What if your mother was murdered when you were seventeen? And what if your father was convicted of her murder? How can you move on and build a life knowing that everything you believed to be true about your family turned out to be a lie?

This is the situation for Izzy English, whose life imploded seventeen years ago, and who has managed to avoid dealing with much of the fallout. Now, however, Izzy’s father Gabe has served his sentence and is back to try and convince Izzy of his innocence.

It’s difficult for Izzy, now married to police analyst Nick, to decide whether she wants to believe, or even meet up with her father. But Gillian McAllister has cleverly written herself into the heart and mind of Izzy and shows how the pull of family is incredibly strong.

She’s also set this novel in the Isle of Wight, a place populated by tourists in the high season and a local community who know your every move. Although its very beautiful, it also has a seamy underbelly, which is slowly revealed as Izzy looks deeper into her mother’s death.

This is a moving, psychological study of how nobody remains untouched or unchanged by life’s tragedies. Gabe has been irrevocably changed by his time in prison and Izzy has given up her promising ballet career to run her mother’s restaurant. The truth of the murder is gradually revealed, with many a twist and turn along the way, but it’s the exploration of how early hopes and dreams are derailed by a series of poor decisions and how their effect ripples down the years which is the main force of the novel.

I've read a few Gillian McAllister books but this was my least favourite. I felt at times it was repetitive and I was reading the same paragraph over again. The ending was satisfactory and exactly how I imagined it.

Not my favourite Gilliam McAllister but an interesting story nevertheless. I found it a rather slow read however and couldn’t take to any of the characters as they all annoyed me in their own way. The plot was well thought out as I expected from this author. I’m sure plenty of readers will love it but it just wasn’t for me.

Having read and enjoyed the an earlier book by Gillian McAllister, I was looking forward to reading this book. It didn't disappoint. Once again the author has managed to create a set of well crafted characters. These are interwoven into:

A story of love and loss.
A story of guilt and judgement.
A story about the workings of the police and legal system.

I need to be careful not to spoil the plot. Suffice to say that this novel really explores the concepts of how the legal process can affect the lives of those who commit crime and those who are victims of crime.

There is an interesting ending. I found the messages explored in the book very sad.

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for a copy in exchange for this review.

I was completely gripped by this book. I really enjoyed how well-drawn the characters were, how it moved between perspective and through timelines while preserving the twists and conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Gillian McAllister for the chance to read and review this novel.

Gillian McAllister has written another riveting character-driven story that I couldn’t put down.I was completely hooked and so desperate to know what happened that I forced my eyelids open and stayed up until 4am to finish it.

Izzy English lives on The Isle of Wight with her husband Nick. Tomorrow her father, Gabriel, will be released from prison after serving seventeen years for killing her mother. His release resurfaces her conflicted feelings about him: her memories of a loving father versus the monstrous murderer. His guilt has always been an indisputable fact, something she wasn’t allowed to question at first and then something she avoided looking at and her mind would repel if she tried.

The day he’s released from prison her father turns up at the restaurant her mother used to run, the one she took over after her death. He wants to come in but Izzy is too scared to do it. He puts a letter through the door protesting his innocence and asking her to go and see his best friend to hear him tell her his side instead. More letters arrive over the next few days until Izzy finally relents and agrees.

Gabe has been unwavering in his claims of innocence since her mother was killed but the evidence was against him, he was convicted so he must have done it, right? Izzy decides it’s time to open pandora’s box despite the myriad of problems and unwanted emotions it means she will face. She has to know the truth about that Halloween night eighteen years ago. So she starts to investigate what happened: looking through long sealed boxes in the attic, talking to everyone she can, trying to discern the truth for herself for the first time. Despite her decision Izzy is plagued with uncertainty and worries he’s a wolf in sheep's clothing, luring her in before going for the kill just like they say he did to her mother.

The story is narrated by Izzy with Gabe also narrating once she agrees to listen to his version of events. They do this very differently: Izzy’s narration involves a lot of her private thoughts and memories that she doesn’t speak aloud while Gabriel speaks directly to Izzy. Not giving us a glimpse inside his head means the reader can only take him on face value and judge him on what he claims to be true and the way he acts, just like Izzy. I found that like Izzy I doubted his integrity as not only did she uncover suspicious things in her investigations, but when he told her a part of his story we would immediately get Izzy’s memories of the same events, revealing that Gabe had changed what happened or what was said to paint himself in a better light. How can you believe what someone tells you when you know they speak so many lies? And how can you comprehend loving the man who was convicted of taking one of the most important people in the world away from you? These questions, and Izzy’s attempts to answer them, are woven through the entire book. As a reader I rarely had any doubts of his guilt but understandably Izzy wavered. Her doubts of his guilt a constant whisper in her ear, an inviting chance to have one of her parents back and rebuild some of what she lost.

The Evidence Against you is a complex, multi layered story about love, grief, family, truth, lies, secrecy, pain and betrayal. It is also a story about living life in a prison, though not necessarily one made of bars with guards at the doors, institutionalisation and what happens to the family of victims of a crime and those who are convicted of a crime. It is intelligently written and thought provoking with flawed characters who are the key to the story being so compelling. It is steadily paced and pulls you in so you’re completely immersed in Izzy’s search for the truth. This book has cemented my love for this author’s writing style and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This story is about Izzy, she is married to a police analyst and runs the runs the restaurant that her mum used to run before she was murdered by her dad Gabe. Gabe is released after 17 year on parole and contacts Izzy trying to convince her of his innocence. Izzy would love to believe Gabe but there is too much evidence stacked against him. She decides to look into the case herself.

The book goes between the present and the past including the court case and the day of the murder. There are a couple of twists and turns and as a reader we are not sure which characters we can trust. I loved Gillian's writing and will definitely try more by this author.

The Evidence Against You is the fourth book I have read by Gillian McAllister and once again she delivers a pacy, well constructed story. The main characters Izzy and her father Gabe dominate the story which is essentially to find out who really murdered her mother when Gabe is released on parole after serving a sentence for killing her. Izzy, married to Nick, a police analyst determines to find out the truth - did her father murder her mother? Or is he the result of a miscarriage of justice? She waivers from trusting him to at times fearing for her own life. Will she ever find out the truth? Are Gabe’s brother and nephew hiding something from Izzy?
I found the relationship between Izzy and Nick quite frustrating - he knows her father has been released on parole but doesn’t seem bothered that she is leaving her restaurant alone after midnight most nights. I felt it quite a superficial marriage, there is little communication or joint activities and Nick is very reluctant to help her uncover the truth. Izzy, keeping secret meetings with her father from Nick seems to run many risks of being seen, meeting up at the restaurant, local cafe and even her own home, but Nick fails to notice these meetings.
When the truth is eventually uncovered, I felt this section was a little rushed, and weak on detail. I would have liked more depth to that chapter.
Also, and this may just be a type error in the unpublished version of the book, but when Gabe’s court or solicitor transcript is written, he is referred to as enGlish which seemed a bit odd.
In all, I found parts of this story a little bland, not the usual deep description of characters that I have come to expect from this author.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing this e book

I’ve read all of Gillian McAllister’s books and loved them, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint! I was gripped all the way through and finished it in 2 nights! Definitely recommend!

I really recommend this book - love this author and love this book. Pacey and entertaining, always a good read!!

I love Gillian McAllister books so was really happy to be accepted for this.

Gillian is a fantastic author and delivered a great story yet again. I thought I had it all worked out but was completely wrong which is always a sign of a good book for me.

A great story by one of my favourite authors. I can’t wait for her next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion. Further thanks to the author for another brilliant book.

Gabriel English has been released from jail after 17 years. He was convicted of murdering his wife. His daughter Isabel (Izzy)not only lost her mother that day, but, her father too. Gabriel returns to the place in the Isle of Wight and to see is daughter Izzy. He wants to her to find out the truth and his innocence. But, can Izzy believe him or is it all a pack of lies?
Izzy, after what happened to her mother, went to live with her grandparents. She wasn’t allowed to go to the funeral, and she hasn’t seen her father since. She gave up Ballet dancing that she loved and went and worked in the family restaurant. Now married to a Police analyst. She decides to meet her father in secret because she knows that her husband Nick would disapprove.
This was a slow burner for me, but beautifully written and a great plot. As the story went on, we learned about that fatal day and how it affected the family and friends especially Izzy and she changed her life because of it., because she thought she had to. I had to keep on reading to find out what really happened and who was the real killer.
Thank you Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed reading this book and found the storyline very interesting. The development of the tale makes enjoyable reading and you are kept wondering right to the end. Definitely recommended.

Another brilliant book by one of my favourite authors. Set on the Isle of Wight a grown up Issy has to come to terms with her father being released from prison. For the murder of her mother when she was 17. It is a good read as expected and I gave it a strong 5/5 on goodreads.

This book started off so well but about half way through I lost interest. Sorry to say I was disappointed after the authors previous good books

I’d like to thank Penguin UK-Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Evidence Against You’ by Gillian McAllister in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Izzy’s father Gabe is being released from prison after being found guilty of the murder of her mother eighteen years ago. Gabe asks to meet Izzy and tells her there’s an alibi the police have never uncovered that would prove his innocence. Izzy decides to go through all the old documents and do a bit of investigating herself to discover whether he’s telling the truth.

I’ve read McAllister’s previous thrillers which I thoroughly enjoyed and I was looking forward to reading ‘The Evidence Against You’ but somehow it failed to excite me and I found it slow and laborious. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters, Gabe was unlikeable, Nick insubstantial, and I wanted to shake Izzy to get involved with life rather than just existing. The first half of the novel was interesting and the final chapters produced the twist I’d been waiting for but generally it didn’t come up to my expectations which was a disappointment.

I absolutely loved No Further Questions from Gillian McAllister so was expecting to enjoy The Evidence Against You just as much. I was gripped from the start by the glamorous Alex and her lazy husband Gabe, but somewhere in the middle I became disengaged. Overwhelmingly I failed to connect with any of the characters, in particular I found Izzy just far too accepting and Gabe wasn’t particularly likeable. And as for Izzy’s husband, Nick, well he was unbelievably weak and shallow. The ending was oh so disappointing. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

I enjoyed the storyline of the "did he do it" plot. I also thought the ending was good and captures the reality of such experiences. I liked the characters but also the reality of relationships that were described throughout. Recommended read.

This is a really good read. I was gripped the whole way through. The twists in the plot were really good and unexpected. It was believable and really well written. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy

I have to say firstly that I was very excited and I feel very privileged to have a copy of this book from Gilliam McAllister as she is a very talented writer and I adore her books!!

Izzy’s father Gabriel was sent to prison for killing her mother Alexandra when Izzy was 18, so not only did she lose her mother but also her father. Now he has been released from prison after 18 years and he wants her to talk to his best friend Paul as he says he was innocent of this heinous crime.

At the time Izzy only attended the court case on the day of her giving evidence and the sentencing, she had always thought her dad was guilty. But now there is a sliver of doubt and if she was to look into this, would it be like opening Pandora’s box?

Izzy is running her mother’s restaurant on the Isle of Wight where everybody knows who she is and what her father did, so there is no escaping or moving on from this nightmare!!

I was totally engrossed in this book and put my amateur detective hat on to work out who did kill Alexandra. Secrets are slowly revealed in a gripping and very clever way that keeps you turning the pages.

A beautifully written book that explores a multitude of feelings, betrayal, conflict, doubt and pain and how people’s memories of the same event can be perceived differently!!

A must read book that I highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.