I was intrigued by the premise of this novel and have enjoyed McAllister's previous novels but despite the fiendishly clever plot, I found it really hard to get into this novel and didn't really connect with any of the characters. I read to the end to find out what happened but it wasn't quite the page turner I'd hoped for.

I enjoyed this competently written book enormously. It’s a resoundingly clever plot that turns and twists your thinking upside down. Izzy’s lives in the Isle Of Wight with her husband, Nick. Her father, Gabe has been incarcerated in prison for eighteen years for murdering her mother. The court considered that the evidence was cut and dried - a solid case against him. He’s been hung, drawn and quartered on the compelling evidence. Now, he’s out, and he’s found Izzy in a bid to convince her of his innocence. Now it’s guilt versus innocence and Izzy has to decide if she can trust him. She vacillates between the two just as I did. I couldn’t decide until the end, and it niggled away at me all the way through. It made me examine the strained interaction between the two of them and her relationship with Nick and question if we ever properly know someone. I found her attitude contrary to the norm. One would expect that a loved one would be in denial about the guilt of a father and break their neck to prove his innocence. Izzy, however, accepted her father’s guilt without question at seventeen which I found extraordinary and unnatural. It was as if she was brainwashed and couldn’t think for herself. Some of the time she seemed up there with the fairies. It was hard to get inside her head at times, so I deduced that the trauma damaged her. So, how do you start again after eighteen years inside? I thought there was an excellent insight into Gabe’s struggle to integrate back into a society he no longer recognised. It astonished me how isolated and out of touch with society prisoners are after so long – a thought I’d never examined in detail. The ending is dramatic and unexpected. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph.

A great story and psychological thriller. Twists and turns. I would definitely read more from Gillian McAllister.

I was really looking forward to reading this book however I found it quite slow and hard to get into. The storyline is clever and makes you doubt Gabe from the beginning as all the evidence suggests that he did it however is it all that it seems? It’s cleverly written by switching between the past and present however I didn’t find myself warming to the main characters as much as I had hoped

The psychological aspect of this book was intriguing. . Can you trust what Izzy's father is saying to her? Is her husband an enemy or should she trust him? An interesting plot but I found it to be a little drawn out and rather slow in places. Nevertheless an enjoyable read.

Izzy’s father has just been released from prison having served his sentence for the murder of his wife. She feels sure he will get in touch with her and is not sure how she will react when he does.
When he tells her that he needs to prove his innocence, Izzy is torn.
Having enjoyed her previous three novels, I was thrilled to get my hands on this one, and I dropped everything I was doing at the time to read it. I like to be dragged to the brink by the action, to reach a decision and then find I’ve been duped- it happened here but just too late for me.
Looking back on my reviews, in previous books the action is slowed, as it is here, by the agonising of the characters but here it distracted rather than adding to the layers. Izzy felt too passive and accepting of the life events she had experienced, and her father just a touch too unusual.
I couldn’t work up a great deal of satisfaction over the ending but I will still look forward to the next one.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph

Having read and absolutely loved this author's previous three books I was extremely excited when I managed to snaffle a review copy of this, her latest book. After delivering three cracking reads prior to this, I was in no doubt that I would love this one as much; and I couldn't have been more right as I completely devoured this book, start to finish in a day, only stopping to go out for Sunday lunch.
Izzy English's father, Gabe, killed her mother, Alex, and went to prison for this crime. Izzy now runs the same restaurant her mother started and is mostly ticking along nicely in her life. But then, after 17 years, her father is freed having served his time and, shall we just say, things become a little difficult and confusing for Izzy as her father is still protesting his innocence and wants her to believe it.
Told in the present with flashbacks told from multiple character's perspectives, we follow as Gabe takes Izzy through the evidence that he says wrongly convicted him.
Oh my! She's only gone and blown me away yet again. She set her bar so high with her debut and every subsequent release has matched or exceeded that level for me.
One of the things I was especially impressed with in this book was, once again, the method of storytelling the author employed. She takes key points of evidence that convicted Gabe and retells the stories behind them from both Gabe's and Izzy's points of view, showing differences and similarities. Obviously there's more to it than just that but spoilers prevent me disclosing further.
Needless to say, the similarities and indeed differences between these two re-tellings both added to the confusion of some things as well as explaining others. But it's not til the very end that you really see how clever it all was. Stand up and take a bow Ms McAllister!
She really did take me all round the houses - both ways - as I followed the journey Izzy took to get to the truth of it all. Was her father really innocent? I have to admit that I changed my mind on that point often through the book. Keeping in mind all the way through that, if it wasn't him, who did kill Alex and, whoever did it, why? Or if he did do it, what was his endgame? Was Izzy's life in danger? Was it all... dare I say it... revenge for something?
And when all was said and done, oh my - I never saw that coming! And that fallout!
But you really just need to stop reading reviews and just crack on with this, most spectacular book. I know it's early days but I'd be surprised if this doesn't end up in my top 5 of the year, definitely can't see it leaving my top ten. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is the story of Izzy, who's father is convicted of the murder of her mother and who visits Izzy to proclaim his innocence. I've enjoyed previous Gillian McAllister books and was looking forward to this one.
Izzy starts to investigate the murder herself and the book meanders around who is telling the truth and who is telling lies?

I found it slow and repetitive and I really didn't like Izzy and I so wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, for me, just an 'ok read' from this excellent author.

This was a well written story about a woman who's father has been in jail for most of her life for the murder of her mother. As she desperately wants to believe in his innocence she starts to shift through the evidence of what really happened and who she can really trust to tell her the truth. Both clever and tragic, I really enjoyed the novel and was gripped to the end. Thank you.

Brilliant plot, excellent main characters that you invest in. I read this book in one sitting and I would highly recommend it.

Thanks Netgalley, Publisher and the Author. What a fantastic thriller I could not put it down. Highly recommend.

Gillian McAllister returns with another brilliant, complex and intense character driven psychological thriller set in the Isle of Wight, with a small community where everyone knows everyone. Gabriel English has served 17 years in prison for the murder of his wife, Alexandra, and is being released on parole. The trial and case is done and dusted, the police had a rock solid conviction with the evidence presented. Isabelle, Gabe's daughter, is married to police analyst Nick, and took over her mother's restaurant, Alexandra, having few options available to her. Izzy used to be a talented ballet dancer, but had to let this go, but she has not been happy running the restaurant. She has buried the past trauma inside her, but she can no longer escape personal history, as Gabe gets in touch, claiming he is innocent, and that he never murdered Alex, that he can explain the evidence against him. Should she give her father a chance and listen, or is he taking her on a ride? An emotionally torn apart Izzy feels an inner need to know the truth in a narrative that goes back and forth in time.

McAllister's real focus is the people, rather than the crime itself, of lives shattered into smithereens, trauma, of marriage, of family, of trust, of relationships, and secrets. She explores the very human feelings of doubt, pain, distraught emotions, conflict, mistrust and how memories of the same events can differ so substantially. Unsurprisingly, Gabe is not the same man he used to be before prison, he is bitter and resentful, the loss of his wife and daughter have helped to break him. Izzy herself has struggled to cope with life's challenges in the intervening years. This is a cracking read, with an understated narrative that slips into the lives of the characters with ease, where lives, careers, and futures have been derailed. There are twists and plenty of suspense as the truth is slowly revealed. A fabulous read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Hugely enjoyable as ever from Gillian McAllister. I did find the first half of the book to be a little slow but that was soon forgotten as the second half really kicked in. Recommend!

This book turned out to be so much more than I expected. The last 10% is amazing, so many twists and turns, and a completely unexpected and unusual ending. That part is quite brilliant. I found the pace to drag at times during earlier parts of the book, so only 4 stars, not 5.
It is a very enjoyable read, with interesting characters; though the relationship between Izzy and Nick is left on the back burner for a while.
I will definitely look out for more books by Gillain McAllister though.

Another amazing read from this very talented author. Such a cleverly woven plot, brimming with totally believable characters and surprising twists and turns. Gripped and held me captivated from the very first page. Outstanding!

The Evidence against Gabe is so compelling that he is sent down for life. Convicted of killing his wife, he is released after 20 years and returns to try to build up a relationship with the daughter who has shunned him and to try ultimately to get to the bottom of who did actually kill her. He has always vehemently claimed his innocence, but don't they all? Unravelling the complicated historic case and not knowing who to believe, Izzy is desperate to help him despite all advice. She needs closure but most of all she needs her father.
Compelling story, cleverly plotted through the tangle of dysfunctional family history. Do they get the justice they are after? You'll have to read it to find out 🙂

This book kept me enthralled from beginning to end and I couldn’t stop saying to my family and friends, ‘I’m reading such a great book!’ I don’t know whether it was mainly the strong, flawed characters, the twisty plot or the clever writing, but this novel grabbed me and I would highly recommend it. Izzy is living with a terrible situation: her father has been in prison for 18 years for murdering her mother. The day comes when he is released and contacts Izzy. Should she see him? Is it safe for her to be with him? Should she believe him when he says he didn’t kill her mother?

I have read and enjoyed Gillian McAllister’s other novels but this one is my favourite so far as I really didn’t know who to trust and it’s a brilliant, unsettling read with an excellent ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an unbiased review.
Got to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book which xontained a number of twists.
Sometimes things really all the appear to be.
Didn't see the twist at the end coming
Very good read.

Gripping, fast paced and thought provoking. I throughly enjoyed this read - dramatic and equally understated at times. Impressive

This book......Amazing!!! I haven't been getting as much time to read as I normally do so it's taken a bit longer but wow! I loved it! I couldn't get my head around what was happening but the twists just kept coming! I really don't want to say much more as I will definitely give something away....!! But go read this....😍 I promise you'll enjoy it! Everything Gillian McAllister writes is an absolute joy to read and I am yet to have anything negative to say. This book is even better than her previous ones....full of intrigue and I had no idea how she was going to end it but well worth investing in this.