The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini
Published by Harper Paperbacks
Publication date: January 16, 2024
Genres: Book Clubs, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
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After a woman is found dead on the pavement in front of a London highrise office building, Tate Kinsella is brought in for questioning on suspicion of murder. She tells the police that she had met the as-yet unidentified woman on the building’s rooftop terrace and that the woman was going to kill herself by jumping until Tate had talked her out of it. Either the woman had gone back and jumped or, if it’s murder, then someone was trying to frame Tate. After this statement she requests a lawyer and stops talking to the police. The rest of The Woman on the Ledge is the private interviews between Tate and her lawyer and they unspool one of the twistiest, most riveting mysteries I’ve ever read.
The Woman on the Ledge is a “nothing is as it seems“ thriller divided into six parts. In each part another piece of the puzzle is both slotted into place and taken away so that what was once one thing is now another. This diabolical maze includes a motive for the murder which ends up being a lie. From there the plot covers almost all of the seven deadly sins, all of which may or may not be the truth. Feeling confused, already? No worries, author Ruth Mancini is in control from start to finish, allowing the reader to sit back and enjoy the wild ride.
Does the plot go a bit too far? Yes, but the implausibility came at a point when I was already invested in the story and there was no way I was going to stop reading. It’s worth noting that Mancini is a criminal defense attorney which might explain how she can construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct the truth so well. This creativity plus the fact that in the end this is a devious tale of women’s empowerment in all its complexity made The Woman on the Ledge my favorite kind of reading.
Looking for more outrageously imagination thrillers from Great Britain? Try Steve Cavanagh’s Thirteen.
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