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About The Book

From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal, now a major Netflix series…
Reputation: it takes a lifetime to build and just one moment to destroy.
‘Sarah Vaughan has done it again. Superb’ Shari Lapena

Emma Webster is a respectable MP.

Emma Webster is a devoted mother.

Emma Webster is innocent of the murder of a tabloid journalist.

Emma Webster is a liar.

#Reputation: The story you tell about yourself. And the lies others choose to believe…

'Uncannily timely… As dark and gripping as you’d expect from the author of Anatomy of a Scandal’ Observer

Your favourite authors love Reputation:

‘A terrifically entertaining legal drama and an unsettling cautionary tale for any woman considering entering politics’ Louise Candlish

‘Perceptive, elegant, thrilling and addictive’ Chris Whitaker

‘Tense. Gripping. And bang up to date. This is a rollercoaster of a book’ Imran Mahmood

‘Wonderfully written, tense, taut and timely. I loved it!’ Claire Douglas

‘A stylish, challenging thriller. Do yourself a favour and read this book’ Fiona Cummins

‘Sarah Vaughan has distilled the zeitgeist into a pulse-racing thriller. Gripping all the way’ Erin Kelly

‘I read Reputation in one sitting, which is my highest possible praise’ Bella Mackie

‘Sarah Vaughan has another smash hit on her hands. Reputation is nuanced, complex, and thought-provoking, while still being a gripping, fast-paced read’ Louise O’Neill

‘Sarah Vaughan does it again. Another taut, gripping thriller that also shines a light on some of the most important issues of the day' Bryony Gordon


About The Author

© Phil Mynott

Sarah Vaughan read English at Oxford and went on to become a journalist. After training at the Press Association, she spent eleven years at the Guardian as a news reporter and political correspondent before leaving to freelance and write fiction. Her first two novels, The Art of Baking Blind and The Farm at the Edge of the World, were followed by her first psychological thriller, Anatomy of a Scandal: a Sunday Times bestseller, and Richard & Judy pick of the decade, developed as a Netflix series starring Rupert Friend, Michelle Dockery and Sienna Miller. Her fourth novel, Little Disasters, a Waterstone’s thriller of the month, was published in 2020. Reputation is her fifth novel.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (April 13, 2022)
  • Length: 480 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781398502024

Raves and Reviews

‘Sarah Vaughan has done it again. Superb’

– Shari Lapena

‘A terrifically entertaining legal drama and an unsettling cautionary tale for any woman considering entering politics’

– Louise Candlish

This book is brilliant. About a woman MP whose reputation is destroyed. Timely and twisty, it felt all too real. A great plot but with much to say about the struggles of being a woman in public life. I loved it

– Laura Shepherd-Robinson

‘Perceptive, elegant, thrilling and addictive’

– Chris Whitaker

‘Tense. Gripping. And bang up to date. This is a rollercoaster of a book’

– Imran Mahmood

Wonderfully written, tense, taut and timely. I loved it!’

– Claire Douglas

‘A stylish, challenging thriller. Do yourself a favour and read this book’

– Fiona Cummins

‘Sarah Vaughan has distilled the zeitgeist into a pulse-racing thriller. Gripping all the way’

– Erin Kelly

‘I read Reputation in one sitting, which is my highest possible praise’

– Bella Mackie

‘Sarah Vaughan has another smash hit on her hands. Reputation is nuanced, complex, and thought-provoking, while still being a gripping, fast-paced read’

– Louise O’Neill

‘Sarah Vaughan does it again. Another taut, gripping thriller that also shines a light on some of the most important issues of the day'

– Bryony Gordon

'Reputation steps straight out of today's political headlines to expose the sad double standard forced on women in the public eye. I'm quite in awe of the way Sarah Vaughan manages to ask some seriously unsettling questions about our society at the same time as delivering a taut courtroom drama. Totally compelling!'

– Russ Thomas

'What an incredible, thought-provoking book'

– Elly Griffiths

‘Reputation is Vaughan at her best: a relevant and topical political thriller with just the right dose of feminist outrage’

– Lucy Atkins

'Sarah Vaughan’s new novel Reputation is a prescient take on women in the public eye'

– STYLIST, best March books

'Tightly plotted and very clever, this page-turner is a fascinating read'

– WOMAN & HOME, Book of the Month

'Tantalising to the end'

– SAGA

'The author of Anatomy of a Scandal is back with another timely thriller that take you behind the scenes of Westminster and looks at the scrutiny women in public eye face. MP Emma Webster is on the up until a journalist she’s entangled with is found dead in her home. Smart and riveting'

– GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'Uncannily timely… As dark and gripping as you’d expect from the author of Anatomy of a Scandal'

– OBSERVER

'Enthralling… Reputation lacks the stunning topicality of Anatomy of a Scandal, but it may be a superior novel. It’s more intricately crafted with more nuanced characterisation – the Emma/Flora relationship is particularly well observed – and its points about the impact of misogyny on women (especially those in public life) and girls emerge more naturally from the plot'

– Sunday Times, Thriller of the Month

'With an unerring eye for the political zeitgeist – so aptly demonstrated in her bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal four year ago – Vaughan again concentrates on the multiple pressures facing women in powerful positions… Expertly crafted, and with a stunning legal drama at its apex, the story underlines just how excellent Vaughan has become'

– Daily Mail

'A dark, sinister tale about jealousy, revenge and why you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure'

– The Sun

'Sarah Vaughan follows up her smash bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal with another compelling, one-sitting thriller…. Zeitgeist-y as hell, Reputation is a clever, nuanced look at how women in the public eye are constantly on trial and then throws in half a dozen twists that you won’t see coming'

– RED, best books for March

'From the author of Anatomy of a Scandal (soon to arrive on Netflix) come this brilliant psychological thriller about ambitious politician mum Emma, whose private life is thrust into the spotlight when a man’s body is discovered in her home'

– Bella

'Totally addictive and destined to be a big hit'

– BEST

'Anatomy, with its exploration of consent and privilege, felt uncannily timely when it was published four years ago. Vaughan’s forthcoming novel, Reputation, might be even more so'

– GUARDIAN (profile with Alison Flood)

'This eye-opening thriller dissects the timely issues of being a woman in the political spotlight… Think of your favourite true crime podcast. Mix that with a large serving of the heinous trolling directed at female MPs, before adding the courtroom drama of a Law & Order episode. With those elements, it’s no wonder Reputation, the new novel from former journalist Sarah Vaughan is a speedy page-turner… It’s an eye-opening, tense read, with several twists at the end that will satisfy Vaughan’s numerous fans'

– STYLIST LOVES

'With her timely first book Anatomy of a Scandal, due for a Netflix adaptation in Spring, Vaughan’s stock could not be higher and she’s on ripping form with Reputation, a thriller that delves into the dark side of one female MP’s life and family'

– STYLIST, best fiction for 2022

'From the best-selling author of Anatomy of a Scandal comes another thriller you’ll be hard-pressed to put down… A thought-provoking look at what it really means to be in the public eye'

– Woman's Weekly/ Woman's Own

'From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal comes another part-courtroom drama, part-thriller you’ll be hard-pressed to put down… A thought-provoking look at what it really means to be in the public eye and the sometimes shocking pressures women face. Tightly-plotted and very clever, it’s a fascinating read and one of the best thriller books on this best books 2022 list'

– WOMAN & HOME, best books of 2022

'Latest from the terrific Vaughan… With themes of harassment, online abuse, revenge porn and political entitlement, Vaughan’s third thriller is as prescient as ever'

– THE BOOKSELLER, ones to watch

'Slickly topical…'

– The Times

'From the author of Anatomy of a Scandal comes this psychological thriller about a female politician that explores the ramifications of online abuse and revenge porn'

– The I

'Vaughan gives a colourful and convincing picture of the difficulties of public life… She arouses sympathy for many of the victims and is honest enough to show that girls and women can be quite as dangerous as men and boys'

– Literary Review

'Timely and chilling… Vaughan never shies away from the moral complexities in this exploration of the pressures women face in both private and public life'

– GUARDIAN

‘A thrilling mix of courtroom and personal drama, told with expertise by an author who worked as a journalist in Parliament and the courts, giving her first-hand access to amazing characters and settings. It really is a tense story for our times’

– PRESS ASSOCIATION

‘This razor-sharp, tense thriller is one of our reads of the year’

– FABULOUS

‘Hooks from the first page to the last’

– Heat

‘Another sure-fire bestseller from Sarah Vaughan’

– Hello

‘From the writer of the hugely successful Anatomy of a Scandal comes a new book which takes a look at a high-profile female MP’s fall from grace when a man is found dead in her house. This suspenseful and addictive novel is a thought-provoking and fascinating read’

– My Weekly

‘Now comes the equally provocative Reputation, which this time sees a female MP in the dock… Hooks from the very first page to the last’

– Crime Monthly

‘Sarah Vaughan deftly reveals a compelling inside view of life in the political spotlight, ramping up a palpable sense of stress and claustrophobia and shining a light on the darkest corners of life in Parliament. Then there are the courtroom scenes, tense and vividly drawn, that keep the reader riveted for page after page’

– CRIME FICTION LOVER

‘Astonishingly timely and clever, it's also utterly gripping. I loved it’

– Lucy Foley

‘I simply couldn't put it down. It is current, compelling and very clever’

– B A Paris

'Reputation by Sarah Vaughan will go down in history. Vaughan has a knack for tapping into the current zeitgeist, and this one goes to the heart of Westminster: an MP accused of a terrible crime, what will a woman do to save her reputation? Authentic, gripping, and with some of the most authentic courtroom scenes around, Vaughan is a major talent'

– Gillian McAllister

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