I finished this book in a night, it's absolutely gripping and I couldn't resist finishing it to find out what happened. The characters are great, I loved Izzy so much! It's an addictive, fantastically written book I highly recommend. Gillian is cementing herself as one of my favourites!

This was a brilliant book, the story had me hooked from the first page. I wanted to sit and read it all day but sadly I didn't have the chance, so every opportunity I had I read as much as I could.
The story follows Izzy and her father Gabe and their journey towards the truth of her mothers murder. Gabe served 20 years after being convicted despite always protesting his innocence. Izzy has not seen him in this time, and upon his release he contacts her and tries to help her see that he is innocent.
I don't want to give any spoilers but I will say I found the story heartbreaking. If you only read one book this year I recommend this one.

Very enjoyable read. Izzy's father has just been released from jail after serving 18 years for the murder of her mother. He still pleads his innocence although all the evidence points to his guilt. After putting her life on hold by not pursuing her dreams during the past 18 years, Izzy reluctantly becomes involved with her father again as she searches for the truth.
I found this book really quite sad at times, so many lives wasted due to various factors. I found the first half slightly slow and repetitive, however, by the second half, the storyline began moving forward when events from the past were revealed and by that point I couldn't put the book down!

I could not decide whether or not Gabe was guilty. McAllister does a brilliant job of making the reader question him, one moment I was sure he was guilty, the next I wasn't - this was the book's best features.

As with a lot of thrillers, I felt the ending didn't quite live up to the full potential of the chapters before it. I had guessed a small detail, whilst it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book, it's always best when a thriller catches you off guard.

An enjoyable book but not as good as McAllister's first.

3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gillian McAllister and Penguin Michael Joseph for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have always e joyed Gillian’s novels so looked forward with anticipation to her new novel. Sadly I found it very slow and I couldn’t relate to the story at all.

One of those it’s not you, it’s me.

The evidence against you by Gillian McAllister a five-star read that will give you chills. Gillian McAllister has done so much right with this novel, even down to the tiny details, like how it feels to live in a small place where everyone knows your life, its bad enough when you have a normal life but to have to live with the fact that your farther murdered your mother would be bad enough but to never be able to get away from that, never be able to hide. Those details and stories are what make this what I am sure will be one of the best reads in 2019. Izzy English may be the main character, but hers isn’t the only story we hear, this was such a compelling thriller that even if things go bump while you are reading you won’t be able to put it down to investigate. If you like to be kept wondering and love a good story, then you need this novel in your life.

I had previously read and enjoyed the Gillian McCallister novel 'Anything you do say' so was keen to read this one when given the opportunity. In truth it didn't have the initial pull of the first novel I read but it grew on me and by the end I couldn't put it down. Clever plot and good strong characters make this novel a very good read.
Izzy English's father is released from jail after serving seventeen years for the murder of her mother. Her feelings are conflicted between the happiness she feels to be seeing the man who shared so many happy memories and taking the life of her mother. Izzy's father sends her a letter requesting that they talk so that he can defend himself from a crime he swears he never committed. But can she believe him and give him the benefit of the doubt or is her father guilty as charged, and luring her into a trap?
A very good psychological thriller.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying this book in exchange for an honest review.

First time reading a book by McAllister and it is safe to say I absolute loved it.

It was gripping from the start and each chapter left you wanting more.

I look forward to reading her other books

My first review of 2019, and I couldn’t have asked for a better book than this to start the new year off with!

I have read a fair few of Gillian McAllister’s books and throughly enjoyed every one but this one is her best one to date. The only reason it took me this long to finish was down to a pretty nasty flare up of my ME and I am still recovering so I will leave a much much better review once I am fully back on my feet so to speak!

For now all I will say is – This book is her best one yet! If you have read her previous novels then you will know that that is saying an awful lot!

I will come back and leave a proper review once I am back on my feet so to speak!

The Evidence Against You will be released on April 18, 2019 can is available to pre-order now

Many thanks to the author Gillian McAllister, publishers Penguin UK – Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest, independent review.

https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2019/01/05/the-evidence-against-you-by-gillian-mcallister/

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and Gillian McAllister for my ARC of ‘The Evidence Against You’ in return for my honest review.

I have read novels by this author before and couldn't wait to read this and it was terrific. I couldn't put it down, and when I did I was mulling over the plot and possible outcomes.

Izzy English sees her father, Gabe, at the window of the restaurant she is running on the day he has been released from prison after serving 18 years of a life sentence for murdering her beautiful mother. He has been released on probation and must follow certain rules or he will be returned to jail to complete his life sentence.

He has always professed he didn't do it and the evidence was mainly circumstantial if overwhelming. His intention is to prove his innocence to his daughter but needs her help in finding the information. Izzy’s husband, Nick, works as a police analyst with access to a police computer.

As the plot unfolds the secrets and lies from 20 years ago begin to show through and there was more going on at the restaurant, which belonged to Izzy’s mother before her, than could have been imagined.

The twists and turns were unexpected and the whole storyline gelled with amazingly interesting characters, even if I didn’t really like them. Excellent read. Highly recommended.

If I was allowed only one word to describe ‘The Evidence Against You’ it would have to be unputdownable!!

Izzy English has had to live with the fact that her father was convicted of murdering her mother 18 years ago. Izzy was 17 years old at the time, and it’s still not something she’s come to terms with all these years later, preferring to push thoughts of this terrible event into the dark recesses of her mind. It was such a traumatic event that caused a fracture not only within her family, but more to the point, within herself. It’s been particularly difficult for Izzy living on the Isle of Wight - it’s not a very big island and everywhere she goes, people know who she is - know what her father did. Now however, her father has been released on parole, and the past is about to haunt her every waking moment when he turns up at the restaurant that her mother Alexandra owned, and which Izzy now runs. He claims that he is innocent, but then isn’t that what all ex-cons say? Izzy finally realises that she has to seize the initiative and begin her own investigation into what really happened on that Halloween night 18 years ago!

I’m deliberately not going to go into much detail here because I would love you readers out there to experience for yourself just what a clever, gripping read this is. Its not fast paced by any means, but as secrets from the past are slowly revealed, the tension is palpable at times! I also found the human element of it to be really quite moving. I know that psychological thrillers are very much in vogue today, and there’s no bigger fan than me, and while most of them are pretty good, one thing I know for sure - if Gillian McAllister has written it then you’re in for a cracking read! What a great start to 2019!

The Story is about a woman, Izzy English, whose mother was murdered years ago, and her father was blamed. Now her father has been released and is obviously going to come and find her. Izzy didn’t question whether her father was guilty back then – everyone said he did it, there was a long trial – he must be guilty. But her father still says he’s innocent, that he wants to talk, and tell his truth, the question is can Izzy trust him.
With her hubby in the dark about her activities Izzy reopens the case to see the evidence for herself. Shes asking questions and trying to work out whose remembering what they want, who is bending the truth to suit their own agenda, and whether she can trust not just her own memory but also her father’s recollection of events.
Izzy is a bit of a loner, she needs girl company, and to share her fears, worries, aspirations and findings with but because of circumstance she only has family or her partner. It makes it unusual to not have that external POV in the book, even if its just a listening post, someone to give you little clues or even to keep the story rolling. Because Izzy herself acknowledges her aloneness it probably makes it more obvious, but also quite realistic for the situation she’s in.
I ran through the evidence in my head as I read this, the things Izzy found, information from Gabe and other family members, Izzys own memories, I just wanted to know who had done it.. Was it the mysterious man from the restaurant, Gabe, David Smith or her uncles? All of these people were on my guilty list. I considered the taxi driver, izzys boyfriend at the time and the fired restaurant worker… If you had asked me to place my bet on who the killer I would have said it was her uncle. I cant explain it, but there was something about him ( Im not going to tell you if I was right, or if I even included the killer in my suspicion list) and I really liked that the ending wasn’t what I expected,
The only other thing I can say about this book is that It felt familiar, as if id read it before, even though the story was completely new to me. I liked this feeling, it was like hearing a story about someone I knew, went to school with, or an ex college. It was easy. I think this is aprt of what makes Gillians books so readable. They make you feel like you’re gossiping about old friends rather than listening to a story about friends of friends that you don’t really care about.

Isabelle English's father Gabriel has been in prison for seventeen years after being convicted for the murder of Izzy's mother Alexandra. Gabe has always claimed that he is innocent but according to Izzy's police analysis husband Nick, that's what all convinced criminals say and anyway,all the evidence pointed towards him being guilty.

But now Gabe has been released on license and has sent Izzy a letter, he wants to talk, to defend himself against every piece of evidence from his trial. Izzy is torn between loyalty to Nick and the father who gave her a childhood of happy memories.

But should Izzy give her father the benefit of the doubt? Or is Gabe guilty as charged and luring Izzy into a trap?

Throughout this riveting,thought provoking thriller,the chapters that are set in the present day are told from only Izzy's perspective but the chapters set in the past,before and after Alex's murder are told from the duel perspectives of Izzy and Gabe. It's amazing how two people can be present at the same event but their memories of that time be completely different, or is it just a case of,we construct our memories to suit the picture that we want to see. Like all of us, Izzy wanted to believe that her parents were a happy couple but were they? Was Gabe the violent,control freak that the police and prosecution made him out to be or was he just,like he insists a caring,loving husband who adored his wife? Izzy was a complex character who I felt a myriad of emotions for as the story unfolded. I admired her courage and determination to uncover the truth despite almost everyone around her,including her husband Nick insisting that Gabe was guilty. Her battles with her conscience as she was torn between the two men in her life were realistic and it was hard not to feel sympathy for her as she struggled with her conflicting emotions. Gabe was a charming,likeable character but was he a killer? after all, as all readers who enjoy a good psychological thriller know,many psychopaths can appear charming until they reveal their true character. The other secondary characters in this book were a mixed bag of vivid personalities,many of whom had hidden secrets but who killed Alex and why?

Wow,I can't think of a better way to start a brand new year than with the brilliant new psychological thriller written by the exceedingly talented Gillian McAllister. The Evidence Against You is a intricately plotted,twisty,page turner. A gripping tale of manipulation,families,secrets,deception and relashionships. It keeps the reader guessing from the first page,right through to the bitter sweet,heart breaking conclusion. I love Gillian McAllister's books and The Evidence Against You was no exception. Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended by little old me.

I've read the previous three books in this series and enjoyed them all with the third one, No Further Questions, being especially good. Unfortunately, I didn't like this one at all.

Izzy English, a 35 year old restaurant owner (who eats only junk food), is the daughter of a murderer. When she was 17, her father murdered her mother and for 18 years he has been in prison. Now he has been released on parole and when he contacts her she decides to see hm in spite of thinking he is guilty. She herself destroyed his alibi of talking to a neighbour because she knew the neighbour had moved out. Gradually he starts to convince her of his innocence. Threats come to her in the shape of newspaper cuttings and letters and she starts to doubt him. His account isn't always truthful. Is he innocent or guilty?

Izzy isn't a particularly likeable or believable protagonist. She ruminates endlessly on her father's guilt/innocence and this perhaps is the nub of why I couldn't get into the book. It is very repetitive. Over and over we are told how she wants to have a family of her own, how she fears her temper makes her like her father, how she thinks he is innocent, no wait a minute, he's guilty. And it isn't only the themes that are repetitive, it is also the language. I lost count of how many times something was 'off': his language,, his tone of voice, his body language, the fish in the restaurant she owns (I'm kidding about this last one). It makes for some rather dull reading. There are much better books in the series and I'm sure the author will return to form but I just didn't think this was up to par.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another great novel by Gillian McAllister! Once again we take a wild journey through the grey areas of human nature, being asked the difficult question in life on morality, love, trust, faith, and redemption.

Gillian’s way of portraying a characters emotions and thoughts is really something special. Mix that in with a heavy dose of suspense and you have yourself a great read.

Izzy runs a restaurant, Alexandra’s, she doesn’t enjoy it but her life didn’t leave her with many options. Izzy’s mum was Alexandra and she was murdered. Her father, Gabe, has spent the last 18 years in prison for killing her. Now he is out of prison and tells Izzy, he never killed her mum. Will Izzy believe him and help him solve the crime?

I have read all Gillian’s Books over the past two years and not once have I been disappointed but this was one was a step above the others and shows how much Gillian has evolved as a write IMO. The characters were all so likeable, even Gabe, who I felt so sorry for. The human element is heart wrenching and I can’t wait for her next one.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Gillian Mcallister has taken on an interesting challenge in her latest novel ‘The Evidence Against You’. Set on the Isle of Wight, we follow the story of Izzy, successful restaurateur and married to Nick, a police analyst, as she struggles to cope with the fact that her father, Gabriel, has been released from prison. His crime? Murdering her mother, Alexandra, twenty years ago.
On the day of his release Gabriel turns up at her restaurant late at night and posts a letter through the door. And so begins the secret meetings between father and daughter as he tries to explain his innocence and puzzle out the real story with Izzy’s help. Mcallister’s portrayal of Gabriel at the beginning of the novel is clever and convincing. He is not a very attractive character even though, in parallel, we are also given Izzy’s flashbacks of a chilled-out, loving, supportive father. Having spent twenty years in prison he has learnt to be manipulative and devious and he is presented as often angry, bitter and depressed too. Initially it is difficult to work out whether or not he is primarily a con artist or a distraught parent. When the pragmatic Nick learns of Izzy’s meetings with her father, he is certain that the latter is playing a dangerous game.
Slowly we learn of other possibilities for Alex’s murder. However, ultimately, the novel’s strength does not lie in the plot, the revelations and the conclusion. Rather, Mcallister is more interested in exploring what happens to the lives of all those who are changed forever through the taint of a family member’s crime. Relationships are ruined; trust disappears; priorities change; careers take different paths and people cannot live the lives they were meant to.
Another novel from Gillian Mcallister which looks beyond the transgression that hooks the reader to universal concerns about relationships, responsibilities, parenting and partnerships. A thought-provoking read. Whilst she is an accomplished crime writer, ‘The Evidence’ in this novel suggests that maybe this is a step further towards the author writing a novel which does not need to use a crime to give the narrative purpose.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This is a satisfying and cliche defying book - a carefully constructed existence - after her father's conviction for murder of her mother - he gets off shorter than life time imprisonment for good behaviour, and tracks her down. The journey to her discovery of the real murderer illuminates how her life has been constrained, but more than she knew. Very persuasive, and its unusual point of view throughout (from everyone) is very engaging - very impressive sense of relationships and how you can be influenced by those around you. Secrets and betrayals are subdued but very real - and choices are made that feel authentic even if not dramatic in a way. People adapt in the most unusual ways ... really gripping in its way ... the author is awfully good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars.

An enjoyable book however I did find it to be a bit slow and overly detailed in places.

Because the characters take some time to develop, it takes a while to feel empathy or interest in their back story.

The book does pick up after the half way point and I enjoyed it over all.

This was really very unusual; I struggled to pin it down at all, which intrigued me even more. The setting was original and well-drawn,while the central mystery, the protagonists and the cast around them kept me guessing right until the end. I often became frustrated by Izzy and her father and their clumsy attempts to communicate, but that's a mark of good writing because first of all, I need to care.
The ending was heart-breaking and said a lot about the justice and prison system in our country. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to be both entertained by a good (and unique) whodunnit, but is prepared for a fairly bleak ride.