A propulsive #MeToo thriller investi­gating consent and male entitlement as well as the borders between truth and fiction.

Build-up of tension is EXCELLENT

Packs a powerful punch on every page

Gripping ... with lots to say about sexual politics

This superior thriller looks at how novels represent violence through the story of a creative writing teacher who finds herself trapped between the borders of life and fiction after recognising herself in a story written by one of her students

Powerful read

Jo Baker’s THE BODY LIES is gripping and strange in the best possible way: the perfect marriage of risky literary fiction and full-on thriller.

This page-turning thrilller has a sympathetic and utterly believable heroine, but it's also an examination of how women's bodies are treated, in life and in fiction.

A literary exploration of consent, entitlement and how narratives can be bent, misappropriated and wrested back. I loved it.

A shrewdly layered thriller that unflinchingly tackles the quagmire of pressure, judgement and ever-present danger women navigate in their daily lives

Powerful and moving, I read The Body Lies in one sitting. As a thriller, it grips and shocks: as a portrayal of the way women move through the world, and the way men see them, it has never been more timely. Absolutely stunning.

A story of female response to male threat, boosted by questions of literary expression... Baker's fans will enjoy the crisp descriptive writing and insightful nuances

All too plausible, Baker’s powerful tale is at times heart-rending to read—and impossible to put down.

The beauty and structure of Baker's language, the way she decided to tell this particular story, the suspense... It has stayed in my head for days.

The Body Lies is so much more than just a thriller. It's a literary analysis on the way that our social environment shapes creative writing and individual voice; a heartfelt depiction of assault-related trauma and the associated anxiety and depression; an incisive commentary on the constant, subtle ways that women's consent is invalidated. And on top of all that it's a riveting, compelling murder mystery, intensely readable.

Jo Baker makes a huge departure in style with this menacing story of a student and teacher. A young college instructor begins to see entirely too much of herself in the work of one of her writing students who claims to only "write the truth." As the threats become more overt, the stakes increase until it becomes unclear who will triumph in this game of cat and mouse. This nail biter of a novel will leave readers deeply unsettled and checking the door locks.”

Baker’s powerful tale is at times heart-rending to read—and impossible to put down.

Beyond the twists and turns of the thriller, The Body Lies also stands out for its careful examination of the role of women, both in these thriller novels and within society, making this book a powerful and unnerving read with thrills that run much deeper than your average surface shocks ... Impossible to put down.

Baker's layered and sharply observed writing feels authentic from the first . . . Moving beyond boundaries to divine the essence of what it is to be a woman navigating life in modern-day Britain.

An essential book for our times . . . this is a thrilling, gripping read

The depth and style of literary fiction [with] the thrill of a more contemporary read

The Body Lies is one of those brilliant books that gave me the rage in all the right ways . . . A raw and challenging novel that deserves to be widely read

There is tension, drama and sense of jeopardy aplenty

A compelling, uncomfortable and overwhelming read . . . absolutely brilliant.

I felt compelled to read on and find out what would happen next

A timely and powerful literary thriller which makes for a thought-provoking and unsettling read

Thought provoking and intelligent . . . I cannot recommend highly enough.

Offers a really interesting perspective on how women are represented in life

It is insidiously unnerving in such a clever way . . . had me well and truly hooked!

Dark, unforgiving, suspenseful and thought-provoking

Campus novel satire and the high drama of a thriller combine in a fiendishly readable interrogation of the allure of violent fiction

One of the most believable heroines I've seen on the page in a long time. The final chapters deliver the heart-in-mouth genre denouement we’ve been waiting for

A brilliant portrayal of love and complex family relationships, with all the features of a Gothic mystery.

A lushly written, psychologically suspenseful narrative that's not easily forgotten.

A darkly disquieting thriller... The descriptions are vivid enough to stop you in your tracks, and the narrative draws to a psychologically apt conclusion.

A multi-dimensional shocker, where everything is not as clear cut as it initially seems, leading to a devastating conclusion. Fans of the darker and more mysteriously menacing work of Stephen King or the contemporary horror of Andrew Michael Hurley will adore Sisters.

Johnson has cultivated a striking style with recurring images and themes... [her] stories contain minimal dialogue and very little straightforward narration. They are instead characterised by the accumulation of sensory detail, the gradual revealing of character, and a building sense of dread.

Johnson pulls off a great feat in this book. We are propelled by her story, even while we barely know what it is; absorbed by characters at once abstract yet fully drawn. She allows just enough clarity to pierce through, like flashes of an image amid white noise, until finally we can grasp and appreciate the whole picture that has so thrillingly eluded us.

Sisters echoes Brontë's Wuthering Heights not only in its gothic elements and sombre descriptions of English landscapes but also in the idea of doomed love, love which becomes an omnipotent, harmful power... Sisters is chilling and unrestful in a way many horror stories aren't, the world of the novel itself a disturbing and anxious place.

An absorbing tale of sibling love and envy.

It's hard to deny the uncanny thrill generated by Johnson's blend of horror, nature writing and magical realism... As dazzling as a photographer's flash.

Held me rapt until the very end

I didn't want to put it down

A beautiful and intriguing page-turner

Rich and atmospheric