When journalist Carly’s former boyfriend, who she still loves, is killed in a plane crash, she is devastated. Luke was one of two pilots on an othersise empty plane, and when investigations reveal that it was not an accident but a deliberate act by the other pilot, Carly is determined to find out what really happened. Through a series of interviews with the sister and widow of Daniel Taylor, the truth is slowly revealed, and it is darker and more horrifying than she could have ever imagined. I loved the author’s first novel, “The Silence Project”, which was very original and packed a huge punch, but this one left me a bit disappointed. Those who enjoy a well-plotted psychological thriller will probably lap it up, but I felt that the psychopath elements of the story have been well aired elsewhere recently, and it seemed very predictable from early on. I also felt that the narrative device of interviews by Carly with Izzy and Grace didn’t work very well- Carly was an unnecessary addition and the recounting of events from the past made them seem to have less immediacy. It will find a readership but was not a great read for me.

I couldn't put this down - what a compelling story. Narrated by Carly, an investigative journalist, who is also grieving the loss of her ex-boyfriend after an unexplained plane crash. The initial sense of unease builds to an unbearable level of tension, I was squirming on the sofa - wanting aspects of the story to finish but also not wanting them to as it is such a good read. This book deserves to be a big hit in 2025.

An interesting take on the investigative journalist- this one desperate for the truth behind her on-off partners death but disguised as an interest in the environmental impact of flying empty planes to maintain runway slots because otherwise no-one will talk to her.
The book is told from Carly's perspective but utilises professional reports and interview notes to good effect to help back up the technical aspects of the crash and the more in-depth psychology of the characters.
Grace is particularly strongly written, her grief and anger practically oozes off the pages and it was very easy to hate Izzy from page one!

Oh my goodness. Surely this is going to be one of THE books of 2025. So different, dark, humorous and original. From a very simple premise, investigation of a plane crash, emerges the most remarkable tale of a disturbed and disturbing psychopath. Individuals like this are hiding in plain sight. On the surface they’re ordinary people leading relatively normal lives. But scratch that surface a little and their dark intent to harm soon becomes apparent. Carole Hailey has delivered a masterpiece in exposing just how a psychopathic mind may work. I loved the narrative style with different viewpoints and investigative material introduced as documents. It allows small details to emerge but by bit and adds to the page turning tension. And to mix that with humour, some laugh out loud moments, is pure genius. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant; refreshingly different and I devoured it in a couple of evenings.

When a routine flight across the UK results in a plane crash leading to the death of two people, journalist Carly Atherton's hopes of reconciliation with her one-time love, Luke Emery, are dashed.

Her attempts at closure lead her to the family of Luke's co-pilot Daniel Taylor, opening up a Pandora's Box of discoveries that Carly had not bargained for.

But getting the worms back into the can is just not an option. So, Carly will have to deal mgtg some very unappetizing truths, because things are very different from how they had initially seemed...

This story provides an uncomfortably close look at what it means to deal with a psychopath, and how such individuals approach life and other people around them. There is a dark undercurrent of humour, which is very appealing.

There are also cultural references which feel very familiar to anyone who grew up within the time frame described here. All in all, worth a read, and it gets 3.5 stars.

I was drawn to this book by its premise, finding out why a plane with no passengers crashed on a routine flight across the Uk. Any book that features a plane disaster will always grab my attention! This book was so much more, yes the plane crash is an element of the book but this is a a detailed character study of a psychopath at its core.

I struggled to put this book down. It’s well paced and I really enjoyed the format the author used. Informative, well researched, darkly humorous at times and kept me engaged, guessing and interested from the first chapter to the last.

I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing and I’m looking forward to reading more from her. I suspect this book will be widely read and recommended.

An alternative (though much clunkier title) would be 'Scenes from an Ordinary British Family one of whom happens to be a Psychopath.' I felt the book excelled at capturing the texture of everyday British life from the 1980s to the 2020s. There was an underlying humour to this which was very likeable. For example, this description of primary school girls c.1990 obsessed with 'The Little Mermaid' felt spot on: "back then some of the girls in my class considered the film a sort of manual for life and Abigail Pritchard was one of a gang of Ariels who spent every break time marauding around the playground, competing to exhibit the greatest knowledge of Prince Eric. Most of these girls had toy Ariels, but very few had a Prince Eric - presumably their parents drew the line at spending money on a plastic lantern-jawed wastrel."

The book is cleverly constructed from a patchwork of documents and testimonies, so different voices/perspectives are represented (incidentally, because of this, I think it would be better to read it as a paperback/hardback, not on kindle, as would be easier to follow). The most compelling voice is probably the psychopath's. In real life, I once had the misfortune of making friends with a woman who had a similar personality, and it was morbidly fascinating to be reminded of this, and have an insight into that kind of perception of the world - self-centred and callously ruthless, with endlessly-held grudges, and revenge served very cold.

In terms of the tragedy itself, I felt a bit uncomfortable about echoes with a real-life air disaster from a decade ago - although the incident in the book is clearly fictional, it stirred up memories of disturbing news stories from the time.

Overall, 'Scenes from a Tragedy' is a compelling read with an unforgettable central character.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.