The Body Lies

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.

MARIA SEMPLE, bestselling author of Where d'ya go, Bernadette?

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.

The Bookseller

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.

ERIN KELLY, bestselling author of HE SAID/SHE SAID

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

Kirkus Reviews

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

Publishers Weekly

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.

Jamie Southern, Bookmarks, NC

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.

Genevieve Taylor, Boulder Bookstore, CO

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."

Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, Minnesota

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

SARAH VAUGHAN, bestselling author of THE ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL

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

METRO

Gripping ... with lots to say about sexual politics

Good Housekeeping

Packs a powerful punch on every page

Red Magazine

Build-up of tension is EXCELLENT

Daily Mail

Powerful read

Prima Magazine

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

Publishers' Weekly US

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.

Culturefly

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

Herald Scotland

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

Tales Before Bedtime

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

Cheryl M-M's Book Blog

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

The Shelf of Unread Books

There is tension, drama and sense of jeopardy aplenty

What Cathy Read Next

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

Beverley Has Read

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

GNTxReads

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

Hair Past a Freckle blog

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

Amanda Duncan, My Bookish Blogspot

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

Varietats

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

Bookish Chat

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.

Claire Thinking

Dark, unforgiving, suspenseful and thought-provoking

Emma's Bookish Corner

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

Guardian

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

SARAH MOSS, Guardian

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

TLS