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A Novel
by Philippa Malicka
As a sensational celebrity libel trial unfolds, a young woman at the periphery secretly wields the power to make or break the case. But with her own hidden past, will she dare to speak up?
Everyone is watching. Only one person knows the truth.
The whole country has been riveted by the trial: Beloved TV star and national treasure Anna Finbow, standing in court, accusing her daughter's therapist Jean Guest of brainwashing her daughter Mary for her own financial gain. Jean insists Mary's traumatic memories arise from her upbringing and her time studying at a prestigious art school in Rome; wounds only Jean's therapy can heal. But as the trial unfolds, it's Augusta "Gus" Bird, Anna's former employee—a seemingly insignificant bystander, a nobody—who holds the key to unraveling the tangled web of lies and deceit.
What really happened to Mary in Rome? And if her memories can't be trusted, how will they ever uncover the truth behind her estrangement? Twisty and propulsive, In Her Defense is a compulsively readable debut for fans of Lucy Foley and Laura Dave.
"The crackling story toggles effortlessly from past to present as the depth of the characters' betrayals and manipulations comes out in open court, especially once Gus takes the stand. This serpentine courtroom drama will captivate readers." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Readers will be on tenterhooks waiting for the outcome of the trial." —Kirkus Reviews
"Philippa Malicka delivers both a twisting courtroom trial and a haunting character study in this wholly absorbing debut. In Her Defense explores the reliability of memory, the shifting nature of truth, and the fine line between obsession and love. I was completely hooked from the first page to the very last!" —Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of You Belong Here
"A haunting and twisty story of obsession, memory, and the blurred line between healing and harm. Part courtroom drama, part psychological love story, In Her Defense will stay with you long after you've turned the final page." —Liv Constantine, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish
This information about In Her Defense was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Philippa Malicka was born in Essex and now lives in London. She is an alumnus of the Prose Fiction MA at the University of East Anglia. Her nonfiction has appeared in The Sunday Times (London), The Sunday Telegraph (London), and Grazia among others. In Her Defense is her first novel and has been longlisted for the Bridport First Novel Award.
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