When a Femme Fatale seeking a new life descends on a remote Cornish village she soon settles in with all the men of the village in her thrall, with one in particular completely besotted. This idealistic state of affairs ends when her brutal husband descends on them with bis Ex copper father, resulting in mayhem and murder. When the dust is settled the besotted lover wins the day snd gets to marry the women with unexpected consequences.

Tom has lived in the Cornish fishing village of St Judes for 10 years, he runs a local seafood restaurant and is settled and content with his life. When he meets Clementine late at night on a deserted beach he has no idea how much his life is about to change.
Clementine is stunning and mysterious. More than one local is captivated by her.
But Clementine has secrets, deeply hidden, and when those secrets surface everyone around her will feel the eruption.
This tense, atmospheric tale, will captivate you from the start and hold you until the last page with a twist I certainly didn’t see coming.

Who She Was is an interesting story of love and obsession set in St Judes Cornwall a picturesque fishing village.One night a mysterious beautiful stranger turns up on the beach and from then on the lives of many are changed for ever .A bit of a slow burner but there are twists and turns a plenty and some good characters .I didn't particularly like Tom I thought he was very unlikeable and selfish .The ending had a surprise that I didn't see coming .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

I have been reading Tony Parsons books for over 20 years so was delighted when NetGalley and the publisher of 'Who She Was' gave me the chance to be an ARC in return for an honest review. A quick read finished in a day, the setting is mainly Cornwall and the description has you feeling you are actually sitting in the Lobster Pot eating today's catch. I was half expecting the Fisherman's Friend's to start singing some sea shanty. A story brilliantly and beautifully told that will appeal to all Tony Parsons many followers.

I would describe Who She Was from Tony Parsons as a "slow burner", there's nothing dramatic in the early part of the story but you have this nagging doubt that there's something not quite right.
The Cornish coastline has to be mentioned as it's like a character itself. Beautiful and alluring but with hidden depths that are full of danger, waiting to drag the unsuspecting down. It is impossible not to make comparisons between the landscape and Clementine.

Regardinhg the way the book was written, the surprise was more negative, I've read other bookof Tony y and this one disappointed me a little. It was like the otjers.

Netgalley thank you so much for this opportunity.

#whoshewas, #tonyParsons, #netgalley

In 'Who She Was' by Tony Parsons, a small Cornish town - St Judes - opens it heart to an outsider who seems to need its help.

Clementine, a young beautiful red headed woman, is discovered by a fire on the beach by Tom. He and many of the locals instantly fall in love with her. However, their allegiance to her is tested and quite quickly the story becomes one of obsession, murder and whether we really know who anyone is.

Parsons is an excellent writer, but the plot and characterisation in this novel was very thin. Both main characters are unlikable and Tom's perspective on events is flawed in a way that isn't a plot device. Attempts to link it to du Maurier's 'Rebecca' also don't help. However, I enjoyed reading about the Farthing family, and felt the small interview sections with Lisa and the family worked well. I also think that this is a light read to enjoy during the holidays, while you dream of relocating and owning a seafood restaurant.

I was disappointed with this book. It did not capture my attention so took much longer to read than I would expect.
I am sure it would be perfect for others, but I will have to add Tony to my no list.

This thriller by Tony Parsons is set in a Cornish fishing village where the inhabitants are leading quiet lives until the arrival of a mysterious and vivacious young woman. There are many twists and turns and some were unbelievable. The final twist came too late and the ending was ambiguous. A satisfying holiday read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for thearc.

Excellant thriller following life in a small Cornish village which is pushed into turmoil when Clementine is found sitting by a bonfire on the beach one evening. She tells her story, others arrive and give their version of events. Who to believe? Well constructed and a pacy read this is recommended.

Totally unbelievable.
Clementine arrives in the village and everyone falls for her and she sleeps with numerous people but she`s a mystery.
None of the characters are believable and the way they react to situations and each other is totally laughable and would never happen.
Just not for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

I liked the intrigue in this story and the writing kept me hooked. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Clementine, a beautiful, enigmatic, vulnerable stranger, rocks up on a Cornish beach, warms herself by a fire she has made and waits for morning to come so she can get the keys to her temporary rental home. Tom, who manages The Lobster Pot restaurant and bar, notices her there and is instantly intrigued and drawn to her.

Most of the locals fall under her spell or fall in love with her at the drop of a hat, and the men constantly vie for her attention. Tom gets obsessed with her to the point where common sense deserts him, and he, alongside other locals, do their utmost to protect her even to the extent of committing murder.

I’ve read other books by Tony Parsons and consider him to be a fine writer and a great storyteller. Sadly, this book was an exception for me. The prose is overly wordy, the plot is unconvincing, and the characters largely unlikeable and unbelievable. The writing failed to engage me as much as I’d hoped.

This led to an emotional disconnect to the point of losing interest in the book.
Admittedly, there are plenty of twists and turns, though they were rather spoiled for me by their implausibility. There are lengthy descriptions of Cornwall and lobster catching and preparation which some readers might find boring.

There are triggering themes of addiction and domestic abuse which could have been given greater attention rather than the weak plot driving everything. Altogether, it’s an unsatisfactory read, not up to the author’s usual standard. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2.5**

WHO SHE WAS

WOW !!

Thank you #Netgalley, author Tony Parsons and the publishers #RandomHouseUK, for my E-arc copy, and giving me the opportunity of reading #WhoSheWas in exchange for my honest review.

I was not disappointed !!

It was my first time reading anything by this author and I found I was immediately captivated.

Parsons writing style is exemplary and not only draws you in he keeps you hooked to the very last page.

Full of twist and turns that you just can’t see coming.

And the descriptive pros were sensational. The whole novel was so full of emotion and really captured the atmosphere of its surroundings.

My only negatives to this novel are the ending. I found it rather abrupt and leaves you asking questions; not a bad thing.

I also noticed that reference was made to HMP Dartmoor in the story, but I couldn’t miss the HMP misapplication of them saying…
HER Majesty’s Pleasure when of course it’s now HIS majesty now.

Perhaps that’s just me being pernickety and will be corrected when it goes to print.

Overall a fantastically written story.

What a page turner. I read it in two sittings ( no house work etc) as i needed to know if SHE got her just desserts! Beautifully descriptive of characters and scenery. Just when you thought this must be it another twist in the tale. The book would make a great film!

A lone female arrives and takes up a rental for 12 months. Captivating the local men but all is not the truth.
Lies are unpicked and loyalties divided.
Told in real time and accounts from the main characters thoughts.
An excellent novel that leaves you surprised right up to the last page.

Tony Parsons in top form! Superb, unsettling thriller of obsession, lies, deceit, murder, abuse and love (but generally speaking, not a very healthy form of it!)
With a wonderful set of characters (the 'supporting ones' are the best), this story is set in St Judes, Cornwall where the locals are a race apart and have their own ways of serving justice. You hope that some will get away with murder!
A beautiful woman arrives at the Cornish town, taking on the lease of a cottage of a deceased long-term inhabitant. An athletic swimmer, she gets the notice of all the locals from her first arrival when she effortlessly swims the estuary from St Judes to Polmouth - a lengthy route, with wicked currents. Everyone is drawn to her, many fall in love with her.
But as the story develops, your view is adjusted; people aren't who they seem.
Extremely entertaining and totally unsettling; highly recommended.

#WhoSheWas #NetGalley
Awesome. Echoes of The Girl She Was. 5 ⭐
A bonfire burns on a Cornish beach in the middle of the night. Nearby, a young woman waits for morning, and for the estate agent to arrive with the keys to her new life in the peaceful fishing village. She carries with her no trace of her previous life or the past she has left behind. Quickly she becomes an object of fascination among the locals; one in particular finds that he is falling in love with her. But can anyone really have a new life? What happened to this woman's old life? And what price did she pay to escape it?
Read this electrifying story. I loved it.
Thanks to Random House UK Cornerstone Century for giving me an advance copy.

A gripping start and lots of atmosphere and sense of place but for me, Clementine just didn’t seem believable and the final twist was a bit stuck on. A good read but not Parson’s best.

Set in Cornwall, this book raises issues around domestic violence. The plot just lacked a bit of conviction and I just failed to like any of the characters. Overall, it left me feeling a bit disappointed but I did like the descriptions of Cornwall. Not the usual high standard from the author. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Tony Parsons always draws you with his writing and I was always eager to get back to the story each night.
He immedietely created suspense with the first few chapters and his setting was so good it was another character in itself. The writing was excellent and I enjoyed the book alot. My only comment would be about pacing where the final twist about Tom (at his wedding) seemed a bit coincidental and 'stuck on ' at the last minute. Clementine’s power/influence also felt a bit overdone. Otherwise, a good read.