Her Many Faces is an apt title as the reader is led through the murder trial of a young woman through the voices of men who played a part in her life.
Katie Cole is charged with the poisoning of four powerful men dining at their club where Katie is a waitress. Each chapter is dedicated to a different man, including her father, her oldest friend, her barrister, a journalist and an ex lover, who all paint a different picture of Katie. It is a clever way to tell the story as we never know who is telling the truth. The twist at the end is foreshadowed earlier on and is very clever. If you love a courtroom drama combined with a thriller and unreliable narrators, Her Many Faces will be right up your street. Highly recommended. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Vintage for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A really satisfying thriller, Her Many Faces keeps the reader on their toes as they work to figure out if the right person is being tried for murder. I grew up with Perry Mason and loads of other gripping trial dramas so found this right up my street. Katie/Kit Kat/Wild Kat/Katherine is many things to many people but which person is real and is she capable of murder?

What I enjoyed most was the number of points of view of, seemingly, disparate characters linked in some way to Katie or the media fascination with her trial. There were quite a few but they each play their part well. Red herrings? You bet, loads of them, but it's great fun weeding through them to determine what they know, how they are involved and what the true facts of the case are.

Most intriguing is that we never get to know Katie, herself, until the very end. It's mainly other character's thoughts/views/impressions of her and her actions. Deliciously twisty, it was masterfully delivered keeping me guessing to the very end. This was my first Nicci Cloke novel but it won't be the last. I found the tone, pace and action to be catnip and am keen to read more from her.

Very impressive and a great read!

Such a strong start, taking the reader is right into the meat of the story. There are several narrators in the tale; some of whom have been directly involved with Katie from her youngest days, while others only from the point of her being charged with multiple murder. The approach is deftly handled. We quickly see so many sides of the accused and of the many people around her, plus the narrators themselves.

Her Many Faces is a fluent blend of court-room drama, thriller and whodunnit with perfect pacing. The 'is she, isn't she guilty' is effortlessly sustained right up to the final paragraphs.

I read the novel in two sittings, but probably would have done it in a single sitting if the dog hadn't needed feeding and walking. I'm now off to track down another Nicci Cloke book...

This book was a strange one for me. The writing style was interesting but the story even more curious. There were times that I wasn’t sure I even wanted to continue, but there was something about this story that had me wanting to know the answers.

The title is apt as each chapter is delivered from a set of character’s POV and how they knew the main FMC who had been arrested for killing someone important at a social club. (Not a spoiler)

It was a good book —> interesting characters, twisty, unreliable and dark at times.

I really enjoyed this book. Katie Cole has been charged with poisoning 4 men at the private club where she worked as a waitress. She denies the charges. The story is told from the viewpoints of a number of people involved in her story. Her father, her oldest friend, her barrister, a journalist and a previous lover help to paint a picture of Katie. I liked this style of story telling and it kept me on the edge of my seat to the end. There's also a good twist at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC.

This story is told from five different male perspectives about a young woman named Katherine who has been accused of murder.

They all thought they knew her but the question is did they?

From all the narration that is told by men, it really is up to you to decide whether or not Katherine is guilty or not guilty.

I really thought the way Nicci Cloke wrote this story was absolutely brilliant and you could easily devour this book in a day. I really did not see the ending coming of this book. However when the ending came and was told it really did make sense.

I really thought this book was fast paced, clever and very original. So many twists and reveals.

The perfect thriller!

This is not the usual type of thriller that I read, but wow, it was so enjoyable. The premise hooked me straightaway. When four very wealthy, very powerful men are poisoned at an exclusive members only club, a young waitress is arrested for their murder. The evidence? Her fingerprints on the poisoned brandy bottle and her words when she was arrested. ‘They deserved it’. As the media frenzy starts we have alternating POV from 5 men who know Katie: Tarun, her barrister; John, her father; Max, the reporter hoping that her story will catapult him to the big time; Gabrie;, a childhood friend and Conrad, a former lover. We also hear, through these POVs about Katie’s obsession with conspiracy theories. Five version so which is the true one? And, is she guilty or innocent? With some of the POVs being in the past and some in the present we have bias, we have unreliable narratives, we have those who have their own agenda in portraying Katie as they do. Add onto this a second half that is court-room drama and this book has everything. I found it impossible to tie Katie down as there were twists and revelations and the ending was excellent. A super read and as I hadn’t come across this author before, I’ll make a point of looking out for her in the future.

A fascinating read! When 22 year old Katherine Cole is tried for murdering four men, we get to follow the trial through the eyes of five men who see her in very different ways. Her father, her lawyer, her school friend, her lover and a journalist. I've never given this any thought before, but it's a genius concept as any person will be perceived very differently by the people who know them in different contexts. A father is always going to see his little girl in a very different way to a journalist trying for a career-defining scoop, for example.

Which version is the real Katherine? And is she a killer? A twisty slow-burn read that dissects every single element of Katherine's personality, every moment of her life and everything that has ever influenced her.

Guilty? Or Innocent?

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Nicci Cloke and Random House Vintage for an ARC of this book.

This was a really gripping read. Fast paced and told from 5 men’s perspectives of Katie who is accused of the murder of 4. The short chapters and changing perspectives kept the story moving with a number of twists and turns as these 5 narrators told 5 very different version of a young woman. I was kept guessing the whole way through and really enjoyed the ending.

Wow, what a ride! This novel is a fast-paced journey that dives deep into the complexities of identity and emotion. Cloke's masterful storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat with every gripping twist and turn. It's not just thrilling; it’s emotionally insightful, pulling at your heartstrings while leaving you breathless with anticipation. I found myself completely addicted to the characters and their journeys. It's an ingenious read that will challenge your perceptions and keep you guessing until the very end. Recommend it.

Thanks to net galley and the publishers for an advanced ecopy in exchange for a review.
The book opens with a bang and I was immediately interested . I liked the different chapters being from different characters POV.
We begin by Katie being suspected of murdering 4
men at a private members club where she worked as a waitress. I liked the insight into conspiracy theories and the impact they can have. I enjoyed the writing and will be recommending

Would you be able to rely on five men from your life to give you a good character reference for you when you are on trial for murder? This is what happens to Kate and although we hear briefly from her at the start and end of the book, the story is told by the five men. Certainly a different way to tell a story and as the scenes are all set, it begins slowly, building and building up to climax. First time that I've read this author and enjoyed this alternative approach.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

Her Many Faces completely pulled me in with its unique structure and haunting ambiguity. Told through the eyes of five men who knew Katherine Cole—the young waitress accused of poisoning four powerful men—it’s less a whodunit and more a chilling exploration of identity and perception. I loved how each narrator painted a wildly different version of Katherine: a sweet daughter, a manipulative lover, a conspiracy-obsessed loner, even a cold-blooded killer. It made me question not just her guilt, but how much we ever truly know someone.
Nicci Cloke’s writing is razor-sharp, and the courtroom scenes had me on edge. The way she weaves in themes of gender, power, and media bias felt timely and unsettling. I found myself flipping back to earlier chapters, trying to piece together the truth—and still doubting everything. It’s a smart, layered thriller that lingers long after the final page!

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read!

Kate is a,ways perceived as a bit of an enigma in her family especially after the death of her brother. She finds herself working at an exclusive men’s club in Mayfair. Four men in a private dining room are found dead and Kate is arrested. The story is told by her dad, her barrister, her friend, and a journalist. Really clever writing.

This was a study of people, especially from 5 male viewpoints and then Katie herself. Katie had been arrested for the murder of 4 famous men who all had money galore and she was there waitress. From the start the POVs from the 5 men were so different that it made it difficult to work out whether she was guilty or not, just who do you believe? At the end the real Katie came alive and the end twist was excellent..
Once the people were established this was a great psychological suspense read.

A sharp, layered psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the final page.

When four powerful men are poisoned at an elite London club, waitress Katherine Cole becomes the prime suspect. But who is Katherine, really? A devoted daughter? A manipulative lover? A radicalised loner? Or something else entirely?

Told through the eyes of five men who each knew her differently, Her Many Faces is a masterclass in perspective, bias, and the stories we tell about women. It’s part courtroom drama, part character study, and all-consuming suspense

Her Many Faces is a gripping and inventive psychological thriller told through five sharply drawn male perspectives: John (her father), Tarum (lawyer), Conrad (lover), Gabriel (childhood friend), and Max (a journalist), each offering a distorted yet revealing lens on Katie Cole’s identity and alleged crime.
When Katie is arrested for poisoning four influential men at London's elite Marsh House club, the novel unspools her story in non-linear, first-person accounts. Each chapter peels back another layer of her life, allowing readers to piece together thuths and falsehoods. The structure is both compelling and intellectually engaging.
By fragmenting the narrative, Cloke forces readers to confront how perception shapes truth and how easily a woman’s story can be reduced or silenced when told by the men around her. Katie emerges as a multi-faceted and enigmatic protagonist. She is sweet, obsessive, troubled and possibly dangerous. Yet we only hear her voice directly at the very end.
Her Many Faces is a sophisticated thriller, emotionally riveting, structurally daring and socially provocative. Nicci Cloke expertly unpicks how memory, gender, power and digital paranoia converge to distort one woman’s image until she has almost no control over her own narrative. It’s a novel that lingers and compels you to ask who you believe and why?
This book deserves to be widely read. Five stars, highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

This was a good storyline but something about the way it was written made it hard to follow. I found myself often reading back a few pages to see what was going on. So I found it a bit disjointed.
Lots of short chapters told through the eyes of many characters all revolving around Kate who to each person was a slightly different person.
As the book developed it became easier to follow and work out the story. In fact by the end of the book I was pleased to have continued to read as it was a good plot, nicely told and did not go where I had expected it to.
3.5 star read

A great thriller written in such a way that sucks you in from the first page
I loved the way the suspect was shown in different POV to give the reader angles to how people saw them.
Really enjoyed it and would recommend to other readers

In her psychological thriller, Her Many Faces, Nicci Cloke develops a multi-perspective narrative that examines how one woman can be perceived so differently through multiple male perspectives. Her Many Faces is a compelling exploration of truth, perception, and the dangerous power of conspiracy theories in our modern world.

When four influential men are poisoned at London’s exclusive March House club, waitress Katherine Cole becomes the prime suspect. As her trial unfolds, five men who knew her – her father John, journalist Max Todd, former lover Conrad Milton, childhood friend Gabriel, and defence lawyer Tarun Rao – each give us a different version of the Katherine they know. Through their eyes, we see her as a beloved daughter, an obsessive lover, a troubled young woman influenced by online conspiracy theories, and potentially a cold-blooded killer.

Cloke skilfully weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives, creating an Escher-like painting of Katherine’s life before and after the murders. Each of these men brings their own preconceived notions, blind spots, and distrust to Katherine’s story, making readers question whether they can trust any of these versions of Katherine.

I enjoyed the way that Nicci Cloke chooses men to define Katherine’s character, because, of course, they all want something from this young woman. This choice adds layers to Katherine’s character while commenting on broader societal issues of gender and power dynamics.

Katherine emerges as a fascinating and complex character. Through different perspectives, we see her evolution from a sweet, artistic child to a young woman capable of murder. Cloke keeps readers guessing about Katherine until the very end.

Each of the five main male narrators has a distinct voice. John’s sections are filled with parental love and guilt. He is a father who wishes he had his child, his Kit Kat back in his arms. Max is a tabloid journalist, obsessed with getting clicks and headlines, but intelligent enough to dig away at the truth.

Conrad is a social-climbing sleazebag. His behaviour towards Katherine is exploitative and inexcusable. Gabriel is a childhood friend. A lonely boy, he grew up to be a lonely young man. Easily led, he is a mixture of naivety and lovelorn.

Tarun is a barrister, recently returned to the bar after a breakdown. His ability to show professional detachment is in doubt, and early on in the trial, he begins to question both his client’s innocence and his judgment.

Cloke’s prose is sharp and precise, with each narrative voice feeling authentic and distinct. The pacing is well-handled, with revelations carefully timed to maintain tension throughout. The courtroom scenes are compelling, balancing legal procedure with psychological drama.

Underlying the case is a thread about conspiracy theories and how the internet and conspiracy theories can capture young and impressionable minds seeking an answer to their problems. These conspiracy theory elements occasionally threaten to overwhelm the character studies.

Verdict: Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke is a psychological thriller that examines truth, perception, and the ways we construct our identity through the eyes of others. While not perfect, it’s an achievement that questions assumptions and biases alongside the effects of trauma and gender bias.