The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini BLOG TOUR #TheWomanontheLedge @RuthMancini1 @centurybooksuk @Tr4cyF3nt0n #CompulsiveReaders #BlogTour

 

A woman falls to her death from a London bank's twenty-fifth-floor roof terrace.

You're arrested for her murder.

You tell the police that you only met the victim the previous night at your office party. She was threatening to jump from the roof, but you talked her down.

You've got nothing to do with this tragedy.

You're clearly being framed.

So why do the police keep picking holes in your story? Even your lawyer doesn't seem to believe you.

It soon becomes obvious that you're keeping secrets.

But who are you trying to protect? And why?

The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini was published on 4 January 2024 by Century. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Compulsive Readers Blog Tour 

This is the first book by Ruth Mancini that I've read and it's certainly a book that keeps the reader on their toes. Cleverly structured, and at times a little puzzling, it has a plot that twists and turns and can make you feel a little dizzy. 

The prologue finds lead character Tate Kinsella (great name!) being roused from her bed by the police hammering on her front door.  She is arrested on the suspicion of the murder of a woman whose body was found on the pavement below a tower block. Tate has little defence, she was at the scene of the murder, and has already admitted that she was with the victim just before she died. However, she claims that she is not responsible for the murder of the woman.

Let's talk about the character of Tate. She's an actress, although has only been in one commercial, she works as a temp in the building where the woman died. We, the reader can assume that everything we know is true ..... the fact that Tate met a woman called Helen at the top of the building and stopped her from jumping. The fact that she and Helen returned to that building to search for a missing earring.  But can we?  This is the thing, the title of unreliable narrator is awarded to Tate! 

The author is very clever. She's created a story based on truths and lies and woven them together, but we are never quite sure what is correct and what is imagined. I particularly enjoyed the scenes between Tate and her solicitor, these have been used so well, to drip feed the reader with just a little more information, and then just a little more. It's hard to believe the accused if their own solicitor is doubting their words too! 

This is a really unsettling story, and one that had me flicking back to previous chapters to try to work out what is the truth. The introduction of various characters add much to the depth of the story, although there were times when I found the different points of view quite repetitive. However, I do understand why the author decided to do this, layering the plot and the characters expertly like a finely tuned instrument. 

No, I didn't work it out!  I had no idea, and the end reveal and motives, and in fact, the victim's own story are incredibly well done. I'd probably have been happier if the book were a little shorter, but will certainly read this author again. 

Ruth Mancini was born in south-west London and started her career as a marketing executive for a publisher before undertaking a post-graduate diploma in law and retraining as a solicitor.

Ruth has spent the past twenty-five years in and out of courts and police stations, representing those accused of crimes. She still practises as a lawyer for a large criminal law firm with offices in London, conducting advocacy in the courts and defending people arrested at the police station.

She also reviews trial files across the firm and juggles her legal work with writing crime and psychological fiction.

She can be found on Twitter @RuthMancini1 and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ruth.mancini.author.