Sarah Vaughan | ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL

Plot (via Amazon): 

An astonishingly incisive and suspenseful novel about a scandal amongst Britain’s privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.

Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart.

Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes.

Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy.

Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator… Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?

Review:

This is a hefty novel that approaches 400 pages dealing with some very in-depth character perceptions dealing with a case of rape. The he said, she said moments are not only extremely well-written, but the amount of time and effort spent on each characters acknowledgement of certain events and the details that not only led up to the even, but ultimately made them who they are are harrowing and brutally realistic. This is a story told from the perspectives of multiple women connected to the case and like a spiderweb, intertwined by their pasts.

While the plot to this one is rather wordy and the pacing is slow, this is a novel listed as Contemporary Fiction, but I would consider a psychological thriller and easily one of the best I have ever read. The mixed reviews made me a little iffy at first, but I'm glad I went with my gut instinct and dove right in. Yes, it's wordy. Yes, the pacing is slow at first, but remember this is a psychological thriller. There is not going to be a ridiculous amount of plot twists. This is simply a story that tells how these characters were made to be who they are today and the monsters that hide inside all of us. Told from the main perspectives of Sophie, who's husband is being accused of raping a woman that he had recently ended an affair with, Kate, the prosecutor, and Holly. Now, Holly's chapters were the most interesting for me to read as they told a story of a young girl in college who is semi-friends with Sophie and gets to see their relationship blossom into what will later become a lengthy marriage. These perspectives are gripping, haunting, and ultimately extremely well-written. You get a true insight into who these people are and Vaughan does a fantastic job of building characters that take this storyline from the ground up.

In regards to the plot, I really loved having the chance to read a unique and poignant psychological thriller that has a ton of characterization, a plot we've all seen ripped from the headlines, and get an insiders look into the drama, the scheming, and the reality of what happens in a high profile case. After about 200 pages in, I literally couldn't stop. Don't get me wrong, the first 200 were very interesting and the plot flowed without a hiccup, but the darkness and the plot twists really start to escalate within the second half of the novel. I had some sort of inkling as to where this story would head and I was proven wrong by Vaughan's flawless efforts in directing the reader in one direction and then yanking them back to reality. Not only is this a highly prized psychological thriller, courtroom drama, and literary genius tale of fiction, but it's a story that is not only both haunting and intriguingly effective. I was entertained, saddened, and mystified until the very end with a final chapter that not only left me highly satisfied, but chilled me to the core.

Rating: 4/5

*I received a copy of this novel from Atria Books in exchange for my honest review.