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.

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!

i loved the silence project so was very excited to read this authors next novel. I loved it. Page turning, gripping and with a psychopathic antagonist who has you literally screaming at the page. I really enjoyed the narrative style and the interjection of the journalists notes as she is investigating a plane crash and the events leading up to it. Highly recommend.

Carole Hailey has written another page turner! The book is ostensibly about a plane that was flown into the side of the mountain killing the pilot and the passenger Luke, the ex boyfriend of a journalist who is determined to find out why the plane crashed. She has her own feelings of guilt about the boyfriend she cheated on. She is desperate for answers but also needs to revive her career. She knows that Luke would never have crashed a plane on purpose and using her skills as a journalist she interviews the pilot Danny’s family to see why he might have wanted to cause the crash and murdering his friend.
The rest of the book tells Danny’s story through the reluctant voice of his wife Grace and the voice of his sister. The author has clearly thoroughly researched the nature of the psychopath. At no point does the reader have any sympathy for Danny’s sister Izzie. In fact, her story is a horror story.
By the end of the book, the journalist Carly has her story and the reader has answers. A satisfactory ending but with some suspense about the future. Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

What a book! It grabbed me from the start and never let go, never dropping the pace or the tension and not allowing me to move until it was done.

Carly is a journalist struggling to find work after the Covid pandemic and reeling from the death of her pilot ex-boyfriend in an unexplained plane crash in the Lake District. Her idea to write about the environmental impact of ghost flights (empty of passengers) soon leads to the far darker story of the other pilot killed in the crash. It revolves around his (terrifying) sister and his wife and is told mostly through the interviews Casey carries out with them, followed by notes raising questions about what can be believed. It’s a very clever way of laying out all the details and makes impossible to not read just one more chapter throughout.

I really loved this book and the author’s writing style – can’t wait to read more from her!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

"This is not a work of fiction, it is a cautionary tale. The story of a family that, on the face of it, could be yours. A story in which you may even recognise elements of yourself. But at its heart is a monster."

They say a tragedy has a way of bringing out the best in us; of pulling people together — but sometimes, tragedy just creates more tragedy.

A compelling, surprisingly dark story with a clever and engaging way of storytelling: Presenting itself as though it’s written by one of the characters like an autobiography, mixing up multiple perspective narration spanning different years, media snippets, testimonies and more to make it feel like we’re all a part of the investigation. At times certain sections lasted just a bit too long and broke the constant-jumping pace that was set out which made it a little jarring but it was generally a similar pacing throughout. Hailey definitely has a unique voice, I loved her last release and loved seeing how she experimented with bringing her own brand of storytelling to life again.

From the opening scene, we’re confronted with a psychological report letting us know we’re about to be up close and personal with narcissists and psychopaths— starting me off thinking I had no clue if I trust anyone we meet and that air of suspicion and threat creating a delightful kind of suspense.

Who appears at the start to be the “main character” almost acts like a curator of everyone’s stories rather than just a narrator - Carly, who lost her boyfriend and almost lost her brother in the crash is desperately trying to solve the mystery — her storytelling frantic, clawing and desperate, making me so curious about her even when she runs on tangents or shows us a messy side. Most other characters we meet are entirely unlikable, manipulative, deranged — an undeniably intriguing in a morbidly curious way.

We almost forget we’re solving a fatal mystery, getting caught up in the backstories and lives of the major players; and while it’s clear who the “monster” of the story is after a while, we’re left to keep reading through because if we already know that, what else is there still to find out?

A dark, highly disturbing but enigmatic story about control, trauma and real life monsters.

Wowsers, well that certainly got my attention! The way the author engages us as readers in the storytelling - a bit like mini autobiographies alongside notes, and testimonies, I felt like I was investigating the place crash myself.

From the get go were shown a psychological report but honestly that doesn't even predict half of what's to come.

I didn't actually find any of the characters that likable, but I felt so sorry for Danny like to us readers it was obvious what was happening and I had this awful feeling and I felt like I wanted to intervene and tell him to give his head a wobble.

Honestly this was just a superb yet disturbing insight into the life of a psychopath and actually how convincing someone can actually come across.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy.

A plane crash unites a journalist with the pilots family, which changes any belief the crash was an accident.

Carly sets out to investigate the crash as she knew the first officer, little does she know on meeting the pilot’s sister that she would be meeting a woman that changed and poisoned his entire life. Izzy, is a masterclass in writing a malignant narcissist, which only becomes more engrossing when you hear from Daniel’s wife.

I only wish I could read this book again for the first time. The sleepy, calm writing is in direct contrast to the things you are hearing giving you a sort of uncanny satisfaction from this book.

Incredible.
I look forward to reading more by this skillful writer.

I received this eARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review, which this is. Thank you so much to both NetGalley and the publisher.

Wow. This is a book that moved me and made an impact. The writing was phenomenal, I got completely sucked into the story. I was skeptical when the beginning of the book says that you’ll know who did it but not necessarily why because a lot of times thrillers make you wonder who did it and that’s where the twist happens to grip the reader. I couldn’t have been more wrong about my doubts. The author did such a good job with the villain that even knowing right away, I was completely invested in digging deeper and finding the meaning of it all. Emotionally, it was a rollercoaster. I felt anger, frustration, despair, and a feeling of anticipation throughout the entire book. I’ll try not to give any spoilers but the character you’re meant to hate is written in such a way that you will feel those emotions and want a sense of justice. The complexities of the plot make the story so realistic it almost feels like it could have been told from actual events. The combination of articles, interviews/transcriptions, and first person POV with the notes after each interview gave so much clarity to the characters and really made them feel real. You will be invested in this story and how everything unfolds. The author did mention in her acknowledgments that she conferred with experts in the aviation and psychology industries and you can tell. This is her second novel but I’m already anticipating many more from her and will definitely be reading her first novel

All I can say about Scenes of a Tragedy, is WOW

We follow Carly, who investigates a deadly plane crash, where two pilots were killed when their plane hit the side of a mountain. What follows is the introduction of a psychopath, and how their actions have affected the lives of all thoses around them

This was written so incredibly well, I could not put this down!

I started this one night during a bout of insomnia and I've never been so glad to not be able to sleep; it was so captivating. It was compelling instantly. I don't know what I was expecting but it blew any expectations I did have out of the water, it was so good.

It's written in the form of...well, it looks like a plain prose, narrative book, but it also contains pieces of articles, transcripts, a book within a book. I reads as a standard novel would and so any formatting is not obvious as to put you off and so you're lost in it. And then you get a bit that reminds you what you're actually reading and that gives it another layer.

At 480 pages we're definitely pushing my general dislike for long books. 300-400 tends to be my favourite, and I have only read a handful of 500+ books worthy of that page length, and so I was concerned this would be similar. But I read it so quickly, like a shorter book, because it was so addictive.

It's a thriller but a quiet thriller. It's more about what people can do, what they think, how they trust, how they lie, how they love and lose. It's a really good character study too because you're not 100% sure about anyone. You almost forget that this plane crash has happened, so absorbed you are by the characters. For me, this isn't even about the plane crash, that's incidental. This is a character study and a bloody good one at that.

Carly is our struggling journalist who has a personal connection to the plane crash and sets out to find out what really happened. But she's really just there to tell the other characters' stories.

Danny is the main pilot in question, Grace is his wife, and Izzy his sister. We don't get to know Danny much, only through the accounts of the two women and they have differing memories. I felt a bit sorry for Grace. She's painted as this villain by Izzy, but I don't think she is. She's a bit of a wet weekend and I wish she would stand up for herself a bit more. And Izzy...well there's definitely something of a psychopath about her. I hated her so much (thanks to good writing), to the point that I'd get angry when it was her turn to talk. I won't spoil it and say why, but she got under my skin and I really didn't like it.

I read a lot of books. That shouldn't come as a surprise to those who have read my other reviews. We're talking 300-350 a year. Some of which are not good, others middling, and others fabulous, and this definitely goes into the latter category. It is just phenomenal writing. I can't quite explain why exactly. It's moving, it's so clever, so detailed, so rich. It's not an exaggeration to say that I think it could be studied in classes on how to write intelligent psychological thrillers.

I have got a copy of Carole's previous book - The Silence Project - but for whatever reason I haven't read it yet - it does look pretty on my shelf though. But after reading this, I'll definitely be moving it up my tbr list.

This book left an indelible mark on me. The author's phenomenal writing drew me in, and I was fully immersed in the story. Initially, I was skeptical about the unconventional approach of revealing the perpetrator from the outset, but my doubts were quickly dispelled. The author expertly crafted the villain, making me eager to unravel the motivations behind their actions.

Emotionally, this book was a rollercoaster ride, evoking feelings of anger, frustration, despair, and anticipation. The character development was exceptional, making it easy to become invested in their stories. The use of multiple formats, including articles, interviews, and first-person narratives, added depth and realism to the plot.

The author's meticulous research, evident in their acknowledgments, paid off in creating a believable and gripping story. With this being only her second novel, I'm eagerly anticipating her future works and will definitely be reading her debut.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy. I'll be highly recommending this thriller to everyone when it's officially released in March!

wow this was brilliant. i dont think you are meant to love a book with such topics so much are you? well tough because it was fab!
from the plot to the characters it kept me excited and jittery the whole way through. the psychopaths amongst us. i mean wow. the telling of this characters was just a class act.
when i read the blurb. and saw it as a thriller about an ex girlfriend wanting to redeem her career and heal her guilt about her boyfriends plane crash i was immediately intrigued. but my oh my nothing could have told me how much more to this book there was and therefore how much more of a thrill it was for me!
i cant go into it too much as i want any reader who comes next to be just as surprised and delighted as i was every time i read a new page. and believe me every page in this book is worth it.
i wish i could re read this book all over again. it was just brilliant.

I have always wanted to read a Carole Hailey book and was not disappointed. Absolutely superbly written and kept me gripped and intrigued right to the end. A fabulous read, just as I suspected it would be!

Many thanks for sharing this ARC copy with me.

The premise of this book is you’ll know who did it, but you won’t know why until the end. I found this really intriguing and was so excited to read. The book is less a whodunnit and more a character study into the mind of a psychopath, why they made the decisions they did and the effect they had on the people around them. It’s a longer read for lit fic, but I raced through it over an evening and a half. I really really enjoyed this one, as you delve further into the mind of the person (truly) responsible for the accident, you can’t help but wonder if anyone could really be so unlikeable and evil. Many times I wanted to shake the journalist protagonist for the choices they made being sucked into the whole mess. Definitely worth a read.

This was such a great read, it was so well written! It had me gripped immediately and I had to finish it as I had no idea of how it would end.