A Double Life
The Times Thrillers of the Year 2020
’Superbly crafted with heart-stopping twists and chills galore. A new star has arrived in the thriller firmament’ The Times, Book of the Month
Gabriela is a senior negotiator in the Foreign Office. When she returns to her young family after a seven-month stint in Moscow, something doesn’t seem right.
Isobel is a journalist on the local paper in Camden. After witnessing a violent attack, she starts to investigate. But someone saw her watching, and is making themselves known in increasingly frightening ways.
As Gabriela’s life begins to unravel, Isobel gets closer to the truth, and the two women’s lives converge in this deeply chilling examination of deceit.
Reader reviews for A Double Life
‘A sensational story packed full of twists. What an unbelievable book, I’m absolutely flabbergasted by the ending… it’s a cliffhanger, so I hope Philby is already working on a sequel because I NEED to know what happens next’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A riveting and tense thriller exploring the actions of two women whose lives are about to collide’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Can’t wait for book 3!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Great read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Amazingly brilliant’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Loved loved LOVED! I was hooked after the very first chapter. Engrossed in the story all the way through. The end hit me like a tonne of bricks!!! CANNOT WAIT for the 3rd book!!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Complex, chilling, fascinating. LOVED it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Addictive’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Chilling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Gripping’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Praise for A Double Life
‘I was utterly gripped’ LUCY FOLEY
‘I fell into the vivid, frightening world Charlotte Philby creates so skilfully and didn’t resurface until long after I’d turned the last page’ JANE CASEY
‘A Double Life confirms Charlotte Philby as the master of a sub-genre she basically invented’ ERIN KELLY
‘Brilliantly executed and tense’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Terribly compelling… persuasive and absorbing’ OBSERVER
‘A pacy, gripping read that kept us on the edge of our seats’ INDEPENDENT
“Superbly crafted with heart-stopping twists and chills galore. A new star has arrived in the thriller firmament” The Times, Thriller of the Year -
“A seriously stylish, hugely compelling mystery: Charlotte Philby redefines a male-dominated genre with her brilliantly complex female characters. I was utterly gripped.” LUCY FOLEY -
“I fell into the vivid, frightening world Charlotte Philby creates so skilfully and didn't resurface until long after I'd turned the last page. Her characters are so real you genuinely fret over their safety in their jobs and personal lives. Everything about this book feels as plausible as if it might happen tomorrow. She is a hugely original and talented writer.” JANE CASEY -
“A Double Life confirms Charlotte Philby as the master of a sub-genre she basically invented, dealing in the dangerous area where working motherhood and international espionage collide. Heart-breaking, gripping and always beautifully written, I can’t wait to see what she does next.” ERIN KELLY -
“Philby is creating her own niche of beautifully observed, fast-paced, multi-layered novels… In Gabriela and Isobel, Philby develops two fascinating characters who have to face challenges that women the world over will recognise, but rarely get to read about on the page. A Double Life is a wonderful novel.” HOLLY WATT, winner of the 2019 CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. -
”'Brilliantly executed and tense” - Sunday Times
”'Terribly compelling… persuasive and absorbing.” - The Observer
”'A pacy, gripping read that kept us on the edge of our seats” - The Independent
”'Dark and compelling” - Bella
”'I like a novel where the intrepid investigative journalist and the Foreign Office rising star are both women. And where two separate stories eventually converge around a conspiracy that touches the very top of the establishment and destroys everything” - Evening Standard