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The Colour of Lies
Orange is the colour of lies...
Anna knows what lies look like. She can see untruths spill from heads and colour the air. Only her sister knows about Anna's synaesthesia and how she can read a person's emotions - even when they're trying to hide them.
Curiosity is bright blue...
When she gets a job as a Mother's Help to a family whose niece, Lily, is missing, Anna is given the lost girl's room and the mystery around Lily begins to haunt her.
And envy is a treacherous yellow...
As rumours and gossip surround the family, Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl. But the more she learns, the fewer people she dares trust and the one the fingers are pointing at, is the one person Anna knows to be innocent. She can see his colours. She just has to find a way to prove it...
Lies colour the air orange, guilt changes it to brown, then violence turns it black.
Anna knows what lies look like. She can see untruths spill from heads and colour the air. Only her sister knows about Anna's synaesthesia and how she can read a person's emotions - even when they're trying to hide them.
Curiosity is bright blue...
When she gets a job as a Mother's Help to a family whose niece, Lily, is missing, Anna is given the lost girl's room and the mystery around Lily begins to haunt her.
And envy is a treacherous yellow...
As rumours and gossip surround the family, Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl. But the more she learns, the fewer people she dares trust and the one the fingers are pointing at, is the one person Anna knows to be innocent. She can see his colours. She just has to find a way to prove it...
Lies colour the air orange, guilt changes it to brown, then violence turns it black.
- GenresThriller
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2018
7 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 8, 2021
Wow…..
Synesthesia is such an interesting topic. Something I’ve never even heard of until reading this book, but has now completely blown my mind!
This book is full of twists, turns and colours which kept me gripped until the end! I would really recommend and will keep an eye out for further books from this author too! X
Synesthesia is such an interesting topic. Something I’ve never even heard of until reading this book, but has now completely blown my mind!
This book is full of twists, turns and colours which kept me gripped until the end! I would really recommend and will keep an eye out for further books from this author too! X
April 24, 2019
3 interesting stars. I liked the concept of this book - Anna who has synaesthesia, enabling her to see people’s emotions as colours, and I grew quite attached to little Daniel, the boy Anna nannies. But the story just didn’t grip me.
December 3, 2022
Vivid and beautiful
November 8, 2018
Book Description
When Anna takes a job with a family whose niece is missing, she finds herself increasingly haunted by the mystery around her disappearance.
As rumours and gossip circle the family, Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl. The more she learns, the less she knows who to trust.
But Anna has her own secret. She knows what lies look like – she can see dishonesty stain the air. Only her sister knows about her synaesthesia and how she can read emotions, even when people are trying to hide them.
Now suspicion is beginning to gather around the one man Anna knows to be innocent. She just has to find a way to prove it……
Review
I found this a very atmospheric and fast paced read. I enjoyed the remoteness of the setting which added to the suspense of the story. (Although at first I didn’t realise it was set in the UK.) Coupled with the fact that Anna wasn’t always able to leave the house worked very well.
The story gets started straight away and all the characters are realistic and believable. I thought the idea of giving the character synaesthesia, where she can see peoples emotions by a coloured aura, was very intriguing. That sense I got of her secretly knowing if there emotional state fitted with what they were saying was very mysterious, almost like spying on someone or trying to catch them out.
The story was interesting and moved along at just the right pace. I read mine a bit at a time each evening which was nice as the time span of the story isn’t very long, so it felt like I was moving through the book at a similar time to the events happening. I also liked how each chapter was ending, leaving you eager to find out what happens next. Equally I think it would have also been enjoyable to read in one go (I wish!).
I couldn’t predict the ending yet there was no sense of being tricked. A great suspenseful read.
When Anna takes a job with a family whose niece is missing, she finds herself increasingly haunted by the mystery around her disappearance.
As rumours and gossip circle the family, Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl. The more she learns, the less she knows who to trust.
But Anna has her own secret. She knows what lies look like – she can see dishonesty stain the air. Only her sister knows about her synaesthesia and how she can read emotions, even when people are trying to hide them.
Now suspicion is beginning to gather around the one man Anna knows to be innocent. She just has to find a way to prove it……
Review
I found this a very atmospheric and fast paced read. I enjoyed the remoteness of the setting which added to the suspense of the story. (Although at first I didn’t realise it was set in the UK.) Coupled with the fact that Anna wasn’t always able to leave the house worked very well.
The story gets started straight away and all the characters are realistic and believable. I thought the idea of giving the character synaesthesia, where she can see peoples emotions by a coloured aura, was very intriguing. That sense I got of her secretly knowing if there emotional state fitted with what they were saying was very mysterious, almost like spying on someone or trying to catch them out.
The story was interesting and moved along at just the right pace. I read mine a bit at a time each evening which was nice as the time span of the story isn’t very long, so it felt like I was moving through the book at a similar time to the events happening. I also liked how each chapter was ending, leaving you eager to find out what happens next. Equally I think it would have also been enjoyable to read in one go (I wish!).
I couldn’t predict the ending yet there was no sense of being tricked. A great suspenseful read.
October 28, 2019
I thought the concept of this book was very interesting and I found that every page brought a new piece of information that left me guessing right up until the very end. However when I got to the end, I felt that the story abruptly finished. We were given answers but a whole chunk of time and explanation was missing. But this is not a reason to not read the book, I really did enjoy it and couldn’t put it down.
December 5, 2018
really enjoyed this book, didn't know about this condition.
July 12, 2019
Quite a good book, revolves around a family needing a nanny, a missing girl and the main character who can read peoples lies and feelings by the colours they put off. Good pressure building tale.
May 20, 2021
Just didn't grip me, loved the idea but couldn't really get into it enough to enjoy what I was reading
July 25, 2021
So you like watching paint dry, then imagine it as a book then this is the book for you. Kept waiting for something to happen and it didn't. Can't believe I wasted so much time on this
July 3, 2023
Such a good book omg!!!
Literally felt empty after o finished it it was that good! I loved when everything started to unravel
Literally felt empty after o finished it it was that good! I loved when everything started to unravel
March 10, 2025
Good idea, poor execution. Anna has synesthesia (she sees emotions as colours), so she can tell when people lie. She gets a job as a nanny for a family whose niece is missing. From the start I was curious about the missing girl. Then I started to lose patience because the main character kept doing things you just wouldn’t do in that situation. And then the ending…that’s where things totally fell apart for me. Everyone loves a twist but it has to actually make sense. The whole premise of Anna essentially being able to read people’s minds is totally pointless when you find out the truth. She should have been able to know. This book is one big plot hole. And unfortunately, the writing wasn't solid enough to redeem it. There were lots of run-on sentences about colours, which felt like an opportunity for the author to just get as descriptive as possible to try and jazz up a weak story. Then there’s the ambiguity with the family dynamics and random old flame subplot that pops up. I feel like I got suckered in by the hook and it didn't live up to the expectations I had.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews