Books by Tony Parsons are usually a good read but this one missed the mark for me, although the ending had a surprising twist. The Cornish setting is atmospheric and there are some interesting characters but none you could really root for. A mysterious, beautiful woman comes to live in a small Cornish town by the sea and entrances more than one of the local men. Why has she moved there? Is she escaping something or someone from her past? Great ending but the plot was mostly pedantic.

Whether writing laddish fiction or police procedurals, Tony Parsons is equally adept, but here he adds a new string to his bow. Who She Was has been described as a Gothic romance, and it is certainly a twisty thriller, full of fascinating revelations. It is set in Cornwall and the descriptions are excellent, creating a brooding atmosphere. It centres on a new arrival in a small Cornish town, and she quickly becomes an object of fascination to many. But who is she and why is she here?

A young woman arrives in a quiet village and is a mystery to all of the local residents. Tom, who owns a restaurant in the village, quickly becomes obsessed with this newcomer. Why has she arrived here and will Tom’s persistence pay off?

I liked the atmosphere and the Cornish setting. The plot itself is interesting enough but I found the overall story very slow and my attention was not held. I didn’t feel as though I connected to the characters and found the story to be quite repetitive. There are, however, a couple of twists towards the end that I couldn’t have predicted. I don’t like to give ratings under 3 stars but unfortunately this book wasn’t for me at this moment in time and not as enjoyable as some of the author’s previous books. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

This mysterious, tense story is based on the lives of a small community in Cornwall. The writing cleverly allows the reader to picture the beautiful scenery but other than the writing there is little else to take away from this book. It felt like very little happened at all between the characters despite occasional events or twists, and the ending left me unsure as to what actually happened at all. Disappointing read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Golden Age Noir’s commonly start with the ‘hero’ meeting a woman who is “trouble”, “temptation” with “legs that go on forever”, etc. Clementine is that kind of woman (except she’s a red-head not a blonde) and Tom is just as smitten as those guys of yore. Her sudden arrival in the Cornish coastal town of St Jude’s doesn’t just affect him, but all of the other men and many of the women too. She is the embodiment of Circe, Delilah, and other femmes fatale of legend or fiction, alluring men but ultimately entrapping and usually killing them, directly or indirectly. She is fleeing something in her past, again a classic trope. Tom is an ex-journalist who has lived in the village for a decade. He is also fleeing something in his past, and is now just about accepted as a local (or at least not an emmet or any of the dozens of nicknames the natives apply to tourists and second-home owners). He runs a small restaurant called ‘The Lobster Pot’. Clementine, an emmet by any definition is, however, immediately embraced by all – she’s that kind of gal! Their relationship is just becoming established when Steve, her ex-cop husband turns up (with a police officer, Sergeant Monk, as his back-up) and reclaims her. As the tension ramps up, the questions become: Who will kill whom, when, and how; What else in Clementine’s background is driving her; How will the villagers act to protect their own; Will Tom's secret past influence his decisions?
I’m not sure how to characterise this book. It is a classic example of the dangerous allure of beautiful women, but also a love triangle (albeit with more than one triangle operating), a murder mystery, a sociological study of relationships in small communities, a tour guide to Cornwall’s uniqueness. It is all of these, or perhaps none of these. It is just a story. The writing is sometimes quite poetic, but also quite repetitive in places (e.g. the pilchards story is told five times). The plot is fairly straightforward, but it is hard to believe in the actions of any of the characters. Somewhere in the middle it fell apart for me, but I always finish books so I ploughed on to the ending and I didn’t believe in that either.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A mysterious women turns up on a cornish beach. Whonis she and whybis she there. People are missing. I found this book to slow for my tastes.

This was an interesting mystery that kept me turning the pages
A coastal setting is always a plus for me in a mystery and Tony Parsons uses his Cornish village to great effect in this novel. The mysterious Clementine arrives at night in a small fishing village and although they know nothing about her, almost everyone falls under her spell. When the violence occurs, who is telling the truth?
I enjoyed the fact that most of the characters in this novel have secrets and it is difficult to work out what the truth is. The sea and its dangers are an additional element in the story throwing up some unexpected and unpleasant surprises.
This kept me reading on to find out what was going to happen next although I wasn’t totally convinced by the ending.
Thank you to Net Galley and Random House UK for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An enjoyable read. It started a bit slow with some descriptions repeated but once I got into the book I couldn't put it down. Typical of most fiction, not all is believable particularly Clementine and the village's reaction to her. The final twist was a surprise but Tom's reaction seemed out of character. The last couple of paragraphs seemed unnecessary or were they deliberately put in to confuse.

I liked the way the feel of a small Cornish fishing village was captured. The characters were okay, but the pace of the book was too slow for me .I kept wanting more to happen. I am an impatient reader, and hopefully readers with more patience than me will enjoy this book more than I did.

A stranger moves into a cottage in a small Cornish village. She has a secret but then so do a lot of the villagers
By the end of the summer there will have been a lot of changes in the village and some people will be missing..

This is the first book I have read from this author and wow , why have I never found him before. I enjoyed everything about this book , the writing style, the characters , the twists and turns and finally the great ending . I would highly recommend this book and will definitely be reading more from this author. 5 stars from me , a must read

An enjoyable read, with a nice setting & interesting characters, but it left me a little dissatified overall

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Loves the setting, hated most of the characters and just didn’t find it believable how quickly people got themselves in so deep

I loved this book. When Clementine arrives at the Cornish village, everyone falls in love with her. The fishermen, their families, but most of all Tom, who runs The Oyster Shack. When her past starts to catch up with her, everyone wants to protect Clementine, but when the police turn up she starts to find out how far her new friends will go to protect her, especially with her untold past catching up. I loved this book and didn't see the major twist coming. I highly recommend it.

Back at the end of 2020 I read Your Neighbour's Wife by this author and really enjoyed it so I was delighted to read Who She Was.
Both books provide excellent character progression and lots of twists and turns along the way.
Both books are quite slow burns but the detail in the writing is wonderful. In this case I think the outstanding aspect for me was the way that the county of Cornwall created a character of itself. Cornwall is a place I would love to visit but have never been yet reading this book I could hear the seagulls, sense the smell of salt and sea air, the strong gusty seaside breezes along with the feeling of being alone on the beach. It was also interesting to note the differences between a small seaside restaurant for tourists compared to one that is much more upmarket for foodies.
The book also taught me things about lobsters, pilchards and some of the old Cornish traditions. The book also had some wonderful thought provoking words on the meaning of love and how when you meet somebody you wonder what their life is like, who loves them and who do they love. This is not a gushy love story but there is a lot about love within the story, about love lost, love found and love that got away.
Personally I feel that the negative aspect of the book was the last 10% or so as I found it difficult to believe some of the events that occurred and also felt that the ending was a little too open-ended and non-conclusive.
If you want a lovely holiday read this is the book to get. Enjoy it as a work of fiction but also an understanding of the county of Cornwall. I would also recommend this a great book choice for a book club.
The book is published on the 17th August and will be available in e-book, audiobook and hardback formats and will be available in paperback in April 2024.
Many thanks to the publishers, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an electronic advanced review copy in return for a honest and unbiased review.

Excellent writing as always. I was really drawn into the Cornish coastline setting and could almost taste the sea salt and hear the waves crashing, very atmospheric and beautiful. The cast of characters were brilliantly crafted and multi dimensional, I wasn’t sure most of the time whose side I was on, which is actually praise indeed. There was Clementine, the stunning flame haired maid who turned up as mysterious as her past a bit like a mythical siren who cast a spell on all the men, making them fall in love with her- was this to be their downfall? Tom is running a local lobster restaurant but there is also an air of mystery about him….
When murders start to happen it’s easy to love to hate the victims and love the possible contributor(s) to their demise, but again is this the right answer?
A book with a lovely twisty narrative and plenty of tasty food for thought. Very enjoyable.

I love Tony Parsons books especially the Max Wolfe. I found this to be a slow burner with really uninteresting characters. It was unrealistic in parts and unbelievable in others. Very disappointing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Who she was by Tony Parsons is set in the idyllic fishing village in St Jude’s in Cornwall. Tom owns the local and successful restaurant called the Lobster Pot. Which is popular with the locals but the tourists alike. When a beautiful by mysterious woman called Clementine arrives at the village in the middle of the night. The locals warm to her and when Tom meets her, it starts off an obsession that doesn’t end well. So, when the locals find out that the real reason why she is here. That she has run away from her abusive husband. Is she telling the truth? So, when he arrives at the village instead of trying to escape his clutches, at first, she welcomes him with open arms. What the hell is going on?
Thank you, Random Cornerstone, for a copy of ‘Who she was. This story is beautifully written with the description of the scenery in the little fishing village. This is story about secrets and lies and about manipulation and obsession. This also a slow burner and nothing much happens in it. For me personally the story was too slow. And I couldn’t figure out what happen at the end. The last few chapters were like reading a different book. 3 stars from me.

II really enjoyed this book. Beautiful Clementine arrives to rent a cottage in a Cornish fishing village. Immediately people are drawn to her and Tom falls in love with her. She is a mystery, but soon a man comes looking for her. What follows is a chain of events that will change the lives of those involved forever. There is also a twist at the end that you won't see coming. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Tony Parsons just gets better and better, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Clementine turns up on a beach in Cornwall and is befriended and taken in by the locals in this small fishing village. She has secrets but who is she really? Tony owns the local lobster afe and is instantly besotted by Clementine but so are others. This book really does keep you guessing until the very end where no one is who we think they are. It includes secrets, lies, violence and more, all set in a seemingly idyllic Cornish setting. I so appreciate the chance to read and review this book thanks to Netgalley.