Based on a True Story: A Novel
Jun 2026 · Sold by HarperCollins
Ebook
352
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About this ebook
“Vaughan is simply a genius at immersing you in simmering tensions and turning up the heat."—Ellery Lloyd
“A stunning novel."—Gilly Macmillan
"A flawlessly constructed thriller, perfectly paced and filled with smart reveals. This is a read-in-one-sitting delight of a novel!"—Lucy Clarke
A compelling novel about power, money and lies from the author of Anatomy of a Scandal.
All families have secrets. But it's the lies that can kill.
A lavish seventieth birthday party. A body found on a storm-lashed beach. And a secret that someone is dying to tell. . . .
Famed children’s author Dame Eleanor Kingman has summoned her family and friends to her exquisite manor house on the cliffs. They're celebrating her birthday—and her latest number one bestseller in her series of books based on a mother fox and her cubs.
But the night before the party, Eleanor receives an email that threatens to expose the lie she’s kept up for over half a century.
Someone knows her secret. Is it her estranged literary agent? Is it her ex-husband, to whom she no longer speaks? Is it the nanny she fired all those years ago, who always did have a knack for storytelling? Or is it one of her three daughters, all of whom have a stake in the publishing empire she has built...
With a television crew arriving to film a documentary of her life, Eleanor needs to find out who sent the email—and preserve her legacy and multimillion-pound career.
But when push comes to shove, and it's time to tell the truth will anyone actually believe her?
“A stunning novel."—Gilly Macmillan
"A flawlessly constructed thriller, perfectly paced and filled with smart reveals. This is a read-in-one-sitting delight of a novel!"—Lucy Clarke
A compelling novel about power, money and lies from the author of Anatomy of a Scandal.
All families have secrets. But it's the lies that can kill.
A lavish seventieth birthday party. A body found on a storm-lashed beach. And a secret that someone is dying to tell. . . .
Famed children’s author Dame Eleanor Kingman has summoned her family and friends to her exquisite manor house on the cliffs. They're celebrating her birthday—and her latest number one bestseller in her series of books based on a mother fox and her cubs.
But the night before the party, Eleanor receives an email that threatens to expose the lie she’s kept up for over half a century.
Someone knows her secret. Is it her estranged literary agent? Is it her ex-husband, to whom she no longer speaks? Is it the nanny she fired all those years ago, who always did have a knack for storytelling? Or is it one of her three daughters, all of whom have a stake in the publishing empire she has built...
With a television crew arriving to film a documentary of her life, Eleanor needs to find out who sent the email—and preserve her legacy and multimillion-pound career.
But when push comes to shove, and it's time to tell the truth will anyone actually believe her?
“Vaughan is simply a genius at immersing you in simmering tensions and turning up the heat."—Ellery Lloyd
“A stunning novel."—Gilly Macmillan
"A flawlessly constructed thriller, perfectly paced and filled with smart reveals. This is a read-in-one-sitting delight of a novel!"—Lucy Clarke
A comp...
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About the author
Sarah Vaughan is The Sunday Times and internationally bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal, Little Disasters, and Reputation, plus two earlier novels. Translated into twenty-six languages, Anatomy of a Scandal was a Richard and Judy Book of the Decade and a global number one Netflix limited series. Little Disasters was a number-one Paramount+ series, while Reputation is being developed for television. Before writing fiction, Sarah spent fifteen years as a journalist, including eleven at The Guardian as a political correspondent and news reporter. Brought up in Devon, she lives near Cambridge, England, with her family.
Sarah Vaughan is The Sunday Times and internationally bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal, Little Disasters, and Reputation, plus two earlier novels. Translated into twenty-six languages, Anatomy of a Scandal was a Richard and Judy Book of the Decade and a global number one Netflix limited...
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