ARC Review 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"Her Many Faces" by Nicci Cloke

If you think you've got Katie Cole all figured out, think again! "Her Many Faces" takes you on a wild ride through the twisted world of perception. Nicci Cloke delivers an original psychological thriller that feels like a literary Rorschach test.

Four men are dead, and a young waitress is on trial. Five narrators each have their perspective on who Katie really is. Is she a terrorist lurking in the shadows? A traumatized child? A scorned lover seeking revenge? Or perhaps a misunderstood genius trying to navigate a messy world? It’s like observing a kaleidoscope of memories and biases swirling together.

Cloke layers the plot with rich details and builds tension that sneaks up on you, much like when you accidentally consume an entire pint of ice cream before realizing it! Oops, it happens to the best of us. From a protective father to a scorned lover and a slippery journalist, each character reveals a different side of Katie. This story explores how easily we create narratives that align with our comfort zones. By the end of the court testimonies, I felt more confused than ever about who Katie truly was and found myself no closer to determining her guilt or innocence.

The middle section occasionally drags as it cycles through overlapping accounts, but trust me—when Katie finally speaks, it makes the waiting worthwhile!

"Her Many Faces" is a dark and clever reminder that, in an age of conspiracy theories and viral assumptions, the truth is rarely straightforward. I approached this book without any expectations, and it has somehow earned a spot on my top reads for 2025! I can’t wait to explore more works by Nicci Cloke.

Thanks to the author and William Morrow for providing this gifted ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Her Many Faces - Nicci Cloke

4/5⭐️

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This one was such a ride! I totally binged it in one sitting because it’s one of those thrillers you just can’t put down until you get answers. That’s exactly what I did. Did I totally just find a new author to love? Yes!! My mind was working with this one. Was she guilty or not guilty and I just kept swaying to both sides while reading. I don’t want to give too much of this one away in my review because you need to just experience this book to make your choice. We do get multiple POVs of men from her life and let’s just say every one has a different opinion of our FMC. Overall for me this was a pretty fast read and that it ended great.

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If you like to read:
- Thriller
- Mystery
- Suspense
- Crime
… You should definitely check this out

In 'Her Many Faces', Nicci Cloke crafts a gripping psychological thriller that doubles as a sharp commentary on media, misogyny, and the slippery nature of truth. When four powerful men are found dead at an exclusive London club, the suspect is a 22-year-old waitress named Katie Cole. But the real mystery lies not just in what happened - but in who Katie is, depending on who's telling the story.

The novel unfolds through five male perspectives: Katie's father, her lawyer, a former friend, an ex-lover, and a journalist obsessed with the case. Each man offers a conflicting version of her life - painting Katie as a victim, manipulator, pawn, or avenging angel. Cloke leans into this Rashomon-like structure to explore how women's identities are so often constructed (and distorted) through the eyes of others.

The pacing is smartly controlled, with courtroom scenes and media commentary layered between increasingly intense backstories. As the testimonies deepen, so do the questions: Is Katie a murderer, a martyr, or something more unknowable? And what does it say about us that we keep trying to categorize her?

Some readers may find the shifting points of view and nonlinear timeline require a bit of patiences, particularly in the middle. But the payoff is worth it - Cloke uses ambiguity not as a gimmick, but as a mirror. The ending doesn't tie everything up neatly, but that feels like the point: truth, in this story, is as fractured as the system trying to pin it down.

A young woman is arrested and charged with the murder of four wealthy club members after a poisoning.

This is such a uniquely done thriller. It has really short chapters. Each chapter is one of several characters that know the defendant and show her different faces (as we all have). I’ve never read anything quite like this and it pays off. It leaves you guessing, as we know everyone’s perspective is different and not always the honest truth. It all comes together in the end.

“It’s laughable, when I think it now. You’re many things, wildcat, but safe has never been one of them.”

Her Many Faces comes out 7/15.

I was really excited to read this book because of the multiple povs regarding Katie. In my opinion it offered a different perspective not as prevalent in the thriller/mystery genre which excited me to read it especially as someone who spends a lot of time reading those particular genres. I will say there were a few points that I found it difficult to truly understand or find clarity as to whose perspective I was reading even with each chapter being labeled with its specific pov. There were times where it felt like the journalist, lawyer, and male friends were blending together. The first and final chapter in Katie’s pov left me curious and thinking about the role perceptions played during and after the trial.

I thoroughly enjoyed Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke. Told from the different points of view of several men who know Kat, the accused murderer, this thriller will have you second guessing any theories you have about her guilt or innocence. Short chapters along with the various characters keep the reader engaged throughout the novel. Unique, and well done. Highly recommend this unputdownable thriller! Thanks so much to NetGalley for the advance copy!

Thank you William Morrow for my gifted copy!

Her Many Faces had me in a vacuum. The world was muted. My heart was racing. My eyes were tearing across the page. My throat was heavy with emotion. In recent memory, there is one book that made me feel the same way as Her Many Faces, and it was Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka. I will never forget the way I felt reading that book. The way I was forced to step into the shoes of the man facing execution. It gave me nightmares. It made me feel like I was being crushed from a weight on my chest. I couldn’t get a full breath in. It was me, walking to that chair.

Similarly, it was me on the stand. It was me they were talking about. Me, whose every minute emotion was used against me. Me, whose relationships and friendships, online history, every facial expression, were used against me. Me, who was facing a life behind bars.

We meet Katherine, who is known by many nicknames by the people in her life. Some loving, some not. We get to know her through the eyes of her father, a reporter, her closest friend, her lawyer, her lover. Each view differing. Each view giving us a glimpse of a different side of Katherine; one of her many faces. All of these men with their own view of her. In this way, she was the most relatable and real character I’ve met in some time: imperfect, flawed, traumatized, in mourning, young, determined, gullible. And truthfully, it was the most clever way to tell a story I’ve read because of how we got to meet this woman based off the opinions of men.

I promise you that this is going to be the thriller of the summer, and you need to get your hands on it as soon as it’s out. (July 15)

Simple but brilliant!!! I LOVED this thriller and ate it up. I read it one sitting! This book was clever and snappy and bold. Recommend!

Killer Kate is on trial for murdering 4 upper class elite men. She is a waitress at an exclusive club and was the last one in there before they all died. This book is written in second person and from multiple points of view. So, one POV from her dad, to whom she is Kit Kat, one POV from her lawyer, to whom she is Katherine. Other POV including two love interests and a journalist after the truth.

I really enjoyed the unique take on a narrative, how the people in our lives all know a different version of who we are. It was unique to read in the second person and to see how different she was portrayed.

It got both confusing and dragged a bit in the middle. I’m not even sure I completely understand the ending. Maybe 1 or 2 fewer POV would have worked.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. Book to be published July 14, 2025.

I liked t he premise to this one but the pacing was a little too slow for me. While I enjoyed the perspectives from John and Gabriel, I did feel that the two perspectives from Max and Tarun were really similar and a few of the subplots made me loose focus. Overall, the execution was good and I loved the writing.

This one was so good! Definitely more of a psychological suspense and reminded me a lot of the storytelling in Notes on an Execution. A very good story - it took me a minute to keep all of the different men straight but eventually I got it. A very unique way to tell a story, I really loved this one.

Loved It! Katherine Cole is a waitress at an exclusive club where the members are all wealthy and very influential. When four members are found dead from being poisoned, Kate is arrested and accused of murder. The story itself was enough to grab my attention, but it was the clever way this story was told that really hooked me! Each short, dramatic chapter features a view point by someone who knows or knew Kate in one way or another, with stories from the past and the present, trying to help us understand whether or not it’s possible for her to have committed such an atrocity. I thank Netgalley and the Scene of the Crime early read program for the opportunity to read and review this book!

5 ⭐️ This book is so good I didn’t want to put it down! Written in alternating chapters of 5 different men in Katie’s life. It took me a bit to get used to the different voices, John, Kate’s Dad, Gabe, her best friend, Tarun, her attorney, Max, a reporter and her ex boyfriend Conrad. Each of these men sees her differently and through their eyes we begin to see who she is and what exactly happened.

There is a murder that Kate is arrested for. Did she do it? The story takes a back and forth telling, past and present with each of these characters. Once the trial starts things start to become clear. Add in a big twist and reveal and it’s a perfect ending!

Sure to be one of my favorite thrillers this year! Thank you Nicci Cloke, NetGalley and William Morrow Publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

The story of a woman on trial for the murder of four wealthy businessmen, told from the perspective of multiple men - father, close friend, journalist covering the case, etc. The book itself was pretty good and entertaining, but this premise has been done before and done MUCH better (one of my all time favs, Notes on an Execution, for example…) A well plotted, solid thriller that’s being slightly mismarketed.

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Looking for something different? Not your run-of-the-mill thriller? I might have just found your next unicorn thriller!

Katherine Cole is on trial for murdering 4 men in an exclusive club. She was their waitress the night they all died drinking from a special bottle of brandy after dinner. And Katherine? Well, she immediately disappeared into the night. Katie…that doesn’t look good!

Can it be that cut and dry? Only Katherine knows the truth!

Short chapters told from multiple perspectives, we get to see everyone’s relationship with Katherine, and how they view her. Each has a pet name for her ranging from Kit-Kat to K.C. From Katherine to Killer Kate. Even Wildcat. Who IS this woman?

I was ready for something different and this one delivered. Than to all my bookish friends for putting this one on my radar!🥰 I will pass it forward to more friends and readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow

Expected Publication Date July 15 2025

Katherine is on trial for poisoning several high profile men while waitressing on them at their exclusive club, The March House. The story unfolds through five different perspectives: her father, lawyer, longtime friend, crime reporter and an ex lover. This is an extremely unique way of storytelling that sucked me in right away. With each different perspective, we get a different take on who Katherine is or who they believe she is. How this all came together was a perfect take on a crime/courtroom thriller, but also a character study on relationships and how people can be seen differently in the eyes of others.

Everything was tied up perfectly, and I definitely enjoyed this immensely. The only small quibble I had was that it seemed a tad too long. Overall, I would highly recommend giving this a read. It was extremely unique and now I have a new author to keep an eye out for.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well… immediately going to add all of Nikki Cloke’s books to my TBR list.

I started this yesterday and just now finished it. Could not put it down. I LOVED the different POVs from the men in Katherine’s life. I loved the courtroom-themed drama and the entire plot. This was a unique thriller, which I find particularly satisfying after having read so many thrillers.
The whole time I was wondering, “Did she do it? And why?”

I had no idea where this would go and I love that the most.. thought maybe I had a clue multiple times but I didn’t. And the very last page.. perfection!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC! So grateful I got to read this one beforehand and be one of the first reviewers!

Unfortunately this was a do not finish title for me. While I was initially intrigued by the idea of seeing the main character through the eyes of various characters, I found myself only paying attention to the father’s view and losing interest in the others.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. I found the characters hard to keep track of, their stories of Katherine, Kit Kat, etc disjointed and felt the story moved too slow with not enough plot. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I thought this worked well as a tense and suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for in this type of book, I appreciated getting into the different perspective of this book. The mystery of this worked well overall and was hooked from the thriller, the characters had that feel that I was looking for and was glad they were so well done. Nicci Cloke has a strong writing style and thought the overall feel worked in the story.