Loved this. Smart, compelling and brave - dealt with issues many thrillers shy away from. I was absorbed. More, please.

This is the first thriller I have ever read that features a Foreign Office specialist in the literary character of Gabriela who is tenacious, career-minded and ruthless in her ambition. After a return from a stint abroad, she begins to lead a double life and the fissures between Gabriela and her young family become more painful. Meanwhile, the life of the second protagonist, North London journalist Isobel, is also spiralling out of control due to her alcohol and drug addictions. How the paths of these two characters eventually cross puzzled me for a while but presented a good read. I felt some of the portrayals of contemporary London were a bit exaggerated, but it did not detract from a gripping, fast-paced and well-written story. Readers should also be aware, that this is the second book in a series of three. Reading the first book, Part of the Family (previously issued as The Most Difficult Thing) first might help in understanding some of the characters in A Double Life.

I would like to thank the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing mre with an ARC via my Kindle in return for my honest and unbiased review.

This is my second Charlotte Philby book and this one really hit the spot for me. Again the main character is female and in my opinion ruthless in some ways and selfish without a doubt without giving the story away Gabriela is the one with a double life living in London and Moscow we also have Isobel a journalist with a mission uncovering the dark network of human trafficking and as lives begin to unravel the two women’s lives cross and the personal cost of living with deceit revealed- this is dark and chilling and a world away from 007

Given the author's surname you could be forgiven for expecting a sy thriller but that really is not the case.

Gabriela works at the FCO counter terrorism unit and returning to work after maternity leave she encounters Isabelle, a journalist who witnesses an attack. Their paths and lives converge and this turns into a lively thriller regarding human trafficking and its consequences.

Well written and cleverly plotted with well drawn characters, this was an exciting and thought provoking read.

I'll be recommending this to all of my library friends - the Swindon Library is a star at the heart of this story of a mysterious man who arrives in town, checks into a local B&B and then takes to his bed and reads. He gives lists to his hosts of books to acquire from the library, and the narrator and her friends fall over themselves to fulfill his requests, reading the books themselves. The reader becomes a local celebrity and soon everyone in town wants to read too. I particularly love this vignette:

"At first, everyone at the library had been thrilled that so many people were taking out books, but then a man in Lydiard Millicent fell down the stairs while reading and broke his neck. Soon the librarians' delight turned to worry as there were hardly any books left on the shelves."

In her afterword, Alice Jolly talks about how members of the Swindon public library bookgroup contributed both book suggestions and ideas for the story, and I can't help but think one of the librarians may have had a hand. Although perhaps one went a little too far, because there is also this brilliant passage that made the cataloguer inside my soul laugh aloud:

"At our last book group, Susan told us more than we wanted to know about the Dewey Decimal System."

Rookie error, Susan. I spend my life talking about my garden at social gatherings because no-one - not even I - cares about Dewey.

Joking aside, both the main text and the afterword are absolute joys. I hope this will not be Alice Jolly's last library-based collaborative project, as she comes across as someone who really knows how to work in the setting. I'll be recommending her book, and her, to my friends across the library community, and think it only fitting to end this review with her words:

"I feel that I own the words but that the reader owns the white spaces around the words ... The white space is your and I know you will fill it with your own questions, thoughts and images. Welcome to the conversation. Make this story your own. Enjoy the magic - and the danger - of the written word."

If you like spy novels, then this is the book for you.

Very intriguing read. Well written and lots of detail about the two women that the book focuses on. I would have liked their paths to cross over a little sooner though.

Wow, I'm still reeling from the ending to this. Hard to explain without spoilers. I'm heading straight to read her first book "part of the family" as apparently that will help (just as well I'm on holidays). So if you want to be gripped and intrigued pick this one up. I'm giving it four stars because I've been engrossed might upgrade that to five if / when I understand the ending! I'm certainly keen for the next installment, There must be one surely?

I loved the characters and storyline but didn’t see how Gabriella could get away with her double life.

I preferred A Double Life to Charlotte Philby's previous novel but I'm still not enamoured. There are two women at the heart of this novel:
Gabriella, who leads a double life, married to Tom who takes charge at home caring for their children, while she works at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Until she no longer has her job, but continues to act as if she does. Isobel is a journalist for her local north London paper who one night witnesses an assault and decides to investigate it.

These two women's lives eventually converge at the end of the book, far too late in my opinion. There is no clue as their connection until the end, far too late in my opinion. There could have been some indications earlier on.

As for the ending, or lack of one, I was left most disappointed. I felt the same about Part Of The Family, the ending of which also left me confused. Charlotte Philby writes good plots but A Double Life was a tad far fetched in places. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper CollinsUK/The Borough Press for the opportunity to read and review it.

This is my first read of Charlotte Philby and it was not disappointing. ‘A Double Life’ centres around two women who are leading unconnected lives until they converge into one.

Gabriella lives with Tom and lands her dream job at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where she is assigned to a long stint in Russia. She becomes close to her mentor, Madeleine, who leaves the FCO as it becomes clear that their boss Emsworth has something to hide.

Isobel is a journalist on a local paper who has her own demons to deal with but is determined to investigate an assault she witnesses even though she was high on drugs at the time.

It is a sharp, distinctive plotline with well-defined characters and sometimes made me shake my head with despair as well as laugh and cringe with fear for what would come next.

If you want a fast-paced read with numerous twists and turns then this is for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, HarperFiction and Charlotte Philby for the ARC of ‘A Double Life’ in return for my honest review.

Good read. Highly recommended.

Absolutely loved this book!!! Would wholeheartedly recommend to all of my friends, and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Gabriela has landen her dream job as a senior negotiator for the FCO's counter-terrorism unit and when she gets a chance to live in Moscow she jumps at the chance and partner Tom is delighted for her.
Whilst living in Moscow she bumps into her boss having a meeting at a local restaurant when challenged he told Gabriela not to mention to anyone that she has seen him.
After returning home Gabriela discovers that she is pregnant and Tom is extremely excited even if Gabriela has to cut her chance of moving higher up the corrupt ladder.
Then we meet Isobel who works for the local paper but has a issue with drug and alcohol addiction.
After a heavy weekend of drugs and booze Isobel finds herself on Hamstead Health and believes she has just witnessed a woman being brutally attacked she runs away from the scene and the following day is not sure exactly what she has seen.
Her life as a reporter brings her to a life of human trafficking and Gabriel's life.

I did enjoy this book although I don't think that I liked Gabriella very much at all. For that reason I think it was more interesting that excruciating watching her double life come to a head. A little far fetched in places but an interesting escapist read nevertheless.

The Most Difficult Thing was Ms Philby’s debut novel which is a spy story with the unusual theme of the woman as a spy. So I was delighted to be introduced to her second novel which returns to the same theme.

The spy in question in this new novel is Gabriella who joins the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where she works for Emsworth and is supervised, or mentored by Madeleine. The two become close. Gabriella is keen to advance her career and her language skills have her slated to be sent to Moscow at some point. Married to Tom with two young children she flourishes in her work and Tom becomes the carer to the children.

Working on a local paper in Camden Isobel is a journalist who feels responsible for the death of her friend Jess in a road accident. Isobel has turned to drinking and drugs to help her to cope. After one binge she is walking home in the early hours of the morning when she witnesses an assault. Is she paranoid or is she being stalked and threatened – her friends and colleagues doubt her.

Isobel and Gabriella’s lives are very separate but issues start to overlap and converge.

Meanwhile things are moving on apace for Gabriella, after accidentally seeing her boss with two people in a restaurant in Moscow she takes a photo of the group and thinks things are a bit suspicious. Then she loses her job. Rather than tell her husband she pretends to go to work every day and then she meets Ivan and so begins her double life. Living between two men, two homes and 3 children.

A magnificent plot, twists and turns and questions. How can she live her life like this? Surely she must be really horrible; her poor children! We look at corruption within the civil service; trafficking, prostitution; the machinations of the spy network. The dogged persistence of the journalist.

However, I was puzzled by the ending; apparently Anna Witherall has committed suicide. I was at a loss. Then I remembered I was puzzled by the ending of The Most Difficult Thing.

Ms Philby – you are extremely clever and I for one, cannot wait for the next book.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of A Double Life, a stand-alone set in London.

Gabriela is a successful counter terrorism officer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office until her life starts to unravel. Isobel is a local journalist who sees a vicious attack on her way home. With no proof no one will believe her so she decides to investigate herself but finds herself threatened. Gradually the two women’s lives move closer to one another.

I have not read this author before but the synopsis made me think I might enjoy it but it’s not really my thing. It is slow in terms of momentum and concentrates more on the women’s emotions and reactions than on what is behind their experiences. It switches regularly between their voices to keep the reader up to date on where they are, not far, for most of the book. I didn’t understand the ending for either character. It seems inconclusive and raises more questions than it answers. What I will say, however, is that the novel is excellent at creeping unease and fear with both characters feeling it.

Both characters are well drawn although Isobel takes second place to Gabriela. This is fitting as Gabriela is the strong one with Isobel stuck in a mire of pain, drugs and alcohol. I absolutely loathed Gabriela who is selfishness personified. I can’t even begin to try and understand either her actions or her reasoning. She paints herself as a martyr making a big sacrifice for her family when really she’s shutting them out and fulfilling her own wants, mostly by lying on an epic scale. It wasn’t long before I couldn’t care less about her although it is probably a sign of strong characterisation to evoke such a response. Isobel I felt sorry for. She’s a mess but still has the get up and go to investigate what she saw however inexpertly. I warmed to her efforts. Could these different reactions be due to Isobel’s first person narrative as opposed to Gabriela’s third? If so, it’s clever.

A Double Life is not for me but I think that readers who enjoy a more character driven read will enjoy it.

A Double Life tells the story of two women, Gabriella and Isobel. Two women whose lives seem unconnected but who will be drawn into the same nightmare without being aware of the other.

Isobel is a journalist, but she is imploding with grief and guilt after the horrific accident that killed her best friend Jess. After a night of drinking and taking drugs, she witnesses an assault and begins to be haunted by what she saw, as well as being stalked by the person who saw her that night. She's told to say nothing or she will be killed.

Gabriella is married to Tom and has two young children. She works for the Foreign and Commonweath Office and loves her work, but things start to seem off as her boss Emsworth starts to act suspiciously. When she starts to get closer to the truth she is threatened and told to give up her job. She doesn't tell her husband that she's lost her job and spends her days pretending to go to work. A chance meeting with a man called Ivan, leads her into a complicated affair, and when she becomes pregnant she is forced to lead a double life as she can't bring herself to tell either men the truth.

But as Isobel investigates further into the assault and discovers there is more to it than she could ever imagine, we realise that Gabriella is in danger. Will she be able to escape the man she is now terrified of? Will Tom ever be able to forgive her lies and betrayal? Will Isobel ever discover the whole truth?

The ending does seem somewhat abrupt and leaves questions unanswered, I did feel frustrated at first but then remembered the author's other book (The Most Difficult Thing), that left me wanting more and realised how the two tie together. I definitely feel there is more to come to delve deeper into the worlds of these complex characters that Philby creates.

Thanks to Netgalley for a preview of this book. It was a good read but I felt the story dragged on way too much & the ending was really disappointing. It's a pity as the book started off really well but the tension & drama of the book kind of disappeared mid way and it was then easy to guess what would happen,

A Double Life by Charlotte Philby is probably a better, more satisfying read if you refresh your memory of Charlotte’s previous book The Most Difficult Thing. I didn’t think to do that and I got a little bit lost.....ending up going back to the first nook when I finished this one to try to recap (which is not easy on a kindle I’ll admit.) Anyway, back to this book.
Two main characters, Isobel and Gabriella. It’s somewhat confusing trying to follow two unrelated storylines. The character development does, however, hook you in and there are sufficient red herrings to keep you wondering. It’s not a short read and requires some concentration but, like another reviewer, I definitely preferred this more family based storyline than that of the previous book.
I found Gabrielle’s decision making and evolving emotional growth interesting and frustrating in equal measure. Isobel’s story has a bit of action and is clearly going somewhere which thankfully arrives at a revelation so that is definitely one aspect of the book that doesn’t disappoint. It also transpires that the two unrelated storylines actually do have a connecting point....and then at the end......oh no, wait, Charlotte apparently doesn’t do endings! Honestly! That doesn’t work for me. A cliffhanger is one thing but a seemingly random sentence/fact, in the middle of a story is just eminently dissatisfying (in my opinion of course.)
I would describe this book therefore as an enjoyable but a slightly stressful read and I’m not sure I have the discipline to go back to the previous book to get a better handle on it so I reiterate my advice to read/recap it first....if you’ve time.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.
First time reading this author and was intrigued by the connection to Kim Philby and would this influence the novel.
Told in the voices of Gabriela, working in the counter terrorism unit and Isobel, a journalist working at a local paper.
I found it hard going and difficult to follow in places although the writing style was good. I enjoyed the suspense within Isobel’s story but found the ending abrupt and confusing.

This is a very long and slow read but interesting and the tension is ramped up later in the book .It is set in London and Moscow and told through the two main characters Gabriella who works for FCO Counter Terrorist Unit and Isobel who is a journalist for a local Camden Newspaper.Slowly their stories vaguely intertwine but I was very disappointed at the very abrupt ending which left many questions unanswered ,after such a long read I thought the ending could have been better . Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .