Thanks to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster UK for providing me an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.
I got a copy of this book a while back, but I must confess it got buried under tonnes of other books at a time when there were many things on my mind. I kept seeing the book here and there but wasn’t even sure I had a copy any longer. Eventually, as it always happens at the end of the year, I saw a list with recommended reads for the year that ends, with this novel featured prominently, and it was the push I needed to start reading it. I apologise for the delay because it was well worth a read.
The book opens up the 2nd of December 2016, is set in the UK, and is mostly narrated chronologically by a collection of characters. Kate, a QC (the prosecution lawyer in other countries) working in London tells of her experience in court, prosecuting sexual crimes, in the first person. The rest of the characters’ perspectives we get are narrated on the third person, and include those of Ali, a friend Kate met while she was a college student; Sophie, the wife of a junior conservative minister, James, and now stay at home Mum; James himself, the only male account, an upper-class man who always knew his future was golden, and Holly, whose narration starts in 1992, in Oxford. She is a fish out of the water, a young girl from the North, from a modest family, who has managed to get into an Oxford College to study English with a grant, and she suffers a cultural shock at first, although later things seem to look up until… (No spoilers here). It takes a while for all the strands of the story to fit together, although we soon realise there are some coincidences, and some of the people whose narrations appeared disconnected at first, had crossed paths years back.
The author, who as a political journalist has more insight than most people into what goes on in political office and in the government, provides a detailed and totally immersing account of the life of privilege of those who seem destined for “better things” from the very start, and creates very credible and nuanced characters. Vaughan is skilled at describing the atmosphere of the government corridors and of the Old Bailey, and as skilled at shining a light on the characters and their motivations. We have those who feel entitled to everything; characters who keep lying to themselves because they feel they got what they wanted and should now be happy with it, even if it has turned out to be far less ideal than they had always thought; the survivors who reinvented themselves and paid the price of never being completely at ease in their skins, and we have big areas of grey. (I think this book would be ideal for a book club, as there is much to discuss and plenty of controversial topics to keep the conversation going). What is a relationship and what is not? What is love and what is only lust? And central to the whole book, a big question, what is consent? Is it a matter of opinion? Although the definition of the crime seems very clear, when it comes to what people think or “know” in their heads at the time, is anything but.
Although the book is told from different perspectives, it is not confusing to read. Each chapter is headed by the name of the character and the date, and we soon get to know who is who, because their narration and their personalities are very different. That does not mean there aren’t plenty of surprises in the book, and although some we might suspect or expect, the story is well paced, the revelations are drip-fed and make the tension increase, and with the exception of one of the characters (hopefully!), it is not difficult to empathise and share in the thoughts and the moral and ethical doubts of most of the characters. We might think we know better and we would do the right thing but determining what the right thing is can be tough in some cases. And we all compromise sometimes, although there are limits.
I have read some reviews complaining about the amount of detail in the book and they also say that it is slow and nothing much happens. The book is beautifully observed, and the way it explains the ins-and-outs of the trial feels realistic. Perhaps the problem is that we are used to books and movies where everything takes place at lightning speed, and there isn’t a moment to contemplate or observe what is truly happening, beyond the action. This is a thinking book, and there are not big action pieces; that much is true. I have mentioned there are surprises. Secrets are revealed as well, but they surface through digging into people’s memories, or getting them to recognise the truth, not with a gun or a punch. The way we connect with the characters and the layers upon layers of stories and emotions make for a gripping reading experience but not a light one. I have sometimes read books or watched movies that have such a frenzied pace that I always come out at the other end with the feeling that I’ve missed something, some gap or hole in the plot that I would be able to discover if only I were given some time to breathe and think, but that is not the case here. Even the turns of events you might not have expected are fully grounded and make perfect sense, both action-wise and according to the personality of the protagonists. No big flights of fancy here.
This is a book for those who love psychological thrillers, and courtroom dramas that go beyond the standard formula. Although it is a book with strong roots in England, the British Criminal Justice System and the country’s politics, it is so well-written that it will make readers from everywhere think and will inevitably bring to mind cases and well-known characters at a national and international level. Now that I live in Spain, I could not help but keep thinking about the infamous case of “La manada”, where definitions of sexual crimes have become a hot political potato, for very good reason. The debate that the #MeToo has generated should be kept alive, and anything that contributes to that is useful, and if it is a great book, all the better.
I know it is silly, but I was happy to discover that I had finished reading the book on exactly the same date when the book comes to an end, 7th of December 2018. I take that as a sign and look forward to reading many more books by the author.

A book that makes for a very uncomfortable read, the nature of sex, power, entitlement and truth are all exposed in a tough exposure of an anatomy of a scandal. A very apt book in these days of MeToo. It shows how we don’t always know people as well as we think we do.

Character driven if slightly long winded at times! Legal aspects were a bit over done in my opinion but I do understand it was window dressing. The differing perspective and slow unraveling of the plot leaves you feeling very unsettled. It’s that unsettling feeling tha we all have when we realise that we never ever really no everything and we just have to trust.

A good book for this time.

Been a long time since I had to read a book in one day. Brilliant and spellbinding.
A real page turner and the only thing I dislike is the style of ending but not enough to drop from a 5 star.

Very good writing, brilliant characters both good and bad and very believable. Rather close to home for certain Bullingdon Club members perhaps...

I liked the format of this book, it was cleverly written and clearly thought out.
Different characters made this book come to life. Would recommend
7/10

Well-written, biting and topical, and I didn't spot the twist. I loved the university chapters, although I felt the wife's indecision went on a bit long.

This book was recommend by the Hi-Low show and I was pleased that NetGalley had given me the opportunity to read it. I found the writing style utterly engaging and easy to read - I flew through this book and was pleased to learn how the courtroom setting works. It is part court room drama and part psychological thriller which I found to be impeccably researched. There are some shocking scenes in this book which are quite eye opening.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and very believable. I enjoyed the flashbacks to earlier years, building the plot layer by layer. Very well written and definitely one for the book club.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good read but slightly different to the usual psychological thriller formula which seems to be getting overused at the moment! Recommended.

For those of you that like your novels to build slowly, for the suspense to tick along, page by page, and to then have the odd bit of legal procedure tossed in to the mix, this novel will be for you!

It's been such a long time since I've read a cracking legal thriller that I was really excited to get into this one. It's been a much hyped up book and I've eagerly awaited its release since first hearing about it. For me, the let-down in regard to this one was that it contained very little courtroom action, and the courtroom scenes that there were, seemed rather pedestrian and lacked the gripping nature of other legal thrillers that I've read.

Having said that, I did enjoy the general story which focuses on Holly, Kate, Sophie and James, and their interactions with each other. This is also a book about abuse and more specifically, about rape. At the heart of this story is a theme that most of us in South Africa understand all too well - how easy it is for people in government and in powerful positions to get away with all sorts of criminal behaviour, and how they seem to be above the law.

I found this novel to be a slow one. It's a good read but it definitely doesn't rocket along. There were stages where I felt that the pace could have been increased somewhat and where, if truth be told, I would skim read a few pages to move the story along. I'm never really a fan of that and what it ultimately means is that although I enjoyed the story, a rating of anything higher than 3 stars couldn't be justified.

It's a good one, but it's not going to make it onto my list of 2018 favourites.

This is probably the most gripping novel I have read in a long time. So well-written and full of suspense, I could not put it down. Highly recommend.

Although many people have rated this book highly I just couldn't get into it. It was about a politician embroiled in a did he, didn't he, type of scandal and shows how the court case unfolds from the view points of the different people involved. There is a twist though I'm not sure what I made of it.

I dipped in and out and eventually finished it though I still am not too keen on books written in the present tense though I understand that it's done to keep the reader feeling involved. Not for me.

The was a very topical story about the current sexual depredations of a member of Parliament and tracking back to his time at Oxford University. Some interesting questions raised and the court scenes were excellent. The greatest dilemma of all, does the wife stay by her man and protect her children or does she follow her head and be true to her feelings and beliefs. Loved every minute of this story.

Anatomy of a Scandal is based around three central characters. First there's James, the suave, charismatic family man and politician who is also good friends with the Prime Minister. He's wealthy and over-privileged. Then we meet Kate, the young, ruthlessly ambitious prosecutor, who's determined to see James get the guilty verdict he deserves. She's also good at her job and made her name prosecuting the very worst sexual assault cases. Finally we meet Sophie, James’ wife who has been dating James since college and knows him better than anyone else. All have a vital part to play in this psychological, legal drama, which starts with a shocking scandal being revealed, which is then dissected in court.

James is accused of rape one of his assistants, but did he do it? While his wife Sophie is seemingly supportive on the outside, on the inside her mind is going crazy thinking about his alleged crimes and what he could in fact be capable of. Just how long can she remain loyal as the story unfolds?

We travel from the court case, back in time to Oxford in the 90s and into the current murky goings on within the privileged political world, where money, corruption and power rule the day.

This is an extremely well written and cleverly plotted, insightful story. I can hardly believe this is Sarah Vaughan's debut book! I can believe, however, that his can easily be adapted into a BBC drama, very much like Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard.

Sarah Vaughan has mastered a treat for us with Anatomy of a Scandal, a sharp, engrossing and poignant political drama, which highlights some shocking hard-hitting facts with sensitivity and realism. Terrific!

Anatomy of a Scandal is an engaging legal thriller and what sets it apart from the others is how it bravely tackles a sensitive subject that is rape. So, be warned that if you’re the type who’s not comfortable on the subject, you might want to skip this one. It certainly makes for an interesting read. Not only because it focused on a delicate matter but also having a public figure loved by many as the accused added extra intrigue to the story. I had a hard time sticking to it at first as it switched from one time period to another in which the pace is slow. But once I get past the introductory chapters and things get on a smooth albeit steady pace, I got engrossed with the story and didn’t let go until the end. Told from multiple points of view, but mainly focused on Sophie and Kate, going between the past and the present, it gives a different perspective on the story. And as the story delved deeper into the characters past and their secrets, it also realistically tackle the matter of rape. One where a victim believed it is not consensual sex while the other believed otherwise. Which raised an important question on when does a consensual sex cross the line and turned into rape? A question which was answered thoroughly in the book. It is evident that the author researched well on the subject. The twist was revealed a little early for my liking but it doesn’t really affect the satisfaction of reading this book as there are more surprises in store towards the end. Though the ending seemed a little rushed, it still managed to wrapped things up satisfactorily. Overall, while Anatomy of a Scandal deals with a tough subject, it is definitely a page-turner that’s worth reading.

I really enjoyed this twisty story it was great that was hard to guess the ending. Some of the characters were more rounded than others but I still enjoyed it very much and look forward to more books from Sarah Vaughan.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I absolutely loved it. It is so poignant and so relevant right now. The narrative is well-paced and I found myself constantly wanting to return to it when I wasn't reading. I would highly recommend it.

This was a reasonably enjoyable story. I'd probably read more by this author.

I thought this was going to be another boring court room scandal story. How wrong I was!
Kept me gripped from the beginning and I got into the storyline straight away.
Would definately recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller !!!

Anatomy of a Scandal is a competent psychological thriller that will appeal to readers of Appletree Yard by Louise Doughty. When a highflying MP is accused of raping one of his researchers the repercussions affect his wife and family and also the prosecuting barrister who is hiding her own secrets. I enjoyed it very much.