Well... this book hit the ground (sorrynotsorry) running, sucked me in from the off, held me captive throughout, spitting me out at the end, exhausted but wholly satisfied. I also read it in a day, only stopping for the absolute necessary. Tbh it practically read itself to me, the words flying off the page...
So, we start with an empty passenger plane which is on a ghost flight with only the pilot and co-pilot aboard. Both die on impact and, when we first meet her, journalist Carly Atherton is desperately trying to get hold of her brother who flies for the airline. She does eventually get hold of him but subsequently learns that he was supposed to be on that flight but went sick. Only to be replaced by his best friend who was also Carly's ex-boyfriend Luke, as co-pilot.
Carly's journalistic instincts are piqued by the whole concept of ghost flights -which I will leave you to learn about from the author - as well as finding out what happened to cause the plane to crash. Especially when confirmed there was no mechanical reason. So she starts to try and interview the deceased pilot, Danny's, family. Build up a picture... Initially, only his sister, Izzy, will talk to her, but eventually his wife, Grace, agrees, reluctantly, as she feels Carly needs another side to the story... and boy what a story it all turns out to be. Quite uncomfortable reading in parts too...
Playing out in the present as Carly conducts her interviews, alongside the official investigation, we also, courtesy of these interviews, delve back to the past. To see how Grace met Danny, how the two families combined and, most importantly, the relationship between the sisters-in-law.
Oh My Days... what an uncomfortable and compelling read this was. As well as the crash, we also learn more about Carly and Luke's relationship and what happened there. Speaking mostly to Carly's motive and determination to get to the truth. We also learn about her own fall from grace and how she found herself in the position she is in when we first met her.
Again Oh My! What a character we have in Izzy... so uncomfortable reading about her. But again, you need to discover this as the author intends. Suffice to say she is hands down one of the best worst characters I have read in ages. Probably also top 10 overall, no mean feat considering the sheer volume of this genre book I read.
As well as a tough read in places, it's also quite emotional. I already said I devoured it in a day but I do have to admit that, on occasion, once or twice, I had to take a wee break from it. I was so angry...
So hats off to the author for a cracking piece of characterisation.
All in all a blooming cracking read that I wouldn't be surprised remains in my top ten of the year. I wonder what she will deliver up for me for next time. And... if you haven't already read The Silence Project, also by this author, I would also recommend that too.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

‘Scenes From A Tragedy’ by Carole Hailey is a fascinating, challenging and totally addictive novel about so much more than the plane crash reported in its first pages… Told via narrative segments based on the recollections of two women who both lay claim to Danny (one of the two pilots on board the doomed vessel), first-person interludes from journalist Carly who is piecing there stories together, articles and a very revealing transcript, the book deeply explores corrosive relationships.

I was completely captivated from beginning to end of this novel, enthralled by Izzy and Grace’s stories and rooting for Carly to uncover the answers she desired and find her place within the journalistic community. Highlighting the environmental impact of ghost flights (passenger-less journeys to retain landing slots) was interesting, but the enthralling tale of the worst kind of family dynamics was what kept me reading.

I don’t want to give away too many details, but I truly recommend this to pretty much everyone… If you were obsessed with ‘Inventing Anna’ on Netflix, if you avidly read ‘Close To Home’ and ‘Making A Killing’ by Cara Hunter, or if you enjoyed ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn, you won’t be able to resist this one!

This gets five stars from me because I was addicted, and won’t forget it for a while…

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Atlantic Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

"If you hurt me, I'll hurt you. Not right away of course, because where's the fun in that?" This chilling sentiment sets the stage for a gripping thriller that delves into the shadowy corners of human nature. When a passenger jet plummets into the Lake District, claiming the life of her ex-boyfriend, journalist Carly Atherton embarks on a quest for answers. What begins as a search for truth soon spirals into a descent into a twisted family drama, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator.
The author masterfully weaves a narrative of suspense, drawing Carly into the conflicting narratives of the co-pilot's widow and sister. These divergent accounts paint a portrait of a seemingly average family, yet beneath the surface lurks a darkness that Carly is compelled to uncover. As she probes deeper, she unearths the unsettling truth: the bonds that unite can also become instruments of destruction, and malevolence can reside in the most unexpected places.
One of the book's strengths lies in its meticulous portrayal of psychopathic tendencies. The author's evident research lends a chilling authenticity to the characters, making them both compelling and unsettling. This dedication to psychological realism elevates the narrative beyond a simple mystery, transforming it into a study of the human psyche's capacity for darkness.
The narrative is a masterclass in suspense, keeping the reader guessing until the very end. The author skillfully doles out clues, ensuring you'll identify the culprit, but the "why" remains shrouded in mystery until the final, devastating revelations. Emotionally, the journey is a turbulent one, a rollercoaster ride that leaves you breathless and pondering the depths of human depravity. Scenes from a Tragedy is a must-read for those who enjoy psychological thrillers that leave a lasting impact.

This was such a great read, it was so well written! It had me gripped immediately and I had to finish it as I had no idea of how it would end.

I have always wanted to read a Carole Hailey book and was not disappointed. Absolutely superbly written and kept me gripped and intrigued right to the end. A fabulous read, just as I suspected it would be!

Many thanks for sharing this ARC copy with me.

wow this was brilliant. i dont think you are meant to love a book with such topics so much are you? well tough because it was fab!
from the plot to the characters it kept me excited and jittery the whole way through. the psychopaths amongst us. i mean wow. the telling of this characters was just a class act.
when i read the blurb. and saw it as a thriller about an ex girlfriend wanting to redeem her career and heal her guilt about her boyfriends plane crash i was immediately intrigued. but my oh my nothing could have told me how much more to this book there was and therefore how much more of a thrill it was for me!
i cant go into it too much as i want any reader who comes next to be just as surprised and delighted as i was every time i read a new page. and believe me every page in this book is worth it.
i wish i could re read this book all over again. it was just brilliant.

The premise of this book is you’ll know who did it, but you won’t know why until the end. I found this really intriguing and was so excited to read. The book is less a whodunnit and more a character study into the mind of a psychopath, why they made the decisions they did and the effect they had on the people around them. It’s a longer read for lit fic, but I raced through it over an evening and a half. I really really enjoyed this one, as you delve further into the mind of the person (truly) responsible for the accident, you can’t help but wonder if anyone could really be so unlikeable and evil. Many times I wanted to shake the journalist protagonist for the choices they made being sucked into the whole mess. Definitely worth a read.

A tense thriller told about the reason for a plane crash in the Lake District that leaves two pilots dead. Through a series of interviews with one pilot's sister and wife, the truth is slowly revealed. Hailey's The Silence Project packed a punch, but this new novel was a bit disappointing. Well written yes, but fairly obvious as to what had happened and why it caused the crash. Not one for me.

Well, I have been silenced by this novel _ ironic as the author wrote a book on it before! - for the sheer brilliance of perception that it contains. There's a plane crash but that is not even a main part of the plot in a way. Who thinks what, who believes what and what things look like - it's all a study in what on earth is going on in peoples heads. It's a psychological thriller with added psycho and added thrill.

I did enjoy this book although some parts were quite unbelievable. It was fast paced and read it all in one sitting. Worth a read!

Scenes for a Tragedy was suspenseful and tightly plotted with a creeping sense of menace and an incredibly compelling plot.

Buckle up because you are in for a wild ride. Every time I thought I knew where the narrative might be going, Hailey outfoxed me again. This is a deep dive into the monstrosity humanity is capable of in a true crime gloss. Carole Hailey excels at writing these wonderfully knotty characters that you just need to know the truth of. It is complicated and fractured with a cat and mouse tension that is escalating with every chapter. You are constantly questioning everything and Hailey sits in that ambiguity and uncertainty wonderfully. Carly is caught up in this web by her own grief and desire to find out the truth. The question really is what will she uncover in her pursuit as she becomes entangled in something very different to what she expected.

The plot itself is fast-paced yet has plenty of time to develop these characters so they leap off the page and sit with you long after the final page. That combination is intoxicating and causes the pages to just fly by. You know the ultimate outcome but it is the question of why that is just all-consuming. Hailey builds the suspense wonderfully, leading you down the rabbit hole. This is the type of book you should go into knowing very little and just hand the reins over to Hailey. However, I must admit, this has one of the most explosive and truly stomach-churning final thirds I have read for quite some time. It is sickening and tragic in a deeply human way.

Scenes for a Tragedy lives up to its name in a tale of obsession and revenge in a twisted tragedy.

I started this one night during a bout of insomnia and I've never been so glad to not be able to sleep; it was so captivating. It was compelling instantly. I don't know what I was expecting but it blew any expectations I did have out of the water, it was so good.

It's written in the form of...well, it looks like a plain prose, narrative book, but it also contains pieces of articles, transcripts, a book within a book. I reads as a standard novel would and so any formatting is not obvious as to put you off and so you're lost in it. And then you get a bit that reminds you what you're actually reading and that gives it another layer.

At 480 pages we're definitely pushing my general dislike for long books. 300-400 tends to be my favourite, and I have only read a handful of 500+ books worthy of that page length, and so I was concerned this would be similar. But I read it so quickly, like a shorter book, because it was so addictive.

It's a thriller but a quiet thriller. It's more about what people can do, what they think, how they trust, how they lie, how they love and lose. It's a really good character study too because you're not 100% sure about anyone. You almost forget that this plane crash has happened, so absorbed you are by the characters. For me, this isn't even about the plane crash, that's incidental. This is a character study and a bloody good one at that.

Carly is our struggling journalist who has a personal connection to the plane crash and sets out to find out what really happened. But she's really just there to tell the other characters' stories.

Danny is the main pilot in question, Grace is his wife, and Izzy his sister. We don't get to know Danny much, only through the accounts of the two women and they have differing memories. I felt a bit sorry for Grace. She's painted as this villain by Izzy, but I don't think she is. She's a bit of a wet weekend and I wish she would stand up for herself a bit more. And Izzy...well there's definitely something of a psychopath about her. I hated her so much (thanks to good writing), to the point that I'd get angry when it was her turn to talk. I won't spoil it and say why, but she got under my skin and I really didn't like it.

I read a lot of books. That shouldn't come as a surprise to those who have read my other reviews. We're talking 300-350 a year. Some of which are not good, others middling, and others fabulous, and this definitely goes into the latter category. It is just phenomenal writing. I can't quite explain why exactly. It's moving, it's so clever, so detailed, so rich. It's not an exaggeration to say that I think it could be studied in classes on how to write intelligent psychological thrillers.

I have got a copy of Carole's previous book - The Silence Project - but for whatever reason I haven't read it yet - it does look pretty on my shelf though. But after reading this, I'll definitely be moving it up my tbr list.

A psychological drama about the aftermath of a terrible plane crash. Overlong in places, it is cleverly written and very different. I enjoyed The Silence Project by the same author but this novel did not quite hit the same mark.

A good page-turning thriller that looks in detail at what it's like to live with a master manipulator who can't feel empathy, this one strikes me as a great read for a beach, plane or train. It's a good length but the subtle menace and threat of 'what will they do next' will keep you turning the pages.

For me, the narrative structure of the story being a work of long-form journalism didn't work (as a regular reader of long-form journalism/non-fic), I would have preferred it as a straight-forward two-POV novel - but no reason to think it'll bother anyone else.

I did also find it a little long in places without enough 'new' information or looming threat to keep me completely hooked, but ultimately I did feel I had to read to the end. It seemed reasonably obvious from the first section who and what was the issue, so there were times when I just wanted something more unexpected to happen!

This book left an indelible mark on me. The author's phenomenal writing drew me in, and I was fully immersed in the story. Initially, I was skeptical about the unconventional approach of revealing the perpetrator from the outset, but my doubts were quickly dispelled. The author expertly crafted the villain, making me eager to unravel the motivations behind their actions.

Emotionally, this book was a rollercoaster ride, evoking feelings of anger, frustration, despair, and anticipation. The character development was exceptional, making it easy to become invested in their stories. The use of multiple formats, including articles, interviews, and first-person narratives, added depth and realism to the plot.

The author's meticulous research, evident in their acknowledgments, paid off in creating a believable and gripping story. With this being only her second novel, I'm eagerly anticipating her future works and will definitely be reading her debut.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy. I'll be highly recommending this thriller to everyone when it's officially released in March!

This was a clever book and I liked the writer's style and pacing and the very different POVs of the two main protagonists.
I was slightly less interested in the forensic psychologist which read more like a textbook than part of the main story. I was also disappointed that having talked a lot about ghost flights the author made no mention of them or research she had used in the
acknowledgements.
Thank you to netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of this book
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

All I can say about Scenes of a Tragedy, is WOW

We follow Carly, who investigates a deadly plane crash, where two pilots were killed when their plane hit the side of a mountain. What follows is the introduction of a psychopath, and how their actions have affected the lives of all thoses around them

This was written so incredibly well, I could not put this down!

This is different from anything I’ve ever read before and so, despite the odd predictable part, I found it really refreshing.

When a plane crashes over the Lake District towards the end of the Covid lockdown, killing the two pilots on board, Carly, a disgraced journalist and ex-girlfriend of one of the dead men, vows to find out what happened.

We find out who caused the fatal crash very early on in the book, but what we don’t know is why. Through Carly’s interviews with the wife and sister of Daniel Taylor, the pilot who died alongside Carly’s ex-boyfriend Luke, we find out what made Daniel tick and what, or, who, influenced him throughout his life.

A really gripping read, character driven and very well written.

3.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Carole Hailey and Atlantic for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow. This is a book that moved me and made an impact. The writing was phenomenal, I got completely sucked into the story. I was skeptical when the beginning of the book says that you’ll know who did it but not necessarily why because a lot of times thrillers make you wonder who did it and that’s where the twist happens to grip the reader. I couldn’t have been more wrong about my doubts. The author did such a good job with the villain that even knowing right away, I was completely invested in digging deeper and finding the meaning of it all. Emotionally, it was a rollercoaster. I felt anger, frustration, despair, and a feeling of anticipation throughout the entire book. I’ll try not to give any spoilers but the character you’re meant to hate is written in such a way that you will feel those emotions and want a sense of justice. The complexities of the plot make the story so realistic it almost feels like it could have been told from actual events. The combination of articles, interviews/transcriptions, and first person POV with the notes after each interview gave so much clarity to the characters and really made them feel real. You will be invested in this story and how everything unfolds. The author did mention in her acknowledgments that she conferred with experts in the aviation and psychology industries and you can tell. This is her second novel but I’m already anticipating many more from her and will definitely be reading her first novel

A plane crash unites a journalist with the pilots family, which changes any belief the crash was an accident.

Carly sets out to investigate the crash as she knew the first officer, little does she know on meeting the pilot’s sister that she would be meeting a woman that changed and poisoned his entire life. Izzy, is a masterclass in writing a malignant narcissist, which only becomes more engrossing when you hear from Daniel’s wife.

I only wish I could read this book again for the first time. The sleepy, calm writing is in direct contrast to the things you are hearing giving you a sort of uncanny satisfaction from this book.

Incredible.
I look forward to reading more by this skillful writer.

I received this eARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review, which this is. Thank you so much to both NetGalley and the publisher.