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False Pretences  By  cover art

False Pretences

By: Margaret Yorke
Narrated by: Maureen O'Brien
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Publisher's summary

When her goddaughter is arrested, Isabel Vernon is startled to discover that the child of her memory has become an overweight, shaven-headed environmentalist and that Isabel herself is now regarded as Emily Frost's next of kin. Emily is then released on bail to the Vernons in the villlage of Fordswick. But her presence in the Vernons' house proves troubling, and is deepening the tensions already within it.
©1998 Margaret Yorke (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Captivating and full-bodied." (Library Journal)
"Even after the final quiet twist, you'll be wishing you could spend more time among Yorke's dexterously skewered misfits." (Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about False Pretences

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DELIGHTFULLY SURPRISED!

This is a suspense story with a twist. The characters are well developed and the plot kept me interested from start to finish. I highly recommend it.

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8 people found this helpful

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Loved it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Set in England, the author successfully captures the everyday world of the characters. A totally engaging book with an intriguing plot. This was my first Margaret Yorke novel and I will definitely be downloading more from this author!

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4 people found this helpful

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Fabulous!

Held my interest throughout. Excellent story line with interesting turns. Highly recommend for all readers.

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3 people found this helpful

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No Pretender

The book had me at the first two sentences. "She wanted to scream. The desire to do so came over her at intervals when she was not fully occupied with something that took all her concentration." Isabel Vernon is trapped, but how and why? She's clearly walking around in a very nice life. Or is she? It's only when her goddaughter Emily Frost is arrested and remanded to her care that Isabel starts to understand what's really going on. Not only around her, but also within her. Then, thanks to Emily, people start to enhance her world, and her worldview. Things change and as they do we begin to wonder why more of the characters don't feel like screaming. The novel is wonderful in character development and their personal growth. It shows us the human condition without beating us over the head with it. Yorke isn't making a social commentary. She's simply telling a tale of the lives of a group of people whose experiences end up touching one another because each person takes a chance on Emily. But no one reveals everything that's going on which becomes part of a growing problem. It's these series of small omissions that build the conflict, tension and mystery of the book. Yorke cleverly weaves them together into a building storm that's engaging and believable. It leaves you looking at your own life and wondering what you know, or don't know about everyone around you. O'Brien does a credible job of narrating. It's a good read.

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Great Story/Narrator

This is a really good story. I put it on every time I got in the car, even if it was s short trip up the street to the grocery store. The narrator did a very good job. I recommend downloading this story, I don't think you will regret it. The characters are well developed. None of them are cookie cutter. I liked that. The story is not predictable.

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2 people found this helpful