Good, suspense thriller that involves Britain's elite.
The story revolves around two women. One is Sophie. Her husband James, is a minister of parliament. James has been accused of raping the woman he has been having an affair with. The other woman is Kate. She is the prosecutor in the case. As the story unfolds, Sophie begins to doubt everything she knows about her husband. When the chapters switch to Kate's story, we slowly learn that there is a event her Kate's life that has defined who she has become today.
The tension mounts with every page you turn. Well written and a great read. I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher on Netgalley.com.

ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL
SARAH VAUGHAN


MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️
PUBLISHER Atria
PUBLISHED December 5, 2017

A fascinating and suspenseful legal drama about a scandal involving a highly placed British junior minister and the women caught up in its wake.

SUMMARY
Sophie Whitehead’s husband, James is handsome, successful, and a charismatic highly placed junior Home Office minister. Highly placed perhaps because he went to Eton and Oxford with the current prime minister. Their friendship has been intertwined since the age of thirteen. But now James stands accused of a crime. Sophie and James have been married for twelve years, she is convinced he is innocent, and she will stand by him and protect their family.

Kate Woodcroft is the Queen’s Counsel lawyer prosecuting the case. She is a criminal barrister and her speciality is sexual crimes. She is an experienced professional who knows the law is all about winning the argument. She had just lost her last case and she desperately wants to win this one. Kate is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crime.

If James is found guilty, Sophie’s world will be turned upside down, and their two children will pay the ultimate price, but if he gets off it may just devastate both Kate and his victim.


REVIEW
ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a well-written intimate look inside a crime most of us would rather not think about. It’s a compelling legal drama about the difference between persuasion and the truth, and how we often shape the truth to suit our needs. It’s also about how our background influence our behavior, and how difficult it is to overcome the dark secrets of the past

Chapters nicely alternate between the perspectives of Kate, Sophie, and James. SARAH VAUGHN has woven a thought-provoking drama involving these three characters, that easily jumps between the halls of parliament, the Old Bailey courtroom, Oxford college, and the aftermath of a trial. A gripping read, highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria and Sarah Vaughan for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A suspenseful legal thriller that takes place in the present but flashes back to a crime committed in the past that the defendant may or may not have committed. The plot is further enhanced by the prosecutor’s own personal motives in wanting to punish the defendant. Along with vivid descriptions of life at Oxford for the privileged class, I really enjoyed the unfoldment of this story by Sarah Vaughan, a former journalist at the Guardian.

I don't often get to review books that are set in the UK. I am glad I get to review this book, as it was excellent and I loved that it was set in a place as rich in history and culture, especially when it comes to government and the law. This book is written in the voice of a couple of characters. The first voice you hear is Kate's - a barrister who mostly works for individuals who have been sexually assaulted. She is excellent at her job, and had a tremendous passion for the work that she does. Then Sophie - the wife of a government minister who finds himself in trouble with the law - although he swears of his innocence, and Sophie has to stand by him to be the supportive wife she has always been and to keep her family together. James - Sophie's husband and the government minister who has always had everything handed to him, and has always escaped trouble up until this point. Holly - who went to college with Sophie & James and also Alison who is the last character voice you hear. Ali - or rather Alison who was good friends with Holly in college, and shows up later in the book as an adult. The book also goes between the present in which James is brought to a trial and the past, where the characters are intertwined in college. I try not to give up too much in reviews because I do not want to give anything away, so you will forgive me for not giving you more of the story behind the book. I will tell you that Sarah Vaughn does a fantastic job creating this characters, making them real for the reader. She also weaves a story that will eat at you, and that makes it very hard to put the book down, as you simply have to know what truly happened to each of the characters in the book, as well as what will happen for them in the future. So, read this book when you have some time, as you will need it so you are not in a situation where you have to walk away from the book.... you will not want to, that is for sure.

This is a powerful read with an easy flowing style of writing that captivates the readers attention. The
characters will stay with you long after the book is finished. Very well-drafted story which slowly peels back the many layers of the characters. I was mesmerized by this book. Would love to read more by this author.

The story follows the point of views a British politician accused of rape, his wife and the prosecutor of the case.

It's a gripping story and it was a big page turner for me. I love court room books and it was really interesting to see how the British justice system works.

The three main characters all have very gripping point of views and they all kept me entertained.

It's a heavy and hard subject to read about, but the author let that part of the story be told mostly through the trial, which makes it easier to read about.

I highly recommend this book!

An upper class politician with all the right connections is accused of rape. A story told from the POV of the accused, his wife, and ... someone else. I don't want to risk spoiling it by giving away too much. Suffice it to say that the characters are nuanced to perfection and the story is crafted true. A page-turning crime drama and precisely calibrated study of male/female relationships all rolled into one heck of an consuming novel. Well done!

This is a story of privilege, intrigue, moral dilemma, and of course Scandal, with a capital S! James Whitehouse is a member of parliament and married with two children. He is good looking, athletic, charismatic, has a degree from Oxford, and comes from a wealthy family. When, on the eve of the story going public, he has to break the news to his wife about an office affair, she decides to stand by him, publicly at least. Then, when the mistress accuses him of rape, the veneer in their marriage starts to crack and she has some serious doubts about his innocence.

I can see book clubs devouring this because it gives you so much to think about as far as your own moral compass goes. Is it rape, if just a week ago it was a consensual relationship? Is it rape if the former relationship had a pattern of risky sex in public places? What if the woman doesn’t say an unequivocal NO, but more of a “no, not here”? Then to complicate matters, parts of all three main character’s pasts come to light. The moving back and forth from past to present keeps things moving at a good pace.

The alternating view points also kept me interested. The story is told from the view points of the three main characters, so you really get inside the head of the man accused of this crime, his wife, and the prosecuting attorney. This is great for seeing all sides of the scandal and I rather enjoyed my own internal dilemma with who to side with, but at times, I felt like the introspection dragged on a bit too long. Halfway through the book, you do get a satisfying twist though that connects the dots.

What this book gives you is a juicy scandal, good character development, an inside look at a marital relationship, and a moral dilemma to think about. It comes out in early December of this year.

Although I feel I should be invested in this novel, I have started it several times and can't get past the first 50 pages or so. If I manage to finish it, I will update this review.

Really well researched, believable and compelling. Recommended

Really Good Legal procedural that deals with the consequences of secrets. There is a twist in the middle of the book that did not surprise me, but it did serve to further flesh out the already interesting characters. I've read a couple of reviews for this novel and most of them tend to focus on the secrets the main characters hold, but I found this to be a novel about the relationships between people as well, between married people and one touching display of loyalty between friends. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Anatomy of a Scandal is definitely well outside of the books I usually gravitate toward -- a ripped from the headlines look at a political sex scandal. When I saw it on Netgalley, I decided to try it anyway. I really appreciated the development of the characters, and how the stories of their past at Oxford intertwined with their present lives. An interesting, all too believable look at the anatomy of a scandal.

This was a slow read with chapters focusing on different characters and moving back and forth through time. Halfway through the book the connection between past and present becomes clear. It did a pretty good job at hiding it for a bit but not so much so by the time things come together, I had realized it so it wasn't out of nowhere. I actually felt a little slow on the uptake there haha.

The impact of rape and the whole rape trial process is covered well. The book is pretty clear about what constitutes rape between two ppl who know each other (and may have even been in a relationship). That's often seen as a grey area even though it really shouldn't be. So I like how the book makes its stance very clear and it really is but also how people try to describe the event in a different light to say it's not rape.

Something else I like about the book is how it continues on after the verdict when I think many books would've ended. Instead it goes on for multiple chapters. Although at first I questioned why it was doing so (since as I said before, the book already felt quite slow and the big climactic moment was over), I wound up appreciating the time taken to see the aftermath.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Sarah Vaughan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. :o)

3.5/5 This is the story of a lawyer and her connection to a rape trial. The author sets up the protagonist as being a terrific lawyer, but I didn't really feel her commitment to the case (despite her connection to it). Maybe I'm too used to American TV show lawyers that the British court system seems tame. I wanted more Annalise Keating, less Elle Woods. The verdict is read about 75% of the way through the book and from there the story meanders a bit. You know from the beginning that the (alleged) rapist is going to get what he deserves eventually, so the ending is more or less "meh" for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. There were parts of the story regarding the British legal system, as well as life as a student at Oxford that caught my attention and I learned quite a bit, however, overall, the characters failed to engage me. I’ve been a voracious reader since summer vacations and local library book clubs and will gladly cross genres with one caveat, I have to be involved and interested in the major characters as well as the storyline. In this case, James, seemingly happily married to Sophie, has ended an affair with a coworker, Olivia, who then accuses him of rape. The case is prosecuted by Kate, a woman suffering with deep seated personal demons, which are reveled as the story unfolds.
James, as a man who admits to cheating on his wife, but steadfastly maintains that he did not rape Olivia, failed to garner either my sympathy or loathing. While the fact that he ended the affair even though Olivia was still enamored made me question his guilt, unfortunately, for me, his mannerisms along with his callous treatment of his blindsided wife Sophie made me wish he was guilty more so he would be removed from his family’s life and less because he actually committed this heinous crime.
While both Kate and Sophie’s past and present are covered in detail, without spoiling the story for anyone, I can say that both women would have been much better off if James had never been a part of their worlds. As for Olivia, her decision to embark on an affair with James leaves her life in tatters.
I definitely will look for additional books by Sarah Vaughan since the background to the story was extremely well written and I read so many reviews where people considered the characters to be spot on and the book hard to put down. I will have to read this one again to see if I have a different reaction to the characters.

I'd rate this book at a 3.5. A good storyline, a twist I'd only just had a slight inkling was coming, but it just felt a little too long and drawn out.

Fantastic page turner, scandal, intrigue and moral ambiguity. Simply brilliant.

The process of reconstructing one's life..........

Brick by brick. Story by story. Lie built upon lie.

Kate Woodcroft pours herself a stout one to mellow out the night. Being a barrister in London assigned to difficult cases involving violence of a sexual nature has an ember that is only accelerated by that drink. A hot bath eases the knots, but it hardly loosens the mental ties that bind Kate's overburdened heart and weary soul.

The next day brings with it a case that drops both the jaw and the legal file. James Whitehouse, a government minister, has been charged with rape. The accusations have been brought to court by Olivia Lytton, a parlimentory researcher, who works in James' office. Kate will represent Olivia. But who is presenting a true face lined with the honesty of facts and real happenings? Which one of these individuals has danced one too many times leaving footprints of a shady past?

Sarah Vaughan presents a storyline which weaves back and forth in time. Oxford becomes the focal point of the story's rapid pulse in which each character has a connecting line to the others. These spokes of the wheel move forward into actions that have been concealed for questionable reasons on all of their parts. Just how long can lips be sealed?

Vaughan does a spanking great job with her dialogue during the trial. That's the sizzle of the book. The characters are many and each is embedded with flaws of the past that seep into the present. The ending, though clever, seemed a tad contrived for its outcome. But Vaughan does have her finger on the pulse of the action. All in all, this was an engaging read by a very talented author.

My thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and to Sarah Vaughan for the opportunity to read Anatomy of a Scandal for an honest review.

Anatomy of A Scandal is a fast paced roller coaster of a book. As is popular with this genre lately, you learn the outcome of the story in the first chapter. Kate, Queens Counsel, loses her case against a member of Parliament for rape. But as is also popular with this genre you are rocketed back and forth between the present, the near past and the university days of the MP. You then realize that the outcome of the story is just the beginning. A well woven story of privilege, politics, and the fall out of arrogance. A well done story.