There are some elements in good saga writing that never fail, and Lesley Pearse has the full measure of them in Trust Me. She is particularly good on the theme of the orphanage survivor who makes her way in a hostile world: familiar, perhaps, but rarely treated with the colour and exuberance found here. Dulcie Taylor and her sister May, who have spent their lives having their trust betrayed by those who claim they will look after them, begin a new life in a new country. Australia soon turns out to be a grim illusion, however, until Dulcie meets Ross, who has also known what it is to be an orphanage survivor. With a narrative that has the epic qualities of the country it is set in, Pearse is able to deal with the growth of trust and love between the characters in a wholly convincing fashion, with Dulcie a memorably drawn heroine. --Barry Forshaw

Two young sisters sent far, far from home! When tragedy deprives little Dulcie Taylor and her sister May of their parents, they are sent first to an orphanage and then shipped off to begin a new life in Australia. But the 'better life' the sisters are promised in this new and exciting country turns out to be a lie. It seems everyone who ever stood up for them, who ever said 'trust me', somehow betrays that trust: their parents, teachers and the sisters at the convent. But then Dulcie meets Ross, another orphanage survivor, and finds a kindred spirit. Can Dulcie ever get over the pain of the past and learn to trust again? And does she have the strength to fight for her own happiness as well as that of her sister?

I am touched by the glowing reviews of my book Trust Me, for it was a real labour of love, the subject of Child Migration one very close to my heart. During my research in Australia I met many former Child Migrants, and I learnt how the cruelty of that regime has blighted their lives. One reader claimed Ross, the boy who went to the infamous Bindoon Boys Town was a 'bit much', but I can assure all my readers that in fact I played down the horror I discovered because I was afraid people wouldn't be able to stomach the whole truth. I met so many sad, tortured men now in their early Sixties who have never been able to forge lasting relationships with women, or their children, because of the sexual abuse they recieved in that school. Nowadays it is a subject young men feel able to talk about, but it was a taboo subject back in the fifties and sixties, especially in Aussie society where men are supposed to be tough and macho. These men were trapped within themselves, never able to move forward. Even now that their plight has been acknowledged by the government, and even in some cases compensation given, they are still suffering, for none of the culprits have been punished, in most cases they were sheltered by the church.
I couldn't hope that by merely writing my book I could right the wrongs,but I do know that many of these men have been comforted that a Pom Shelia told their story for them.

2008-05-21 Fantastic Author

My 1st Lesley Pearse book was A Lesser Evil which was brilliant, so I tried another one, Never Look Back, again brilliant. I am a book addict and decided to buy a pile of her books from Amazon - Trust Me is the 6th book that i have read in the last couple of weeks and this book is fantastic. She is a superb Author - stories very true to life and details of feelings are covered perfectly. I have experience with the adoption system and find that her writing of children in care and their feelings of rejection and heartache is exact. The feelings portrayed are not exaggerated or played down but true life - her story lines make the books an excellent read but at the same time teaching you something about the care system.