Reputation by Sarah Vaughan book review

‘Told from multiple points of view, this raw and painfully real portrayal of insecurities, guilt, shame and postnatal anxiety is complex, nuanced and moving’ Guardian 

From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal, soon to be a major Netflix series…

Reputation: it takes a lifetime to build and just one moment to destroy.

 
Emma Webster is a respectable MP.
 
Emma Webster is a devoted mother.
 
Emma Webster is innocent of the murder of a tabloid journalist.
 
Emma Webster is a liar.
 
#Reputation: The story you tell about yourself. And the lies others choose to believe…

The bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal—soon to be a Netflix series—returns with a new psychological thriller about a politician whose less-than-perfect personal life is thrust into the spotlight when a body is discovered in her home.

As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career—including her marriage and her relationship with her daughter, Flora. 

A former teacher, the glare of the spotlight is unnerving for Emma, particularly when it leads to countless insults, threats, and trolling as she tries to work in the public eye. As a woman, she knows her reputation is worth its weight in gold but as a politician, she discovers it only takes one slip-up to destroy it completely. 

Fourteen-year-old Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another teenager takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected…but then the unthinkable happens.

A man is found dead in Emma’s home. A man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation, and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart.

Another breathless and twisty novel from an absolute “master of suspense” (CrimeReads), Reputation brilliantly illustrates that it isn’t who you are that matters…it’s who people think you are.

Duffy’s Thoughts On Reputation by Sarah Vaughan

I loved Anatomy Of A Scandal and cannot wait to see it on Netflix, so when I was offered Reputation to read and review, I instantly said yes!

Reputation follows the story of Emma, a successful MP who is rising through the ranks and gaining publicity. What started out as a career to help others, is now the central focus of her life, costing her a marriage and possibly the relationship with her teenage daughter. As with all political games, the moment you start, the deeper you get, the harder it is to extricate yourself when the pressure mounts.

As always, with Sarah Vaughan’s books, she takes you deep into the walls of Westminster and unveils the conspiracy, political plays and backstabbing that has been happening within those walls since the 1500s.

It’s a heftier book than Anatomy of A Scandal, and my initial reaction was whether the pages would hold my attention for so long. However, the plot of Reputation rolls out at a well thought out pace and the chapters are small enough to keep you engaged, and you aren’t entirely sure who did it until right at the end!

A smart, suspenseful read you can lose yourself in.

Reputation by Sarah Vaughan smart suspenseful thriller
Available from Booktopia and all good bookstores. Published by Simon & Schuster

Check out Sarah Vaughans other great reads!

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