One Little Lie asks the question ‘does a mother ever really know their child?’ It follows the journey of two mothers who have lost their sons, one to murder, and one to prison.

Alice is the mother of a killer. Her son is in prison for murder and she bears the guilt of someone who blames herself. Her support group for parents with troubled children can only help so much. She knows only the forgiveness of one woman will alleviate her guilt.

Deborah is the mother of the murdered boy. She wants nothing more than to get her son back, to the detriment of her marriage. When she loses her job she realises that she can’t forgive anyone for what happened to her son.

Alice is obsessed with getting Deborah’s forgiveness, but when she starts seeing Connie, a therapist, she soon learns how one little lie can send everything out of control.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, it was definitely interesting. It’s a character-driven story, with Alice and Deborah trying to work through their guilt and sadness.

Connie adds the intrigue as she gets tangled up in their situation. When doing some consulting work she realises she is dealing with Alice’s son, and against her better judgement, uses that fact to get him to talk to her.

This was where I started to wane a bit with this book. I found it a bit unbelievable that she would compromise her entire job by telling Kyle that his mother was seeing her. It seemed completely unprofessional to me.

I was also dumbfounded when Connie didn’t tell Lindsey, her roommate and member of the police, that Kyle had dropped a phone in her letterbox. How stupid can you be? You live with a policewoman, why wouldn’t you tell her about the strange messages you’re getting from the murderer in prison???

There was a lot about Connie that I didn’t really get to be honest. She clearly had a backstory that was alluded to every now and again but never really explained.

I found out after I read the book that this is Sam Carrington’s second book involving Connie (the first is Bad Sister). I haven’t read the first book, so I can’t be sure, but I assume that all of this backstory is what happens in that, so I do think it should be said somewhere that this books should be read first. You don’t necessarily need to for the story of this book, but I think it might make Connie a bit more readable.

The ending of the book is actually quite satisfying. We find out what happened the night Kyle murdered Deborah’s son, how it all came about, and what happened to the missing girl, Isabella Bond, who is spoken about a lot during the book.

The only thing I didn’t like was Deborah’s ending. I found it a bit forced in the context of everything else. It was if the author felt she had to fit Deborah and her husband into the mystery of Alice. I can’t say too much without giving anything away, but it just left me feeling a bit ‘meh’.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed this book. It’s an interesting premise, the pacing isn’t too slow, and the ending (mostly) lives up to the rest of the story.

If you like a bit of a psychological mystery that isn’t too taxing to get through then you’ll probably like One Little Lie.

This was an interesting read- many different stories all tied together regarding the murder of a boy, and the two boys involved in it. One got sent away to prison, the other one was never found out about. Until now, when secrets start leaking out, and more people become involved in the investigation.

I found the beginning of the book a little confusing. There were a lot of caracters. I had a hard time keeping them separate. Once I got in to the story, it was fantastic. Everything came together. The story was very good. I couldn't put it down. So many twists and turns. It kept me guessing until the very end. I would recommend this book.

Deborah’s son was killed four years ago. Alice’s son is in prison for committing that crime. Deborah would give anything to have her son back, Alice would do anything to right her son’s wrongs. Driven by guilt and the need for redemption, Alice has started a support group for parents with troubled children. But as the network begins to grow, she soon finds out just how easy it is for one little lie to spiral out of control. They call it mother’s intuition, but can you ever really know your own child?

I was intrigued by the premise of this but was let down in the delivery. Carrington writes this in the perspective of Deborah, Alice and Connie; the psychologist, I liked this method, we learn about the three different women and how they all slot into the plot. Alongside, we get to understand their behaviour and motives for that behaviour. It is worth saying that Carrington’s previous book featured the character of Connie, I have not read that book and do not feel it hindered this one, the plots are separate and Carrington does a good job of explaining what has previously happened to Connie. I think my issue with this book is it is too long for what actually happens. Had this been perhaps a hundred pages shorter I may have found this more exciting, as it is, I thought it was dull and would have been very easy to not finish this.

Then Carrington turns the plot on its head with a plot twist, except it left me feeling underwhelmed. I did not see it coming but nor did it get the plot going, I just thought is that it. The twist does have an impact on the plot but not enough to make it more thrilling. The aspect I did love in this are the characters. We follow three strong, determined women throughout and Carrington writes well on the subject of mother and son relationships. Deborah and Alice do not always behave in ways that make you feel sympathetic towards them but it is clear why they behave the way they do and it does seem plausible. I really loved the character of Connie, she is fascinating as a character and I enjoyed the insight that she provides into the mentality of all involved. More of Connie please!

‘One Little Lie’ has a good premise that did not come across in delivery. This suffers from a boring plot and being too long and I would not recommend this read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy.

I had heard so much about Sam Carrington, and kept saying that I needed to get to her books, and, now that I've read this I will most definitely be returning for more. This is the story of (as you see in the blurb) a number of women, linked by their children's crimes. It's an ingenious premise, when a person commits a crime they have little thought of the impact it will have on their parents or how their parents will cope with the knowledge that they have given to the world a person that others see as evil, whereas they need to find a way to put together the idea of their child committing a crime with the memories of their child as a child or in their good times.

There are numerous povs in this book and I was thrilled to see some of them as each added a new dimension, however some people might find there too be too many (I like a lot of characters in a book). I will say that there is little mention of Connie in the blurb, the psychiatrist turned detective in the novel, where I felt she was one of the lead people to follow. Connie has her own issues which arise from an event that happened before the book.  I felt this was a pity-I had read that this could be read as a standalone- I feel like I could have done with knowing Connie's backstory in more detail and would have enjoyed it, but will probably go back anyway.

All in all a book I really enjoyed with twists, turns and surprises that I appreciated. Thanks so much to Avon  for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for this opportunity.***

This was a great book. The story was captivating and kept me interested throughout. Can’t wait for more from this author.

This book starts off with a twist. I don’t want to spoil it and I want to recommend that everyone reads this - it’s clever, fast paced and will keep you reading.
4/5 on goodreads. My only issue is it refers to other books but claims to be standalone. But this will be rectified by me reading them!

At first I had to make a note of the characters as each chapter is about a different one. But once I got into it I found them all intriguing, although not all likeable. I found myself absorbed in the story and couldn't wait to finish.

This book was pretty good. It definitely held my attention and I’ll be checking out the author’s other books.

Wow this book was great thriller started off slow but once got going your hooked. This book make you think what would you protect your child. I think i will be reading other books by Sam Carrington i really enjoyed this one.

A twisted tail of murder, obsession and deceit. How far will a mother go to protect her child? Told from the differing perspectives of each character, #onelittlelie explores the aftermath of murder.

One Little Lie by Sam Carrington Published by Avon Books UK Avon is a busy book that you have to pay attention to or you might get lost. Thank you Netgalley and everyone involved for my ARC. I will be honest this is what caught my attention. ‘I’m Alice. And my son is a murderer.’ It starts off well enough and I am smart enough to be able to keep up but each chapter is a new character and then they seem to loop back around. Now about the story I liked it I think I would have liked it a bit better if the web that it was put in was a bit tighter. What I liked about the story is the support group feel to it which I love. A book that makes me invest in it to get to know the characters is a book worth reading. I often wonder how parents cope with the idea of their children being killers? Do they feel blame? I think for me I needed this to come together a little quicker. All and all 3 solid stars. I have a friend who loves this kind of stuff and have already suggested it.

It's taken me a long time to write this review ... because I just didn't care about this book.

This book is meant to be a stand alone book, even though Sam Carrington has written about Connie, a psychologist, in previous books. However, I do think that having read a book about her prior to this one might make her a more likable character. She was so annoying. Seriously. She was self-centered, cared more about her own career, being supported, etc. and I think that had I read the trauma she had suffered prior to this book, I might have had more patience for her. Because I didn't - I honestly didn't care about her at all. Which made this a hard book to get through, because she is one of the main characters.

I really can't be bothered to go into too much detail as to what I didn't like about the book - perhaps the characters, or the plot, or the fact that I was able to figure out what was happening, but it was taking forever to get there ... my patience was thin by the end, and I have to admit that I skimmed the last 40% of the book. I just didn't care.

I'm really sorry this is 1. not a super helpful review or 2. a positive one. I usually try a little harder, but this book just sucked it right out of me.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an advance copy in return for a review.

One Little Lie was an amazing and addictive read, it had me hooked from the beginning, highly recommended read

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This story is essentially about three mothers, Deborah, whose son Sean was murdered four years ago. Alice, whose son Kyle is in prison, having been found guilty of the murder and Wendy who is protecting her son Tom, knowing that he is involved in a murder.
The story jumps around a lot and is hard to follow, I kept having to stop reading to get all the characters straight again, and this makes the book a slow laborious read. I did not like Connie, she is a psychologist involved with these woman, she likes to play detective.
The title, One Little Lie,is definitely incorrect, there are too many to count.
I’m sorry I can’t be more positive about this book.

Apologies this has taken so long to review. I really enjoyed this. I think Sam's writing gets stronger with each book and I really look forward to her next offering.

Thanks so much to Avon Books and Sam Carrington for the opportunity to read and review this book. One Little Lie was an enjoyable read that follows the story of crime and the grief in the aftermath. In this particular novel it is explored from all perspectives. At times, i found it a bit fragmented and my interest waned. The ending was very good though.

One Little Lie is told to us by a number of characters, quite a few characters, with different chapters told by different characters. I like this method of storytelling but sometimes it makes the book a bit disjointed and confusing.

I’m not great with names and so sometimes I struggle when there are too many character names as I can’t remember who they all are and so it takes the first part of each chapter to remind me who is talking and what they’re doing.

One Little Lie has many narrators, I would say too many but each of them play an important part to the story and I couldn’t imagine any of them being left out. Some have more to say than others, but all are part of the puzzle.

I have to admit that I have never really given much thought to what the parents of a murderer must feel, I’ve fleetingly thought of it, especially when there have been mass school shootings in America, but it isn’t something that I tend to dwell on. But this book made me think about it.

I know when there are murders many people say that we should talk about the victim and not the murderer, and I definitely agree with that, but how would it feel to be the victims mother, your son murdered in a brutal and painful way, but all the focus is on the boy who did it and his parents? Your son seems to be forgotten but then that mother wants to make amends for what her son did and asks for forgiveness.

One Little Lie is a twisty read, what you think is happening might not be what is really happening, and are people who they seem? I think that the story is a clever one, there’s lots to like and the pace is fast with short chapters, but something was missing with it, somehow it all didn’t quite fit. I enjoyed reading, I wanted to finish it so that I could find out how it was all going to end and that is a sure sign of a decent read. But this book was so very nearly brilliant, and it’s a shame that it didn’t quite get there. But it so nearly did.

Alice Mann is the mother of a murderer. Four years ago, her son, Kyle brutally killed a young boy. Alice was dubbed the mother of a monster. Guilt-ridden for what she did or didn’t do, the part she must have played in his upbringing, Alice starts a support group for people in similar positions, a way of helping, giving back. But she has another reason for starting the group. Soon she will integrate herself into the life of Deborah, Shaun’s mother, the boy Kyle murdered. Because Alice wants Deborah to understand, she wants her forgiveness. She must have it no matter what.







Connie Summers is trying to run from her past. She was responsible for the release of Ricky Hargreaves who went on to rape a young girl. Her career was in tatters, her life forever changed. Everything she had worked so hard for, the years devoted to the job were suddenly wasted. Now, Connie has rebuilt her life, albeit a life still riddled with guilt. She started her own psychological therapy practice and affords her clients the best support, guidance and listening ear she can provide. She has a good friend in flatmate Lindsay and a future that is a whole lot brighter than it was before. When she meets new client Alice Mann, she senses something strange about the women, something she hides in their sessions together Connie is determined to get to the bottom of Alice’s secrets.







For Deborah, time does not heal all wounds. Despite the four years since her son’s death, grief stalks her every step. Shaun was everything and when he was taken, pieces of her were taken too. When Deborah is told to take a few months away from work, she is at first gutted as it was her life support, the one thing that kept her going. Soon things will get worse. The mother of her son’s murderer appears on her doorstep one day and slowly an idea begins to germinate in Deborah’s mind. A plan that will sustain her.







One Little Lie by Sam Carrington follows on from Bad Sister but can easily be enjoyed as a standalone. I was gripped from the first page but when I got to Part Two of the book, cleaning, working, doing anything but reading became impossible. What a twist! A mother’s love, a mother’s fear, a mother’s grief. This book examines the relationships between parents and their children, the lengths they will go to protect them and the power just one little lie can have. This is a fast-paced, gripping new novel from Sam Carrington!







Gripping. Chilling. Twisty.

One Little Lie...
… and reasons having too many points of view can ruin a book. One Little Lie by Sam Carrington is a thriller with so much potential based on its plot. Unfortunately, it fell a bit short for me as there were too many perspectives to keep up with, making the narrative lag as I waited to get back to the parts which would move the story along. The book takes into consideration mothers’ love for their sons, the way sons can manipulate that love and how the internet is definitely still a deep, dark place for young people. One Little Lie by Sam Carrington is out now from HarperCollins.

The story
One Little Lie by Sam Carrington follows the perspectives of Connie, a psychologist tasked with assessing a murderer while also treating his mother privately; Alice, the mother of that murderer; Deborah, the mother of the boy he murdered, and Tom who is involved with everything. Connie’s perspective takes precedence, moving the narrative from point A to point B, as she meets all of the people involved in the murder. When more victims show up despite Kyle, the murderer being in jail, the police, including Connie’s housemate Lindsay, have to connect the dots to figure it all out.

My thoughts…
*Sigh*. I cannot help but being disappointed with this novel. I loved the idea of having a psychologist’s perspective and the mothers of murderers’ perspectives, but they fell flat as Connie turned more into a private investigator and the women did not get enough of a chance to have their feelings heard. I did feel that there were too many narrators, leading to things feeling unfinished, especially at the end after Carrington attempted to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, but I felt so conflicted with most of the endings, especially Connie’s and Deborah’s. Connie seriously needs some psychological help, and random references to her past and suggested abuse did nothing to properly paint her, and her dalliances with men came across very strange, making her quite an unlikable character. Everyone in this book is constantly lying and deceiving and it was often hard at times to remember who had lied about what, and who was speaking, as their narratives blurred into one. The plot had serious potential, and could have been told brilliantly if Carrington had cut out at least one perspective. Finally, I found Tom’s voice completely redundant, as we learned nothing from him except that he wanted to kill and got a thrill out of it. This all meant that the characters all appeared under-developed and therefore, I did not sympathise with any of them, except Lindsay for having to live with Connie.

Overall, I would not recommend this book, unless you enjoy lots of perspectives and underdeveloped characters and plotlines. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for my advance reader’s copy of One Little Lie by Sam Carrington in exchange for an honest review.