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Based on a true story : a novel / Sarah Vaughan.

Summary:

"A lavish seventieth birthday party. A body found on a storm-lashed beach. And a secret that someone is dying to tell... Famed children's author Dame Eleanor Kingman has summoned her family and friends to her exquisite manor house on the cliffs. They're celebrating her birthday--and her latest number one bestseller in her series of books about a child detective. But the night before the party, Eleanor receives an email that threatens to expose the lie she's kept for over half a century. Someone knows her secret. Is it her estranged literary agent? Is it her ex-husband, to whom she no longer speaks? Is it the au pair, who always did have a knack for storytelling, that Eleanor fired all those years ago? Or is it one of her three daughters, all of whom have a stake in the publishing empire she had built? With a television crew arriving to film a documentary of her life, Eleanor needs to find out who sent the email--and preserve her legacy and multi-million-pound career. But when push comes to shove, and it's time to tell the truth, will anyone actually believe her?"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780063457713
  • ISBN: 0063457717
  • Physical Description: 407 pages : illustration ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First US edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2026.

Content descriptions

General Note:
"Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2026 by Simon Schuster UK, an imprint of Simon & Schuster UK Ltd."--Title page verso.
Subject:
Women authors > Fiction.
Family secrets > Fiction.
Birthday parties > Fiction.
Secrecy > Fiction.
Truth > Fiction.
Older women > Fiction.
Genre:
Thrillers (Fiction)
Detective and mystery fiction.

Available copies

  • 6 of 31 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
  • 0 of 1 copy available at Madison County Public Library.

Holds

  • 33 current holds with 31 total copies.
Sort by distance from:
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Madison Main Library FIC VAU (Text) 30229101449246 Adult New Fiction On holds shelf -

Accessibility Features

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035 . ‡a(OCoLC)1557604747 ‡z(OCoLC)1535850683
040 . ‡aIG# ‡beng ‡erda ‡cIG# ‡dOCLCO ‡dMWD ‡dGE2 ‡dRNL ‡dOCLCO ‡dIMT ‡dCHILD ‡dIK2 ‡dVP@ ‡dZGR ‡dOCLCO ‡dMLSOD
050 4. ‡aPR6122.A85 ‡bB37 2026
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1001 . ‡aVaughan, Sarah, ‡d1972- ‡eauthor. ‡0(CARDINAL)350673
24510. ‡aBased on a true story : ‡ba novel / ‡cSarah Vaughan.
250 . ‡aFirst US edition.
264 1. ‡aNew York : ‡bHarper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, ‡c2026.
264 4. ‡c©2026
300 . ‡a407 pages : ‡billustration ; ‡c24 cm
336 . ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent
336 . ‡astill image ‡bsti ‡2rdacontent
337 . ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia
338 . ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier
500 . ‡a"Originally published in the United Kingdom in 2026 by Simon Schuster UK, an imprint of Simon & Schuster UK Ltd."--Title page verso.
520 . ‡a"A lavish seventieth birthday party. A body found on a storm-lashed beach. And a secret that someone is dying to tell... Famed children's author Dame Eleanor Kingman has summoned her family and friends to her exquisite manor house on the cliffs. They're celebrating her birthday--and her latest number one bestseller in her series of books about a child detective. But the night before the party, Eleanor receives an email that threatens to expose the lie she's kept for over half a century. Someone knows her secret. Is it her estranged literary agent? Is it her ex-husband, to whom she no longer speaks? Is it the au pair, who always did have a knack for storytelling, that Eleanor fired all those years ago? Or is it one of her three daughters, all of whom have a stake in the publishing empire she had built? With a television crew arriving to film a documentary of her life, Eleanor needs to find out who sent the email--and preserve her legacy and multi-million-pound career. But when push comes to shove, and it's time to tell the truth, will anyone actually believe her?"-- ‡cProvided by publisher.
650 0. ‡aWomen authors ‡vFiction. ‡0(CARDINAL)342197
650 0. ‡aFamily secrets ‡vFiction. ‡0(CARDINAL)341159
650 0. ‡aBirthday parties ‡vFiction. ‡0(CARDINAL)871447
650 0. ‡aSecrecy ‡vFiction. ‡0(CARDINAL)341179
650 0. ‡aTruth ‡vFiction. ‡0(CARDINAL)871326
650 0. ‡aOlder women ‡vFiction. ‡0(CARDINAL)343610
655 7. ‡aThrillers (Fiction) ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)339520
655 7. ‡aDetective and mystery fiction. ‡2lcgft ‡0(CARDINAL)339076
901 . ‡a15790632 ‡bOCoLC ‡c15790632 ‡tbiblio ‡sSystem Local