Based on a True Story

Once upon a time there was a family. Everything else is a lie. The compelling new novel about power, money and lies from the author of Anatomy of a Scandal follows Dame Eleanor Kingman, a famed children’s author, who invites family and friends to her exquisite seaside manor to celebrate her 70th birthday and a new bestseller. As a storm rages outside and a TV crew films a documentary about her life, a body is found on the storm-lashed beach and an email threatens to expose a lie she has kept for decades. The mystery widens as Eleanor confronts who knows her secret—her estranged literary agent, her ex-husband, the fired nanny, or one of her three daughters who all have a stake in the publishing empire she built. With danger mounting and the truth hard to pin down, the novel explores the gap between public image and private life, and the ties that bind a family when secrets threaten to destroy everything.

The narrative unfolds with careful plotting, high tension and sharp characterisation, weaving themes of class, power and the relentless pull of authorship. Its sophisticated family dynamics and psychological suspense create a taut, readable thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the final reveal.

Features

• Intricate family thriller with secrets and lies
• Set around a 70th birthday and a film crew
• Central figure: Dame Eleanor Kingman and publishing empire
• Three daughters each with a stake in the family business
• Email threaten exposes a long-held lie
• Themes of power, class and the public image vs private life