What a compelling read! Anatomy of a Scandal drew me in from the start. I simply could not decide whether James Whitehouse was guilty or not guilty.. Not a fast paced thriller but a slow burn shocker.

This engrossing, compulsive, miss-your-stop courtroom drama is the book fans of Apple Tree Yard have been waiting for. Timely and tense, Anatomy of a Scandal has a depth that will leave you resentful whenever you have to put it down and return to the real world. If you liked Liar or The Good Wife, you’ll love this.

This book was a little slow to get going, It is a story about powerful men taking advantage of their position. Relationships and the effects they have in later life are central to the story of a barrister seeking justice. This is very much a book of the time as it deals with rape, however, I felt the author over indulged in explaining time and again the callous nature of the lead character and the events that shaped his life.

An unfortunately, probably too accurate portral of high profile rape cases. The author took us on the journey of how money buys power and with power the law is of no relevance, or is it? Very well written with at some points difficult to read topic, sensitively narrated. The characters were believable with personalities I recognise from uni days. A disappointing conclusion but alltogether a decent read.

A mix of first and third person POVs drives this story of a hard-nosed lawyer, Kate Woodcroft, intent on finding the charismatic James Whitehouse, an up-and-coming member of parliament, guilty of rape, an accusation made against him by the woman with whom he’d had a short affair. Sophie, his wife and university girlfriend, has to believe that everything he says, in court and out, is true. But her conviction is rocky, to say the least, because of THAT event in their final university year…

A couple of things irritated me…one, an odd ‘eh, ek, hn, hk, io, il, sy, SY' that ended most chapters. What on earth? Second…either the author or her editors seemed to have suddenly discovered the semicolon, the colon and the n dash and thought it would be a really jolly idea to put them in everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE, ninety-nine percent of the time incorrectly used. They really became a hurdle and a real annoyance. The text didn’t flow, and I very nearly put the book into my Kindle’s delete folder.

I don’t think this enthralled me as much as it should have done. I would have liked more of the plot to be driven by a bit more dialogue rather than (sometimes tedious) narrative, but for all that, I enjoyed it, the way it was written and the little surprises along the way.

The plot was very credible and compelling, as was the style of writing, which was also insightful and intelligent. Ultimately, I'm glad this book didn't end up in 'Deleted Items' before I finished it

Really good book, it started slowly and gradually built up, it was well written and flowed nicely. I would definitely recommend.

This book lives up to expectations. You will become engrossed in this story and forget to stop for a break. Highly recommended.

Absolutely brilliant
Wasn’t quite sure what to expect before I read this as I’ve bever really been interested in this genre before but I am very pleased I did as it has turned my head head more towards this genre of book.
I loved the story telling of the characters in their short bursts and the story flowed really well person to person.
Wicked twist towards the end just what I was hoping for.
Brilliant book which is very hard to put down.

This book has such brilliant reviews but I just could not get into it. I started it twice but could not finish it. Sorry !!

When one hears so much about a book and how amazing it is, I worry whether it is been over hyped. That is certainly not the case with Anatomy of a Scandal. A thriller/ court room drama set in the current day but going back in time to cover the university days when James met met his wife, Sophie.
Although we’re only a few weeks into the new year, this certainly has potential to remain one of the best thrillers of the year!
Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A story set in two different timelines about rape past and present and how privilege can make a difference in mindset. I would recommend this book and thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

“He’s not going to get away with it this time”

This tense and cleverly plotted novel has been likened to Apple Tree Yard and it deserves to be just as successful.

Barrister Kate Woodcroft has been handed a case which could make or break her career - the prosecution of a high profile junior government minister and close friend of the Prime Minister, accused of rape by a parliamentary assistant with whom he had been having an affair. The story unfolds from the points of view of Kate, the minister James Whitehouse and his wife Sophie. Kate and Sophie’s accounts become more and more and closely linked as the details of the case emerge and it becomes obvious that Kate has some very dark and personal reasons for wanting the prosecution to succeed.

It’s a very topical and relevant novel, focussing as it does on male domination and privilege in the corridors of power. Sarah Vaughan’s background as a former Oxford student and political reporter at the Guardian have been put to good use in creating this acutely observed and absorbing thriller. I was gripped and found myself rooting for Kate throughout, despite having reservations about her motives and professional impartiality. This will definitely be one of my books of the year.

Only a few pages in, I realized that I had a really special story in my hands. As it advanced and I learned more about the characters, I became more and more captivated by it, I might even say obsessed with it. I had been hearing great things about this book before I picked it during the last holidays, so I started it with great expectations, but I can tell you that it definitely surpassed all my expectations and I am 100 % sure that this book will be huge this year.

The story is about a charismatic politician with the perfect family, who is accused of rape. But in this story, there are many versions of what happened, making it difficult to know who is telling the truth. Thanks to flashbacks to their university days in Oxford, we learn about not only the current personas of the main characters but also about their past and the actions and events that shaped them.

All characters in this story are fascinating but I was especially drawn to the lawyer prosecuting the case, Kate, and the politician's wife, Sophie. At the beginning of the story, you might think these woman are complete opposites: the strong and career oriented lawyer vs the supporting and naive wife. But the story has many surprises in story for these characters...

This political thriller is a work of fiction but it could as well be a real story. In fact, every time I watched the news or opened a newspaper in the last few weeks, I expected to find some piece of news related to this case.

I've read and highly enjoyed Sarah Vaughan's previous books but Anatomy of a Scandal is in whole new league. I've read that her own experience as a court reporter helped her write this story. So I'm not surprised that every scene of this book, especially when the victim takes the stand, feels so real, as if I was there in the public gallery witnessing it all myself.

As you can tell, I can only praise this book and I highly recommend it. It is only January but Anatomy of a Scandal will be in many top books of 2018 lists, mark my words.

Kate is a successful barrister, recently divorced and dedicates her life to her job. Her ex-husband just didn't understand her. She has been handed a new case to defend a rape victim. The complication is that the accuser James Whitehouse, has been having an affair with the defendant for the previous 5 months.

James has had a charmed life, a Libertine at Oxford and a longstanding friend of the PM. His wife Sophie is struggling to stand by her husband, but she must for the sake of her family.

Great story, keeps going back to their university days, and hints to a secret between James and Tom, the PM. Griping. There are a few twists which keep you guessing. A great reveal about half way too.

Anatomy of a Scandal is very different from the last novel I read by Sarah Vaughan – The Art of Baking Blind, a tale set around a baking competition. Anatomy of a Scandal set between the law courts and Cambridge. Possibly the only thing in the story telling was the jumping between chapters of time; other than that, I found this to be a much more serious offering from Ms Vaughan. This is no criticism of either book. Anatomy of a Scandal deals with more serious subject matter, of a horrific crime within the heart of Westminster. The characters portrayed have been written perfectly. The accused, someone you will not like, the prosecutor I was rooting for as her intentions were honourable – for justice – despite being on a losing streak. As the story unfolds, nothing is quite as it seems and the past comes to confront the present.

The writing style of Ms Vaughan is very addictive. I was clicking through the pages on my kindle as fast as my eyes would let me. I wanted to devour this courtroom drama. Would justice prevail? I love a dramatic read and Anatomy of a Scandal is definitely that! I was swept up in the proceedings in the court. I was there with Holly, the new nervous student at university desperate to make friends and finding her own two feet in the world.

Sophie Whitehouse gave up her job to stay at home with her children and play the perfect wife to James, a junior minister in London and a great friend of the Prime Minister. They seem to have a perfect marriage and a perfect life until disaster strikes. For the last five months James has been having an affair with Olivia, a young researcher in his office, and not only the affair made the first page of the newspapers but Olivia has accused James of raping her.

Kate is a prosecutor who looks for justice for the victims of sexual violence. Her job is not easy, she has to listen to gruesome details and not always she is able to get justice for the victims. But when she is assigned the case against James Whitehouse she knows she has to win, even if the odds are not really in her favor.

The trial begins. Sophie’s love for her husband is so strong that she stands by his side, while Kate works hard to prove that James is not the good man that everyone believes him to be. As details of the affair between James and Olivia come to light, both Kate and Sophie have to face a past that led them to this moment.

The novel is told by different points of view, mostly Kate and Sophie, and it weaves between the past and the present, between London and Oxford. For almost a year I have been hearing really good things about this book and when I finally read it I found out why everyone was so excited about it.

This is not a fast-paced novel as the author really focuses into the characters’ psychology. Despite the slow-paced rhythm, the plot is really captivating and, as the novel develops, more secrets are revealed, the tension rises, and the twists and turns kept me glued to the page of this legal thriller. What I liked most about this novel are the two female main characters, Kate and Sophie. There were a few moments in the novel when I didn’t like them because of their choices both in the past and the present, but in the end they come out as two strong and determined characters.

I am not a fan of sexual violence in books (some authors are too descriptive and give too much details) but in this novel the detailed descriptions are not too graphic or too shocking, although I cringed a few times and felt for the characters. This a thought-provoking novel about current issues like sexual violence, harassment, men in power, but also deals with themes of marriage, trust, love, family, and dark secrets.

Engaging and complex characters, a compelling plot, and an unpredictable ending create a sharp and provocative novel.

Thank you to net galley for the free copy of this excellent book. The storyline follows the golden and protected life of James Whitehouse, politician and close friend of the prime minister as he is accused of rape. The whole story is much deeper than this and Vaughan unearths in bit by bit in beautiful prose. She captures completely the minute of how such an accusation and the following trial "feel" for each of the characters. I felt almost as if I was living it. The characterisation is flawless and the reader loves and hates in almost equal measure. Just occasionally the author brings out her Journalistic background by using descriptive words certainly not in my repertoire - need to get the dictionary out.

However this book really pleased from beginning to end - I loved the way she describes a sunset " mango sorbet shot through with raspberry ripple" and the effects of a revelation" the room sways, the edges becoming less defined as the boundaries of their lives give way.

I would definitely read more from this author

My first thoughts on this novel are what a perfect title and a fitting cover for this superb read! I enjoy both legal and political thrillers as well as family dramas and Sarah Vaughan expertly fuses all these subjects.

I have a fondness for books where the chapters alternatively follow different characters. As I reached the halfway point, the thought - briefly - occurred of where the possible connection would be and then BAM! With perfect timing the author revealed everything I needed to know then and with slick writing continued to keep me hooked. The possible outcomes spread before the reader and I really think the story finished off in the only way it could to maintain our faith in the system whilst also pointing out the flaws.

What a read! The action is continuous and just when you think you know it all and have it sorted out in your head, along comes another piece of the jigsaw which you didn't realise was missing and you have to start moving bits around to fit them all in. Spectacular! I'm so happy to have discovered another author of this calibre and will be looking forward to reading more by Sarah Vaughan.

My thanks to publisher Simon & Schuster UK for approving my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Anatomy of a scandal is a particularly topical novel at the time of reading, focusing on a scandal within the government, a close friend of the Prime Minister exposed for an affair with his office researcher.

James Whitehouse is a politician on the rise, a family man with a long-standing connection to the Prime Minister. His wife Sophie has known him since they were both at Oxford and thinks she knows all the skeletons in his closet.

However, when he is accused of a crime that threatens to tear Sophie’s perfect world in two, she must make a difficult decision. Does she stand by him? Or should she walk away now and protect herself.

Sophie is determined to stand by her husband, despite those around her trying to persuade her otherwise. She loves him, has always loved him and simply will not believe that he has done anything wrong. Although she does know deep down that he is capable.

Kate, the prosecuting barrister is certain that James is guilty. She is a successful barrister used to getting her own way, and will not go down without a fight.

With it's focus on political cover ups, university societies and class difference at Oxford, and difficulties of rape accusations and trials, Anatomy of a Scandal is a very different novel to any you will read this year.

Is James Whitehouse guilty? And if so, will he be bought to justice?

You will have to read to find out of course... I do think that Anatomy of a Scandal is a novel that would make a great TV drama, complete with suspense, flashbacks and fraught courtroom scenes. A 2018 must read.

Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

Kate is a successful barrister, a QC who prosecutes those who need to be locked away. But she’s just lost a case and it’s hit her hard. But as she sits at her desk in the Inns of Court, London, her clerk brings her the file for a new case and it immediately catches Kate’s interest. It concerns James Whitehouse, a junior Home Office Minister and confidant of the Prime Minister, a friend of his from his Eton and Oxford University days. Whitehouse has been accused of the rape of Olivia Lytton, one of his researchers, with whom Whitehouse had had an affair. It’s hard to imagine a more high profile case. It could give Kate’s career the push it deserves.

Sophie is a woman whose life has been turned upside down. She is married to James Whitehouse, the doting father of their children, whose political career is on the up, and they live in a beautiful house, enjoying such a wonderful lifestyle. Learning that James has had an affair with researcher Olivia Lytton is appalling for Sophie but she knows that she will stand by him. But then, as the reporters camp outside her door, it all gets much, much worse. Sophie loves her husband, he must be innocent. She must hold her family together.

Anatomy of a Scandal is a timely and tense psychological thriller. It presents men of privilege, men who believe that they’re above the law and may have evaded it for decades, but those days are changing. It all sounds very familiar, especially when you throw in Eton schooldays and a decadent and exclusive dining club at Oxford University. Kate and Sophie approach this story from different angles – one is actively trying to challenge the status quo while the other wishes things stayed as they were. It’s hard not to sympathise with both positions. Sophie is part of the establishment, it’s understandable that she wants to keep her perfect life as it was, but this is the type of crime that, if proven, could collapse the world around her.

The novel is presented from several perspectives but mostly from the point of view of Kate and Sophie and also in the present tense. This raises the tension, the clash in perspectives, and also contrasts the legal and personal elements of the story and case. James Whitehouse is a different man to different people and so we’re left to make up our own opinions. This is especially true during the court scenes and the extended inquisition of Olivia in the witness box. So we have the perspective of a third woman and these scenes are perhaps the most powerful of all.

With no doubt at all, Anatomy of a Scandal is a fast and compelling read. Its structure, moving between the main characters and also between the past and present, contributes to the pace. It is also very well-written with fascinating insight into the legal process and also into the psychological state of the novel’s characters. But I did have some issues with it, mostly due to its big twist which I did not care for at all and hoped wasn’t coming. I know psychological thrillers are expected to have these twists but these days it rather puts me off. I’d rather have a story that stays true to its characters and doesn’t bend them to fit the twist. My other main issue was with its similarity to the reported student days of Cameron and Johnson etc in Oxford. It’s all so odious it automatically puts me off every character concerned. As a result, there were a fair few characters here I had no time for and unfortunately that also included Sophie.

Nevertheless, although I had a bit of trouble with some of the plot devices, Anatomy of a Scandal was a book I’d been looking forward to reading and it certainly did keep my attention. Sarah Vaughan writes very well and I’m very interested to see what she does next while hoping that the skill of her writing is allowed to triumph over the ubiquitous twist.