Pretty Ugly Lies

Pretty Ugly Lies

What causes a woman to murder her whole family? Jo's idyllic life would make most people jealous. Until one day her daughter is abducted and the only way to find her is to unravel her dark past. Ellie is a devoted wife... until she discovers the pain of betrayal. Now vengeance is all she can think about. Party-girl Shayla knows how to hide her demons. But when she's confronted with a life-shattering choice, it will cost her everything. June knows suffering intimately, though the smile she wears keeps it hidden. Soon the lives of these four women intersect and one of them is about to snap… "A thought-provoking domestic noir novel perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and B.A. Paris ... A chilling look at the secrets mothers will hide for the sake of their families, and the gruesome reality of what can break an everyday woman." - Literary Lover Reviews "As a mother who has struggled with depression, this book hit home for me. The writing is outstanding--the prose eloquent, powerful, drawing me in from the first page . The characters represented people I can relate to. I think we all imagine we're all so likeable, but in reality there are ugly sides to us all. We can be selfish, depressed, exhausted, irritable, and act crazy. I've never read a book like this before --one so raw and gripping where it ripped me apart and sewed me back together with a completely new understanding of what people deal with, what hurts we hide, what skeletons we bury, and what small and big things can cause us to break... a perfect book about imperfect people . About what could make a woman snap and hurt those she loves--and this is reality. It changed the way I look at life and people, and I realized after reading this that no one is alone in the abyss. 5-star story. 5-star writing. 5-star impact. Every woman and mother needs to read this!" - Southern Editor Reviews You've heard about it in the news or on Facebook. You've read with shock what another mother has done to her child. One mom leaves her baby in a dryer. Another mom duct tapesher toddler to a wall. Another woman drowns her niece. A grandmother leaves her grandson out in the freezing cold for hours to teach him a lesson he won't live to learn. With every nauseating newscast you think, "How could she do this? How could she kill a child?" It's revolting and chilling, the disturbing actions people are capable of. And yet it's real life for many. In the United States alone more than 200 women kill their children each year.That's a lot of victims, a lot of suffering, a lot of pain that had been buriedso deep that no one saw it coming ... until it came. It came in a mental snap that the nation would soon hear as the cries of those children reached us beyond the grave. But in most cases it's a short snap on a very long branch ofsuffering. We easily hate these maternal murderers, yearn to watch them suffer like they caused these children to suffer. But something tells me that anyone capable of harming a child was already suffering quite a bit. We just didn't see it. I have four beautiful children. Children I cherish, children I would give up myown life for, children who give me purpose and joy. But they're also childrenwho take more than give, who demand sacrifices of my time, my energy, my sleep, my health, my every waking minute, even my sanity. It's the call of motherhood.Some of us embrace that call and remind ourselves that it's something precious, to enjoy it while it lasts. Others crumble under the weight of motherhood in depressed silence, barely able to make it through to the end of the day. For those who are searching for peace or struggling, your voice is heard. Don't give up on yourself or your children. This book is written to remind you that I see you, I hear you, I understand you. We all feel bound by our lives at some point or another, tied to a life that can feel grueling. But the chains are not our lives or our children; the chains are the mental battles that we face. Our choice is how we will conquer those destructive thoughts. Pretty Ugly Lies is based on real women I know and love--even their ugly parts. They aren't always likeable--because this book isn't about the likeable women out there. It's about the strugglers, those who have lost their way, those people you might not see but who do exist and need to be seen and heard. For those of you who can relate to the weariness of life, my hope is you find joy in the little things--like reading a riveting psychological thriller (wink wink). Embrace the healing hug of a friend. Relish the smile on your child's face. Inhale the fresh scent of nature. Taste the euphoric blend of food you love. Find something to get through today. And let tomorrow worry about itself. Here's a hug from me to you! Pamela Crane is a professional juggler. Not one who can toss flaming torches in the air (though how cool would that be?), but a juggler of four kids, a writing addiction, a horse rescuer, and a book