When Pearl discovers a newspaper clipping showing a picture of her dad holding the baby he found abandoned outside a hospital, it sets off a chain of events of betrayal, obsession, murder. And it all started with a lie. Perfect for fans of Cynthia Murphy and Holly Jackson.

Denise Brown is a writer, housekeeper, and single parent of five children. Her debut novella DEVIL ON YOUR BACK was published by Salt in 2014, and her short stories have featured in various online publications. In 2019 she was longlisted for the Bath Novel Award. I AM WINTER was longlisted for The Diverse Book Awards 2022 and has been revised and changed to WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID – released in 2024. IT ALL STARTED WITH A LIE was released 2024 and shortlisted for the Spark Book Award 2025 and Best Crime YA – CrimeFest 2025.
Denise’s third book NO ONE KEEPS A SECRET is out now.
Born in East London, Denise has now settled in Scotland where she feels certain she must have lived in a previous life. She loves dogs and snow globes and has a teensy obsession with Jack Skellington.

‘The storyline did keep me guessing and there were a lot of twists and turns throughout’ Amazon review

“It All Started With a Lie” by Denise Brown is a psychological young-adult drama that I found page turning, realistic and entertaining to read.’ Waterstones review

‘A real page-turner’ Goodreads review