She Too

In a trial by media, truth is a fragile thing

Eve Thomson

• Publisher: Echo
• Year: 2023
• Topic: Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9781760687632
• Subtopic: Women in Fiction
• Index: Literature

At age twenty-eight, Romola Cross is already jaded by her work as a criminal defence lawyer in Sydney. In the aftermath of her father's death, she decides to reinvent herself, and blindly accepts a position at prestigious Melbourne law firm Bassett Brown. She soon finds herself in a place where the clients are household names, and the stakes are higher than she could have possibly imagined.

Patrick Payne is the only son of famed property tycoon Malcolm Payne. After years spent in his father's shadow, Patrick is trying his luck in politics. But when Patrick's girlfriend Hana is found dead in his home, the media accuse him of being an abusive partner, drawing comparisons with the death of his teenage sweetheart many years earlier. At the insistence of his father, Patrick sues for defamation.

With his reputation in tatters, Patrick becomes Romola's first client. Under the watchful eye of a narcissistic supervising partner, Romola sets out to defend his reputation. Drawn into the Paynes' life of privilege, and torn by conflicting family and client loyalties, Romola confronts the question of how to prove Patrick is a good man without sacrificing all that she holds dear.

This whip-smart legal thriller is a thought-provoking commentary on the intersection between law and celebrity. She Too takes an unflinching look at the illusory nature of truth, guilt and innocence - and their manipulation by the media, the wealthy, and each one of us, depending on what we want to believe.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Prologue
• Chapter One: A Change of Heart
• Chapter Two: The Client
• Chapter Three: Tears and Television
• Chapter Four: Bassett Brown
• Chapter Five: Instructions
• Chapter Six: The Other Side
• Chapter Seven: The Slug and the Hare
• Chapter Eight: The Stepmother
• Chapter Nine: Cocktails
• Chapter Ten: The Third Woman
• Chapter Eleven: Silence is Golden
• Chapter Twelve: Little Smiles
• Chapter Thirteen: The Club
• Chapter Fourteen: Grief
• Chapter Fifteen: Seeking Directions
• Chapter Sixteen: A Visitor
• Chapter Seventeen: Flight
• Chapter Eighteen: Home Sweet Harbour
• Chapter Nineteen: Progress
• Chapter Twenty: The Outing
• Chapter Twenty-One: The Fallout
• Chapter Twenty-Two: The Mediation
• Chapter Twenty-Three: The Real Work
• Chapter Twenty-Four: Breaking Deals
• Chapter Twenty-Five: At Home with Imogen
• Chapter Twenty-Six: One Too Many
• Chapter Twenty-Seven: Awakening
• Chapter Twenty-Eight: Sacrifice
• Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Client Revisited
• Chapter Thirty: The Ex
• Chapter Thirty-One: Growing
• Chapter Thirty-Two: A Brother’s Love
• Chapter Thirty-Three: Same Same but Different
• Chapter Thirty-Four: Preparing for Plan B
• Chapter Thirty-Five: Perspective
• Chapter Thirty-Six: Home
• Chapter Thirty-Seven: Light in the Dark
• Chapter Thirty-Eight: Mrs Forsyth
• Chapter Thirty-Nine: Blinking First
• Chapter Forty: The Deadline
• Chapter Forty-One: The Pitch
• Chapter Forty-Two: Holding Breath
• Chapter Forty-Three: Sunshine and Barbecues
• Chapter Forty-Four: Seconds
• Chapter Forty-Five: Max
• Chapter Forty-Six: The End of the Day
• Chapter Forty-Seven: Three Weeks On
• Chapter Forty-Eight: Four Weeks On
• December, Mrs Forsyth
• January, Romola
• Acknowledgements
• Book Club Questions
• About the Author
• Copyright