Very good writing, brilliant characters both good and bad and very believable. Rather close to home for certain Bullingdon Club members perhaps...

I liked the format of this book, it was cleverly written and clearly thought out.
Different characters made this book come to life. Would recommend
7/10

Well-written, biting and topical, and I didn't spot the twist. I loved the university chapters, although I felt the wife's indecision went on a bit long.

This book was recommend by the Hi-Low show and I was pleased that NetGalley had given me the opportunity to read it. I found the writing style utterly engaging and easy to read - I flew through this book and was pleased to learn how the courtroom setting works. It is part court room drama and part psychological thriller which I found to be impeccably researched. There are some shocking scenes in this book which are quite eye opening.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and very believable. I enjoyed the flashbacks to earlier years, building the plot layer by layer. Very well written and definitely one for the book club.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good read but slightly different to the usual psychological thriller formula which seems to be getting overused at the moment! Recommended.

For those of you that like your novels to build slowly, for the suspense to tick along, page by page, and to then have the odd bit of legal procedure tossed in to the mix, this novel will be for you!

It's been such a long time since I've read a cracking legal thriller that I was really excited to get into this one. It's been a much hyped up book and I've eagerly awaited its release since first hearing about it. For me, the let-down in regard to this one was that it contained very little courtroom action, and the courtroom scenes that there were, seemed rather pedestrian and lacked the gripping nature of other legal thrillers that I've read.

Having said that, I did enjoy the general story which focuses on Holly, Kate, Sophie and James, and their interactions with each other. This is also a book about abuse and more specifically, about rape. At the heart of this story is a theme that most of us in South Africa understand all too well - how easy it is for people in government and in powerful positions to get away with all sorts of criminal behaviour, and how they seem to be above the law.

I found this novel to be a slow one. It's a good read but it definitely doesn't rocket along. There were stages where I felt that the pace could have been increased somewhat and where, if truth be told, I would skim read a few pages to move the story along. I'm never really a fan of that and what it ultimately means is that although I enjoyed the story, a rating of anything higher than 3 stars couldn't be justified.

It's a good one, but it's not going to make it onto my list of 2018 favourites.

This is probably the most gripping novel I have read in a long time. So well-written and full of suspense, I could not put it down. Highly recommend.

Although many people have rated this book highly I just couldn't get into it. It was about a politician embroiled in a did he, didn't he, type of scandal and shows how the court case unfolds from the view points of the different people involved. There is a twist though I'm not sure what I made of it.

I dipped in and out and eventually finished it though I still am not too keen on books written in the present tense though I understand that it's done to keep the reader feeling involved. Not for me.

The was a very topical story about the current sexual depredations of a member of Parliament and tracking back to his time at Oxford University. Some interesting questions raised and the court scenes were excellent. The greatest dilemma of all, does the wife stay by her man and protect her children or does she follow her head and be true to her feelings and beliefs. Loved every minute of this story.

Anatomy of a Scandal is based around three central characters. First there's James, the suave, charismatic family man and politician who is also good friends with the Prime Minister. He's wealthy and over-privileged. Then we meet Kate, the young, ruthlessly ambitious prosecutor, who's determined to see James get the guilty verdict he deserves. She's also good at her job and made her name prosecuting the very worst sexual assault cases. Finally we meet Sophie, James’ wife who has been dating James since college and knows him better than anyone else. All have a vital part to play in this psychological, legal drama, which starts with a shocking scandal being revealed, which is then dissected in court.

James is accused of rape one of his assistants, but did he do it? While his wife Sophie is seemingly supportive on the outside, on the inside her mind is going crazy thinking about his alleged crimes and what he could in fact be capable of. Just how long can she remain loyal as the story unfolds?

We travel from the court case, back in time to Oxford in the 90s and into the current murky goings on within the privileged political world, where money, corruption and power rule the day.

This is an extremely well written and cleverly plotted, insightful story. I can hardly believe this is Sarah Vaughan's debut book! I can believe, however, that his can easily be adapted into a BBC drama, very much like Louise Doughty’s Apple Tree Yard.

Sarah Vaughan has mastered a treat for us with Anatomy of a Scandal, a sharp, engrossing and poignant political drama, which highlights some shocking hard-hitting facts with sensitivity and realism. Terrific!

Anatomy of a Scandal is an engaging legal thriller and what sets it apart from the others is how it bravely tackles a sensitive subject that is rape. So, be warned that if you’re the type who’s not comfortable on the subject, you might want to skip this one. It certainly makes for an interesting read. Not only because it focused on a delicate matter but also having a public figure loved by many as the accused added extra intrigue to the story. I had a hard time sticking to it at first as it switched from one time period to another in which the pace is slow. But once I get past the introductory chapters and things get on a smooth albeit steady pace, I got engrossed with the story and didn’t let go until the end. Told from multiple points of view, but mainly focused on Sophie and Kate, going between the past and the present, it gives a different perspective on the story. And as the story delved deeper into the characters past and their secrets, it also realistically tackle the matter of rape. One where a victim believed it is not consensual sex while the other believed otherwise. Which raised an important question on when does a consensual sex cross the line and turned into rape? A question which was answered thoroughly in the book. It is evident that the author researched well on the subject. The twist was revealed a little early for my liking but it doesn’t really affect the satisfaction of reading this book as there are more surprises in store towards the end. Though the ending seemed a little rushed, it still managed to wrapped things up satisfactorily. Overall, while Anatomy of a Scandal deals with a tough subject, it is definitely a page-turner that’s worth reading.

I really enjoyed this twisty story it was great that was hard to guess the ending. Some of the characters were more rounded than others but I still enjoyed it very much and look forward to more books from Sarah Vaughan.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I absolutely loved it. It is so poignant and so relevant right now. The narrative is well-paced and I found myself constantly wanting to return to it when I wasn't reading. I would highly recommend it.

This was a reasonably enjoyable story. I'd probably read more by this author.

I thought this was going to be another boring court room scandal story. How wrong I was!
Kept me gripped from the beginning and I got into the storyline straight away.
Would definately recommend to anyone who likes a good thriller !!!

Anatomy of a Scandal is a competent psychological thriller that will appeal to readers of Appletree Yard by Louise Doughty. When a highflying MP is accused of raping one of his researchers the repercussions affect his wife and family and also the prosecuting barrister who is hiding her own secrets. I enjoyed it very much.

Pacy mix of a legal thriller, a hidden past crime and a dangerous marriage. Really readable and compulsive.

I enjoyed this book but would have liked a bit more action in the courtroom. James,an MP accused of rape of his mistress in a lift. This is one of these,who do you believe cases which could go either way.
Kate, the barrister is determined to get a guilty verdict and see James sent to prison. We hear a lot about James and his friends during their university years and how it probably shaped their lives for a future of feeling privileged.
I felt sorry for Jame's wife Sophie having to live with an unfaithful man. There's a few surprises in this book which make the whole read worthwhile .

James is the darling of Westminster. Good looking and charismatic, best chums with the PM, not even a sordid affair seems to threaten his ascending star. His wife Sophie is heartbroken and struggles to forgive him. But when he's accused of rape she's sure there's a miscarriage of justice - could the father of her children do something so heinous? But equally as sure that he could do it is Kate, a barrister who thrives on cases like this. She throws herself into every case she prosecutes but this one seems to consume her....

Revenge, privilege, heartbreak, intrigue - it's all here. This has been described as a courtroom drama but it's more than that. It tells a story for four viewpoints, James, Sophie, Kate and Holly (and old study partner of Sophie's). There's no question from the outset that James is a slimy a-hole but this novel studies if he's really as bad as Kate and his accusers make out? There's no huge surprises in this novel but in many ways this story is more about the journey than the outcome. It raises interesting questions about what we are willing to let people get away with when they are so good looking, so seemingly happy, so charming and blessed.

I very much enjoyed this. It's a compelling read from start to finish. You know a book is good when despite been up for 22 hours you just HAVE to finish. It's well structured, well written - this author is surely destined for even more success.