Anatomy of a Scandal

September 15, 2017
A handsome British politician--also the prime minister's oldest, closest friend--finds himself on trial for rape.Sophie Whitehouse adores her husband, James, a junior minister in the British Home Office. Watching him leave with their son and daughter one Friday morning, "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." But James is uncharacteristically late coming home that night, arriving only to confess--in advance of the tabloid headlines--that he's had an affair with his assistant, Olivia. That would have been enough to shatter Sophie's world, but 11 days later, he's arrested; Olivia has filed charges of rape. James' trial brings together two formidable female barristers, one of them Kate Woodcroft, "a highly experienced specialist in prosecuting sexual crimes; forty-one years old; divorced; single; and childless," and for the defense, Angela Regan, just as determined to see James go free as Kate is to see him found guilty. And both women know this depends far less on the truth than on their adversarial and persuasive skills. As the trial proceeds, seen alternately from Kate's, Sophie's, and James' points of view, a second storyline unfolds in the early 1990s featuring a character named Holly. Holly is studying English at Oxford, as was Sophie; James is there, too, and his friend Tom, the future prime minister. All of them are involved in a nasty series of events that is not revealed until the end of the book. When the secrets finally come out, there are a few jarring details, but the momentum of the story thunders over them. Because the author leaves room for readers to consider for themselves the issues of consent and intent in rape, particularly in partner rape, this novel is a strong choice for book clubs. Former political correspondent Vaughan makes an impressive debut with this savvy, propulsive courtroom drama.

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Starred review from October 2, 2017
Cases don’t come much higher-profile than the potential career-maker assigned to driven British barrister Kate Woodcroft, QC: prosecuting golden boy junior Home Office minister James Whitehouse, the prime minister’s best friend since their boyhood at Eton, for raping the young parliamentary researcher with whom he recently ended a brief affair—in a lift at the House of Commons, no less. But the focus isn’t simply the he said–she said courtroom fencing match, but deeper truths about the nature of privilege and power. Skillfully interweaving the story of the unfolding scandal with James’s and his wife Sophie’s student days at Oxford—as well the drug-fueled, swept-under-the-carpet tragedy there that has informed his relationship with the PM ever since—Vaughan gradually reveals just how shockingly high the stakes are. Such is the strength of this sinewy novel from Vaughan (The Farm at the Edge of the World) that the glossy, tabloid-ready surface proves one of the less interesting facets of the engrossing, twist-filled tale that unspools. Agent: Lizzy Kremer, David Higham Associates (U.K.).

Starred review from October 1, 2017
MP James Whitehouse, Tory rising star and close friend of the prime minister, has made good use of his charming, family-oriented image. It won't be easy for Kate Woodcroft to convict him of rape, even after the explosive scandal over Whitehouse's affair with his parliamentary researcher, Olivia Lytton. Weeks after their affair's media outing, Lytton is alleging that Whitehouse raped her in a Parliament elevator. As far as the evidence goes, the case could easily devolve into a he said/she said, but Kate knows that the most damning evidence of his guilt is buried 20 years deep. When they were students at Oxford, Kate was also raped by Whitehouse, and he growled the same phrase Lytton claims he said to her: Don't be such a prick tease. Now, unrecognizable after changing her name and appearance, Kate hides the conflict of interest, bent on convicting the golden-boy rapist. At the same time, Sophie Whitehouse, Kate's Oxford tutorial partner, struggles to repair her marriage despite her suspicion that her husband lied about the rape. Layers of manipulation generate intensity as Kate, James, and Sophie's characters evolve from innocent, entitled youth to wielders of political, judicial, and psychological power. Vaughan, a former political correspondent, offers gripping insight into a political scandal's hidden machinations and the tension between justice and privilege. An absorbing, polished debut mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)