A Cornish fishing village is vividly brought to life in this novel, as are the wonderful characters who make up its local community. Curtains are twitching when an attractive woman arrives having taken out a years lease on one of the cottages.

Incomer Clemantine is soon turning the heads of the male population but with a past thats a mystery she intrigues as much as she dazzles.

I wasn't sure initially but as it picked up pace progressing into a story of murder, obsession and betrayal I found myself enjoying it more.

I wasn't totally convinced by the storyline but the twists kept me reading and the picture postcard setting and sense of community was done really nicely.

My thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the advance copy, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

Despite the uninspiring title, Who She Was by Tony Parsons really hit a note with me. Not every novel has a great deal of plausibility in its unravelling. The hook, a woman on the beach in the night sitting beside a bonfire draws you in. Why is she there, where has she come from and who is she? Well, she is the alpha and omega of the novel. Clementine is her name and she is starting a new life in the little Cornish fishing village of St Jude's. The way Tony Parsons describes Clementine makes me think he either once knew or knows someone like her and it's because I have known a few Clemetines in my past, that I immediately recognised her from his description. Clemetine didn't have the best start in life and in wanting to change her life she decided to end it, she had a Reginald Perrin moment but it was flawed and shortly her past caught up with her. I won't spoil the story by saying what comes next, so I shall write in general terms and set the scene of St Jude's. Like most coastal towns and villages in Cornwall and Devon, there are two sides made in part by the season. Winter is a time for the locals, the streets are navigable, the pubs less boisterous and money has to be spent wisely to carry them through. That is until the incomers or emmets (basically tourists) come back in the summer to be tolerated for their cash. These swings of fortune build a close knit community of people who are just about managing. They have their own code of support and don't like the authorities meddling in their affairs. A perfect place to escape to, as long as the locals warm to you. Clementine surely turns the local's heads but will they warm to her?
I cannot recollect a plot anything like this before. It was very well written and incredbly engaging, pertinent too. Well worth a top score.

I don't even know where to start with this. I've read several of Tony Parsons previous books and thoroughly enjoyed them. So my question is what have they done with the real Tony Parsons? Who She Was reads like it was written by someone who'd never strung a coherent sentence together. Was it written by a computer I wonder? Is this a very early draft of a novel that is out now because someone found it in the bottom of a drawer and thought "Oh why not".

Anyway the actual novel is very loosely based on Rebecca - with the flame haired temptress who everyone falls in love with (and if I saw one more "she was long and lean" I would have cried). But Tom is the man who falls head over heels for Clementine, the girl who appears out of nowhere one night. Tom is apparently prepared to do absolutely anything to keep Clem by his side including murder.

So that's basically the story. There is a ridiculous twist at the end but by that time I had such a headache from rolling my eyes I was just grateful the book was ending.

If you want to know anything about Cornwall you'll love this book - not only do you get every home brand product mentioned repeatedly but you also get a lesson on how to shuck lobster meat, where to spot a million (or was it a billion) pilchards from a hundred years ago, how to run a restaurant whilst being simultaneously wasted on vodka and how to get every possible cliche under the sun into your novel.

As you can tell this book got on my nerves somewhat. The plot was awful, the characters were all revolting, the sex scenes were cringeworthy and the prose repetitive to the point where the book nearly got thrown through the window.

I couldn't possibly recommend this. Please bring back the original Tony Parsons.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

An interesting and original standalone from a truly excellent author who I have enjoyed reading many times in the past. The plot did grab me as I was wondering what was going to happen and why and the exposition was original and extremely well plotted and executed.

A good read which entertained me - but I preferred his wonderful police procedurals far more and miss them - but authors evolve and move on!

I loved this storyline, I loved how it was all written from Tom's viewpoint with others views scripted in. I loved the twists and turns and literally gasped out loud towards the end. Brilliantly written and easy to read.

Sadly I struggled with this story. A woman arrives late at night in a small fishing village in Cornwall. She is stunningy beautiful but who is she and where is she from? Tom, the owner of a lobster restaurant is blown away by her and feels himself falling in love. She is everything he has ever wanted. But, she is not who she appears to be.
It was a really good story with a great twist, but I found myself struggling to like some of the characters. Tom come across as a weak, love-struck schoolboy with no depth about him. Clementine annoyed me so much that I actually wanted to push her off the cliff by the Baulkings House.
Tom Parsons is a brilliant psychological thriller author and I have loved his other books but this one lacked passion for me.

What a perfect book to discuss at a book club.

The fishermen and their families are woken by a bonfire blazing on the beach in St Jude’s (Cornwall). Bet and Will Farthing are the first to respond, closely followed by Tom Cooper, the owner of a restaurant called The Lobster Pot. They find a beautiful young woman next to the bonfire. Her looks and personality seem to intoxicate everyone in the village. When her husband turns up to drag her home the village act as one. Who will be prepared to pay the price for the decisions made that fateful day?

This is by far one of the most unusual books to every cross my path. I loved the writing style, the characters, the drama, and the ending left me breathless hoping against hope that all would be okay.

I can’t think of a better book to discuss around a table with like-minded readers. Hopefully, a book club with both sexes! Why you ask? Read the book and you’ll find out!

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the ARC. . It was ok I have read far better from Tony. This was described as a psychological thriller but I would refer to it as fiction. Good storyline and characters but for me this was lacking a lot. Remember this is my opinion only.

A mysterious woman waits out the night on a bonfire on a Cornish beach. The locals are intrigued by her - and she's one of many just trying to start again in the sleepy village of St Jude's. Leaving her past behind could be difficult though, as ghosts of her past come knocking.

This book is a tough one to rate, as it starts off a touch slow but then absolutely hurtles towards its conclusion. The characters feel well-established (albeit potentially a touch infuriating at times!) and it is a satisfying, surprising ending. 4* for me.

Tony Parsons never disappoints! This was a terrific thriller about a mystery woman showing up in a small seaside village and changing the dynamics of those around her. Loved it!

Bit disappointed with this book it started off well and looked promising but no wasnt really that good and the ending left me with questions

What on earth have I just read?

A young woman sits beside a bonfire on a Cornish beach waiting for an estate agent to bring her the keys to a cottage that she's moving in to.
This mysterious newcomer is Clementine and before long, and here I'm talking days, half the village have fallen under her spell and are infatuated with her.
There is a death which is covered up and villagers are dragged into the crime.
A DCI, who is about to retire arrives in the village determined to solve this last case.
There are a couple of twists that pop up but I just found the whole thing ridiculous.

A read that at times felt a little claustrophobic in its intensity. It had a wide range of characters, some of whom we would love to hate!
A Cornish fishing village is rocked by the arrival of Clementine who seems to entrance the menfolk of the area and set a bomb off in the lives of all those existing around her. This is a novel about community but also about the past and whether we can really leave it behind. There is an undercurrent of violence and obsession and it has a plot that really has the reader questioning what we know about the characters. I loved the fisherman and his wife and Lisa, who all felt more three dimensional than some of the principal characters.
I enjoyed the story and it held my attention, but in our modern times, I found the idea of a woman's beauty holding ultimate power over a whole group of men and the sense of villainy in her mere attractiveness a bit disconcerting. Women are more than their appearance and most men can see people beyond that.

This was a really cleverly written book that's sets the scene perfectly as the story unfold. It's very character driven and full of intrigue but it didn't really feel like a thriller. It was a slow burn and there's a lot of very vivid imagery which was perfectly written. It does have plenty of twists and It kept me hooked throughout

A beautiful book full of twists and intrigue that left me desperate to know more!
I really enjoyed the development of the relationships and didn’t guess any of the twists. Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An intriguing story keeping you hooked in but leaving you with questions after the book. A good read

Having read Tony Parson's previous books I was looking forward to reading his latestwhich didn't disappoint. The main character is Clementine who arrives as a stranger to the village. Her arrival has an effect on each if the villagers - good and bad. As usual with the authors books, full of intrigue and twists.

"Who She Was' by Tony Parsons is his yearly thriller and possibly his most chilling one yet.

A young woman is found on the cold beach of a Cornish village and the kindness of the locals means she is brought into their fold. This will be a decision that means things may never be the same again.

In the fishing village of Saint Judes in Cornwall there are characters galore to set the scene of this tale and all add to the story. The characters are all well described and even if they are unlikeable characters you can't but help the way they play a part in the story.

The visual imagery and descriptions offered of this little village add to the setting and draw you in more.

A book of characters, a book of a chilling story told in beautiful settings and a book that will keep hold of you long after you have finished it.

A pleasure to read and highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review.

Firstly thank you to Random house and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy. I love Tony Parson's books, especially the Max Wolfe series, and I think I've read all of them.
After the Max Wolfe series ended, I was looking forward to what he would come up with next. I have to be honest and say I didn't love the following books, but still enjoyed them.
So, did i enjoy Who she was? Yes and no.
A beautiful yoing women arrives in a close knit Cornish fishing village. Everyone falls for her and I mean everyone! She gives nothing away about herself but one day her past catches up with her and this where the story gets going. It's hard to review the without spoilers, but I'll just say events take a sinister turn with many of the villagers involved. People lie to protect the ones they love but can they stop the truth from coming out?
I loved the twists in this story of which there are many, right up until the last few chapters, where there is a major twist. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and looked forward to picking it up. I'm giving it 4 stars as it annoyed me, more than a little bit, about the use of the location. The made up village of St Judes, is near Fowey it seems but if the characters get the sleeper train to London, they go all the way to Penzance, which would be well over an hours drive. Why not get off at Liskeard or Bodmin parkway? Also you can not walk along wide stretches of beach from Padstow. And Padstow does not have a registry office. All small stuff I know and authors are allowed to stretch the truth but if you know Cornwall well it, niggles a bit. Also, I really didn't like Tom. What an absolutely horrible person. I'm not sure if the author ment him to be so unlikeable or just a lovesick fool but I did not engage with him at all. My favourite character was Lisa. I felt so sorry for her.
This definitely has renewed my faith in Mr Parsons as an author and I'm looking forward to his next book.

The book is set in Cornwall and when you read it you can feel the idyllic way of life. Tom runs his own restaurant called The Lobster Pot and has done for 10 years having left London for an easier life. One evening a girl is seen on the beach trying to keep warm and she is taken into the fold of the residents of the village. She is very mysterious and does not give much away but both Tom and his friend become infatuated with her and this is when the problems start to materialize. Tom cannot keep his feelings for Clementine in check and tries to find out more about her. Into the story comes her husband and his stepfather who threaten Clementine as well as the people around her. A drama becomes an issue and Lisa, the chef in the restaurant, causes damage to Clementine’s husband and this is where all the real drama begins. The husband disappears then so does the stepfather. The bodies are found and DCI Graves enters the story to find out who the murderer(s) were. The story continues. Clementine leaves which breaks Tom’s heart only to return and all the dramas inbetween make good reading. The characters are good but did not take to anyone in particular. The ending – well did not see that coming