Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough

Cross Her Heart

by Sarah Pinborough

From the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes, now a Netflix sensation! WARNING: Will keep you up all night Lisa tells lies.

Most of them are small white lies intended to make the life of her daughter, Ava, easier.

But her biggest lie of all about to be exposed.

Because Lisa is lying to everyone. 

Lisa isn’t who she says she is. 

Lisa isn’t even called Lisa at all. 

Her real name is Charlotte Nevill and as a child she was convicted of the brutal murder of her half-brother, Daniel.

Someone out there knows the truth. They’re determined to make Lisa pay. And they won’t stop until everything she loves is destroyed. 
 
‘Brilliantly clever and compelling, loved it!’ B A Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors

‘A pacy, twisty thriller that will hook you with its first few pages’ Stylist

Cross Her Heart is about three interesting women and some nasty men. To say more would reveal a powerful plot’ The Times

‘Heart-breaking in places, twisty as hell’ C.L. Taylor, author of Strangers

‘Sarah Pinborough does it again with this disturbing descent into a heart of darkness’ Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home

‘A powerful, twisty thriller’ Michelle Frances, author of The Girlfriend

‘Once the first reveal hits you in the face, you’ll be lucky if you can put the book down to go to bed… and if you can get to sleep when you do’ Independent

‘A dark and compulsive read’ Woman & Home

Reviewed by Kim Deister on

5 of 5 stars

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This is my second book by this author, another psychological, although this one didn’t have the semi-paranormal ending that Behind Her Eyes did.

The story is told primarily through the alternating perspectives of Lisa, Ava, and Marilyn, all three of whom have secrets of their own. Each of their chapters reveals a little more about their character, about their secrets. The first third of the book is fairly slow-paced, but that’s not a negative thing. It allows the reader to get to know the three narrators, and to learn their secrets. Then the action picks up, and we are taken on a wild ride.

Cross Her Heart is as much a character-driven story as it is plot driven. At first, Lisa seems to be another helicopter mother, Ava her rebeliious daughter. Marilyn seems to have the idyllic life, the perfect marriage. But as the veil is lifted away, the reader discovers so much more to them.

I loved the plot just as much. The secrets, the twists and turns, the way it all came together. It was riveting. But there were some dark moments, moments that tugged at my soul. Yet those moments were the ones that allowed me, as a reader, to really feel for the characters. I couldn’t put it down!

This is a thriller I highly recommend.

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Reading updates

  • 14 May, 2022: Started reading
  • 18 May, 2022: Finished reading
  • 24 May, 2022: Reviewed