When a mysterious red head, Clementine, appears in their Cornish village one night, the local men find themselves drawn to her side. Fisherman Will, his pleasure boat owner son Charlie, and restauranteur Tom all vie for attention. But then her husband and his stepfather appear, both police, and stir up trouble for the village. Does Clementine need the men’s help to escape an abusive marriage, or is she happy to leave with him? And then, when tragedy strikes, will the truth come out?

I found Who She Was slightly disappointing, having enjoyed previous books by Tony Parsons. I didn’t find the story believable and the characters’s actions too contrived. Somehow it just didn’t come together for me.

Sorry, but not a book I enjoyed or would recommend.

This was an okay read (not my favourite by the author) it was a fast paced thriller, with intriguing characters, but they didn’t quite hold my interest, I ended up listening to it on audiobook which helped me to get into it more.

The ending was 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻, for me it came completely out of the blue!

Lovely setting in Cornwall and an intriguing read. It's quite fast paced and quickly becomes quite dark and obsessive. I'm new to the author but will look out for more.

I like Tony Parsons. Enjoyed his journalism and the strong sense of self he brought to that. I think he’s doing the same in his fiction. He’s a very talented writer and I can’t wait to read more by him.
This book in particular concentrates on all people and all of their characters. But it leaves you guessing till the end!
Fabulous.

The story is set in Cornwall. Tom is the owner of a local restaurant and becomes infatuated with a mysterious woman Clementine. One of the local fishermen came across her on the beach one evening. She informed him that she is renting a cottage nearby. Everyone in the village, especially the men, become infatuated by her. But we soon realise that all is not what it seems and she is keeping hidden secrets. She says that she was abused by her husband but he turns up and says that she had been a prostitute when she was sixteen years of age and he rescued her. But when he is murdered the truth will be reveal.d. An intriguing atory, full of suspense but a rather disappointing ending,
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book

Not convinced by this. Tina seemed to change in character and I don't believe the narrator would have been assimilated so quickly into a small Cornish village.

Tony Parsons does it again. Delivering yet another fast-paced intoxicating thriller, Who She Was is hard to put down. I found myself flying through the story, desperate to know how it all turned out. The Cornish coast was the perfect setting for this thriller. The shock ending will have you sitting in your seat for a while, wrapping your head around the book you've just read, all in a good way.

Is anyone really like who they first appear as? A tale of obsessions and sacrifice set in small Cornish seaside village

Overall this was an enjoyable mystery.

Set in Cornwall, you get a glimpse of life in a beautiful village with brilliant descriptive language and a good pace carries this story forward. There are however some moments when I wanted to shout at the characters, ‘just stop and think, be real!’ The power of one woman, a stranger to the community, seems a little ridiculous, causing chaos amongst people who are friends / family, and has them displaying despicable behaviour.

There are interesting interviews with characters at end of each chapter, which gives insight and reflections on the action happening in the village.

The intriguing twists gather momentum, although I had to suspend belief of the lengths people went to for a virtual stranger, ignoring their friends.

I found the characters were not particularly likeable, except for the DCI, nearing retirement, who was in dogged pursuit of the truth, loved her!

I picked up on a minor fact early on in the book and was waiting for the story behind it to emerge, which it did eventually.

Quite fun to read, although I was a bit disappointed with the ending

The setting is perfect. A moody Cornish town and a stranger sets the atmosphere. Great twists and a gripping story.

I’m left a bit conflicted about this book. It’s in a beautiful setting and I loved the portrayal of the village community. I was really gripped by the story despite it being somewhat far fetched at times but the ending has left me really confused. Unexpected to say the least.

I tend to find Tony Parsons’ books a bit hit and miss but I enjoyed this one, even if it was slightly unbelievable. Maybe one beautiful woman can lead to a whole town’s ruin as men are such pathetic fools. It had some nice characters and some interesting twists.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in return for a review.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, strong female characters and finding out what life is like in the furthest South Westerly part of the UK!

I found the story very slow and didn’t grip me. The setting was great and was a great atmosphere but I struggled to connect with the characters and therefore wasn’t really bothered how there story ended

I have been fan of Tony Parsons for quite a while from DC Wolfe series. But for me this is his best novel yet. A story of Love and deceit of murder and betrayal and the passions that can make or break a life. Other reviewers may précis the story but I would say to you just read it you won’t be disappointed.

While this was fast paced and somewhat easy to get through. I still found the writing style not working for me. Something about it just didn't fit the story. I found it hard to feel any suspense.
The twists just didn't interest me. In fact it was predictable.
While the synopsis sounded intriguing the book itself fell a little flat.

Not my most favourite Tony Parsons read, I didn’t really warm to any of the characters and the storyline was a bit far fetched.

I read Tony Parson’s Man and Boy and at least one of its sequels many years ago, but I’ve not read any of his crime fiction up until now. This particular book of his from that genre particularly appealed, because I’m always keen to read books set in Cornwall, which are more on the historical side, but contemporary is also good. In this case, we are plunged into the close-knit community of a small fishing village cum holiday destination, whose lives are permanently disrupted by the arrival of a different sort of stranger. Tom, our main protagonist and narrator, has lived in St Jude’s for ten years, having given up a career in the city to run a restaurant specialising in locally caught lobster and other fresh fish on the days when the lobster catch falls short. He is one of the first villagers to encounter Clementine, while she is sitting on the beach, awaiting the morning and the arrival of an estate agent with the keys to the cottage she is to lease for the next twelve months.

Tom is instantly smitten with Clementine, but she has also left another life behind to come to St Jude’s – in this case, her abusive ex and his equally nasty stepfather, both former police officers – and that life is one that will not give her up without a fight. Clementine is quick to make friends with all of Tom’s friends, including having a brief fling with one of his best friends, none of which stops Tom from lusting after her. So when Clementine’s ex arrives in the village, everyone is keen to protect her from him, with disastrous consequences.

Fearing repercussions from other corrupt police officers, Tom and his friends conceal what they have done, but the stepfather is soon on the prowl, and Tom resorts to ever more desperate measures to keep Clementine safe. As things spiral out of control, another police officer arrives, who is incorruptible and with her own links to the missing men. This is to be her last case before retirement, and she is keen to see justice done, no matter her feelings about those involved.

Tom and Clementine’s relationship grows deeper, and we learn both have other secrets they are concealing from their friends and each other. Eventually, an unexpected visitor from Tom’s past brings everything crashing down, and the reader learns what was really behind Tom’s decision to move to Cornwall a decade earlier.

I found this a difficult book to get through. None of the characters appealed to me, not just because they weren’t particularly nice people, but because I couldn’t bring myself to take an interest in them. The plot had potential, but I found some of its twists and turns a little too unlikely and reliant on convenient coincidences.

I've loved all of Tony Parson's Max Wolfe books & enjoyed The People Next Door so was looking forward to this.
I didn't like Clementine at all & found it hard to understand the entire town's fascination with her & felt sorry for Tom because of his infatuation with her.
I was enjoying the story until the ending where the outcome just left me blindsided, it seemed totally different to what I'd been expecting from what I'd read.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my E-ARC in return for my honest review.

𝘼𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧…

This is brilliant from beginning to end. Parsons is able to transport the reader and take us on a journey where we get to fully appreciate the scenes of Cornwall.

We are introduced to Tom and Clementine. She quickly becomes the object of fascination.

I love how authentic the feeling of Cornwall has been. I have been pulled in and completely caught up in the tastes, the scenes and getting to know the characters.

Parsons has kept me glued to this one and I have devoured this in just one sitting. I have been kept guessing throughout this one as nothing is straightforward.

I have been completely unable to guess where this one was going. It is unpredictable and on times a little claustrophobic which really adds to this.

This is well written and completely addictive. I am a fan of Parsons storytelling. Each book seems to get better and better. This is definitely one I’ll be recommending to others.

Hugest thanks to @bookpublicist @centurybooksuk for sending 💕

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