An interesting peek into the lives of the privileged with scandal, rape allegations,politicians & drugs and there effect on the innocent people involved. The storyline starts in 1993 when the main characters are all students then fast forwards to the current time with frequent jumps to and fro which I have to say confused me at times. Most enjoyable was the different interpretations of the 'same' incidents given by victim and the suspect which were both extremely plausible. The final part of the book and the ending were equally disappointing I felt they were just added to complete the jigsaw with no real thought to the readers experience. Sorry just didn't do it for me.

My Review: Firstly, I need to say WOW what an incredible debut novel. This story centres around the elite, over-privileged and entitled students at Oxford university.

The Scandal in question involves a handsome, charismatic politician James, accused of rape and is told from alternating points of view; his wife Sophie who is desperate to believe and defend him and the prosecutor Kate who is determined to prove his guilt.

This is a slow burning, tense thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. If you like your stories simmering with tension, intelligent and well crafted characters and a plausible plot you will enjoy this.

Anatomy of a Scandal Sarah Vaughan


Just to deviate from my usual reading I was looking for a Political, or Court, Drama. Anatomy of a Scandal came up in the Amazon search engine when I put both categories in so I thought I’d give it ago, even if it did say “female fiction” as the main category.

Well either I’m in touch with my feminine side or they have the category wrong. I found this to be a thoroughly engrossing read.

The synopsis for the story reads like it should be from a tabloid news front page, but it is written with the panache of a broad sheet.

James Whitehouse is a high profile Conservative MP, a cabinet minister, and a very good friend of the Prime Minister. They have been friends from school and were members of the Libertines at Oxford University.

The story starts with Sophie Whitehouse, his wife, waiting at home for her husband who is uncharacteristically late and out of contact. When he walks through the door he looks worried; and he should be, he’s just about to tell his wife he has been having an affair with a pretty young researcher, and that the press has got hold of the story.

Could it get any worse?

Oh yes!

The researcher Olivia Lytton accuses James of rape and he is arrested, and the case goes to court in a high-profile media circus of a hearing.

Sophie decides to stand by her man; but does she believe him.

Kate Woodcroft QC the CPS prosecution Barrister is convinced James is guilty and is prepared to do almost anything, within the law, to see him found guilty.

The story concentrates on the Court hearing whilst flashing back to James and Sophie’s University days and the shenanigans of the Libertines. Will this history show why Sophie is so adamant that James is innocent, or explain why she wants to stand by him? Will it show why Kate is so determined get a guilty verdict.

There are places in this book, where Sarah Vaughan described places and people very deeply, that I have to admit to speed reading or skipping text as; but the story is outstanding.

Throughout the book I found myself taking sides, then changing my opinion. If I had been on the Jury I might have had a hard time reaching a verdict…..at times.

By the end of the book my allegiances were firmly on one side, but I dare say people will have different opinions.

I am so glad I decided to look at a different genre of book.

Pages: 400
Publishers: Simon & Schuster UK
Publishing date: 11 January 2018
Available to pre-order on Amazon

This book is definitely a page turner, very well researched and credible. Kate is a successful barrister who works as a prosecuting barrister mainly in sexually related cases. Hard working, ruthless and focussed she will stop at nothing to win her cases. The writer has clearly researched the role of a barrister and this comes across, thus making Kate extremely believable as a character. However saying that, the first chapter felt like a little bit of an information dump -as if the writer was trying to gain gravitas with the reader by proving the research and packing it all into one chapter. However, it picked up pace from then on and I really got taken up by the story and read it in two sittings.
The story soon introduces James Whitehouse who is a junior MP and best friend to the Prime Minister. As soon as he is accused of rape, the story gets interesting. Particularly seeing as though Kate, ( still reeling from losing her previous case) is about to prosecute him. This novel is told from multiple point of views and it works really well and gives a good and necessary varied perspective on the story. The back story revolves around Oxford university and the author does an excellent job of painting a picture of life at the university. We meet Kate, her best friend Ali, James and his wife Sophie, plus his accuser. The friendship between Kate and her friend Ali is written superbly well and I really bought into, and understood the dynamics in their relationship. At times it was also very touching and felt real.
The story is pacy, addictive and a real page turner and I am loathe to say much more because I would hate to spoil the plot line and the twists and turns, I did guess the twists and turns really early on but I think the way the writer chooses her reveals and the timing of those is entirely deliberate. I found the ending a little rushed ( again I don't wish to provide spoilers) but I would have liked to have seen a little more detail/ experienced more of an emotional reaction( conclusion for me the reader from some of the characters as the story reached its conclusion. I guess I would have liked some of the consequences of characters played out a little more, even if it was half a page.
Overall however, a really brilliant, entertaining read. In summary, it's a courtroom drama/ love and friendship story that grips you, reels you in and keeps you interested right until the last page. It's about the privilege of money, historical behaviour and class divides: all themes that are worked into the book really effectively. I can see this as a TV series or a film. For all the above reasons, I would thoroughly recommend this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

WOW! This is a great read, it kept me gripped from beginning to end. James Whitehouse is an MP accused of rape by one of his researchers. He is arrested and a court case follows. His wife Sophie wants to believe his innocence or is he guilty? We get to know more about James and his days at Oxford and the group of friends he had via flashbacks. We learn more about Kate who is the prosecuting barrister who has her reasons for believing he is guilty.
I had to keep reading on to get to the verdict and also the aftermath. Excellent read.

An interesting and contemporary court room drama mixing the difficulty of prosecuting a male establishment figure and how one can never really leave the past behind

Anatomy of a Scandal is a tense novel about power, privilege, and knowing the secrets from someone’s past. James is a politician on the rise, a family man with a long-standing connection to the PM. His wife Sophie has known him since they were both at Oxford and thinks she knows all the skeletons in his closet. However, when he is accused of a crime that cuts right into Sophie’s vision of her husband, she must consider whether she will continue to stand by him. And Kate, the barrister prosecuting James, has a past of her own, and is certain James is guilty, willing to put her all into getting him convicted.

Vaughan weaves together these main characters into a drama that jumps between the courtroom, the modern political world, and early 90s Oxford. It has elements of a psychological or domestic thriller, complete with questioning of the truth and intense legal proceedings, but Anatomy of a Scandal is more than that, an anatomy of individual viewpoints surrounding a scandal that covers political coverups, drinking societies and class difference at Oxford, and difficulties of rape accusations and trials. The epigraph is from Mantel’s Bring Up The Bodies and the way that Mantel combines the political and the personal whilst talking about the truth makes it a good comparison, despite the vast difference in subject matter. The novel is not solely psychological, or just a courtroom drama, but one that shows personal emotion within larger power structures.

The narrative is told from the points of view of major characters, with Vaughan withholding information or structuring it in a way that builds tension and gives the reader a sense of being caught in the middle of the secrets as they unfold. Her Oxford is very recognisable to anyone who has been and the whole novel is detailed, giving enough information to allow the reader to work out elements, but also keep guessing about what really happened or will happen. Though James and Sophie’s marriage is a real focus, it is Kate who stands out as someone caught between past and present, though at first she appears to just be a simple barrister character who will form the courtroom threat.

Anatomy of a Scandal is the kind of book that will appeal to both fans of thrillers and those who prefer something a bit more general, combining character relationships and backstory with tense prosecution. The focus on a privileged world—from the arcane rituals of both the court and Oxford to the money and power of politicians—can be fascinating and adds to questions of who should really be believed. It has plenty of gripping drama and would clearly make a great TV adaptation in the future.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very impressed with this book, which is cleverly plotted, with a twist in the middle that is beautifully executed. The author builds her characters well and the novel is well paced and nicely written.

Great book. Brilliant plot and main characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Very enjoyable.