Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$13.99

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$15.64

Paperback
$10.06

$15.64 with 40 percent savings

List Price: $26.00

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, May 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or Prime members get FREE delivery Sunday, May 25. Order within 4 hrs 9 mins.

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$15.64 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

AULE

Returns

30-day refund/replacement

Payment

Secure transaction

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

$7.49

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

Ships directly from Amazon 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Ships directly from Amazon 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! See less

FREE delivery Tuesday, May 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

Or Prime members get FREE delivery Sunday, May 25. Order within 4 hrs 9 mins.

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

$$15.64 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Enhancements you chose aren't available for this seller. Details

${cardName} not available for the seller you chose

${cardName} unavailable for quantities greater than ${maxQuantity}.

Sold by ImportantSundries and Fulfilled by Amazon.

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (60) from $2.06 + $3.99 shipping

Power. Privilege. Consent? Only They Know What Happens Behind Closed Doors.Publisher Video

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

Sarah Vaughan

Follow

Anatomy of a Scandal: A Novel Hardcover – January 23, 2018

by Sarah Vaughan (Author)

21,904 ratings

Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$15.64","priceAmount":15.64,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"64","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"gRWvNUAVHn%2FD4Uw3nJTkn0OUnbdB5CeRmzI3FKhDbChHBbkbtqBLzu6ciQd4M%2Ff5oBxwZu5omeYQiJQlhrQJp%2FaICDtWd%2Bh4X1gfZGm0Orfw7Cz0M4%2FV4YodZnCiDqHYLl4ZSdHOXLpiP0jqzsmsE6EsoIdHltbCrmThhTZX6jr%2FqeT%2BIm%2BmXOHD3FBgLC3%2B","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.49","priceAmount":7.49,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"49","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"gRWvNUAVHn%2FD4Uw3nJTkn0OUnbdB5CeR8bkP1T4PZQAquwaH41pfYOnL%2BZ56ccuByRTPFWCgDw2ajHziy%2BodGYPwuR9G71m7wZJSHzhZxVmtZcyCuT%2FZqZT8WIGPGS4GMKgSwzJR3qAjNrdfcXYTM7tIE8I6yevTNmMaf6OxVGQMSRdzQjgt8TCmPVrpxd0K","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

SOON TO BE A NETFLIX SERIES

Instant International Bestseller

“A nuanced story line perfectly in tune with our #metoo times.”—People, Book of the Week

“One of the season’s most buzzed-about thrillers.”—Bookish

“A strong choice for book clubs. Former political correspondent Vaughan makes an impressive debut with this savvy, propulsive courtroom drama.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Vaughan offers gripping insight into a political scandal’s hidden machinations and the tension between justice and privilege…Absorbing, polished.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Skillfully interweaving the story of the unfolding scandal, Vaughan gradually reveals just how shockingly high the stakes are…Sinewy…engrossing, twist-filled.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Some people’s secrets are darker than others.

Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart.

Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes.

Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy.

Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator… Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Vaughan weaves together a juicy courtroom drama set among the British elite and told from the perspectives of three characters . . . Exceptional." ― Entertainment Weekly

"A psychological thriller practically made for the #MeToo era . . . ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a win on every side: it has a gripping plot, but it's also an intelligent, kaleidoscopic look at the conversations surrounding sexual harassment going on today." ― Refinery 29

“Sarah Vaughan is sensational.” -- Clare Mackintosh, internationally bestselling author of I LET YOU GO

"I cared about both women—couldn't put it down . . . really, really, really, really good." -- Marian Keyes, Internationally bestselling author of THE BREAK

"Anatomy of a Scandal completely skewers the zeitgeist; cool, sharp and beautifully written." -- Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of I FOUND YOU

"The world has gone mad for this book. I’m so excited. What an outstanding premise." -- Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of GHOSTED

"ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a compelling and cautionary story about how we can never truly know someone else; how even after twelve years of marriage, a wife might not know everything about her husband. Brilliant, shocking, and gripping, once I started, I couldn't stop reading." -- Claire Fuller, award-winning author of OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS and SWIMMING LESSONS

“Shocking. Compelling. Completely brilliant.” -- Eve Chase, bestselling author of BLACK RABBIT HALL

"Compelling and timely." -- Shari Lapena, internationally bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR

“I was hooked right from the start. So beautifully written, clever and compelling. I was gripped right up to the final page.” -- Claire Douglas, bestselling author of The Sisters and Local Girl Missing

“I enjoyed ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL immensely – a very elegant dissection of a very messy affair. Loved it.” -- Louise Candlish, author of THE SWIMMING POOL

"ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a stunningly compelling read--utterly gripping from the first page, beautifully written and expertly plotted. Vaughan brilliantly captures the cloistered world of Britain's elite, which is packed with suspicion, lies, and terrible betrayals. This book is a must-read for 2018--it's impossible to put down and will stay with you long afterwards." -- Sarah J. Harris, author of THE COLOR OF BEE LARKHAM'S MURDER

"A gripping dissection of deceit and desire . . . The definition of a page-turner." -- Elizabeth Day, award-winning author of THE PARTY

"ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is superb. Bitingly truthful, intelligent, gripping. All round class act." -- Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of WHAT SHE KNEW

"Sarah Vaughan’s Anatomy of a Scandal is just that — a gradual unearthing of long-held secrets and betrayals, followed by a front-row seat for the lives that unravel as a result. Suspenseful and shocking, centered around an important moral issue that makes it especially intense, Anatomy of a Scandal is a nuanced, highly addictive read that resonates long after the final word." -- Kimberly Belle, New York Times bestselling author of THE MARRIAGE LIE

"Deftly plotted and superbly well researched, with an eerie relevance to the current debate surrounding the attitudes to and experiences of women in Westminster, Hollywood, and beyond. An intelligent, absorbing page-turner that avoids all knee-jerk assumptions and easy answers." -- Laura Barnett, internationally bestselling author of THE VERSIONS OF US

"Sarah Vaughan writes about the heartbreaking consequences of sexual abuse and the abuse of power with real compassion as she takes us on a journey from modern day Westminster to 1990s Oxford University and back again." -- Karin Salvaloggio, critically-acclaimed author of SILENT RAIN

"You won't want to miss . . . Anatomy of a Scandal." ― USA Today

"This exhilarating novel, which switches between Sophie's, Kate's, and James' points of view, will have readers thinking about justice and truth and whether you can ever really, fully know someone." ― Real Simple "Best Books of 2018"

"It's that rare thing--a book that wholly merits the buzz it's been getting . . . a thoughtful if heartbreaking and, at times, hard-to-read exploration of the complexities of the emotions surrounding sexual violence." ― Book Riot

"An eerily well-timed novel, Anatomy of a Scandal is an incisive examination of a rape accusation from the perspective of two different women." ― Bustle

"For fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and Big Little Lies." ― Book Riot

"A close observation of character and people, their personal stories, and ultimately, their scandals." ― Mystery Scene Magazine

"Fascinating and suspenseful." ― Bluestocking Reviews

"This is an extraordinarily written tale about power, prestige, and the skeletons in the closet. Highly recommended!" ― "Dee"va with a Blog

"This exhilarating novel . . . will have readers thinking about justice and truth and whether you can ever really, fully know someone." ― Real Simple

"Moving between the present and the past, this is a timely thriller about marriage, but also about power, who wields it, and how that affects who we believe." ― Stylist

"Sarah Vaughan drip feeds revelations while exploring the power and privilege of political elite." ― Good Housekeeping

"Incredibly authentic, highly involving character drama here, in a story that could easily be ripped from the headlines." ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"Sarah Vaughan’s ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is a must read for anyone who has any fascination with sex scandals and the corridors of power. It is sharp, insightful, clever and thoroughly fresh. It takes your breath away. Highly recommended!" ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"I need to say WOW what an incredible debut novel." ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"When does consensual sex cross the line into rape? This is the question at the heart of this breathtaking novel . . . Lovely prose with a raw and poignant tone made this a one-sitting read!" ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"Un-put-down-able. This has the intrigue and suspense of GONE GIRL or GIRL ON THE TRAIN, but is extra chilling because it lacks the extremism that makes those situations pure fiction. The events of this book - the political scandal, the affair, the criminal trial, the personal repercussions of every decision - could happen just as they're laid out, and that makes this book just that much more chilling." ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"This is an outstanding book, wonderfully written and a sensitive portrayal of an all too topical issue. Deserves every one of its five stars and should be huge when it's published." ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"Through a series of flashbacks and present-day accounts, Sarah Vaughan spins a chilling tale of appearance versus reality, lies versus the truth, and where we all fall in between." ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"You don't know what the word 'gripping' means until you've read ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL. Wow." ― Goodreads, 5 Stars

"This engrossing, masterfully crafted thriller is a story of money, abuse of power, revenge, and the pursuit of justice. This story feels like it has been ripped from the headlines."

― Goodreads, 5 Stars

About the Author

Sarah Vaughan studied English at Oxford and went on to become a journalist. She spent eleven years at The Guardian as a news reporter, health correspondent, and political correspondent. Sarah lives in Cambridge with her husband and two children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Sophie has never thought of her husband as a liar.
She knows he dissembles, yes. That’s part of his job—a willingness to be economical with the truth. A prerequisite, even for a government minister.
But she has never imagined he would lie to her. Or rather, that he might have a life she knows nothing about: a secret that could detonate beneath her lovingly maintained world and blow it apart forever.
Watching him that Friday, as he leaves to take the children to school, she feels a stab of love so fierce she pauses on the stairs just to drink in the tableau of the three of them together. They are framed in the doorway, James turning to call goodbye, left arm raised in that politician’s wave she used to mock but which now seems second nature, right hand cradling Finn’s head. Their son—fringe falling in his eyes, socks bagging round his ankles—scuffs at the tiles, reluctant, as ever, to go. His elder sister, Emily, ducks through the doorway: age nine, determined not to be late.

“Well, bye, then,” her husband calls, and the autumn sun catches the top of his still-boyish crop, illuminating him with a halo, highlighting his six-foot-three frame.
“Bye, Mum,” her daughter shouts, as she runs down the steps.
“Bye, Mummy.” Finn, thrown by the change to his routine— his father taking them to school for once—juts out his bottom lip and flushes red.
“Come on, little man.” James steers him through the door: competent, authoritative even, and she almost resents the fact that she still finds this attractive, commanding. Then he smiles down at his boy and his entire face softens. Finn is his weak spot. “You know you’ll enjoy it when you get there.”
He slips his arm over his son’s shoulders and guides him down their neat, West London garden, with its sculpted bay trees standing like sentinels and its path fringed with lavender, away from her and out down the street.
My family, she thinks, watching the perfect-looking trio go—her girl racing ahead to embrace the day, all skinny legs and swishing ponytail, her boy slipping his hand into his father’s and looking up at him with that unashamed adoration that comes with being six. The similarity between man and boy—for Finn is a miniaturized version of his father—only magnifies her love. I have a beautiful boy and a beautiful man, she thinks, as she watches James’s broad shoulders—a one-time rower’s shoulders—and waits, more in hope than expectation, for him to look back and smile at her, for she has never managed to grow immune to his charisma.

Of course he doesn’t and she watches as they slip out of sight. The most precious people in her world.

That world crumbles at 8:43 p.m. James is late. She should have known he would be. It is an alternate Friday: one in which he is holding a constituency meeting, deep in the Surrey countryside, in a brightly lit village hall.
When he had first been elected, they had stayed there every weekend: decamping to a cold, damp cottage that had never quite felt like home, despite their extensive renovations. One election on, and it was a relief to give up the pretense that Thurlsdon was where they wanted to spend half their week. Lovely in the summer months, yes, but bleak in winter, when she would stare out at the bare trees fringing their hamlet garden and try to placate their urban children, who wanted the bustle and distraction of their real, North Kensington home.
They venture there once a month now, and James schleps down for a meeting in the intervening fortnight. Two hours on a Friday afternoon; he promised to leave by six.
He has a driver now that he is junior minister and should have been back by seven thirty—traffic permitting. They are supposed to be going to friends’ for a kitchen supper. Well, she says friends. Matt Frisk is another junior minister—aggressively ambitious in a way that doesn’t sit well with their set, where success is understood as inevitable but naked ambition considered vulgar.

But he and Ellie are near neighbors and she couldn’t easily put them off again.
Sophie had said they would be there by eight fifteen. It was ten past now, so where was he? The October evening crept against the sash windows: black softened by the glow of the street lamps, autumn stealing in. She loves this time of year. It reminds her of fresh starts, running through the leaves in Christ Church Meadows as a fresher, giddy at the thought of new worlds opening up to her. Since having children, it has been a time to nest; to cosset with log fires, roast chestnuts, take brisk, crisp walks, and make game casseroles. But now, the autumn night was taut with apprehension. Footsteps tottered down the pavement and a woman’s laugh rang out, flirtatious. A deeper voice murmured. Not James’s. The footsteps rose and fell, died away.
She pressed redial. His mobile rang then clicked to voicemail. She jabbed the sleek face of her phone—rattled at her loss of customary self-control. Dread tightened her stomach and for a moment she was back in the chill lodge of her Oxford college, the wind whistling through the quad, as she waited for the pay phone to ring. The look of sympathy from a college porter. The chill fear—so intense in that last week of her first summer term—that something still more terrible was about to happen. Age nineteen and willing him to call, even then.
Eight fourteen. She tried again, hating herself for doing it. His phone clicked straight through to voicemail. She plucked at a piece of imaginary lint, rearranged her friendship bracelets, and glanced critically at her nails—neatly filed, unvarnished, unlike Ellie’s gleaming gelled slicks.
Footsteps on the stairs. A child’s voice. “Is Daddy back?”
“No, go back to bed.” Her tone came out harsher than she intended.
Emily stared, one eyebrow raised.
“Just climb back into bed, sweetheart,” she added, her voice softening as she chased her daughter up the stairs, heart quickening as she turned the corner and bundled her under the covers. “You should be settling down, now. He won’t be long.”
“Can he come and say goodnight when he gets in?” Emily pouted, impossibly pretty.
“Well, we’re going out, but if you’re still awake . . .”
“I will be.” Her daughter’s determination—the set of her jaw, the implacable self-belief—marked her out as her father’s daughter.
“Then I’m sure he’ll come up.”
Sophie gave her a quick peck on the forehead, to curb further arguments, and tucked the duvet around her. “I don’t want you out of bed again, though. Understand? Cristina’s babysitting just like normal. I’ll send Daddy up when he gets back.”

Eight seventeen. She forced herself not to ring his number. She has never been the sort of wife who behaves like a stalker, but there was something about this complete silence that chilled her. It just wasn’t like him. She imagined him stuck on the M25, working his way through his papers in the back of his car. He would call, text, send an email, not leave her waiting—the au pair hanging around the kitchen, keen for them to disappear so that she can curl up on the sofa and have the house to herself; Sophie’s carefully touched-up face becoming a little less perfect; the flowers bought for the Frisks wilting in their wrapping on the table in the hall.

Eight twenty-one. She would call the Frisks at half past. But that deadline came and still she didn’t ring. Eight thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven. Aware that it was bad form to do so, at eight forty she sent Ellie Frisk a brief, apologetic text explaining that something had cropped up in the constituency and they were terribly sorry but they wouldn’t be able to make it, after all.
The Times had a piece on the Islamic State by Will Stanhope but the words of her old college contemporary washed over her. It might as well be a story about dinosaur astronauts, read to Finn, to the extent to which it engaged her. Every part of her was attuned to one thing.
And there it is. The sound of his key in the door. A scrape and then a hiss as the heavy oak eases open. The sound of his footsteps: slower than normal, not his usual brisk, assertive tread. Then the thud of his red box being put down, the weight of responsibility abandoned for a while—as glorious a sound, on a Friday night, as the slosh of dry white wine being poured from a bottle. The jangle of keys on the hall table. And then silence again.

“James?” She comes into the hall.
His beautiful face is grey, his smile taut and not reaching his eyes, where his light crow’s feet seemed deeper than usual.
“You’d better cancel the Frisks.”
“I have done.”
He shrugs off his coat and hangs it up carefully, averting his face.
She pauses then slips her arms around his waist—his honed waist that deepens to form a V, like the trunk of a sapling that burgeons outwards—but he reaches back and gently eases them away.
“James?” The cold in the pit of her stomach flares.
“Is Cristina here?”
“Yes.”
“Well, send her to her room, will you? We need to talk in private.”
“Right.” Her heart flutters as she hears her voice come out clipped.
He gives her another tight smile, and a note of impatience creeps into his voice, as if she is a disobliging child, or perhaps, a tardy civil servant. “Can you do it now, please, Sophie?”
She stares back at him, not recognizing his mood—so different to what she had expected.
He massages his forehead with firm, long fingers, and his green eyes close briefly, the lashes—disarmingly long—kissing his cheeks. Then, his eyes flash open, and the look he gives her is the one Finn gives when he is trying to preempt a telling off and plead forgiveness. It’s the look James gave her twenty-three years ago before confessing to the crisis that had threatened to overwhelm him, that had caused them to split up, that still sometimes causes her to shiver, and that she fears is about to rear its head again.

“I’m sorry, Soph. So sorry.” And it is as if he is carrying not just the weight of his job—undersecretary of state for countering extremism—but responsibility for the entire government.
“I’ve fucked up big time.”

Her name was Olivia Lytton—though Sophie had always just thought of her as James’s parliamentary researcher—five foot ten, twenty-eight, blonde, well connected, confident, ambitious.
“I expect she’ll be dubbed the blonde bombshell.” She tries for acerbic, but her voice just comes out as shrill.
The affair had been going on for five months, and he had broken it off a week ago, just after the party conference.
“It meant nothing,” James says, head in hands, no pretense that he is anything other than penitent. He leans back, wrinkling his nose as he trots out another cliché. “It was just sex, and I was flattered.”
She swallows, rage pushing against her chest, barely contain-able. “Well, that’s OK then.”
His eyes darken as he takes in her pain.
“There was nothing wrong with that part of us. You know that.” He can usually read her so clearly: a skill honed over two decades, one of the things that binds them so closely. “I just made a foolish mistake.”

She waits, poised on the sofa opposite, for her anger to subside sufficiently for her to speak civilly, or for him to bridge the distance between them. To reach out a tentative hand, or at least offer a smile.
But he is rooted there: head bowed, elbows on knees, fingers touching as if in prayer. At first, she despises this show of sanctimony—a Blairite trope, the penitent politician—and then she softens as his shoulders shake, just the once, not with a sob but with a sigh. For a moment, she sees her mother as her charming, rakish father confessed to yet another “indiscretion.” Ginny’s dry resignation, and then the quickly suppressed flash of pain in her marine-blue eyes.
Perhaps this is what all husbands do? Sorrow surges, then anger. It shouldn’t be like this. Their marriage is different. Founded on love and trust and a sex life that she does her very best to maintain.
She has made compromises in her life, and God knows, she took a huge leap of faith when they got back together. But the one certainty was that their relationship is solid. Her vision begins to blur, her gaze filming with tears. He looks up and catches her eye—and she wishes he hadn’t.
“There’s something else,” he says.

Of course he wouldn’t confess to an affair without a reason.
“Is she pregnant?” The words—ugly but necessary—discolor the space between them.
“No, of course not.”

She feels herself relax a little. No half-sibling for Emily and Finn. No proof of a liaison. No need to share him in any other way.
And then he looks up with a grimace. Her nails bite into her palm in sharp crescents, and she sees that her knuckles are ivory pearls thrusting through the red of her skin.
What could be worse than some other woman having his child, or perhaps choosing to abort his child? Other people knowing. The affair, a particularly juicy piece of gossip, dropped into the ear of a favored few in the Commons tea rooms until it becomes general knowledge. Who knows? His colleagues? The PM? Other MPs’ wives? What about Ellie? She imagines Ellie’s silly, plump face alight with barely suppressed pity. Perhaps she already knows and recognized her lie of a text.
Sophie forces herself to breathe deeply. They can deal with this; move beyond it. They have experienced far worse, haven’t they? There is no crime in having a quick fling. It can be brushed over, quickly forgotten, absorbed. And then James says something that takes this to a more damaging, corrosive level that strikes her in the solar plexus hard as she contemplates a scenario so terrible that, fool that she is, she hadn’t quite seen coming.
“The story’s about to break.”

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 23, 2018
Edition ‏ : ‎ Advanced readers edition; paperback
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1501172166
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1501172168
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.21 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,112 in Contemporary Women Fiction
- #7,302 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- #15,871 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
21,904 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Sarah Vaughan

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Sarah Vaughan is the international bestselling author of the Number one Netflix TV series, Anatomy of a Scandal, and four other novels. A former journalist, she read English at Oxford before training at the Press Association and spending 11 years at the Guardian as a news reporter and political correspondent. After having her second baby, she left to freelance, and eventually to write fiction. Two women's fiction novels followed before Anatomy of a Scandal, her 3rd novel and her first courtroom drama/psychological thriller, heralded a new direction and became an instant international bestseller. Sold to 24 countries, it was also a Sunday Times top five bestseller, spending 10 weeks in the top 10 charts; a kindle number 1 bestseller; and one of Richard & Judy's best dozen books of the decade. In April 2022, it dropped as a six-part Netflix mini-series, written by David E Kelley and Melissa James Gibson, and starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, and Rupert Friend. In its first 3 days, it debuted at number 3 worldwide and was the number 1 most watched Netflix TV show in multiple countries, including the UK and US. In its first 3 days alone, it notched up 40.28 million viewing hours.

Little Disasters, published during the first and third lockdowns, was a Waterstone's Thriller of the Month and is in the process of being adapted for a UK broadcaster. It was also WH Smith paperback of the month, a Kindle bestseller, and has been published in the US and various other countries. Reputation, published in March 2022, has also been optioned by the team behind Anatomy of a Scandal with a view to being developed for TV. It will be published in the US in July, and in various other countries throughout the year.

FB: Sarah Vaughan Author

twitter: @SVaughanAuthor

insta: @svaughanauthor

www.sarahvaughanauthor.com

Customer reviews

21,904 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product

Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-paced as a courtroom thriller, with well-defined characters and fascinating insights into school life at Oxford University. The writing quality receives mixed feedback, with some finding it easy to read while others say it's not well written. Customers disagree on the pacing, with some describing it as fast while others find it slow-moving. Several customers express boredom with the book.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

Readability Plot Character development Insight Writing quality Pacing Length Boredom

66 customers mention "Readability"58 positive8 negative

Customers find the book extremely engaging and fun to read, with one customer noting it's a keeper to be read again.

"...of this book is the characters, who all come across as real, complex, flawed and believable people...." Read more

"...This book is extremely engaging and well-paced, yet it also made me stop and think about the ethical issues faced by several of the characters,..." Read more

"...It was a quiet, thoughtful read." Read more

"This was a great Netflix series and I just had to read the book to compare them...." Read more

64 customers mention "Plot"48 positive16 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a compelling courtroom thriller that is well-paced and plausible. One customer notes it's a complex novel of obsessions and politics.

"...the best feature of this book is the characters, who all come across as real, complex, flawed and believable people...." Read more

"...There are some interesting themes strewn about, and the theme of scandal is certainly achieved...." Read more

"...I highly recommend it to lovers of thought provoking legal thriller. It's set mainly in London, and partly at Oxford University." Read more

"...this book is very mediocre, with forgettable characters and a weak storyline." Read more

29 customers mention "Character development"24 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with well-defined characters and great stories, and one customer specifically mentions the first-person narration by Kate.

"...In my opinion, the best feature of this book is the characters, who all come across as real, complex, flawed and believable people...." Read more

"...It certainly was no barnburner or bonfire. The characters are interesting but probably not relatable...." Read more

"...James is a wonderfully creepy character motivated by the kind of oversized sex drive many men feel entitled to claim...." Read more

"...This novel reminds me so much of Kate and her calculated moves and character. Case closed then. Pretty good book if you prefer the style." Read more

27 customers mention "Insight"27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, particularly appreciating its topical content and fascinating look into school life, with one customer noting how it reflects life at Oxford University.

"...There are some interesting themes strewn about, and the theme of scandal is certainly achieved...." Read more

"Anatomy of a Scandal is a brilliant legal thriller which also deals with #Metoo issues, as well as political corruption, marraige, family drama,..." Read more

"...of privilege, class, and sexual exploitation is rich and highly relevant in today's world...." Read more

"Thought Provoking but nothing new. There are a few things in this book that were blurred. 1...." Read more

50 customers mention "Writing quality"34 positive16 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with some finding it very intelligently written and easy to read, while others describe it as not well written.

"...feature of this book is the characters, who all come across as real, complex, flawed and believable people...." Read more

"...It's so well written that once I started I was drawn in and hooked from page one to the final line,..." Read more

"I feel like this was a slow-burn kind of book. It took a long time to get started, it took a while to catch, then it kind of smoldered a bit...." Read more

"I am quite impressed with the complexity and thoroughly sought out details of lives and scorns, of crimes and characters in this book...." Read more

18 customers mention "Pacing"12 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it a fast read while others describe it as very slow moving.

"...This book is extremely engaging and well-paced, yet it also made me stop and think about the ethical issues faced by several of the characters,..." Read more

"...It took a long time to get started, it took a while to catch, then it kind of smoldered a bit. Once the fire was truly burning, it was fine and warm...." Read more

"I enjoyed the feminist text, the pace, the depiction of privilege and entitlement of the elite students at Oxford in the #metoo era...." Read more

"I blazed through this one. Fast and a good juicy read. Not the deepest book but fun nonetheless I love reading about the Oxford days" Read more

10 customers mention "Length"0 positive10 negative

Customers find the book's length and pacing unsatisfactory, with one customer noting it was fifty pages too long, while others describe it as unexciting and contrived.

"...The characters are interesting but probably not relatable. I liked the idea of events from the past catching up with the present...." Read more

"...The book was about fifty pages too long. There are no real surprises...." Read more

"I blazed through this one. Fast and a good juicy read. Not the deepest book but fun nonetheless I love reading about the Oxford days" Read more

"Easily one of the most boring books I've read in 2018...." Read more

7 customers mention "Boredom"0 positive7 negative

Customers find the book sometimes boring, with one customer specifically mentioning that the court scenes are tedious.

"The story was really good, but it's annoying reading a book when the editor didn't do a great job at catching mistakes before it went to print...." Read more

"...The "twist" was not very captivating and truly could have been done better. The wife divorces the husband, played out - nothing new...." Read more

"...Apart from all the above, the court scenes are boring, the dialogue is chic lit and over half way I started to skim read the pages as it was so..." Read more

"Slow moving...sometimes very boring!" Read more

Reviews with images

See all photos

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

gammyjill
Interesting novel about the shady side of British politics...
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2017
Amazon Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase

British author Sarah Vaughan's new novel, "Anatomy of a Scandal" explores a common-enough situation in British politics - a Conservative Party sex scandal. (Why do Tories seem to have sex scandals and Labour seems to have money scandals? Just a question thrown out there...) James Whitehouse is a handsome Tory MP, graduate of Eton and Oxford, and is married to Sophie, his college girlfriend. The years have passed and James has advanced in the party structure, helped along by his lifelong friendship with Prime Minister Tom Southern. But not all is well in the Whitehouse marriage; James is discovered cheating with his aide, Olivia. The news is all over the press and things only get worse when James is accused of raping Olivia in an elevator at Westminster.

Vaughan's book is told in both first and third person narrative. The first person is Kate Woodcroft, QC, who is appointed by the Crown to prosecute Whitehouse on the rape charge, The other characters are told by third person narrative. The book also alternates between 1993 Oxford and 2016 London. Vaughan does an excellent job at both the alternating time and place narratives. As the novel proceeds, more secrets from 1993 Oxford turn up. An Oxford club, the Bullingdon, is a part of the plot, though called by a different name. The novel is essentially a story of young men acting badly at Oxford and their deeds following them in life. Most of the male characters are vile but the female characters are much more nuanced.

"Anatomy of a Scandal" is a good read. Perhaps a knowledge of British politics might help the book along, but the reader need not be a political junkie like me to enjoy the the story.

Read more

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Kirsten
Interesting insight into the different perspectives of a fictional high-profile rape case
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
When a charismatic married politician is charged with the rape of his former mistress, we see events unfold through the eyes of his wife and the female prosecuting lawyer. Will the Old Boys' Club save him or will this be the final scandal that finally drags him down? This book is extremely engaging and well-paced, yet it also made me stop and think about the ethical issues faced by several of the characters, particularly his wife. Of course, there is a lot to think about regarding consent, and when does consent take place during an encounter between two people.

SPOILER ALERTS
I thought it was interesting that when his wife finally confronted him, she talked about how he had lied on the stand.... this meant that he had knowingly raped this woman, but she didn't seem to confront him about that directly, just that he had lied.
I also thought there was an interesting throwaway line, where the jury asked to read the plaintiff's statement once more during their deliberations. This incident wasn't expanded upon, but it haunted me, because I thought the opportunity to read the statement during their deliberations would have a strong impact on their ability to reach the right verdict.

Read more

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
lovetoread
Meh. It's a good read, but it's quite slow.
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2020
Verified Purchase
I feel like this was a slow-burn kind of book. It took a long time to get started, it took a while to catch, then it kind of smoldered a bit. Once the fire was truly burning, it was fine and warm. It certainly was no barnburner or bonfire.

The characters are interesting but probably not relatable. I liked the idea of events from the past catching up with the present. There are some interesting themes strewn about, and the theme of scandal is certainly achieved. I am not sure the dissection of the scandal warrants the title "anatomy," as the true scandal was barely discovered until the end.

While this wasn't my favorite book ever, I'm glad I read it. It was a quiet, thoughtful read.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Bluebell
A gripping courtroom drama
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2019
Verified Purchase
Firstly, this is not your typical thriller. It is partly a courtroom drama and partly a domestic noir. Secondly, the crime in question is not murder but rape. And thirdly, the book is an excellent read anyway.
James Whitehouse, a junior minister and close friend of the PM, is accused of raping his young assistant, and the high profiled court case is about to start. The story is told from the perspectives of his wife, Sophie, who naturally believes that her husband is innocent, and the prosecuting barrister, Kate, who is certain that he is not. The narrative alternates between the present and the Whitehouses' time as Oxford students in the nineties.
In my opinion, the best feature of this book is the characters, who all come across as real, complex, flawed and believable people. Another essential part is the revelation of the inbred arrogance and immorality of the English upperclasses. It is cleverly done indeed. Also, the current #metoo campaign brings the story very much up to date.

Read more

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
LadyDay
So much here
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2022
Verified Purchase
I was eager to see if the book would be better than the Netflix series. I am glad to say it is. The nuances of emotion that can only be hinted at onscreen are made clear in the book. The arrogant, self-satisfied minister who crosses the lines between truth and lies, between consent and what "no" means, he victimizes three women. We are privy to the thoughts of two of them. To avoid revealing too much, I will just say that I enjoyed the book even though I already knew what happened in the series.

Read more

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Elizabeth
Great story
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
This was a great Netflix series and I just had to read the book to compare them. I love the did he or didn't he aspect of the story as well as the bomb about the women prosecuting him. Awesome book a real page turner.

Read more

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Report
Annie
Deep Exploration of Moral Conflict
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
I seldom write reviews but I am so disturbed by three negative reviews--all poorly written--heading this list that I will write. Vaughan's exploration of privilege, class, and sexual exploitation is rich and highly relevant in today's world. I empathized with both of the main character's moral dilemmas. As a runner myself, I found totally believable the way Kate transformed her life by taking up running. The novel is propulsive, with many hints of connections and mysteries to be discovered. James is a wonderfully creepy character motivated by the kind of oversized sex drive many men feel entitled to claim. Vaughan inhabits her characters in rich prose.

Read more

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Wendy Caddey
Well written and topical
Reviewed in Australia on February 2, 2019
Verified Purchase

Good read. In-depth study into the mindset of the key characters. Not a lot of twists and turns but this made it a bit less fictional.

Read more
Report
Barbara Phillips
Superbly Crafted
Reviewed in Spain on June 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
Sarah Vaughan imbues her characters with completely believable virtues and flaws through realistic dialogue, credible situations and savvy insight into human response to emotional pain. She has a dynamic and flowing writing style that propels the reader along, in anticipation of the next twist or turn in her storyline. I so enjoyed Anatomy of a Scandal.

Read more
Report
Francesca
Avvincente
Reviewed in Italy on November 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
Mi è piaciuto questo libro perchè è avvincente e ben strutturato: la storia presente ha un collegamento nel passato.
L'autrice è bravissima nelle descrizioni dei luoghi e dei personaggi tanto che sembra di essere lì ad esempio in Tribunale mentre si svolge il processo.
Ottimo il servizio della libreria Book Depository che non appena ho scritto per chiedere informazioni sulla spedizione, dato che mi era stato detto che non si sapeva quando sarebbe stato spedito il libro ,mi hanno subito risposto e poi lo hanno spedito.

Read more
Report
Translate review to English
Amazon Customer
incredibly good!
Reviewed in Canada on January 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a well written and well thought out story.
Sometimes old wealth and the best Oxford education won’t protect you if you hurt someone bad enough. This is what happens in this superb story of a marriage, a political career and an affair.
I couldn’t put it down!!

Read more
Report
JenMedBookLover
Current, relevant and very very savvy.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
If ever there was a book which was more socially and politically relevant, more right on the money, more superbly timed than Anatomy of a Scandal then I certainly do not know what it is. Tapping into key issues of the day from political corruption, abuse of power and the 'me too' movement of sexual harassment in the work place, this is both a fantastic work of fiction and a damning indictment of all that is wrong with modern society and the way in which we shame both victims and accused, this book is absolutely pitch perfect. Bearing in mind that I had a copy of the arc eight months ago, I don't know that it could even be possible to predict all that was about to happen in Hollywood, but if this was anything more than freakishly good luck on the part of both author and publisher then I want Sarah Vaughan to pick my lottery numbers.

Now it could be argued that there have been murmurings about this kind of issue for the longest time. First the celebrity scandals of the past few years with the likes of DLT, JImmy Saville and Rolf Harris, then the rumours and stories surrounding a certain President of a rather large country to the West of the UK, whatever the background, the central premise of this book is not an entirely unique one, or at least not one without a very solid and disturbing foundation to draw upon. Given the very recent past and the allegations against the likes of Harvey Weinstein and several serving and former UK politicians, timing is impeccable. But it is one thing to have perfect timing, it is another entirely to be able to convert that fortune into a compelling, consuming, sometimes disturbing, often confusing, but ultimately brilliant narrative.

Big tick in the box for Sarah Vaughan on that one.

From the very beginning of the audio book I found myself being drawn in, slowly but surely, the gradual build of the opening chapters in which we are introduced to the key players, Kate, Sophie and James and the very distressing case which will tie them all together. They are intriguing characters, with Kate and Sophie having the largest part to play in the action initially. They seem exact opposites. Kate is career driven, harsh, dedicated to the bar and not family. Sophie is a mother and wife; a person who lives by the needs of her politician husband James. We meet Kate as she comes down from the disappointment of failing to secure a conviction in a rape case and Sophie as she is faced with some very shocking news about her husband. But what could destroy one woman, may be the making of the other and from here on in the stage is set for a telling and shocking clash.

Now I don't want to say too much more about the plot or the story other than James makes a grave error embarking on an affair which has massive repercussions for his private and political life. A close friend and ally of the Prime MInister he is afforded a certain amount of support and protection but given the nature of allegations against him it is inevitable that a certain amount of mud will stick. As the story moves to the courtroom we are met with the perfect portrayal of modern society and what is in essence wrong with the justice system.

We move back and forth in apportionment of blame and a certain amount of victim shaming both inside and outside of the courtroom. Sarah Vaughan makes us take a long hard look at the issues of consent, clouding out understanding of what has happened, introducing elements of doubt in which even we are readers or listeners are not ultimately sure what it what. Who is actually the guilty party? Accuser or accused? Should the alleged victim be shamed for being a 'tease' or is it right that a family can be destroyed by allegations which have yet to be proven? Really we are faced with the perfect dilemma and I have to admit to having my emotions move back and forth between what I believe to be true which still being left horrified at the idea of what has or may have happened.

Interspersed within the present day we also have chapters or sections set in the days of James and Sophie's time at university. These inform the narrative by painting a picture of privilege, expectation and entitlement. By giving a clearer illustration of the people that they were and the people they would go on to become. Of the events which in their own way came to bring the three main players to the place in which we find them today. There are scenes here which will shock, scenes which will feed the hatred of upper class pomposity and scenes which will showcase the extreme abuse of power which has been allowed to fester and grow.

This is such a hard book to review as it is just so good. I am not entirely sure I can say exactly why, whether what I've written so far actually explains my feelings adequately. It is just ... right. The audio book is absolutely brilliant and in what should probably be a very worrying truth that I perhaps should not commit to print, I can honestly say that I was so engrossed in the story that I only vaguely remember passing Gretna Green, know I passed Stirling because I thought about how I would be back in a few months for Bloody Scotland (okay a lot of months) and was ultimately extremely surprised to find myself outside my hotel in Dundee in next to no time. I finished the book that evening as I wasn't prepared to wait for the conclusion. I needed to know how it ended. I was not disappointed.

Did I like any of the characters? Possibly not. I'm not entirely convinced that is necessary in a book of this nature. I could feel something, perhaps a touch of sympathy for Kate, Sophie and the alleged victim, but most were lacking in true redeeming qualities, often for very good reason. Did I like the book? No. I didn't.

I loved it.

My only regret is that I didn't read it sooner. Fluffing brilliant and totally top banana ;)

Read more
Report

See more reviews

Amazon Prime includes:

Follow the author

Anatomy of a Scandal: A Novel Hardcover – January 23, 2018

Purchase options and add-ons

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Product details

Videos

Videos for this product

About the author

Sarah Vaughan

Customer reviews

Review this product

Customers say

Select to learn more

Images in this review

Reviews with images

A Brilliant Thriller, One of the Best Books of 2018!

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting novel about the shady side of British politics...

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insight into the different perspectives of a fictional high-profile rape case

3.0 out of 5 stars Meh. It's a good read, but it's quite slow.

4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping courtroom drama

5.0 out of 5 stars So much here

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep Exploration of Moral Conflict

Top reviews from other countries

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and topical

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly Crafted

5.0 out of 5 stars Avvincente

5.0 out of 5 stars incredibly good!

5.0 out of 5 stars Current, relevant and very very savvy.

Interesting novel about the shady side of British politics...

Interesting insight into the different perspectives of a fictional high-profile rape case

Meh. It's a good read, but it's quite slow.

A gripping courtroom drama

So much here

Great story

Deep Exploration of Moral Conflict

Well written and topical

Superbly Crafted

Avvincente

incredibly good!

Current, relevant and very very savvy.