A Lesser Evil

by Lesley Pearse

Would you cross the street if wickedness lived there?

When Fifi moves to London with her bricklayer boyfriend Dan, her mother is outraged. Despite initial feelings of horror at her new surroundings, Fifi finds the freedom from her middle-class family background exhilarating.

Insatiably inquisitive, Fifi is fascinated by her new neighbours and wants to know what goes on behind all those shabby front doors. Why is Yvette, the French dressmaker, such a hermit? Why doesn't widower Frank join his daughter and grandchildren in Australia? And why doesn't the formidable and well-bred Miss Diamond move somewhere smarter?

But most of all she is ghoulishly fascinated by the Muckles who live opposite in terrible squalor. She listens to their violent quarrels, watches their ill-treated and wretchedly unhappy children, and is appalled by all she sees.

When Fifi tries to help the Muckles' youngest child, who has been physically abused by her father, Fifi unwittingly unleashes a chain of events which will not only bring heartache to her and Dan, but terrible danger to all the inhabitants of Dale Street ...

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Crime, Thriller, Contemporary, Mystery

498 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Lesley Pearse is one of the UK's best-loved novelists with fans across the globe and sales of over 2 million copies of her books to date. A true storyteller and a master of gripping storylines that keep the reader hooked from beginning to end, Pearse introduces you to characters that it is impossible not to care about or forget. There is no formula to her books or easily defined genre. Whether crime as in 'Till We Meet Again', historical adventure like 'Never Look Back', or the passionately emotive 'Trust Me', based on the true-life scandal of British child migrants sent to Australia in the post war period, she engages the reader completely.
Truth is often stranger than fiction and Lesley's life has been as packed with drama as her books. She was three when her mother died under tragic circumstances. Her father was away at sea and it was only when a neighbour saw Lesley and her brother playing outside without coats on that suspicion was aroused - their mother had been dead for some time. With her father in the Royal Marines, Lesley and her older brother spent three years in grim orphanages before her father remarried - a veritable dragon of an ex army nurse - and Lesley and her older brother were brought home again, to be joined by two other children who were later adopted by her father and stepmother, and a continuing stream of foster children. The impact of constant change and uncertainty in Lesley's early years is reflected in one of the recurring themes in her books: what happens to those who are emotionally damaged as children. It was an extraordinary childhood and in all her books, Lesley has skilfully married the pain and unhappiness of her early experiences with a unique gift for storytelling.

Reviews

[Phoenix Perpetuale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a softcover edition of A Lesser Evil by Lesley Pears
It was a definitive reading and a good page-turner. It is a story that has the authors' examples in this novel.

[A Red Headed Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

litteraly my favourite book ever, even on the second time reading it!

[Dem · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to follow

[Natalie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite a 5 star read (for me it was a little slow in places) but wow what an incredibly crafted, complex and ultimately intricate tale of the multiple lives of the people who live on Dale Street. Centred largely around Fifi and Dan, the novel manages to inextricably link them to a number of highly complex characters, each with their own unique story; however, it never feels unnecessary or convoluted.

The plot is excellent, the characters range from the most despicable humans you’ll ever encounter to some you’ll never forget. I am so glad to have discovered this author (Woman in the Woods) and will happily be reading my way through the rest of the collection!

[Heather York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lesley Pearse is one of my all time favourite authors, I have read the majority of her books and this was another fantastic example of her amazing story telling. She gets into the depths of her characters and successfully conveys people from all walks of life, good and bad which allows her to connect with every kind of reader. This is an author I turn to when I need an easy read and full escapism from the first page. Pearse is also not afraid of tackling tough subjects as this book demonstrates, the story line touches on the criminal underworld in 1960s London and how innocent people could fall prey to it. It also actually got, I found, quite graphic in parts which is hard to read but however contributed to the back stories to several of the characters in a clever way creating interesting twists.

For anyone that hasn't read Lesley Pearse before I would definitely recommend you try her

[Anna Plishak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Доволі непогана мелодрама, якщо ви подолаєте перші 70  сторінок. У ній є багато таємниць, які приховують жителі однієї з лондонських вулиць. У ній є чимало особистих трагедій, що спіткали кожного із персонажів. І за законами жанру у ній є віра, надія, любов, завдяки яким герої долають життєві труднощі на шляху до щастя.
⠀
Втім, книга не така проста, якою здається на перший погляд. Авторка порушує проблему педофілії та жорстокого ставлення до дітей. Від багатьох описів серце стискається та обливається кров'ю. Є моменти, які реально лоскочуть нерви. Але всі жахіття описані у більш-менш лайтовій формі і, знову ж таки, за законами жанру, хороший хлопець долає всіх негідників - і книга закінчується хеппі-ендом.

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segunda vez que o leio.
Lembrava-se que era um livro que me tinha chocado, mas não me lembrava do porquê nem do quanto.
Um romance à Lesley Pearse. Onde tu pensas que é fofinho e vais a ver e levas com descrições de violações, trafico humano, raptos, assassinatos...

[~ Cariad ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, I love everything this author writes!

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 498

Publisher - Penguin Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Would you cross the street if wickedness lived there?

When Fifi moves to London with her bricklayer boyfriend Dan, her mother is outraged. Despite initial feelings of horror at her new surroundings, Fifi finds the freedom from her middle-class family background exhilarating.

Insatiably inquisitive, Fifi is fascinated by her new neighbours and wants to know what goes on behind all those shabby front doors. Why is Yvette, the French dressmaker, such a hermit? Why doesn't widower Frank join his daughter and grandchildren in Australia? And why doesn't the formidable and well-bred Miss Diamond move somewhere smarter?

But most of all she is ghoulishly fascinated by the Muckles who live opposite in terrible squalor. She listens to their violent quarrels, watches their ill-treated and wretchedly unhappy children, and is appalled by all she sees.

When Fifi tries to help the Muckles' youngest child, who has been physically abused by her father, Fifi unwittingly unleashes a chain of events which will not only bring heartache to her and Dan, but terrible danger to all the inhabitants of Dale Street ...



My Review

Fifi isn't your average girl of the 1960s, she has a career and not falling over herself to get married. When she meets Dan she risks further disapproval from her mother and frozen out from her family, true love will always win. Dan trys to give Fifi everything she deserves, coming from money Fifi has always known the best, choosing Dan introduces her to a new way of life. Moving to London to find work, Fifi follows her husband and meet some of the poorest people and conditions but meets people who teach her about real life. The darker side of the street comes to light, Fifi realises that she is not only next to criminals but a family who abuse their children, exploit anyone who is naive enough to get in their way and who liase with some very dangerous people.

Ooooh I do love Pearse, she has a way of writing that pulls you in and merges you with the characters, feeling the emotions and living the life alongside them. This book, as with the others of hers I have read, covers some hard and emotive subjects. Child abuse, grief, love, lies, violence, murder and terror and just some of the subjects covered in this book. A glimpse into the life of the privileged and that of those struggling to make ends meet, how people respond differently to poverty and how low some people can sink.

A book that packs a punch, I have read Pearse before and I will absolutely read her again, 4/5 for me this time!

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nutty NUUT
pub 2006
ebook>nutty nuut
summer 2013
tbr busting 2013
chick lit
br eng> Bristol then London

Opening: March 1962, Bristol.
'I want to sit down, not eat you!'

A reasonable chick-lit summer read about a legal secretary and her delicious and sincere bit of rough. Above average for the genre.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book absolutely fantastic. I love all of Lesley's books and this was no exception. It was very emotional, had a brilliant storyline and was passionate, intriguing and unputdownable! Anyone who loves family dramas that are hard hitting and emotional will love this!

[Keryn Strachan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book. A real page turner. So many issues explored from the atrocities of war to the British class system in the 1950's. Would make a great movie.

[Leigh van Zyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read quite a few books by Lesley Pearse in the past, I was expecting another roller-coaster ride of emotions to well up while reading this book. Yet even though I expected it, it still surprised me how much I got sucked into the story and how I went from joy to fear and pure disgust with the characters. Needless to say an author like Lesley Pearse who can sweep you up with her writing style the way she does is a true artist and it is always a pleasure to read her books. She has a true knack for capturing human emotions and the complexity of human nature when driven to the extremes.

In this novel we follow the epic love story of Dan and Fifi.
It is your typical love story setting, well mannered upper middle class girl meets working class guy with a harsh past and they end falling deeply in love.
Fifi's mother didn't give Dan a chance and condemned their relationship from the start due to Dan's lower social status. Fifi being madly in love and tired of her mother's interference in her life, throws all caution to the wind and marries Dan after a few months of dating. The move into a cheap flat in Bristol and start a happy life together.
Not long into their newly wed lives, Dan loses his job as a brick-layer due to a lack of jobs in Bristol after a shockingly cold and snowy winter. With money dwindling, Dan's masculinity challenged and their marriage tested, Dan and Fifi decide to try their luck in London where there seems to be an abundance of opportunities.

Dan finds them a cheap but squalid flat on Dale street in a notoriously seedy part of town with inhabitants who have seen many hardships.
At first Fifi feels revulsion and despair at having to live in Dale street but having given up her job and their flat in Bristol, she feels she has no choice but to put on Dan's magic glasses and find a way to see the flat in an new light.

A few weeks in Fifi finds a job that she loves, Dan is earning a decent wage and they spruce the place up quite decently. The couple are happy and view life in an optimistic way. They start befriending some of their neighbours and fall into an easy rhythm for a while. However, there is one family on number 11 that causes all the trouble that goes on. The notoriously wicked Muckle family. The Muckles are considered the filth of the earth with a house that is never cleaned, children that are left to fend for themselves and look malnourished. Alfie and Molly Muckle are known to be as uncouth as they come and sly beyond comprehension. Abusive, up to know good and most likely guilty of multiple crimes, Dan and Fifi are warned to steer clear of the Muckle family.

But Fifi becomes fascinated with watching the Muckles and before she knows it she is wrapped in something bigger than she can imagine with more heinous crimes going on than one could fathom and everything is linked to the Muckle family.

[Sharon]

Loved this book. One of her best

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. It wasn't what I expected.
Bit slow to start with, bit gripping towards the end.

[Susan Devaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice cosy read mystery gossip suspense mushy predictable ending.

[Mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

First lelsey pearse I have read. Many issues covered in this book from family, love, hate, abuse, neglect, violence, criminality.
It could be triggering for some people.
Not sure if all her books are written like this, willi read another , I do prefer a more lighthearted story or at least not so explicit detail.

[Tabniss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wie immer ein spannungsgeladener Roman von Lesley Pearse. Das Cover lässt einen vollkommen falschen Eindruck vom Inhalt entstehen was ich immer etwas schade finde bei ihr, denn statt seichtem Liebesroman handelt es sich auch hier eher um einen Krimi. Fifi heiratet gegen den Willen ihrer Eltern ihre große Liebe Dan, der aus sehr viel einfacheren Verhältnissen stammt als die recht behütet aufgewachsene junge Frau. Um einen Neuanfang zu machen ziehen die beiden nach London in die Dale Street. Diese Straße und die Leute die in ihr wohnen, werden das Leben der beiden für immer verändern! Besonders die kriminelle Familie Muckle von gegenüber. Als deren jüngste Tochter in ihrem Haus vergewaltigt und ermordet wird, kommen die Ereignisse immer mehr ins Rollen. Fifi die ihr Leben lang schon von ihrer Neugier geleitet wurde, versucht herauszufinden was der kleinen Angie widerfahren ist und begibt sich dabei in große Gefahr!
Super spannend und mitreißend erzählt mit viel Dramen, viel Gefühl und einem Einblick dunklen Abgründige der Menschheit!
Wieder mal Daumen hoch :)

[Read With Tarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You will live to regret this” – This is what Clara Brown said when she found out her daughter Fifi secretly married Dan Reynolds, a handsome but itinerant bricklayer.

But Fifi and Dan went and moved away to London to start a new life together. They found a house in a rough estate and Fifi was intrigued by her new neighbours and wanted to know what exactly went on behind all those shabby front doors. Especially the Muckles. She’d listen to their violent quarrels, watch their ill treated and unhappy children and was appalled by what she saw. When she tried to help Angela, the Muckles youngest child, she didn’t know how much danger she’d bring to herself and those all around her…

This book had me hooked. I was up one night til 4am finishing it. It is that good. There is some shocking stuff in it and two really unpleasant scenes, so beware. But I’d really recommend it *-*

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book where horrific circumstances and how people react to it is extremely well presented. I rated this book 4 stars because it is very thought provoking and challenges the question of to "do-good" or to be apathic in adverse circumstances. The characters were playing out this tragic drama very true to their temperaments.

[Kim Bezuidenhout · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, another exciting, chair gripping, lip biting story from Lesley Pearse! Once you start reading this book, it is virtually impossible to put it down. Every book I have read form Lesley Pearse has kept me intrigued and interested all the way to the end. Do yourselves a favour and get this book! You won't regret it!

[Vita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I usually don't like thrillers, but this was surprisingly not so bad.
This is a pretty intense book. So many different things were included in this book: family issues, love, criminals, miscarriage, abuse and other dark things.
I do not recommend this book to a young audiance.

[Linley Crofskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Lesley Pearse has such interesting characters in her books. Didn't want to put it down. A married couple move into a flat in a seedy part of London and Fifi cant resist finding out about all her neighbours much to her danger.

[Aya El Iskandarany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had kept me company through the past two weeks that I wish upon no one. Glad it had a good ending.

[Claire]

What a brillant book. One of her best i have read so far.

[jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sometimes you have to choose between to bad things...At these times we try to choose the lesser of the two evils."

Rating: 4/5

This book talked a lot about how different people react when in horrible circumstances. I can't say this was an easy read because this was quite heavy especially with how people are depicted in this book. The amount of apathy, fear, and other emotions displayed by the different characters are very true to what we see from people in real life. It's sad to see people usually not caring as long as they are not directly affected by something. There are also people too scared to take action despite the clear abuse they are seeing. But then, its fine as long as they're not involved right?

This for me was written nicely. The characters are very diverse, they all have different personalities and secrets. A part of me was annoyed because of Fifi's meddling but I can't help but admire her for not letting things slide even though everyone around her is trying their best to tell her to stop and just let it be. But that's the thing about Fifi, she wasn't afraid to be different and not take any shit from assholes. Yes her inquisitive personality can get annoying but nonetheless in a neighborhood where everyone's too afraid to stand up for what's right, she's the person brave enough to know the truth and tell the world about it. The world we live in is a very scary place where the big take advantage of the small. It won't stop unless we do something to stop it. Afterall, there is strength in numbers. Apathy indeed is as worse as a guilty conscience, in the end the characters in this book were able to slowly learn that if they want change, they actually have to do something to achieve it. I literally got goosebumps with all the revelations (especially Yvette's and I loved her character!). A really good read that helped me reflect on what our reality is. There really are evil people lurking around.

[Emma Liversage Lourens · Rating 2 out of 5]

TRIGGER WARNING: This book should have a major trigger warning for extreme child abuse, extreme child sexual assault and extremely graphic descriptions. The cover and the info at the back are quite deceiving and give you no idea that the book is going to be this graphic. I wish there could be some sort of forewarning. I mean, the pretty picture of a girl in front with the following beginning of a love story gives no indication of the horrific things you will later read. It will be extremely triggering to many people and victims. I understand that this is an important topic that needs to be discussed because it is a reality, but there is a time and a place and a different sort of book. I truly did not expect it in this book. It literally gives no indication of the graphic nature whatsoever. Some of us would just like to read a nice, intelligent book without reading about graphic child rape and murder. In extremely graphic detail as well, let me just add. It's disturbing.
Another note, the 2 main characters come across as extremely annoying, whiny, and childish, and yet they are supposed to be some sort of "heros" in this horrendous story? They are not likable the majority of the time.

[Helga Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifi, a young woman a bit immature and nosy but with a golden heart. Will she ever "grow up", will there ever be peace between her and her mother Clara? This young woman undergoes a year not to be forgotten, from meeting the love of her live to being abducted and nearly starving to death. Will the Muckles of Number 11 be brought to justice? And what would you say is the lesser evil?

I absolutely loved Fifi as the main character, but each and every co-character Dan, Stan, Frank, Nora Diamond, Yvette had a intriguing story of their own, and you could not but be part of each and every one's lives no matter how sad.

An absolute thrilling read. I love each an every Lesley Pearse book and can's wait the start reading the next one.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, I did expect to because I have read other Lesley Pearse books and loved those so I think I would have been more surprised if I hadn't liked it.

There were parts that were hard to read but they were relevant to the story and were handled in a sensitive way.

I loved the plot twist as I didn't see that coming, I wasn't sure if the people that were being accused of the crimes were actually guilty but I didn't expect it to be the person it was.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like mystery/crime stories as through the whole book you can keep changing your mind as to who did it.

[Kate M · Rating 3 out of 5]

the book started as what I thought was going to be a love story and I nearly didn't continue. It was a bit soppy in places, but certainly in parts was not at all what I expected, and told a story about a very seedy, nasty part of life. Reading about Lesley Pearces' life and how she weaves her history into her books was good to hear, and You could see this come through in A Lesser Evil. At times I felt that the complex lives of the people living in the street was a bit OTT, but perhaps that is the nature of the lives of people who live in a 'poor' area. In saying all of that, it was a good easy read with the end ramping up, and wanting to know what happened.