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.

‘A flawlessly constructed thriller, perfectly paced and filled with smart reveals. This is a read-in-one-sitting delight of a novel!’ LUCY CLARKE, The Surf House

‘Secrets, lies, subterfuge, scandal, and sibling rivalry – the perfect recipe for a page-turner. I devoured it!’ VERONICA HENRY, One Night at the Chateau

'A rich, intoxicating brew, I loved it’ LOUISE CANDLISH, Our House

'Glorious Cornish clifftops, a glittering party and a swirling vortex of family secrets ... Sarah Vaughan lobs an explosive cocktail into Golden Age Crime to create something wholly new and deeply satisfying. I drank it up' SARAH HILARY, Sharp Glass

'This is a compelling story, with deep roots, which asks us to think about the stories we tell not just publicly, but also privately, to make up a life. It manages that rare trick of being both addictive and thoughtful' ARAMINTA HALL, One of the Good Guys

Generations of children have grown up with Dame Eleanor Kingman’s stories. Her status as the country’s best-loved storyteller is unrivalled. But now it is under attack. Because while her fans regard her as a national treasure, someone seems to know the truth about who she really is…

Eleanor is turning seventy and marking the occasion with a beautiful party at her new clifftop Cornish home. A retrospective television show has been commissioned to commemorate her and the great and the good will be there to toast Eleanor’s success.

But as her three daughters and her many friends gather, the stories Eleanor has been telling about her own life and family seem less and less convincing. Not every story has a happy ending: and every family has its secrets. As the threats against her escalate, will Eleanor be forced to tell the truth at last?