectedly see my friends name in the acknowledgements!  Anyway, onto the book…

Lies Lies Lies tells the story of teacher Daisy, her husband Simon and their much longed for daughter Millie, whom they conceived naturally after many gruelling rounds of IVF – their miracle baby.  They are for the most part a happy family – Millie is a talented dancer and they have a close circle of friends.  Simon likes to have a drink now and then and sometimes it gets out of hand but Daisy has learned to accept it.  When Simon instigates a visit to a fertility specialist to see if they might be able to conceive a sibling for Millie, he discovers that perhaps Millie isn’t his after all.  Convinced that Daisy has had an affair and has been lying to him, he goes on a massive drinking spree at a party, with devastating consequences for them all.

Capturing family life perfectly, Lies Lies Lies is an engrossing story of the devastating effects alcoholism can have on a family.  Simon drinks a lot and sometimes it gets out of hand and sometimes he can function normally.  For the most part they are happy – they both dote on Millie and she is a much loved daughter, full of life and energy.  The tragic events after the party, leave Simon in jail with Daisy unable to forgive him.

What I thought would be quite a straightforward story, ended up being thrilling, exciting and shocking and kept me totally enthralled!  Adele Parks has a great talent for writing engrossing stories – this was quite a long book (more than the obligatory 368 pages anyway!) but at no point did it drag.

It explores the effects alcoholism can have on a family – both from Daisy’s point of view (the embarrassment Simon causes her and also her having to care for him when he gets in a state) but also from the alcoholic’s point of view (always thinking about how to get the next drink and even when he is forced to give it up in prison, how the need for a drink never truly goes away).

I really enjoyed this – a great dark domestic story. The characters were well written and believable and I found my sympathies shifting back and forth throughout the book! This is Adele’s 19th book (I’ve just checked and I’ve read 8 of them) and as far as I’m concerned she has gone from strength to strength.  This would make a great TV series!

Many thanks to Isabel at HQ Stories for sending me an advance copy and for inviting me on the blog tour.  Be sure to check out the other stops below…

About the author:

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, England. She studied English Language and Literature, at Leicester University. She published her first novel, Playing Away, in 2000; that year the Evening Standard identified Adele as one of London’s ‘Twenty Faces to Watch.’ Indeed Playing Away was the debut bestseller of 2000.
Adele has spent her adult life in Italy, Botswana and London, up until two years ago when she moved to Guildford, where she now lives with her husband and son.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adeleparks
Website: https://www.adeleparks.com/