I loved this book, my favourite kind of novel with loads of twists and turns, most of which I just didn't see coming. Kept me riveted to the very end and I literally couldn't put it down.

EXCERPT:
PROLOGUE - Monday 19 December
I wake with a start, my heart racing. There's a second or two of confusion as the morning light creeps through the slats of my blind. Then I hear it. Banging. Male voices, shouting.
'Open up. Police!'
For a second or two I am so heavy with sleep and fear that I can't move a muscle. My stomach tugs and my mind whirls. They've come for me. They've finally come for me.

ABOUT 'THE WOMAN ON THE LEDGE': A woman falls to her death from a London bank's twenty-fifth-floor roof terrace.

You're arrested for her murder.

You tell the police that you only met the victim the previous night at your office party. She was threatening to jump from the roof, but you talked her down.

You've got nothing to do with this tragedy.
You're clearly being framed.

So why do the police keep picking holes in your story?
And why doesn't your lawyer seem to believe you?

It soon becomes obvious that you're keeping secrets.

But who are you trying to protect? And why?

MY THOUGHTS: The Woman on the Ledge is a very clever book. It's a bit like an onion, with layers of lies, misdirection, deceit, secrets and manipulation. Whatever you think Tate may be up to, you're more than likely wrong.

Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle with no picture to work from and Tate doling out the pieces she wants you to work with, which probably don't connect to any of the pieces you currently have in place. Tate contradicts herself, changes her story when challenged. She perplexed me. Confused and confounded me, until almost the very last page.

This is a story with plenty of twists and turns. Unfortunately there is also a bit of repetition as Tate adds to or subtracts from her original story, or we see the same event from the point of view of a different character - or two.

The Woman on the Ledge is a wild roller-coaster ride, with terrifying drops and turns that you just don't see coming. It's best just to go along for the ride . . . you won't regret it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheWomanontheLedge #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Ruth Mancini was born in south-west London and started her career as a marketing executive for a publisher before undertaking a post-graduate diploma in law and retraining as a solicitor. Ruth has spent the past twenty-five years in and out of courts and police stations, representing those accused of crimes. She still practises as a lawyer for a large criminal law firm with offices in London, conducting advocacy in the courts and defending people arrested at the police station. She also reviews trial files across the firm and juggles her legal work with writing crime and psychological fiction.

Ruth lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and two children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The Woman on the ledge is a twisty psychological thriller, which explores some sensitive but thought provoking themes. While it initially gripped and pulled me in, as the plot unfolded, it became predictable and repetitive, leaving me grappling with implausible and ridiculous developments. The final reveal went on and on and eventually I found myself flipping through the final pages, eager to get to the end of this tiresome tale.

Wow, that was quite a read, didn't see any of it coming, a great story tied up very nicely at the end

A woman falls from the 25th floor of a London bank, the night after their Christmas party.

Wannabe actress and office temp Tate Kinsella is arrested for the murder, but she tells police that she’d only met the woman the night before when she was threatening to jump, and Tate managed to talk her out of it. However, the cards are stacked against her, because nobody ( not even her lawyer) believes her.

Whatever you think may have happened here, I guarantee you’ll be wrong. This is such a complex tale with so many twists and turns that you really won’t know what’s coming next - and that dear readers, is very clever!

After about a half way through this I clocked in to what was going on, a great book in which I liked the story but I don’t think It has been put together properly. Sorry

4.5 stars, this has got to be one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a longggg time!

I absolutely loved the way this was written, the story line repeats itself slightly but you learn more and more each time making it so fast paced and easy to read! If you love a psychological thriller then I am sure you will love this!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review, I would 100% recommend!

This is really something different.

This is a thriller that makes it feel like your first time reading, thrills, twists and it never stops. No usual tropes and it is a smooth operator.

Thank You to NetGalley for introducing me to my first Ruth Mancini book and what a book. Had me gripped from the first page with lots of twists and not knowing the full extent of the plot until the last few pages. Most definitely a five star read

A twisty story which led me down corridors which were dead ends. A truly wonderful story which had me gripped all the way through. A new author for me and one I'll be looking out for again. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was something SO different and i loved it! There were parts of it where i really had to concentrate and god only knows how the author managed to write it. Fab storyline and so refreshing, i am so fed up with the usual notes left and women being followed.....none of that here.
This kept me intrigued all the way though and just when i thought the story was all sewn up...BANG...it really wasn't.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my early copy.
I need to check out more from this author.

You recount to the police that your encounter with the victim was brief, occurring at your office party the night before the tragedy. In a desperate state, she had threatened to jump from the roof, and you managed to talk her down. It's a narrative that distances you from any culpability in this harrowing event; you're adamant that you played no part in the tragedy and are being unjustly accused.

However, the police, with persistent scepticism, continue scrutinizing your account, searching for inconsistencies. Even your lawyer seems hesitant to fully embrace your version of events, casting doubt on your innocence. As the investigation progresses, it becomes increasingly evident that there are hidden facets to your story.

The looming question arises: Why are you keeping secrets? Who, or what, are you trying to shield from scrutiny, and what motivates this protective stance? The answers to these mysteries hold the key to unravelling the truth behind the tragedy and your role in the unfolding drama.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This book sure was an interesting one. It was the first book by Ruth Mancini and I can see where all the hype is coming from.

I don’t know how the author wrote this book without getting herself confused! 😂

It was a little confusing as a reader but I was able to keep up. Everything at the end was tied in a little bow with no loose ends which I absolutely loved.

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!

This is such an incredible read! Ruth Mancini is an extremely talented writer. I´ve never read anything by her before, but my word, I am going uncover all of her books and devour them!

This book is so clever, so riveting, so utterly compulsive. I seriously doubt I will read a better book than this for the rest of the year! I seriously can´t tell you how fantastic it is.

If you only read one book this year (2024), you have to make it this one. If I could rate it more than 5 stars, I would.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this eCopy to review

The Woman on the Ledge was a great thriller with plenty of new life injected into the genre. It is difficult to review this book without giving anything away.

Tate stops a woman from taking her life, but she later dies. Shockingly Tate, a temp at the bank from where the woman fell, is charged with her murder. Queue lots of twists until I’m unable to guess how the plot ends. A compelling thriller with different points of view with Tate and her lawyer telling the story

Not read from this author before but could see this book was getting a lot of praise so was grateful for an ARC copy to review.

The crux of the story is good and without spoiling anything you can tell it has been well planned out and researched. My main issue is that as the story is broken down layer by layer some parts do get a little repetitive as you are hearing the same story again but with extra information or told in a different way. This made it feel like it was quite slow in certain parts and made it less thrilling as you kind of know what’s going to happen.

All in all I’d give it a 3/5

This is certainly an edge of seat page turner. I was gripped from start to finish. Nothing is what it seems in this novel and we are left wondering what is going on . We follow Tate , Helen and Maddie throughout the book and they each have a story to tell. What follows for me was quite a complicated plot and one that is difficult to guess the outcome. There are a few themes , illness, sexual abuse , bullying , just to name a few. It is quite sad in parts and I was left quite deflated at some of the methods needed to get justice, It is a hard book to review because there are potentially spoilers if discussed too deeply. As the novel progresses you don’t know who is telling the truth and Tate for me was a very unreliable narrator, and a very clever one. Well worth a read .

Did I like the book?

Holy moly did this book keep me on my toes! And I loved it. Close your eyes (well, not literally or won’t be able to read) and imagine: several points of view. Holes in stories. One dead woman. It may sound like a regular psychological thriller. It could have been. However, the author turned this known recipe into something more. A big soufflé.

So, did I enjoy the book? ABSOLUTELY!

Did I enjoy reading it?

Multiple points of view are tricky. You need to be able to create different voices, different background stories, give characters enough flesh to stand on their own two feet. Ruth Mancini did all of this. Her fluid writing matched the tension poured into the story and I was just caught in the middle of this crazy, insane “what’s happening” bubble. My reading has taken a hit, but when I was cocooned with this novel, there was nothing to stop me from going from one chapter to another until I reached the end.

What did I feel?

I had no idea what I was letting myself into when I decided to read The Woman on the Ledge. It was a gift, a surprise. My crime fiction-addicted heart was delighted, bursting with excitement. The more you read crime fiction, the less authors manage to surprise you. You start guessing, you see holes in the plots, you “tut” at characters for not being enough. You wish the writing was stronger. None of this happened here. The surprises kept coming. I guessed. No, actually no, I tried to. But every time I thought I’d figured something out, the author would send me in a complete new direction. I loved this. I loved the feeling of not knowing where I was, why I was there, and what on earth would be happening. Now you may notice I am not going into details at all. I am not mentioning names or places. I am not giving specifics about anything. That’s how good I thought this novel was. I can talk about it while remaining as vague as a doctor when they try explaining you something. Why? Because the books talks for itself. The plot will take you there. The characters will support you along the way. You’ll be wondering. You’ll disagree. You’ll worry. I know I did. You’ll have favorites. You’ll wonder why certain characters are here, what their role is. You’ll have questions. Why was this woman on the roof? Why is She accused of murder? What’s the connection here? My guts were telling me to race to the end of the book. I couldn’t help myself. Yet, one of the things that stayed with me was the excellent pace of the novel and the clever writing style the writer has. So you’re in for a strong thriller with everything you didn’t know you needed in this sea of millions of thrillers.

How would I describe it?

I hate using the same words over and over… Let’s see what we can come up with!

More addictive than a pack of pistachios.

More twisted and knotted than my yarn balls.

Edgy (this one was easy, I know)

This is the first book by Ruth Mancini that I've read, I've seen some early rave reviews so had to see for myself.

A woman falls to her death from a London bank's twenty-fifth floor roof terrace.

Main character Tate is arrested for her murder, she swears she's innocent but the police don't believe her, her own lawyer doesn't seem to believe her. The evidence and witness statements make it clear that someone is telling lies.

It starts with a bang, straight into the story with high tension, conflict and pace. The first third of the book had me excited and very optimistic. It's an extremely original plot though I feel it's a little convoluted in the telling. I'm all for unreliable narrators but don't really like sections of the story being repeated with variations, after I've got invested in the first version.

There are some big unexpected twists, it ended well with all the strands neatly tied off and clearly explained.

A strange one to recommend, certainly very different and I love the cover.


Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone

When Tate Kinsella talks a woman down from taking her life she cannot believe it when the same woman dies and Tate, a temp at the bank from where the woman fell, is charged with her murder. This results in a compelling psychological thriller told through the conversations between Tate and her lawyer. An excellent read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK/Cornerstone for the opportunity to read and review The Woman on the Ledge.