Book Summary and Reviews of Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

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Anl

Enjoyable
Good read. Just enough depth and not too complicated. Believable characters who are well developed. Either likable or detestable.

lani

legal thriller
Brilliant...brilliant...brilliant...A wonderful courtroom drama set in England that was not only erudite but very suspenseful in terms of courtroom logistics. Reading it I felt I was involved in a real court room drama and was holding my breath for the final verdict. There are many words peculiar to the British language but it was easy to decipher their meaning from the overall context.
The story begins with the elucidation of the stories behind James, a sauve British minister, his adoring wife Sophie, whom he met in college and Kate, the lawyer who was hired to prosecute a rape case against James. Told mostly in alternating chapters between Kate and Sophie, we peer back into their college days when they all attended the same college and then to the present day. Questions arise as to who is the most truthful, and the power of the barrister 's persuasive abilities to influence the final outcome of the jury. Does truth really matter? Ethics play into the role as well, as well as individual responsibility to ferret out the truth in spite of moral dilemmas. I truly loved this book and will recommend this to anyone who is looking for a terrifically written and satisfying book.

Betty Taylor

Timely Story of Politics and Sexual Scandals
This book is definitely being released at the right time – when it seems that every day brings new headlines of the latest sexual harassment accusations against politicians. Years of sweeping it all under the rug are coming to an end.

James Whitehead, a member of the British parliament and confidant of the Prime Minister, confesses to his wife of his affair. Just as it seems the media has tired of him, his ex-mistress accuses him of rape. His wife Sophie is, of course, embarrassed by it all but stands by her husband. He insists that all sex with Olivia, his ex-mistress, was consensual. Sophie is determined to keep her family together and protect their children from the negative publicity.

The story is what I would call a “slow burn”. It slowly builds, going back to James’ college days and chapter by chapter revealing who James Whitehouse really is. (Hmmm, interesting choice of surname – Whitehouse.) We are taken back to when James and Sophie first met at college and began dating. A young freshman named Holly Berry will unknowingly come to hold their fates in her hands.

Some readers will not care for the slow pace. I didn’t at first but then came to realize the strength of holding back and only revealing a bit at a time. The story does not depend upon a major twist at the end that no one saw coming. I love those and lots of books came out in 2017 with exactly that. “Anatomy of a Scandal” instead reveals its big secret to the reader before the story is even halfway through. The prosecutor has a secret that only the reader knows, and that secret becomes the driving force behind the entire story. Vaughan was masterful in how she manipulates her characters (and us) as she somewhat teases us – will the truth come out now? No, okay, how about now? One must always be mindful of long-held secrets – secrets that can bring down a “house of cards” when played right.

Techeditor

An analysis
ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL really is what its title says it is: an anatomy, or analysis, of a scandal. The story is told from the viewpoints of the various people who are involved in the scandal, directly or indirectly, although the actual scandal is not dealt with until about page 200. You might say, then, up until that point is setup that goes too long. You would be only partially correct. If this is to be an anatomy of a scandal, analyses of these people are necessary.

James is a handsome, charismatic politician in England. His is the scandal to be analyzed. So we go back to his college days and those of his future wife, Sophie, and some of the people they went to school with. These are people in the 1990s who will be directly or indirectly involved in the scandal about 20 years later.

In 2016 James is accused of rape by a woman he had been having an affair with. The case goes to trial, and the viewpoints of various characters, including the prosecutor, Kate, are given postscandal as well.

I was surprised by Kate. I feel like I shouldn’t have been, though. You may catch it before I did.

I enjoyed this book, although perhaps the word really shouldn’t be “enjoyed.” The subject matter wasn’t exactly happy.

My only criticism of ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL is its punctuation. Semicolons are misused all over the place. I am a retired editor, and these errors glared at me.