Francine Day is a top London divorce lawyer, making her way amongst the great and the good, flying high in her career and close to making silk. Having come from a Northern comprehensive school background she's has had to work very hard to get to where she is and has fought several demons, including bi-polar disorder, along the way. Having saved hard for a tiny flat in the area she has coveted, life is looking good and the future is hers for the taking.

When rich and handsome Martin Joy strolls into her life, the chemistry crackles and Francine is stunned by her physical reaction to him. Despite knowing that getting involved with a client is a huge no, no, it's not long before she's given in to her desires and things have gotten way out of hand.

As their forbidden relationship grows, Francine grows suspicious and follows Martin's wife Donna. Surprised to see Martin follow Donna into her house and realising that their marriage may not be as over as the hiring of a divorce lawyer would suggest, Francine drinks too much and mixed with her bi-polar meds, she blacks out, finding herself waking up covered in blood in her neighbour's apartment with no recollection of most of the night before.

To make matters worse, Donna doesn't reappear after that night and an investigation is launched - Martin being one of the main suspects. Given that Francine's career could be over with this one indiscretion, she finds herself in an unenviable 'catch 22' situation - tell the truth and put herself and Martin at risk and ruin everything, or tell a few 'white' lies and hope that the real culprit is found before any harm is done. On top of this, she has some suspicions about some of Martin's friends, a growing situation with her manipulative neighbour, and then there's Martin himself - after all, he was apparently the last person that saw Donna alive, and a dead wife costs a lot less than a multi million pound divorce settlement…

With an unreliable narrator telling the story so you never really know what is real and what is not, a fast-paced, well written plot and well researched legal proceedings, this is a great book for those who like a twist in the tale.

Unfortunately Mine by J L Butler just didn’t live up to the hype for me. Billed as a riveting tale of psychological suspense I was expecting to be drawn in and gripped by a page turner. We have a divorce lawyer risking both her career and her sanity, her client who is the primary suspect in his estranged wife’s disappearance and a neighbour who appears to have an ulterior motive. With all this. I was expecting great things but sadly I found the whole book somewhat lacking. I also really didn’t like the main character Francine. Sorry but this book wasn’t one of my favourites. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and the author for the chance to review.

Fantastic book. I haven’t read anything else by the author so far but will definitely be on the look out for more. Great storyline kept me guessing as to the guilty party all the way through.

I really enjoyed this really great read. I found myself completely hooked and at times found myself holding my breath. I could really see this book becoming a film as it just has that kind of vibe about it. Parts reminded me of Fatal Attraction, but not. If that makes any sense at all.

The characters are all strong and really hold their own. This is a book in parts I will remember but in others not so much. The story is very suspense driven and that's why I can't really say much about it without giving up too much and spoiling the whole thing.

It's a big recommend from me.

So this novel keeps being described as “the next girl on the train”, which to some would be a major reason not to read it. Luckily I read the aforementioned novel before the hype and loved it. However, this one, I’m still a bit on the fence about...

Francine Day is quite something... there are moments in this novel where I felt sympathy for her, and moments when she had me frustrated beyond belief. Also, her behaviour isn’t exactly what you’d expect from someone in her position.

But then I suppose that’s the whole point of this novel. How love and/or lust (and obsession) can make us do some really crazy things!

Francine is a successful high flying divorce lawyer when she is appointed as Martin Joy’s divorce solicitor. Martin has everything, wealth, success, and is extremely attractive. Francine is immediately obsessed with him.

She knows that the attraction is wrong, but she can’t stop thinking about him. Circumstances lead them to meet away from the case and they embark upon a passionate and secret affair. And then Donna Joy goes missing. Presumed dead.

Martin is immediately suspected of her murder, despite there being little evidence against him. Deep down I knew he wasn’t responsible and there were several times where I thought I’d guessed the culprits identity, and what had actually happened to Donna, but each time I was proven wrong. By something unbelievable usually.

The final chapters of this novel saved it for me, from being totally ridiculous to just about believable. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it because I was still thinking about it days later. Let’s just say this novel is going to divide opinion and leave it there!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and raced through it. There were twists and dead ends, but it was totally gripping and intriguing with all loose ends satisfactorily tied up by the end.
Francine’s obsessive behaviour was credible, though at times I did wonder whether her professionalism would have prevented her doing certain things.
The characters were well drawn and believable, although not necessarily likeable. I liked the accuracy of Butler’s descriptions of London. When the setting moves into Essex, it becomes positively Dickensian in some of the descriptions of Dorsea Island, giving a sense of forboding.
A fabulous plane/train journey book, as you won’t want your travels to end until you’ve finished it!

Fran is a brilliant divorce barrister. A good friend. A great life. But it all starts to unravel when she meets her new client who becomes her lover. Then his ex wife goes missing. Who can Fran trust? This keeps you guessing till the end

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher, This was a really intense thriller, and I was hooked from the beginning. A must read.

This book just goes to show the lengths normal people would go to in the name of “love”
Francine seems to have it together but in a wonderfully woven tale with twists and turns you don’t see coming, you watch as her perfectly structured life derails and falls apart around her with life threatening consequences.
J L Butler deals well with tackling a mental health issue and shows how it can impact on day to day living
This book has it all, lies, deceit, jealousy, murder, love and friendship.
Will make a great holiday read!

I started this book and immediately loved it! I fell into reading this so easily and was swept along with the story. I enjoyed the obsessive, compulsive, distrust that ran through the book and the characters involved. Would definitely recommend.

Books that always start with the ending need to be good and full of twists and turns and constantly keep you guessing for obvious reasons well this book did just that and did it very very well. I thought I knew numberous times ‘who did it’ and even changed my mind back to previous guesses but didn’t quite get it right which made the book even more exciting and thrilling.
The opening scene describing how it was going to end made my heart face and my gut tighten - the description was faultless. I felt like it was happening to me.
The plot is very good and it is crossed with other famous books/stories but still it stood out for me.
I like and disliked all the characters at times which is a first for me and I enjoyed that the whole story was told from Francines View so no swapping and changing which was refreshing.
The characters are all strong and quite capable of doing the bad deed..... this really is worthy of a 4am bedtime. I could not put it down,

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

A good page turning beach read. Full of unlikable characters and satisfying plot twists which easily move the reader's suspicions among the main protagonists!

A tense, raunchy page turner. I did find myself getting a tad tired of Francine and I did guess the twist. I think the book will be well received, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Mine follows the story of junior divorce lawyer Francine Day who is representing Martin Joy in proceedings against his wife, Donna.  From the first time of meeting, Fran and Martin are instantly attracted to one another and begin an illicit affair.  Fran knows this is wrong and could affect her application to become QC but still she carries on, totally smitten with this man.  Then Donna doesn't turn up to the final hearing, things take a turn for the worse when she is reported as a missing person, what has Fran become embroiled in and could what the police are saying about Martin be true, surely not?

This story started off slow for the first couple of chapters but then it set off like a rollercoaster going down the first drop and never stopped racing till the end, it was an intense read and had me on the edge of my seat many times and the final twist was a total surprise!  This is a very well written debut novel and I look forward to reading more by this author, highly recommended.

I would like to thank Harper Collins UK for the auto approval and will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

Amazing book. Read it once and then went back and read it all over again. Beautifully written, with well drawn characters. Reminded me of Apple Tree Yard in some places. Very suspenseful, and creepy, but you can't put it down, once you start reading.

What a great book

Francine is a Divorce Lawyer, Martin is her client

Francine becomes quite close to Martin and then Martin’s wife goes missing

The pages will take you on a fast paced rollercoaster ride where is Martin’s wife? Is she dead or alive?

Good read highly recommended

After reading this book I was still a little confused by the start, I still don't know who the person was! Having said that this is a fast paced book with francine being the leading role, she is a barrister but just as she is about to become a silk her world takes some dramatic steps.
Never get involved with a client everyone knows that but sometimes the temptation is too much
Then his wife soon to be ex wife disappears and no one can find her, where is she?
There are suspects including the husband but who did it ???

An intriguing read full of suspense. This book drew me in from the start. What happened to Donna Joy or where is she? Fran Day is the lawyer dealing with the divorce of wealthy businessman Martin Joy and his wife Donna. Donna' disappearance is baffling and clearly Martin is prime suspect. The plot weaves a surprising whodunnit and each and every character was a credible suspect.. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

A great psychological thriller for fans of Apple Tree Yard and Anatomy of a Scandal. The protagonist here is Francine Day, an up and coming barrister whose speciality is divorce cases but, when she forms a romantic association with Martin, one of her wealthy clients whose wife has disappeared, her obsession for him threatens
everything she has worked for. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read and review Mine.