This is the author’s fifth novel and it is excellent for those readers like me regularly in need of a fresh thriller about London, the most captivating capital city of them all. In ‘The Woman on the Ledge’, Ruth Mancini puts her legal knowledge to good use by developing a fast-moving plot that stems from a chance encounter: leaving her office party in the City briefly for a cigarette, Tate Kinsella strikes up a brief conversation with another woman sitting perilously on a window ledge. Tate manages to talk her down and take the woman home, but is later arrested for murder. What made this woman fall to her death after all? And what character in Tate’s environment might harbour sinister intentions towards her? Brilliantly executed, this is a fast-paced plot, changing direction several times, that will leave you guessing until the end. Definitely five stars and with my thanks extended to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC that allowed me to produce this unbiased book review.

Having never read anything from this author before I will certainly be checking out her back catalogue now. This psychological thriller is full of quite amazing twists and turns.
When Tate Kinsella is arrested for murder after a woman falls from the roof of a twenty five storey
office building in London things look really bad for her as evidence mounts up. Even Tate's lawyer, Sarah, is sceptical. Her story seems to have so many holes in it but sometimes things aren't what they seem.
Through continued questioning by the police, her lawyer and wealthy sister there is so much more to this crime than first thought. Many people are implicated and just when you think you have solved it there is a huge twist that sends you back to square one all over again.
Never before have I read a book that totally turns on its head as this story does. It is wonderfully told by this author and it has so much more to it than originally seems.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book has attracted some wholly positive reviews, but unfortunately my response contains a few more negatives. I found the first half of the book quite a difficult read, because so much of it is taken up with the protagonist's thoughts. To me, it felt stagnant and unnecessarily convoluted. I only really engaged with the story towards the latter third of the book, and by then I was too exasperated to enjoy the revelations and the denoument. I didn't particularly like the main character either, although I did find myself routing for her. All in all, considering the hype around the book, I was disappointed.

My Review:

WOW – excuse me whilst I catch my breath and think about how to write a review that gives this book the glowing review it deserves.

I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of The Woman on The Ledge from Ruth Mancini at the Capital Crime Literary Festival in London last September. As I usually come back from these festivals with more books than I can carry, I put it on my TBR pile and promptly forgot about it. It wasn’t until I received a lovely email and a very subtle nudge from the publishers recently that I remembered the book and moved it right up to the top of my teetering piles.

The Woman on the Ledge is a standalone legal/crime thriller. Tate Kinsella is an office temp, working for an international bank in the centre of London. The story begins with Tate being arrested and charged with murder after a woman falls from the roof of the building where Tate works.

Tate tells us her story and gives a new meaning to “unreliable narrator”. It’s clear from the start (about the only thing that is clear) a woman has died in mysterious circumstances. Tate was there. Tate knows more than she is divulging. Tate needs to prove her innocence to the police. She also needs to convince her lawyer, but her story isn’t adding up.

This book is a complete knicker-gripper. It had so many incredible twists and turns that I had a severe case of literary whiplash. As a huge lover of domestic noir, psychological thrillers and crime and mystery stories, I pride myself on my amateur detective skills, but I did NOT have a clue until the final reveal.

The plotting and storyline was seamlessly executed, ensuring the reader was captivated yet confused at the same time.

I’m not going to spoil the book for you by going on and on, but I will say that if you love clever, intricate, and original thrillers that are guaranteed to keep you guessing, gasping out loud and turning those pages, then pop this on your list and thank me later.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the first part of the book, but then wondered why there was a second part as I thought the story was over. I was totally wrong. The second part explained it all and brought the book to life. A really great book with so many more details than first thought. Highly recommended.

The Woman On The Ledge starts with a bang, and from that moment onwards, it never calms down. Ruth Mancini's writing is very fast paced and there is something new happening on every page. It did take me a while to get my head around what was going on but I wanted to know more and was compelled to keep reading.

Our protagonist, and first person narrator, is Tate. I warmed to her quite quickly somehow, but it becomes clear within a few chapters that Tate might not be completely reliable. I really enjoyed reading as the author unpacked Tate's story. It is difficult for me to write much more because I don't want to give anything away. I couldn't tell what direction the story would go in and I was intrigued as everything was revealed.

Ruth Mancini writes about some uncomfortable but relevant topics, and it may be too uncomfortable for some readers. However, it is approached in a sensitive way, and the inclusion of the lawyer, Sarah, helped me to understand the more complex developments in law. I think it is important that these issues are addressed in an accessible way and the author has definitely succeeded in this.

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? Even your lawyer doesn't seem to believe you.

It soon becomes obvious that you're keeping secrets. But who are you trying to protect? And why?

What a fantastic book, filled with so many twists and turns it gave me whiplash! A must read.

This was such a page turner, right from the beginning. Such a clever book, with so many twists and turns, that kept me guessing pretty much all the way through. Highly recommended.

Wow, I was was this in a day!! Was so good.
Tate is arrested for murder, what follows is her twisty turny story, revealing awful secrets from her past and her determination for justice.
Was hooked and needed to find out what happened.
I would recommend this book.
Thank you netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Woman on the Ledge follows the story of Tate, arrested following the fall of a woman from a 25 storey building. A very clever story where every chapter leaves you needing to find out what happened to the woman. Would definitely recommend, perfect if you like a thriller that keeps you guessing.

A brilliant twisty-turny thriller that had me hooked from the first chapter. A woman dies after a fall fom a 25 storey building and Tate is arrested and from here on in we are treated to a very cleverly written book. 'The Woman on the Ledge' is a book that I am very happy to recommend. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an arc.

Wow, this book completely blew me away! I hadn't ever read any books by this author before, but this was something else.

The story begins with a young woman plunging to her death from a tall London building. Admin worker, Tate, is the prime suspect and subsequently arrested, as she had met the victim previously. As Tate's sister, Fern and her lawyer fight to try to clear her name, all is not as it seems...

I was immediately sucked into this gripping, expertly written tale. The characters are 100% believable and thus you straight away care about them and root for them. The writing, the twists and turns, the masterful plot, all kept me gripped throughout.

Everything I initially believed was turned on its head and the ending was completely unpredictable. To say more would spoil anyone's enjoyment, suffice to say, this is a unique, riveting, brilliant thriller that I recommend to all.

Huge thanks to author Ruth Mancini, publishers Random House UK and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A very intriguing book that did make me want to find out exactly what happened to 'the woman on the ledge'. This book has many twists and turns but way too many coincidences for me.
The end got a little confusing as I wasn't really sure why they did what they did (don't want to spoil it). Definitely worth a read when this comes out in 2024. 4⭐️ from me because the storyline was good and it was a pageturner.

Tate Kinsella is arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman falls from the roof terrace on the twenty fifth floor of a London bank but Tate protests her innocence, why don't the police or her lawyer believe her, what secrets is she keeping and why?

The Woman on the Ledge is a multi layered thriller that grabbed me from the first page and kept me intrigued throughout. Told mainly from Tate's perspective and across multiple timelines the author takes us on a journey of what happened on that roof terrace, but what was truth and what was lies? There were so many anomalies in Tate's version that for most of the first half of the book I hadn't got a clue, then slowly the pieces of the jigsaw began to slot into place and the true version of events became apparent. This is cleverly written tale of suspense and intrigue which will have you questioning how you would react if you were in her shoes and, with the topic in question, I think I'd have done the same. This is the first I've read by Mancini but it definitely won't be the last and I'd love to see it made into a tv drama!

I'd like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Wow! How do I begin to describe the rollercoaster read that is The Woman on the Ledge? To say that it is thrilling and engaging would be an understatement. This book takes the concept of plot twist and turns it on its head. Just when you think you know what's going on, the story leads you down a very different path. I was hooked from page one, and hated having to put the book down to do things like work, or engage with reality.
I hadn't read anything by Ruth Mancini prior to The Woman on the Ledge. Now, I really want to.
Thanks to Netgalley, Century Books and Penguin Random House for the eARC of this book in exchange for this honest review.

I got up to part three of this book and was ready to give up. I was looking for things to do rather than read anymore. However as it was an ARC and I don't like to give up I carried on the next day and the story took a new turn. It improved immensely becoming almost a different book. The plot was extremely clever and must have taken an enormous amount of time to plan out. Definitely worth persevering with.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

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 had 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? Even your lawyer doesn't seem to believe you.

This story has been divided into several different parts, and each part tells a different story. Tate Kinsella is an actress, but she is working as a temp at a French bank. It's the night of the bank's Christmas party. No one is really talking to Tate, so she decides to go out onto the roof terrace. There she finds Helen, who is sitting on the ledge contemplating suicide. Tate manages to talk her down. But the next day, Tate is arrested for the woman's murder.

This is a cleverly crafted story. With so many twists and turns, it was forever changing direction. The characters are well portrayed. I was quickly pulled into this story. We get flashbacks telling us what had happened during some character's childhoods. You'll find it hard to separate the truth from the lies. It's just deviously written all the way through.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #Cornerstone and the author #RuthMancini for my ARC of #TheWomanOnTheLedge in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book which was cleverly written and conveyed some interesting themes in the story. The heartbreak of a woman who could not tell her daughter of her potential life ending health issues and how the story unravels around this. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read the book prior to publication.

This was a very enjoyable read which kept my attention throughout. Especially as the pacing was very intense which kept me gripped.

I first read a novel by this author five years ago and promised myself, despite a few niggles with it, I'd read another, as she'd made quite an impression. You always hope the standard is going to be kept. And it certain is.

This is compelling, well written, superbly characterised and totally captivating. The Woman on the Ledge: well, it's what you expect. A woman does indeed fall to her death from a high ledge, but nothing is quite as it seems. Why did she do it? DID she do it, or was she pushed? Tate Kinsella is a suspect, but there's something she's keeping from the police. And her lawyer.

And there begins the tangled web! Absolutely brilliant. Suspenseful right to the very end.

I didn't like Mancini's use of the present-tense narrative when I read her In the Blood, so I was a bit disappointed to find that it was used here, too. However, I got over it (!), as a lot of the story is back story and therefore in the past tense (hooray!). Present-tense narrative just strangles a story, in my humble opinion.

That aside, excellent book, and I really must not leave five years to read another by this very talented author.