2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist)
From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal—now a hit Netflix series—a ‘current, compelling, and very clever’ (B.A. Paris, New York Times bestselling author) thriller about a politician whose less-than-perfect personal life is thrust into the spotlight when a body is discovered in her home.
As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career—including her marriage and her relationship with her teenage daughter, Flora.
The glare of the spotlight is unnerving for Emma, particularly when it leads to countless insults, threats, and trolling as she tries to work in the public eye. As a woman, she knows her reputation is worth its weight in gold but as a politician, she discovers it only takes one slip-up to destroy it completely.
Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another student takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected…but then the unthinkable happens.
A man is found dead in Emma’s home. A man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart.
Another breathless and twisty novel from an absolute ‘master of suspense’ (CrimeReads), Reputation ‘races along through storylines so tense and sharp and well-crafted, there’s not a minute to put it down. An outstanding read’ (Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author).
Genre: Mystery
As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career—including her marriage and her relationship with her teenage daughter, Flora.
The glare of the spotlight is unnerving for Emma, particularly when it leads to countless insults, threats, and trolling as she tries to work in the public eye. As a woman, she knows her reputation is worth its weight in gold but as a politician, she discovers it only takes one slip-up to destroy it completely.
Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another student takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected…but then the unthinkable happens.
A man is found dead in Emma’s home. A man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart.
Another breathless and twisty novel from an absolute ‘master of suspense’ (CrimeReads), Reputation ‘races along through storylines so tense and sharp and well-crafted, there’s not a minute to put it down. An outstanding read’ (Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author).
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"A terrifically entertaining legal drama and an unsettling cautionary tale for any woman considering entering politics - 5 stars." - Louise Candlish
"Wow! Vaughan's best book yet, which is saying something. REPUTATION pulls off being both a necessary must-read novel about women in public life - the trolls, the threats, the misogyny - and an absolute masterclass in storytelling with some of the best court scenes I've ever read. Vaughan slips under the skin of her characters so deftly, and with such skill and compassion, I lived every page. Riveting. Shocking. Unbelievably good. I loved it." - Eve Chase
"I absolutely adored the book. I love the tone of Sarah's writing, which is so elegant and pared back, and I love the setting, which is completely compelling and like looking behind the curtain. But what I most loved was what she had to say about that insidious fear we all feel as women and the different types of violence that sparks this. It's a clever, timely book, which shows how disastrous consequences can spiral from a network of female fear and oppression." - Araminta Hall
"REPUTATION blew me away. It's a masterpiece - breathtakingly brilliant, powerful, gripping and with an incredibly important message about the treatment of women in the public eye. I binge read it as I couldn't bear to put it down. It's simply phenomenal - a work of sheer genius. I'm sure it will be a runaway hit and deservedly so." - Sarah J Harris
"Once again, Sarah Vaughan has distilled the zeitgeist into a pulse-racing thriller. Gripping all the way." - Erin Kelly
"Sarah Vaughan has done it again. Superb." - Shari Lapena
"Timely, necessary, and gripping, do not miss out on REPUTATION. With her trademark acuity and empathy, Sarah Vaughan skillfully dissects the pressures facing women in both public life and private while delivering an absolute nail-biter of a novel. It's a must-read for 2022." - Gilly MacMillan
"This deep dive into the world of the political woman and the dangers behind the facade is timely and compelling." - Jane Shemilt
"Wow! Vaughan's best book yet, which is saying something. REPUTATION pulls off being both a necessary must-read novel about women in public life - the trolls, the threats, the misogyny - and an absolute masterclass in storytelling with some of the best court scenes I've ever read. Vaughan slips under the skin of her characters so deftly, and with such skill and compassion, I lived every page. Riveting. Shocking. Unbelievably good. I loved it." - Eve Chase
"I absolutely adored the book. I love the tone of Sarah's writing, which is so elegant and pared back, and I love the setting, which is completely compelling and like looking behind the curtain. But what I most loved was what she had to say about that insidious fear we all feel as women and the different types of violence that sparks this. It's a clever, timely book, which shows how disastrous consequences can spiral from a network of female fear and oppression." - Araminta Hall
"REPUTATION blew me away. It's a masterpiece - breathtakingly brilliant, powerful, gripping and with an incredibly important message about the treatment of women in the public eye. I binge read it as I couldn't bear to put it down. It's simply phenomenal - a work of sheer genius. I'm sure it will be a runaway hit and deservedly so." - Sarah J Harris
"Once again, Sarah Vaughan has distilled the zeitgeist into a pulse-racing thriller. Gripping all the way." - Erin Kelly
"Sarah Vaughan has done it again. Superb." - Shari Lapena
"Timely, necessary, and gripping, do not miss out on REPUTATION. With her trademark acuity and empathy, Sarah Vaughan skillfully dissects the pressures facing women in both public life and private while delivering an absolute nail-biter of a novel. It's a must-read for 2022." - Gilly MacMillan
"This deep dive into the world of the political woman and the dangers behind the facade is timely and compelling." - Jane Shemilt
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Used availability for Sarah Vaughan's Reputation