I rarely give 5 stars and especially not just because it is written by one of my favourite authors, as Tony Parsons is quickly becoming.
This is an absolutely beautiful book.
Atmospheric doesn't even begin to describe the writing. You can almost hear the seagulls, feel yourself slipping on the seaweed-covered rocks and taste the lobster from the local restaurant.
The writing style is so good that I would have enjoyed reading this novel almost without a plot but it doesn't disappoint there either.
An enthralling tale of obsession, murder and revenge with some very sweet little twists throughout and an utterly satisfying conclusion.
Cannot recommend this novel enough and give extra kudos for the way the author is so diverse in his subject matter in each of his books.
Many, many thanks for the entertainment and for allowing me to completely switch off whilst absorbed in its pages.

A location that will resonate with you if you love Cornwall.
Great characters, literally all of them.
Plot that grips, you will need to know what happens in the end. With multiple surprises.
Would highly recommend.

4+

Saint Judes in Cornwall is a picturesque fishing village and where one summer the usual peace and quiet is disrupted in ways no one imagines. It all starts with a late night bonfire where a young woman tries to keep warm until she can claim the keys to her cottage rental the next day. Who is this mysterious woman and where has she come from? She quickly becomes the object of fascination and of obsession for one particular resident. The woman is Clementine and the lovestruck man is Tom Cooper, owner of the Lobster Pot restaurant. How will this all play out?

Location, location, location. It’s absolutely apparent that Tony Parsons, like myself, is a lover of Cornwall. The writing is so evocative, absolutely capturing the atmosphere and flavour of a Cornish fishing village and all its residents, some of them are very likeable, but some not so much! The enigma and mystery of Clementine is so compelling as she mesmerises and captivates, and if nothing else, she continues to surprise. Secrets abound, and the path to the unexpected truth is full of twists and turns and keeps you glued to the pages and constantly guessing. Right from the start there are off notes, the tone becomes increasingly ominous and there is a claustrophobic sensation of the truth beginning to close in. It’s full of emotion, there’s violence and danger, not least that of discovery. As the end nears the author has a surprise or two up his sleeve and some shocking revelations that I don’t see coming. The ending is good though requires some suspension of disbelief but it is enjoyable all the same.

The aspect of the novel that I love the most is how the author has paid a very good tribute to some Cornwalls best authors and Daphne Du Maurier in particular. I love the references to her books which are woven so cleverly into the storyline and I think Tony Parsons has captured the essence of one of her marvellous tales. Kudos.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoy this well paced intriguing novel that keeps my interest throughout.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Cornerstone for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Set in a small tourist town in Cornwall, this book has it all really - fascinating characters, and engrossing story and a wonderful sense of place. When young, beautiful Clementine comes to live in the village, she casts all the village men under her spell, but the women aren’t so sure about her. Is she telling the truth about her past? Are the other main characters in the book telling the truth about theirs? The story is engrossing from the start and has some brilliant twists and turns, and ends anywhere but where you could have predicted. This really is an exceptional thriller and will keep you reading late into the night!

I enjoyed the book and liked the structure of present and looking back on what happened. The subject was quite brutal and showed how people are able to manipulate others and how no one ever really knows what goes on behind closed doors.

Not my favourite novel by Tony Parsons although it was , of course, well written. I found the main characters hard to like and the storyline just didn’t convince me.

Tony Parsons is one of my favourite authors, I expected a good read and wasn’t disappointed.
The book is set in Cornwall, when Clementine, a mysterious young woman turns up on the beach. She is beautiful and fascinating, and has the whole village of St Jude’s in a spin.
Clementine has been abused by her husband, but she is secretive, and you are uncertain whether she is telling the whole truth. Several of the characters have their dark side with complex threads running through. Tom, the main character owns The Lobster Pot, a small restaurant and is also withholding secrets from the past. Tony Parsons gets inside his characters and brings them to life, and the book explores the idea that all personalities are diverse, with shades of good and bad.
When Clementine’s husband turns up and is murdered, the book becomes a tense, gripping thriller. The book is packed with twists and turns which keep you turning the pages. Inserts at the beginning of each chapter add depth to the characters. The pace speeding up at the totally unexpected ending. Recommended reading.

I’ve loved Tony Parsons books and was so pleased to get to read the new one but I was disappointed. It felt very obvious from the start where the story was going , and it felt a very odd direction. Clementine went from monster to angel with no reason why & poor Lisa why would she stay?

Set in a picturesque Cornish village which with its cast of village characters is well described. An empty cottage near the harbour is rented out and the locals are surprised to find bars being fixed to the windows. The new tenant is beautiful and confident and captivates the whole village but mystery and murder follow. The suspense builds throughout enough to keep the pages turning, but having read Tony’s earlier books I was slightly disappointed. A good holiday read though.


Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One more Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

When Clementine arrives in a quiet Cornwall fishing village she seems to have everyone under her spell, particularly the men. But is she who she seems to be? Apparently not and things go from bad to worse when her ex appears on the scene.
I enjoyed this book but I did find some of it rather far fetched and some of the characters actions unbelievable. However I still enjoyed the story and I do like the authors style of writing.

She was Clementine. A beautiful, mysterious girl that made everyone adore her. But who was she really, what about her past, and what about her present. A lovely mystery and five star story.

A woman is found on the beach under a bonfire in the middle of the night. She needs somewhere to stay until she can get the keys to her new cottage in the morning. She tells the Cornish villagers that her husband has recently died and everyone is enchanted by her. It turns out Clementine is not who she says, but how far will the villagers go to protect her.

This book was quite hard to get into initially as her main character is quite unlikeable and is a pathological liar. The pace did increase at the end, but the apparent twist left me feeling a bit flat.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author Tony Parsons.
Arghhhh I feel so bad leaving a 1 star review but I honestly couldn't give this book a higher score.
The whole plot was painfully facile, with so much hyperbole and characters who seemed to act like no logical human being ever would. For this reason, they felt like total caricatures and the story couldn't be enjoyed even by suspending every ounce of disbelief you have.
As I reached the ending I couldn't believe the story arc, with an ending that felt completely rushed and thrown together to reach a denouement. The 'twist' was also completely out of the blue, out of place and unbelievable (calling it a 'twist' is generous).
I agree with other reviewers, it felt as though the author just couldn't be bothered. I'm afraid I really can't recommend this one at all, even if you're looking an easy holiday read.

I liked the Cornish setting of this book, and it was an easy, comfortable read, but it felt somehow slightly formulaic, almost as if the author wasn't really bothered. The ending seemed improbable and a bit rushed. I didn't enjoy this as much as some other books by this author.

I would first like to thank Random House UK for allowing me access to this ARC copy of Who She Was.

I thought this book was great, Tony, our main protagonist, is a man who had once been to St. Judes and decided to make a life there, bought a small restaurant and became part of the close-knit Fisherman's community. Then one day Clementine arrives, a firey-haired, brave woman who Tony, and the rest of the community, falls under her charms. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens next but suffice it to say, I did not see what this thriller would throw at me next.

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!

A stunning incomer descends on a small fishing village in Cornwall. Heads turn and not all for the same reason. Intrigue, murder, and accusations from outside sources could have made this book brilliant. But I found the same sentences coming up repeatedly and it got a little repetitive. The ending was no surprise and it seemed like the author finished the book quickly. The wedding part of the reception and then bang a surprise, but was to be expected. A little disappointed but worth a read still.

If you love Cornwall, it’s likely that ‘Who She Was’ will attract your attention. Set in the fictional fishing village of St Jude’s, incomer Tom runs The Lobster Pot, a successful seafood restaurant. One night, along with his fisherman friend Will, he finds Clementine, a red-haired girl on the beach, waiting for morning and the keys to her rental property. Strange and beautiful, she seems to have many ‘kelpie’ attributes – her prowess in the water and her tempting looks certainly have Tom, and others, transfixed. She appears to be attracted to him too but it soon becomes clear that she is a consummate shape-shifter.
Whilst I’ve enjoyed some of Tony Parsons’ novels, this is not one of his best. Some of the prose is unbearably purple. Tom describes how, during an emotional moment with Clementine, he ‘tasted the salt of our tears and the salt of the sea and they were impossible to tell apart.’ And, surprisingly, hackneyed phrases appear at moments of heightened emotion. Tom believes that, ‘I had the feeling that this was the woman I was born to be with, and no other would do. And even if I could not have her, that fact would still be true.’ All a bit too Barbara Cartland for my taste!
The author introduces some serious themes in this novel, domestic violence and addiction being two. And then there’s the question of whether one can ever really re-invent oneself. All of these are worthy of more consideration than they were given. The plot, rather than the themes, drives the novel and it’s not altogether convincing. Plenty of readers will love this thriller. I expected to but was disappointed.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Mystery woman Clementine turns up at a Cornish fishing village, and Tom, a local restaurant owner falls in love with her. Clementine has a past, and people come to find her with repercussions for all the villagers. An easy read, but a bit predictable.

I last read Tony Parsons over 20 years ago! This is a different genre, I did enjoy it but wasn’t really gripped, slightly confused and underwhelmed! I loved his earlier stuff so maybe I had high hopes for this book

Unfortunately this book fails to gather pace. The characters talk directly to the reader at the beginning of the chapters, but why? And for what purpose? Maybe I missed something. The author appears to have found a description they like and repeats it in both halves of the book- the fancy fish restaurant for example.
I found the story bitty and the characters hard to connect with. The twists at the end were good but left me feeling empty as if I didn’t really care and the ending was just confusing!
Thank you for the ARC netgalley, I would be disappointed if I had purchased this.