Excellent mystery written in such a way that sucks you in.

I loved the way the suspect was portrayed from many different people, giving many angles to how people saw her and this was relatable and timely for me.

Simple premise, well executed. I thoroughly enjoyed.

I had high hopes for this book and I am sure that there are loads of people who will absolutely love it but sadly, it wasn't for me.
Catherine Cole (Katie) was a waitress in an exclusive London club, when four wealthy patrons were murdered Katie was in the frame, she was accused of their murder.
This story is told in the second person and from various points of view and through various timelines, the points of view are of the men in her life including her father, it was quite intriguing reading how the different characters perceived Katie's story so differently.
The book is written is short chapters which I like but it is the chopping and changing of the narrators that I found a bit confusing, I had to keep looking back to remind myself who they were, I also found the story dragged on for too long and I couldn't bring myself to like any of the characters.
Please note that this is my personal point of view and perhaps I just chose the wrong book for me.
Thank you Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is totally voluntary.

4.5 stars rounded to 5.

This was a gripping thriller that had me questioning the accounts of each character as the story unfolds. I really enjoyed the unique writing style, telling the narrative from each of 5 men's perspective on the main protagonist, Katie. I love a good multiple POV and felt this one was really unique in hoe it was written, with each character addressing the main protagonist in the first person.

I enjoyed how the story led me to suspecting certain characters and narratives, and the story's conclusion. I enjoyed the pacing, it had me saying "just one more chapter" right to the end. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

It explores the complexity of family dynamics, and delves into the depths of online conspiracy, and the true threat lies and misinformation can pose.

Trigger warning -
suicide
peadophilia
sexual assault

By Jove, Nicci Cloke knows how to maintain the suspense! One of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a while, the well-paced delivery lets the readers think they know who to blame, where the storyline will go, how it will end. The cast of characters is marvellous – each with their suspicions and each convinced they are right. Each is cleverly developed, their stories original and interesting. The entire novel is an exciting read, with an utterly unexpected, ingenious and unforgettable closure. A terrific read.

A very enjoyable and well-written book. I really liked the use of different characters' perspectives as this helped to build intrigue, atmosphere and curiosity. A great read - highly recommended.

The premise of this was brilliant! It is paced well with authentic characters. I struggled with the changes between the characters but it did add to the suspense.

I would definitely recommend this book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

An enjoyable and well written book. I especially liked the way the different perspectives of her story evolved. They were all 'written' by the five characters who were involved with Katie Cole. Her father, school friend, lover, journalist and lawyer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance copy of this book.

This book is brilliant! I really enjoyed it. The writing style is so unique and stuck with me long after I finished it. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in future,

I enjoyed the narrative structure of differing viewpoints and trying to figure out who to trust. The earlier accounts of Kat's life were the most interesting for me. My attention waned as the more 'political' and convoluted parts of the plot took over.

Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage / Harvill Secker, the author, and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Few books cry out for a Book Club discussion quite like Her Many Faces - a thought-provoking and cleverly structured psychological thriller that will have you questioning everything and everyone.

Is she guilty...or innocent?
That is the question at Katie's trial. But the real question is “Who gets to decide what a woman is and what she’s capable of?”

The most haunting line, spoken by Katie, in Her Many Faces is also the most ambiguous -
“They deserved it!”

It becomes the fulcrum of the entire prosecution. It immediately brought to mind the real-life “Let him have it” case (the 1953 trial and execution of Derek Bentley) where a single, unclear phrase was used to justify the harshest possible punishment. In both cases, language is stripped of nuance and context, interpreted not for meaning but for confirmation of guilt.

Cloke employs the Rashōmon effect, whereby the same event is retold from multiple, contradictory perspectives —in this instance, through the eyes of five men, each with their own history and agenda. None of them can be fully trusted. But then again...can anyone? This isn't just a narrative gimmick. It highlights something deeply human. We all see others through the lens of our own experience. No version is fully objective and no single person can ever be fully known. The reader needs to combine all the evidence from all five men in order to gain a more rounded picture of Katie.

If you liked The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins or Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you’ll probably enjoy this one. It plays with memory, bias, and narrative structure in a similarly compelling way. I love books told from multiple perspectives. It's fascinating to me how the writers actually manage to juggle such complex narrative architecture. Each of the five character witness knows a different version of Katie. Some think her innocent and some think her guilty. The narrative is deeply epistemological: it challenges the validity of each narrator's knowledge and asks whether we can ever know the “real” Katie at all. Cloke also explores the male gaze — when a woman is shown or written not as a full person, but as something to be looked at, desired, feared or possessed. Each man’s account says as much about himself as it does about Katie.

If it's closure you're after, then you won't find it here.

'Stunning: so clever, so gripping, so timely. This deserves to be huge' - Bestselling Author LUCY FOLEY

#HerManyFaces #NetGalley

Absolutely brilliant!! The name and cover may not have drawn me in but the blurb did and I'm so glad it did. What a fascinating story and told from lots of different characters viewpoints. It had me gripped and guessing right to the end. Fabulous!

I so wanted to love this book, but I found the structure to be very frustrating.
It jumped back and forth in time and perspective, but did so in a way that gave me whiplash rather than keeping me intrigued.
Didn't find the urge to keep reading, I was just too frustrated.

A young woman is on trial, accused of murder. Her story is told from the viewpoint of some of the men around her. Her father who loves without prejudice, her old schoolfriend and radical partner, a journalist writing about the case, her ex-hookup and her barrister. Each sees a different side of the woman and has their own opinion, coloured by their own lives.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It's a really clever idea, in that the reader never gets to know the real Katherine/Kit/Kate only the projections by the narrators, and the storyline is pretty solid too. In fact I thought the twist at the end was great, the explanation of the crime made sense. I got hooked in with the plot and the possibilities, it's played down nicely, isn't too sensationalist and just works.

When four wealthy members of a private club are poisoned in London, Katie a young waitress is arrested for this. As her life is unpicked, five men in her life begin to question how well they knew her. Which one is her true face and more importantly is she a killer?

This is my first book by this author but certainly won’t be my last. All I can stay after finishing is wow, this is going to stay with me for a long time. I loved the way the story is uniquely told by the five men in Katie’s life, depicting little bits at a time and working together in creating a real character study. Each perspective was fascinating and it was very intriguing to find out how Katie was perceived by them.

The story had depth and was very profound in places, highlighting how well this was written. The story highlights important topics and I found the inclusion of conspiracy theorists interesting. The pacing flows very well and I was engaged throughout, not once did I feel the story was dragging and by the time I got to the last chapters I was sad it was ending. There were elements of surprise also as the story reaches its satisfying conclusion. This is an intelligent, hugely compelling courtroom/psychological drama overall and one I’ll be recommending. I’d say it is in my top books of the year and I am very happy to have discovered this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

As a child, Katie Cole was loving and appeasing, until the teenage angst and resentment arrived. Who is she as an adult? Is she a murderer? Guilty of the deaths of four influential men?

Her Many Faces introduces the reader to five men. Tarun, John, Max, Gabriel and Conrad. They each have a different relationship with Kate, and greatly differing opinions of her.

I felt very at home with the book immediately. Drawn in by the dramatic crime, and Katie viewed from the different perspectives, we only see or hear Kate through their lens, never her own. Each of the characters were well developed, vividly and distinctly portrayed. I have to give a special mention to little Albie, his constant questions made me smile throughout.

As the book progressed, I found myself increasingly gripped. There was clearly more to know, so much bubbling below the surface. The very short chapters lulled me in to the “just one more chapter” mindset. I really liked the relationship of the characters to Kate, being expressed at the start of their own narration, through their naming of her. These names reflect their own characters and sensibilities, more than her own sometimes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the unique style of the writing, and I don’t think I will be alone in this. If you want a slightly different take on a court room thriller, then you can’t go far wrong choosing Her Many Faces.

This felt original, well paced and unique.

We are unable to see the story through the lens of the main character. We know she is a young woman accused of a heinous crime but this unusual story is told only through the POVs of the men in her life:

To the father she is the youngest, a girl after two boys, with a little wild streak. Then tragedy strikes and that wild streak ratchets up…

To the best friend she is a mystery, a heartbreaker, trouble…

To the lover she is somewhere he can lay blame for his own failings; she is desperate, disposable, obsessed…

To the solicitor she is an enigma, unreadable and reminiscent of a case that haunts him…

To the journalist she is the bad child, the adult conspirator, the juicy story…

But is she guilty?

All her life, Katie Cole has managed to leave a bad impression on almost everyone she’s ever met. When she gets a job waitressing at an exclusive London members club, she finally has the chance to land on her feet. One night, when she is working in a private room where four of London’s most wealthy and influential men are meeting, they’re all poisoned. The night ends with her charged for their murder.

I LOVED this one. It gripped me hard. I lost sleep because I had to keep reading. I have a 3 year old so you know that my sleep is precious. And I gave it up for Katie Cole.

The narration is clever because the whole story is told through the perspectives of 5 men who have known her at different points of her life and who all know her in different ways. It meant I never got to know her because I was never inside her head which is exactly the experience these men had too. Clever, hey?

Read if you:
· Are happy to give up your sleep
· Love catching killers
· Want to try and find out who the real Katie is

A very enjoyable and well written book. I enjoyed the different perspectives of the story from the five characters who were involved with Katie. I also enjoyed the ending which was unexpected. Recommended.

Five influential men are murdered at an exclusive London club. The police soon suspect a young waitress.

We see the main character, Kate, through the eyes of five men: her father, a friend, a lover, her lawyer, and a journalist. Each of them has a different opinion of her. To each of them, she is a different person. But who is Kate really? Is she guilty or innocent? It's an interesting concept, and it's cleverly executed. The story is like a rollercoaster ride. I changed my mind about Kate several times, and I was kept guessing until the end. The short chapters kept me hooked. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My first time reading @niccicloke and it didn’t disappoint. I was totally hooked from start to finish. With plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages. I couldn’t put it down. It keeps you guessing until the end..
The story follows Katherine Cole, a young waitress who’s on trial after being accused of murdering a group of men at an exclusive private club.
It’s beautifully written, clever and gripping, fast paced with short chapters. Told in multiple POV’s and timelines and flashbacks that are so clear and easy to follow. The characters are so vivid and real.
A tense and nail biting layered storyline that is engaging and descriptive.
Definitely recommend this book if you enjoy courtroom drama, psychological suspense thrillers. It’s well worth the read.
With thanks to #NetGallery #RandomHouseUk #vintage for an arc of #HerManyFaces in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 3 July 2025