Little Lies

The Child Thief #4

by Bella Forrest

"I’ve got orders to take you in, immediately!”

Reunite with Robin, Jace, and their team, as they dive deeper into Nathan's well-meaning, yet complex plan...

Pre-order now!

*Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts*

Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction

410 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2018

About the author

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2024:

BELLA IS BACK!

*** New, updated online store at https://BellaForrest.com

*** New books coming soon

*** Possible Film/TV series coming soon

*** Stay up to date by joining our e-mail list at https://BellaForrest.com/join

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Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012.

Check out her website for a full list of her books: https://BellaForrest.com

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellaForrest...

Here's a list of some of Bella's books:

DARKLIGHT

Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
Darkfall (Book 7)
Darkwilds (Book 8)
Darkhunt (Book 9)

A LOVE THAT ENDURES (Trilogy)
A Love that Endures 1
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3

HARLEY MERLIN AND THE SECRET COVEN

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn's Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary
Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift (Book 18)
Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere (Book 19)
Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters (Book 20)
Persie Merlin and the Dying Song (Book 21)

THE CHILD THIEF

The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)

HOTBLOODS

Hotbloods (Book 1)
Hotbloods (Book 2): Coldbloods
Hotbloods (Book 3): Renegades
Hotbloods (Book 4): Venturers
Hotbloods (Book 5): Traitors
Hotbloods (Book 6): Allies
Hotbloods (Book 7): Invaders
Hotbloods (Book 8): Stargazers

THE GENDER GAME

The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)

THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE

Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

Books 1 to 7

Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

Books 8 to 16

Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero...

Books 17 to 24

Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

Books 25 to 32

Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

Books 33 to 41

Season 6: A Gift of Three

Books 42 to 50

Season 7: A Call of Vampires

Books 51 to 59

Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

Books 60 to 68

Season 9: A Birth of Fire

Books 69 to 77

Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)

Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
An Isle of Mirrors (Book 88)
A Sanctuary of Foes (Book 89)
A Ruler of Clones (Book 90)
A Gate of Light (Book 91)
A Dawn of Worlds (Book 92) ➜ Coming soon!

Reviews

[Empress Reece (Hooked on Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everytime I think Robin has finally moved from a complete amateur to a somewhat beginner Little John operative she does something exceedingly annoying again. They need a little more training besides a three day cram session or something. I'm starting to think Robin's just going to drive me nuts this entire series no matter what she does. : )

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Little Lies” the fourth book in the intriguing “Child Thief” series opens with Robin, Jace and their friends on the run from the Authority that’s labelled them traitors. Fearing they’re being tracked by government satellites, hoping to find refuge in the Convent and to find medical help for the injured Jackie, they quickly discover the nuns and children in hiding, Jace’s sister Rhea missing and are dependent on Zion who they think betrayed them for a way out of danger.

As the plot heats up Robin and Jace discover not only a refuge in the Little John organization where Jackie can be cared for, discover answers to Nathan’s complex plans to bring down the Burchard Regime’s Ministry but they begin engaging in missions to uncover valuable information about the government’s holding centers.

Fast-paced and action-packed this roller-coaster adventure intensifies as Nathan and Corona let their guards down, revealing tightly held secrets as Robin, Jace and their team get swept up in Little John missions. Yet as they learn more about the inequities in society, the dark political climate that steals children from the poor and the promise of a brighter future inherent in the Little John organization, Robin still “hopes” that one day she’ll uncover details about her past as well as find her infant daughter while Jace probes for the location of his sister.

As danger swirls around the team and Ant hovers near the recovering Jackie, the romance between Robin and Jace faces a bumpy road with Henry looking for more from her than just friendship. All too quickly the plot progresses to an exciting climax that promises more answers and adventure in the next book.

Among the familiar faces that pour energy into this imaginative story are sixteen-year-old Gabby the clever and committed hacker who comes to stay with her family at the deserted factory in the wilderness; Robin’s first boyfriend the flirtatious and adventurous Henry; and rich, intuitive and smart Nathan, the leader of Little John.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Little Lies” and look forward to the next thrilling encounter as the saga continues.

[nat _lovestoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally Little John 😏

Finally we get to know more about Little John, this book was so intense and full of action, suspicion, discoveries, danger... I was so stressed in some parts, I felt like I was right there with our Hood team!!! 😰... But also some really touching scenes like Robin and Jace's and, of course, finally having a clue about Robin's daugther!!! 🤗... OMG, can't wait to find out!!! 🤓

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone else?

Does anyone be else want to strangle Nathan and Corona for their half truths and info? I'm surprised Robyn let's then get away with it. She asked why they should put their lives on the line and barely gets an answer back. Anyway...
They sorry was better, with a defined plot, climax, and resolution. Action was great and a few questions answered. I don't expect all the answers until the end but a few more would be nice. I'm worried about Henry and what part he will play in the last two books. Also happy to see Robyn's romance FINALLY building. Another solid 4 stars.

[Megan Amaral · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, out of all the books, this one and the first one tie for my favorites in the series. After all the back and forth and the chasing in book 3, I am actually happy that we finally are getting some answers in this book! Plus, I am pumped that I was right in my last review; with the introduction of Henry coming back into Robin's life, it made Robin and Jace think about their relationship and finally have a conversation. As the reader, we already knew how Robin felt about Jace without telling him, but I kind of understood why Jace would feel a little insecure. Henry came back in Robin's life as her "old friend" and Henry just could not stop flirting with her. I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed it because I've been dying for Robin and Jace to talk about something, especially how Robin seemed to be back and forth in the first 3 books. But after 3.25 books, we finally got a kiss and many more kisses throughout this book. It honestly made me feel bad for Henry, but it seemed that after they arrived at Litle John's home base, we just don't hear from him a lot. I am hoping that we get to see more Robin, Henry, and Jace teamwork in book 5, going through the files Nelson extracted from their mission to find out where Hope is and form a plan to go and save her.

My hopes for the next book? Well besides more Jace and Henry team-building and probably co-parenting in the future (almost like a Michael and Raphael situation from Jane the Virgin), I hope to finally find out who RObin's parents are and her trying to form a plan to save Hope. I'm hoping that they save her before the big finale and it isn't just some random ending note for the series.

And the reason why I couldn't give this book over a 3.5 star rating is that I felt like nothing really happened in this book. Basically, if I could summarize this book in a few lines it would be, the team found Zion at the convent that Rhea was hiding and he took them to Nathan and Corona and Little John's home base. They both welcomed their team and told them that Operation Hood was one of many Little John feeder groups waiting to see if they had the potential to join the big guys in their missions and that every mission that they encountered in books 1 and 2 were actually orchestrated by Little John. Nathan and Corona give the absolute minimum of information to Robin's team which frustrates everyone. Jace confronts Robin with his feelings, they kiss and then decide to break into Little John to find more information. They get caught by Nathan and Corona and they tell them a little more information, but enough to get Robin on board to go on a huge mission to break into one of the governments holding buildings to bug their main computer to copy all government archives. After a lot of hiccups and them killing all the guards, they escape and Nelson copied a set of archives for her and Robin to find out where their children are at. PLUS, the dialogue was super cringy. People do not talk like how Zion or Nathan talked to Robin.

My theories for the next book and/or series? There was this WEIRD and not subtle story of how Nathan used to be in rich high class and fell in love with Corona who was poor and they formed little John because the class system wasn't fair and that they had a daughter. Nothing else was said about their daughter, but we assume that she was taken away by the government. But we have no idea. It was never brought up again. My theory? I think that Robin is Nathan and Corona's daughter. There is something about the writing that Nathan and Corona always seem to stare at Robin or talk to her or compliment her a little more or longer than anyone else in her party. I also think that Robin's daughter Hope has been adopted by her old foster parents just because it would make it harder for her to kidnap her as well as it would be very emotional for her to go back to her old home and life. ALSO, because in book one Robin mentioned that she would hope that her foster parents would adopt her daughter when she gave birth because they always talked about wanting to adopt another baby and how it would be perfect. It would be a nice little tie in.

[Kasandra Kurutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! It was nice to see everyone get a reprieve from running, hiding and running some more! Getting ready for some more serious action, questions answered, more formulated. Not so concerned about any complications of a love triangle, whew… Because of the whole outline of this story I feel very personally invested, Of course, this is also attributed to the writing, I even dreamt of being in this story and that has not happened in some time!

[Denise Esh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only two more books to go and I'm on the edge of my seat! The group joining with Little John's group has seemed so amazing, yet of course still treacherous. The ending of this book really has me anxious for the next one to see where things will go next. I know it's not going to be easy, but I am so looking forward to the happy ending for this series. There has been so much heartache for everyone and I just hope that it all resolves the way my heart wants it to!

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Child thief 4

Such a wonderful story. So glad that robin and her group got to join the group and that Nelson was able to find info on the list children they had. Can't wait for have and robin make it all about them. I wonder who henry will find. This is such and amazing story that it's hard to write about especially because I don't want to give the story away. One thing I can say is that once you start reading this story it really grabs your attention. Very well written

[Elizabeth✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much better than the last one! I have FINALLY got some answers that I have been wondering. The relationship finally developed (at least enough for me). The missions were similar, but not exactly the same. I found out more about Edgewood and what it was like.

It was a MUCH better book and I enjoyed reading it more! I just started the next book and I’m finally excited about this series again!😍

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing, amazing read!!! It was so thorough, so nonstop, and fantastic from start to finish! I didn't think it was possible to fall further in love with the characters but I definitely did. So many questions were answered throughout and the suspense was incredible. I wish there were more stars to give for review! I am going to be counting down the days until the next one.

[amber eagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

I have read every thing Bella has written and published that's available on amazon. I am in love with all her characters as I am knee deep in the shade series, the child thief series, haley marvin series, and just finished spellshadowmanor series.... amazing characters, amazing stories, and I love all the stories with in the stories. ❤❤❤

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bella put so much into this book that I loved. From romance to questions answered to heroic adventures and an incredible devotion to friends who are now family. This story is packed full of adventure with Robins group and once again, Bella’s female lead shows out her dedication to her role. She is absolutely a badass as she fights for what is right. Can’t wait to get into book 5!

[Kirsty Maule · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am ready for the ending now

I need the full series in my brain right now. I’ve spent nearly a week reading this series now and I can’t get through them fast enough. I just need to know the big secrets and the conclusion. There is a lot of running scenes and fight scenes and I need more explanation of what is going on to give me more to think about.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

Having waited months for this book to come out, it was great to have some pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Still plenty of suspense with a fast paced read. Now I just have to way for the next book in the series.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved

I’ve waited a month for the release of this book and it was worth it. The cliffhanger from the previous book is satisfied from the start. Robin and Jace are moving up in the world and so is their relationship. No cliffhanger in the book! Can’t wait for book 5!
Hope!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

This book is full of action and I am happy to see Robin and Jace finally admit to their feelings for each other. I am relieved that Jackie will be alright and can’t wait for Ghost towns to come out.

[Syletia Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read!

If you are reading Bella Forrest then you are missing out. She has something for everyone! The Child Thief series is well written and feels very realistic while in the story.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much going on with robin

This book is very intense,
Is non stop mission. Is like they don't rest. The entire story
Has me biting my nails.
I'm thrill of robin and face.
Can't wait the next journey

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 4 is amazing in details.

This series goes into how the governor is stealing babies, children and teens from families. It was thought only the poor had to give up their children but evidence is showing there is more going on than meets the eye.

[Chris Knight-waechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just Wow!

I just love this series! I was a long wait between book 3 and book 4... not really long in the scheme of things but ugh, a wait just the same. Great story and characters continue. Well done Bella!

[Gina Minard-Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the book in this series, this is my favorite by far. Less repetitive explanations, less mystery that was getting weary, but plenty of mystery that has piqued my interest. Character development was not rushed, and the story line has matured nicely.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, we know much more now

This book carries on the series in a fast paced, almost crazy fast, manner. Lots more to the story and what is happening with Robin and the “merry band” from OH+ and how they deal with The Authority and the Ministry.
On to book 5!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally a Page Turner

This book answered sooo many questions. I finally got to the point in the series where I couldn’t put the book down. If possible I now have more questions than I did when the book started.

[Chasidy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has become one of my favorite series. This series keeps me wanting more. I love the characters.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow !!!

I can’t believe she’s done it again another amazing book. I’m excited for the next book in the series and can’t believe it’s almost over 😭.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! This book was great and i hope it never ends. I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

[Melanie Sears · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few questions were answered but the important ones left for the next book.

[Dania Mcclanahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing

[Chelsy Lyles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot

I enjoy the plot to these books but the writing style is a bit repetitive, I keep reading though because I want to see how the story ends

[Michelle Lippert · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok, entertaining enough to read before bed