Once Upon a Lie

The truth can hurt

But a lie can kill . . .

The gripping and emotional new thriller from the Richard & Judy Book Club and international bestselling author of The Guilty One.

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 . . .

Praise for Lisa Ballantyne:

‘Sophisticated, suspenseful, unsettling’ Lee Child

‘Gripping and emotionally charged’ Clare Mackintosh

‘Tense’ Sunday Times

‘Moving, insightful’ Guardian

‘Emotionally intense’ Richard & Judy Book Club

‘Unsettling and compulsive’ Rosamund Lupton

‘Grips like a vice’ Daily Mail

‘Thought-provoking and clever’ Gilly Macmillan

‘Tense; moving’ Rachel Abbott

‘A page-turner’ Daily Express

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

‘Outstanding’ Daily Record