This is my second book by Gillian McAllister and yet again it is a fascinating tale. Told in 2 timelines, the present describes the conflict Izzy feels when her father, Gabe, is released from prison after 17 years for the murder of her mother. The other timeline is leading up to the murder of her mother and the aftermath. Not only did Izzy lose both of her parents but her life since that time took a very different path.
In the present, when Gabe returns to try and convince her that he is innocent he lies and tries to manipulate her. It is very interesting how well Gillian McAllister describes her feelings and how conflicted she feels - frightened of her father and what he may do to her and yet desperate to regain the love of a parent There is great depth to this book enhanced by the wonderful memories Izzy recalled of her childhood and her very close relationship with Gabe.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Gillian McAllister/Penguin Michael Joseph for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

McAllister really can do no wrong, knocking out one best seller after another. I've absolutely LOVED all her books so far, and this is no exception. Izzy suffers the worst possible ordeal, when her father is convicted of her mother's murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On the day of his release, he turns up at Izzy's restaurant, wanting to make amends. As they start to rebuild their relationship, Izzy is full of doubt about her father's crime. Did he really murder her mother? A woman who he had loved so much? This is such a good book, which not only tells a fascinating story, but also very cleverly portrays the effects of being in prison and how some people just cannot adjust to life on the outside. A very easy 5 stars.

The Evidence Against You is a brilliant psychological thriller set on the Isle of Wight ,a small community where everyone knows everyone .Izzy English's Father is set to be released from Prison on licence after serving seventeen years for killing her Mother .Izzy was only seventeen when her Father was convicted and only visited him once but now he wants to see her and she is not sure she wants to but has so many questions .This book grips you from the first chapter and takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and doubt ,twisting and turning such an emotional intense read and the ending was for me so unexpected .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

A gripping story of a girl who comes face to face with the man who was in prison for killing her mother.....her father! Gripping and full of twists, a good read

Another absolute must read by Gillian McAllister.
The book starts on the day Izzy’s father is due to be released from prison. He has served 17 years for the murder of Izzy’s mother. Did he commit murder or is he the victim of a miscarriage of justice? Should Izzy give her father a chance, should she listen to his side of the story? Is there more to this than meets the eye?
I absolutely loved this book. The characters of Izzy and her father, Gabe, are both very complex, as is their relationship. Izzy has good memories of her father in her childhood, understandably ripped apart when her father was arrested for the murder of her mother.
As reading the book I went back and forth between my feelings as to how the storyline could possibly be concluded, and was not disappointed with the outcome! Highly recommend this book for all fans of Gillian McAllister and first time readers of this author - you are in for a real treat.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Evidence Against You is talented crime writer Ms McAllister's most gripping thriller yet, told in a refreshing manner - we know about the crime committed and the person convicted, but when he continues to protest his innocence could he really have been subject to a miscarriage of justice? I very much enjoy the fact that the author knows how to craft a deliciously dark and twisted narrative but also raises some important ethical questions which will provide much food for thought. I read a lot in this genre and can usually guess where things are heading but not here; this is highly unpredictable with shocks and surprises the whole way through.

As always, this is a well thought out and constructed plot with superb characterisation and writing that draws you in from the very beginning. It flows nicely from page to page and becomes addictive and unpredictable pretty quickly. This is a fantastic, complex and intensely compelling psychological thriller which focuses on the catastrophic situation the characters find themselves in. Each character is broken as a result of the conviction and feelings of doubt, concern, family dynamics and the effects of the crime on both the family and the wider community are all explored.

All in all, an enthralling tale that is packed with suspense with a twisty and original narrative.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for an ARC.

I've read a few of this author and once again I've found this a really good read, cant wait for the next one, the twist is Brill ad per usual

A refreshing change to the crime novel format. The reader already knows what the crime is and who has been convicted for it - but were they really guilty? Along with the usual twists and turns one expects in a good story Ms McAllister also raises some interesting ethical questions around how prisoners are treated. I am already looking forward to her next book.
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book

The Evidence Against You by Gillian McAllister is an intriguing, thrilling and unpredictable read.

The plot of the novel was interesting. It held my interest, and I could not put it down. It was addictive.

This is the second novel of this author that I have read, and I have to say, her books get better and better each time.

Another hit for me! Gillian McAllister is quickly becoming my favourite crime thriller author. A definite recommendation!

ARC received from Netgalley.

Oh my goodness! What an amazing book! The Evidence Against You was truly unputdownable! I was so hooked I stayed up most of the night reading it to find out what I was missing, because I could not figure out what was real and what was a lie. I had no clue if Izzy’s father was innocent or not, and if he was I couldn’t even begin to decide who I thought was actually guilty. Usually with books like this I have suspicions but this one I just didn’t have a clue!

This is an utterly amazing thriller, I’m still thinking about it now and may very well be left with a major book hangover. This is the second book I have read by this author and I cannot wait to read more.

Cannot recommend this one enough it’s a must read! Five stars!

Quite enjoyed this book but found the constant back and forth from with characters and dates and times distracting
The ending was more of a fizzle than a bang
Saying that I wanted to finish the book

Wow! This is a packed read - a bit like eating a sandwich with so much filling you can hardly hold it together!

Izzy English's life fell apart the day her mother was murdered; then her father was found guilty of the crime and Izzy's life was never the same again. Now, having served his sentence he is returning to the place where Izzy still lives, and he wants her to help prove his innocence. Does she trust him, or is she afraid of him?

Unusually for me, I read this over a number of days - yep, life sometimes gets in the way of reading! Therefore I probably had more time to mull over events, both current and previous than I usually have, but even with that I still had no idea how it was going to end. There is so much information to process and doubt creeps through every single bit of it. Learning how things were in their family, enjoying Izzy's childhood memories, didn't make knowing who to trust any easier. I think I suspected every single character at one time or another! Did Izzy believe her father? Well, why should she when even I didn't know whether he was trustworthy or not!

An extremely well-plotted thriller with excellent characterisation which really comes alive on the page, and is a tremendously exciting fourth read from Gillian McAllister. The writing is lively, exciting and flawless, continuing to play on my mind even now when I have completed the story. I love that by the end any and all questions which arose during the book had been addressed and I'm already looking forward to what this author will come up with next - her books are becoming 'must reads' for me, and fully earn each one of the five golden stars I'm happy to bestow on it.

My grateful thanks to publisher Penguin for approving my copy via NetGalley. Of course, this review includes only my own honest and original opinions.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Gillian McAllister does it again with another 5 star read. The pages turn themselves, I didn’t want to put this book down.
Izzy English has lived with the fact for the past 18 years that her father was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for murdering her mother.
Today is the day he is being released on parole, Izzy isn’t sure how she feels, she has buried the traumatic events of her mother’s death and her father’s incarceration deep within herself, and yet she has the gut feeling that her father Gabe will contact her.
Gabe arrives at the restaurant which had belonged to his wife and which Izzy now runs, it is a few days before she agrees to meet him Izzy sees how broken her father is, imprisoned for 18 years, the loss of his wife and the loss of Izzy herself. Gabe still claims to be innocent and part of Izzy wants to believe him, but the police had a strong case against him. She finds herself meeting with him, a secret from her husband Nick who is a police analyst, and at each meeting she encourages her father to tell more of the story leading up to her mother’s murder.
It’s cleverly written, the doubt Izzy has always felt, family relationships, mistrust as memories of the same events differ, the ups and downs of her parents marriage. There is suspense and a few twists to the story. If you are a fan of Gillian McAllister then this book will certainly not disappoint. Highly recommend.

Loved this book. Loved the way it was written.
Kept me wanting to read until I got to the end, gripped all the way, I wanted to know all the reasons.
Loved the twists an turns in it.

The Evidence Against You by Gillian McAllister is a 4 star read.
This story took a little while to get going so I found it difficult to concentrate with n it at first but I’m glad I kept with it as it got better.
I’d recommend this book and this author as she really knows how to get into your head.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley.

The Evidence Against You is going to be another best seller for Gillian McAllister as this is an unputdownable flawless read.
Izzy English was only seventeen years old when her mother was killed and her dad was found guilty for this awful crime. Izzy only attended court for the day she gave her evidence so resulting in the guilty verdict and living with her mothers parents there was no doubt in her mind that her father was guilty. Fast forward and Gabe has been released and the first thing he does is to try and make contact with his daughter, he knows where she’ll be as she has stepped into her mothers footsteps and is running the restaurant they owned. Izzy is unsure wether to believe her father is innocent or not and has a turbulent ride trying to piece everything together.
This was a fantastic read and feel very honoured to have received and advanced reading copy, I don’t want to spoil the storyline but it will tug on your heart strings.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK, Michael Joseph for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

What happens to a woman if her mother is taken from her before she is fully formed as an adult?

On the night of Hallowe’en when she was 17 years old, Izzy English lost her mother. Not only did she lose her but her mother was murdered by her father. This wicked and depraved act defines her entire adult life. She reluctantly takes over the running of her mother’s restaurant and gives up her dream of being a ballerina. She couldn’t navigate the same route between the kitchen and tables and the bar, walking just like her mother, looking just like her mother with the same long, red hair and green eyes, so she changed the layout of the place altogether. But she has – secretly – kept so many things the same. The internal private things, like the order in which she keeps the cutlery in the drawers and the print of the tea towels. She changed the layout of the restaurant to stop the gossip – the Isle of Wight is a small community – but she kept the internal things the same to honour her mother.

Nineteen years into his life sentence her father is released from prison and brings her a letter which says "They said I was guilty. The press. Your mother's parents. The lawyers and the jury. And no doubt told you that too. The evidence all added up against me. But have you ever examined it for yourself? I am innocent, and I want you to tell my side of it." Izzy is in a quandary, she had the childhood, but she missed the infrastructure of family life, in adulthood, she thinks about what she wants to do, about what she believes. She casts about inside herself, but all she can find is other people's opinions. What does she think? Who is her father really? What is the truth? The very first contact her father made with her opened up the door to something. To doubt.

The author writes with passion and understanding, and the characters are larger than life. I was kept enthralled from start to finish. I did find the ending a little improbable, but it did not detract from a great read.

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

When Izzy’s father Gabe is released from jail after serving his sentence for killing her mother, he is still professing his innocence. But how much should she believe?

After enjoying Gillian McAllister’s previous novel ‘No Further Questions’ I was excited to read ‘The Evidence Against You’ which is a twisty crime thriller that focuses on family loyalty. I liked how the plot kept you guessing and changing your opinion of Gabe multiple times throughout the story. It’s a book that hooks you in and is an easy read -I finished it in just a few sittings.

I had a few problems with the plot itself though - I thought a lot of it was a bit too convenient to be realistic to be honest. The story itself is too strung out although I can kind of see why – you don’t get a full book otherwise and the story itself is quite a simple one. However, it does feel like all of the backstory and exposition could have just been told to Izzy in one sitting rather than being handed out in handy chunks whenever it was needed in the plot. This led to it feeling a little repetitive in places and the use of similar phrases dotted throughout didn’t help with this.

I personally found it unrealistic that Izzy, now 36 years old, had never looked at any information on her father’s crime and mother’s murder – surely you’d look up something later in life or have things explained by other people or just read bits on the news? I thought her character as a whole was a little annoying especially as she kept keeping secrets for no reason – she didn’t feel very well rounded. I found the end resolution to be a little disappointing too – it sort of fizzled out rather than giving me a big twist ‘oh wow’ moment. I had thought I had guessed what was going to happen and my idea was better than what actually happened, to be honest!

Overall The Evidence Against You is a twisty read but felt a little unrealistic for me. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I still hadn't quite made up my mind by the end of the book whether I was or wasn't actually enjoying it. I certainly wanted to find out what happened, but I didn't rush to complete other tasks in order to pick it up where I left off each time. It become more of a tsk to complete than a pleasure. However, the story wove its way along to a conclusion. The constant jumping back and forth and so called 'narrative' from character to character in unbelievable and unrealistic language sometimes, was aggravating. If you don't like that, then this may not be for you. Sad ending really after the slight anticlimactic reveal.

Another fantastic book from Gillian McAllister.
Izzy is contacted by her dad after he has been in prison for 18 years, accused of murdering her mum.
Izzy is now running the restaurant her mum used to own so her dad knows where to find her.
Her dad wants to talk and try and explain he is innocent, but Izzy is understandably a bit wary.
Her husband tells her not to have anything to do with him but working as a police analyst, to him everything is black and white.
For Izzy though the grey areas are starting to creep in and she wants to give her dad a chance.
She meets with him several times and slowly the story unravels.
I really felt for Izzy as one minute she thinks he’s innocent and then something else comes to light, which casts doubt on his version of events.
This is a gripping mystery thriller which will have you desperate to know what really happened.
Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.