discover the gripping no. 1 bestseller behind the award winning hbo sensation starring reese witherspoon, nicole kidman & meryl streep ________ perfect families, perfect houses, perfect lives. three mothers, jane, madeline and celeste appear to have it all, until they find out just how easy it is for one little lie to spiral out of control . . . single mum jane has just moved to town. she's got her little boy in tow - plus a secret she's been carrying for five years. on the first day of the school run she meets madeline - a force to be reckoned with, who remembers everything and forgives no one - and celeste, the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare, but is inexplicably ill at ease. they both take jane under their wing - while careful to keep their own secrets under wraps. but a minor incident involving the children of all three women rapidly escalates: playground whispers become spiteful rumours until no one can tell the truth from the lies . . . it was always going to end in tears, but how did it end in murder? ________ 'blame and guilt, forgiveness and retribution, love and betrayal. a tense, page-turning story . . . a great read' mail on sunday 'blending romance, comedy and mystery, this is a wonderful book - full of brains, guts and heart' sunday mirror 'a hell of a good book. funny and scary' stephen king 'brilliant, standout, superbly clever. moriarty writes vividly, wittily and wickedly' sunday express liane moriarty's books have sold over 2 million physical copies in the uk, nielsen book scan, june 2024