Having sisters I was very interested in this to see how I would be. I did guess who did it after having g changed my mind a few times at weather she was guilty or not but a good read.

This book had me gripped right until the end. Two sisters so close torn apart by one of their babies dying, the book takes us though the court case and we see it through both Becky's and Martha's perspectives. She doesn't want to believe her sister killed her baby but if she didn't then who did!
A real page turner and a great ending one I thought several times was what would happen but I didn't know how.

Wow. What a stunning book. I loved this. So cleverly written. Told by Martha whose baby tragically died. Her sister is in the dock accused of the death. I can't even imagine how conflicted a family would be going through this. Two sisters with a previously close and loving relationship, their husbands and the parents of both sisters. Agonising for all. Really beautifully written going from the courtroom back to that fateful evening drawing out what happened. 5 stars from me.

I loved this one. Gillian McAllister doesn't mess about. I was hooked immediately.

The story centres round a court case but it's also about a family and how everyone is affected by a terrible tragedy. The first voice is Martha's whose baby daughter died. She's in Court and it's the first day of the trial. The defence says cot death; the prosecution says murder. They can't both be right but her sister Becky, who was minding baby Layla at the time, has been charged with murder.

The story is told through witness testimony and flashbacks and observations of the lawyers, the judge, family members and of course the two sisters, Martha and Becky. I don't think I've ever felt so conflicted. I was pulled in all directions. I would go from, “there's no way Becky murdered her niece” to “oh, I didn't realise that, maybe she is hiding something” then something would be said that turned everything on its head again. As the story unfolded doubts crept in as to what really happened (on a regular basis).

There are no good or bad characters. Nothing is quite black or white. They all have their flaws and their good qualities. I liked them and cared about what happened to them.

Although the story centres round a tragedy, I really enjoyed it. It's quite an emotional roller-coaster but the writing is good, the characters are interesting and believable and I felt involved all the way through.

A book I found difficult to put down; I'd definitely recommend it.

A truly gripping drama. A family somewhat torn apart by the death of an eight-week old baby whilst in the care of her aunt. From start to finish we follow the aunt’s trial - from her point of view, from her sister’s point of view (the baby’s mother), and even from the Judge’s point of view, as well as husbands, witnesses and other family members. It is a real page turner and a beautifully written crime drama which is very humbling and thought provoking and quite frightening at times. A book that I couldn’t put down. One would almost think that Gillian McAllister was writing from personal experience.

A book about how a family is torn apart when a baby dies. Mother and father are away and the baby's aunt is looking after her. The baby is one who screams and cries - seemingly for no reason - an angry baby, perhaps this world isn't what she expected. When the police arrest your sister for the murder of your child how do you cope? You know your sister - warts and all. Could she have done it? If it was definitely murder then who else could it be?

An amazing story that hits, for me, all the right notes. How a court case is just a job to the lawyers, they fight one another, but are friends really. A bit like a debating society - debating peoples' lives. Guilty, not guilty. May the best debater win.

This novel takes the reader through a trial in which the one of the protagonists has been charged with suffocating her sister's baby. So it's not a light summer read. That being said, there's a lot to like about how the tragedy unfolds, gradually filling in the spaces as witnesses are brought out to give their sides of the story. There are some poignant relationship moments in the book and I did feel I cared about the characters. However, it was overlong for me, as hearing from dozens of people about the same event can get a little tedious at times, despite the central drama of the situation.

A brilliant read that tackles a difficult and emotional subject.

The two main characters are Martha and Becky, two sisters who have found themselves on opposite sides of the courtroom after Becky is accused of murdering Martha's 8 week old child, Layla, while she was in her care overnight.

The narrative is told in the first person from the perspective of a lot of different characters - not just Martha and Becky but also a whole host of people giving evidence in the trial, who each reveal a bit more about the situation and aspects of Becky's behaviour and personality in the run up to that night and on the night itself. It flips between the past and the present, which does slow down the pace of the plot but also adds depth and background on the relationship between the sisters.

The tension builds and builds, especially as each new witness takes the stand and just when I thought I had figured out what had happened, a bit of a curveball is thrown towards the end. A clever twist off the back of a book that kept me gripped.

Definitely a book that stays with you! Could not put it down!

Highly recommended if you enjoy suspense genre! Thank you for my review copy, which I received through Net Galley.

I was taken in within the first couple of pages and it wouldn’t let go.
I devoured this book and couldn’t get enough but strangely felt so many emotions during reading that it certainly left me with a book hangover. I even woke especially early to finish the last couple of chapters as I just had to know plus I knew nothing would get done until I did.
The love plus the heartbreak jumped from the pages and hit me with such force I wasn’t aware of anything else just the characters and the awful situation they were in.
I’ve already told friends about this book and it’s a must read but it does come with a warning tag of it will grab you and not let go. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity of reading this one of a kind.

This graphic story is told in the first person, mainly by Martha and Becky. Martha has asked Becky (her sister) to babysit her 8 week old baby Layla while she is away working. Layla is a fractious child, and Becky is finding it a difficult and overwhelming task caring for her.
When Layla mysteriously dies under Becky’s care she is accused of murder, which causes disruption within Martha’s family as the court case is heard.
Each step of the trial is narrated by witnesses and everyone involved giving evidence. The paramedics, hospital staff, Becky’s neighbours, and prosecuting and defence barristers, much of the evidence graphic, emotional and heartbreaking.
The book explores family relationships, guilt, and how people react and deal with overwhelming events which completely destroy their lives.
I found the book to be compelling and gripping, becoming totally absorbed in this emotional story, although I eventually guessed what had happened. The story becomes a little slow and repetitive as each witness gives their version of events, and the reader keeps being taken back. However, I found the book to be difficult to put down as I wanted to find out what had happened, and would recommend.

A story about love, trust, family, and heartache.

Once again I am exceptionally glad I picked up ‘Everything But The Truth’ by accident as I have yet again been treated with some amazing writing and a story that will keep asking questions of ourselves, about what makes us who we are, as individuals, parents, partners, siblings, and children.

The courtroom aspect was brilliantly relayed, with the use of multiple perspectives that helped keep up the page turning tension. Although the central story was one of utter tragedy, that I wish no-one would ever have to experience, the intricacies of the relationships and the interrelated emotions made the story about so much more.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin UK for a review copy.

It took me a while to get into this book, to understand all the characters but when I did I couldn't put it down. I just can't imagine the scenario of finding yourself in court on the opposite side from your sister. This was a great read with an unexpected twist at the end and what a twist. Great writing great book.

Emotionally brilliant courtroom drama

What a read! Gillian has expertly woven together multiple voices and narratives into a fantastically compelling novel that’s going to keep me thinking for a long time. Martha’s 8 week old baby daughter died while in her sister’s care and the book is centred around the trial and the different witnesses called to give evidence. It kept me reading late into the night and through a house move when I gave up packing to just read a few more chapters to try and get to the bottom of what happened to little Layla. And the ending was worth the wait! A truly five star read!

This book wrung me out emotionally. It's emotive, heartbreaking and poignant. Two sisters and their families are ripped apart by the justice system. Martha's two month old baby Layla is dead while her sister, Becky is acting as a nanny. Is it a cot death or murder? Asphyxiation is determined and it goes to court. I'm ashamed to confess that I struggled not to be judgemental towards the sisters and tried hard to be neutral and objective. Nevertheless their plight aroused compassion. Martha was between a rock and a hard place. She is close to her sister and hopes the court will give a verdict of cot death and that her sister didn't lose her temper and suffocate Layla. But her loyalties are torn between her sister and dead baby. Both sisters are experiencing marital problems for various reasons. Martha's baby Layla cries night and day which inevitably strains her marriage and I thought it was so sad that she had such a negative experience of early motherhood. Becky is already estranged from her husband but is on amicable terms with him. The format of the book is impressive. It's narrated in first person by both sisters with the addition of the witness accounts written in anecdotal form of what they saw and heard which is expertly handled and successful. After the anecdotes the barristers bombard them with questions. I thought both barristers were on the ball - clever at jumping in on interpretation of facts and twisting them around. It was an insight into how the most trivial incident can be misconstrued. There are also happy snapshots of the girls' childhood which all add meat to the bones of a brilliant theme and sub-themes. What an invidious situation for the sisters with an astonishing ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph.

This is a harrowing and gut wrenching story told from the perspective of the main character through a court case. It was a very sad read but also one that I didn’t want to put down. It is a situation that could be all too real in todays society unfortunately. All in all a good read albeit a story that will stay with you for a long time.

I really found it hard to get into this book. It was very slow and repetitive and I just wanted to get to the end. If I wasn't reading it for a review I don't think I would have finished it.

Others seem to have loved it so it's obviously just not for me.

Well the fabulous Gillian McAllister is back with another book that will make you think. Whilst this isn’t quite such an obvious moral dilemma as in her first two books, it constantly begs the questions ‘What would I do?’ and just as importantly, ‘How would I feel?’

There’s a trial, oh how I love a fictional trial, all the drama and none of the boring bits. There are two sisters; Martha and Becky. Martha is married to Scott and they had a daughter Layla who died at just eight weeks old. When Layla died, Becky was in charge informally employed by her elder sister as a nanny while she was in Kos setting up a base for a charity schooling refugees.

The prosecution say that Becky is responsible for Layla’s death. Becky is pinning her hopes on the trial to answer the questions about what happened to her daughter that fateful night. And don’t let us forget the mother of the opposite sides. What a position to be in. How does a mother comfort both daughters in such a situation.

As in all of her previous books Gillian McAllister makes statements about society as a whole. Yes the trial is concentrated on the night in question but what the media want to know is why Martha wasn’t there. The same question isn’t directed to Scott because as this book demonstrates, men are seen as irrelevant in this type of scenario. To be fair, Scott also feels guilt at being away, but he’s not held accountable by the public in the same way.

We learn all this from the narration by the two sisters, alternated throughout this gripping book. We hear about their views of themselves, their relationship with each other, their memories, their fears and of course their view of the court case. The endless wishing and hoping makes this book an exhausting read at times, but oh so worth it, I simply wasn’t prepared to part with it for a moment.

The characterisation is spot on with neither sister presented as flawless individuals, both are complex, like you are I. But of course a court case has lots of other characters to explore, , the ex-husband of Becky, their son Xander, the nosy neighbour and the Defence and the Prosecution, both strong women who look at the evidence and present it to the jury in a different way. I particularly liked the Judge and his faithful dog Rumpole, even he is given a bit of a back story to bring him to life.

I can’t stress quite how powerful a read this is. Like Martha I didn’t want to believe Becky was guilty as charged, but sifting through the same evidence as the jury even given fonder memories of the pair augmented by those of their brother Ethan, how could it be anything but. The power comes from a family breaking apart, the loss of Layla to them all, their divided alliances and the feeling that nothing will ever be the same again makes it a sad read too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a real page turner. Such a sad story, i must admit i did kind of guess how it would turn out quite early on in the book, but having said that, it didnt stop me from enjoying it (i kind of hoped i would be wrong) heartbreaking and written so well, this will keep you hooked from start to finish. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read.

I couldn't put it down. A heart wrenching and thought provoking story, full of highly believable family issues. Great characters which really draw you in, all packaged beautifully within a murder trial. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover, a great read.