One Lie Too Many: When the truth is buried, the heart pays the price.

by A.J. Taylor

Post-war Britain is changing. Vincent Duckworth begins his working life as an office boy in a struggling textile mill. Bright, driven, and disarmingly likeable, he has his eye on the top – and on Alice, the girl he loves.
Vincent’s rise to mill manager is swift – but not without compromise. He wins contracts for fabric woven with asbestos, convincing himself it’s safe. His conscience whispers warnings he chooses to ignore.
But has his ambition blinded him to the truth?
Will the lie at the heart of his success stay hidden?

One Lie Too Many is a powerful exploration of moral compromise, love lost and found, and the dangerous comfort of self-deception.

388 pages, Paperback

Published August 24, 2025

Reviews

[Anthony Powers]

Reflecting the working-class theme, the style of One Lie Too Many is simple and engaging. The pace can be captured if I say this work is reminiscent of 19th century novels serialised in magazines where every episode (or chapter) ends with the reader eager to move on to the next instalment. Also, there is a brooding, restless presence transmitted in the writing that is unsettling and ominous.
The present tense delivery lends an immediacy and intimacy to the rapidly evolving plot, there is a keen sense of place evoked, and fine characterisation so the reader becomes involved and identifies with the main personages.
This novel is partly a Bildungsroman tracing a path from callow youth through to man-of-the-world within the medium of the declining Lancashire Cotton Mill Industry, where desperate and dangerous practices unfold. The protagonist, Vincent, faces and overcomes many challenges. Romance-wise, the story features two prominent and resourceful women, Doreen and Emily, but our hero never loses sight of Alice, his first love. The reader is made to wait anxiously for the outcome.
The book references the cultural, social, political and imperial changes of post-World War Two, mostly through and around the activities associated with Bankside Mill and the cast of characters. Problems, worries and dangers are legion.
The mill becomes a character with which Vincent has a love-hate relationship, and nurtures and also manipulates. He has to convince himself that the actions he has taken are for the best. However, his moral dilemma is not so easily reconciled as he feels his world and future plans imploding, and he finds the ultimate solution.
The reader is left to reflect, and may come to view these characters in a new light, plus even to ponder Socrates’ proposition that injustice harms the doer and justice benefits the doer.
The book is difficult to put down and I challenge anyone who does not find it interesting and enthralling.
Anthony M. Powers, M.B., Ch.B., B.A.

[Caroline Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting, thought provoking novel this is. It was a real page turner which I read and thoroughly enjoyed over three days. Set in the forties/fifties it describes the lives of workers in the mills, the conditions they worked in and the introduction of asbestos yarn which caused such devastating illnesses and deaths to the weavers. Today the effects of breathing in asbestos dust all those years ago is still claiming lives. The characters, their interactions are very well described and the twists and turns make this novel really come alive. The main character Vincent is so believable and we see how he was led to continue the use of asbestos for what he thought were good reasons. This is not just a novel about conditions in the mills: it is a love story, a man’s struggle to improve himself, a depiction of love and kindness in a community and the effects of ambition and greed. Beautifully written too. I highly recommend it - there is something to interest anyone.

[Mary Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, this is a gripping read, but it is much more besides. The main character, Vincent, is determined not to follow in his father's footsteps, which have led the family from prosperity to poverty. Intelligent and ambitious, he forges a high-flying career in what turns out to be a struggling textile mill - struggling because labour is cheaper elsewhere and times are changing.

To save jobs and protect the close-knit community he loves, he becomes a key advocate of a fateful decision that does long-lasting harm and eventually ruins his hope of personal happiness with the woman he loves.

The villain here is asbestos, the effects of working with which are still felt by some today. Thoroughly researched and fluently written, though set in the mid-twentieth century this novel offers food for thought that is still highly relevant today.

[Georgia Kaufmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A J Taylor's debut evokes the atmosphere of post-war decline of the cotton mill towns and the febrile attempts to turn it round. Vincent, a brilliant young man tries to overcome the failings of his parents and forge a better future for himself and the mill where his friends work. As the plot unfolds, and his bids to improve the future of the mill and job security become more creative, he learns that the truth is not always helpful. Taylor deftly weaves the complex threads of industrial relations, international economic forces, and ties of friendship rooted in the local work force into a compelling drama. I had to slow down my read for the last few chapters as the sense of dread grew. A fantastic exploration of the cost of deceit, and the conflict between worldly ambition and love.

[Paul R · Rating 5 out of 5]

AJ Taylor’s book One Lie Too Many is a brilliant read. It is extremely well written. The excellent story, with its many twists and turns, is exquisitely set in a profound sense of time and place. The author has researched the topic at the heart of the story in detail and deals with it sensitively, whilst pulling no punches about its danger and consequences. The characters are expertly crafted, enabling the reader to feel part of the story as it unfolds. The story is seamlessly connected throughout, making it a real page turner.
I read a lot of books. This is an absolute corker ! Congratulations to A.J.Taylor. I look forward to your next book !

[Louise Muddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong plot driven novel. Fast paced and well written, so easy to read. Set in a northern mill town post war it has the feel of a kitchen sink drama but with an original plot about weaving centred on a terrible moral dilemma for the protagonist Vincent. I could see this making a good TV drama. Completely coincidentally I read the final chapter sitting in a converted mill building just outside Manchester which added poignancy!

[Aileen Ransom · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Lie Too Many is a great read. An interesting story with well developed characters. The book is well written and the author has clearly researched the social history of the time. It paints a good description of working in a textile mill in Lancashire in the 50s and 60s. I enjoyed this book and was eager to know how the story concluded.

[Paul Bewicke · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Lie Too Many, a tale well told, takes place in and around a mill town in Lancashire between 1947 and 1959. I was born in one and so much of the background to the plot rang true to the time and place, including connections I was unaware of back then. Congratulations to the author on combining detailed research with credible characters and a serious subject matter. The result is a gripping good read that made this reader stop and think at several levels. Most impressive!

[Jackie Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great read - very Pat Barker (or Sally Wainwright) - involving, moving and original with a strong setting in the story of the North. Very filmable