Anatomy of a Scandal - Hardcover

"ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a compelling and cautionary story about how we can never truly know someone else; how even after twelve years of marriage, a wife might not know everything about her husband. Brilliant, shocking, and gripping, once I started, I couldn't stop reading."--Claire Fuller, award-winning author of OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS and SWIMMING LESSONS

"Shocking. Compelling. Completely brilliant."--Eve Chase, bestselling author of BLACK RABBIT HALL

"I was hooked right from the start. So beautifully written, clever and compelling. I was gripped right up to the final page."--Claire Douglas, bestselling author of The Sisters and Local Girl Missing

"I enjoyed ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL immensely - a very elegant dissection of a very messy affair. Loved it."--Louise Candlish, author of THE SWIMMING POOL

"ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a stunningly compelling read--utterly gripping from the first page, beautifully written and expertly plotted. Vaughan brilliantly captures the cloistered world of Britain's elite, which is packed with suspicion, lies, and terrible betrayals. This book is a must-read for 2018--it's impossible to put down and will stay with you long afterwards."--Sarah J. Harris, author of THE COLOR OF BEE LARKHAM'S MURDER

"ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is superb. Bitingly truthful, intelligent, gripping. All round class act."--Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of WHAT SHE KNEW

"Sarah Vaughan's Anatomy of a Scandal is just that -- a gradual unearthing of long-held secrets and betrayals, followed by a front-row seat for the lives that unravel as a result. Suspenseful and shocking, centered around an important moral issue that makes it especially intense, Anatomy of a Scandal is a nuanced, highly addictive read that resonates long after the final word."--Kimberly Belle, New York Times bestselling author of THE MARRIAGE LIE

"Sarah Vaughan is sensational."--Clare Mackintosh, internationally bestselling author of I LET YOU GO

"I cared about both women--couldn't put it down . . . really, really, really, really good."--Marian Keyes, Internationally bestselling author of THE BREAK

"A gripping dissection of deceit and desire . . . The definition of a page-turner."--Elizabeth Day, award-winning author of THE PARTY

Instant International Bestseller

“A nuanced story line perfectly in tune with our #metoo times.”—People, Book of the Week

“One of the season’s most buzzed-about thrillers.”—Bookish

“A strong choice for book clubs. Former political correspondent Vaughan makes an impressive debut with this savvy, propulsive courtroom drama.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Vaughan offers gripping insight into a political scandal’s hidden machinations and the tension between justice and privilege...Absorbing, polished.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Skillfully interweaving the story of the unfolding scandal, Vaughan gradually reveals just how shockingly high the stakes are...Sinewy...engrossing, twist-filled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

You want to believe your husband. She wants to destroy him.

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?