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syren1532's review
5.0
Izzy English lives on the Isle of Wight with her police analyst husband Nick. When Izzy was 17 years old her mother went missing and was found murdered two days later. Her death hit Izzy hard but even harder was the fact that her father, Gabe, was arrested, charged and convicted of her murder. Now, after serving eighteen years in prison, Gabe has been released on license and is back on the island and desperate to see Izzy. He claims he is innocent of all charges. Izzy doesn’t know what to believe - after her mother’s death she lived with her maternal grandparents who never spoke to her about the case and she was not aware of the evidence presented in court which led to Gabe’s conviction. Having met Gabe without her husband’s knowledge Izzy starts her own investigation into her mother’s death and events leading up to it. Along the way she discovers that her parents weren’t all she believed them to be. She struggles to believe whether Gabe is telling her the truth about what happened and her continued determination to find the truth puts her marriage under a huge strain.
Really great read. Nearly every chapter had me changing my mind about whether Gabe was innocent or not and, the same as Izzy, trying to find alternative suspects. Loved it.
Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Gillian McAllister for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Really great read. Nearly every chapter had me changing my mind about whether Gabe was innocent or not and, the same as Izzy, trying to find alternative suspects. Loved it.
Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Gillian McAllister for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
natalier3's review
4.0
Not as good as her others
Was expecting a courtroom drama so was a little disappointed but still a good book. Lots of characters to get to grips with too, which were a little confusing. But overall I enjoyed it
Was expecting a courtroom drama so was a little disappointed but still a good book. Lots of characters to get to grips with too, which were a little confusing. But overall I enjoyed it
serendipitysbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Evidence Against You begins with Izzy’s Dad, Gabe, being released from prison following a life sentence for the murder of Alex, his wife and Izzy’s Mum. He still proclaims his innocence and, little by little, Izzy comes to believe him. Or is at least open to the possibility that he is not guilty. So the two of them put their heads together, combine their memories and begin investigating.
This novel kept me on edge wondering if Izzy was right to trust Gabe. It had me unsettled and questioning the reliability of memory. Who or what to believe when what he says contradicts her memories or what he has said in the past?
This is perhaps to be expected in a psychological drama/mystery. What stood out to me most from this story is also what surprised me. And that is the nuanced exploration of the issues surrounding the reintegration into society of those who have served a long period of incarceration. Regardless of Gabe’s guilt or innocence his struggles to find a job and to feel like he could cope in the outside world were heartbreaking.
This book kept me interested and left me thinking without necessarily wowing me. Nevertheless a worthwhile read.
This novel kept me on edge wondering if Izzy was right to trust Gabe. It had me unsettled and questioning the reliability of memory. Who or what to believe when what he says contradicts her memories or what he has said in the past?
This is perhaps to be expected in a psychological drama/mystery. What stood out to me most from this story is also what surprised me. And that is the nuanced exploration of the issues surrounding the reintegration into society of those who have served a long period of incarceration. Regardless of Gabe’s guilt or innocence his struggles to find a job and to feel like he could cope in the outside world were heartbreaking.
This book kept me interested and left me thinking without necessarily wowing me. Nevertheless a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
cynicalnovas's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Narrator: 5 (wish I could give her 10)
Writing: 5
Standard British racist language: 2
Ending: 1
Writing: 5
Standard British racist language: 2
Ending: 1
meereefox's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
penguinspam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookdeli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
bexw29's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
f4rhana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
faysieh's review
5.0
This is a fantastic read. No gore or terrifying and brutal detail, just a clever, beautifully written psychological thriller that keeps you guessing. Who did murder Izzy's Mum all those years ago? Was it her father who was convicted, lost his appeal and spent 20 years in prison? Or was it someone else?
This story is breath-taking in its sadness, how a 17 year old girl loses both her Mum and her Dad, her home, her ballet and her boyfriend because of a murder. Izzy is trapped running her Mum's restaurant, trapped in the past, bereft of a family and too scared to examine how her life has become what it is.
Her Dad is released from prison and it follows a short period where Izzy is drawn into her own investigation, hiding her exploits from her husband and meeting alone with her Dad. It is such a vivid portrayal of innocence and loss, of doubt and certainty, of memories and love.
I found the end so poignant. Tears were running down my face. The book left me with a huge gap in my reading heart. I felt Izzy's pain and Gabe's pain too so accutely (Gabe is Izzy's father). There were some revelations towards the end of the book that left me gasping with shock and crying for so many lost years.
The book ends on a hopeful note (although for me it was still immeasurably sad) with Izzy finally living the life she wants and Gabe doing what he wants to do too. Displacement, suspicion, dead ends and deliberately misleading clues make this book a TERRIFIC read.
I am off to devour the rest of Gillian McAllister's novels.
This story is breath-taking in its sadness, how a 17 year old girl loses both her Mum and her Dad, her home, her ballet and her boyfriend because of a murder. Izzy is trapped running her Mum's restaurant, trapped in the past, bereft of a family and too scared to examine how her life has become what it is.
Her Dad is released from prison and it follows a short period where Izzy is drawn into her own investigation, hiding her exploits from her husband and meeting alone with her Dad. It is such a vivid portrayal of innocence and loss, of doubt and certainty, of memories and love.
I found the end so poignant. Tears were running down my face. The book left me with a huge gap in my reading heart. I felt Izzy's pain and Gabe's pain too so accutely (Gabe is Izzy's father). There were some revelations towards the end of the book that left me gasping with shock and crying for so many lost years.
The book ends on a hopeful note (although for me it was still immeasurably sad) with Izzy finally living the life she wants and Gabe doing what he wants to do too. Displacement, suspicion, dead ends and deliberately misleading clues make this book a TERRIFIC read.
I am off to devour the rest of Gillian McAllister's novels.