Gillian McAllister Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Gillian McAllister is a reputed British novelist of contemporary, thriller, and crime novels. She is best known for her bestselling debut book called Everything But The Truth. This 2017 book reached the number 6 spot on the bestseller list of the Sunday Times. It deals with the importance of trust in different relationships. Author McAllister released her second book in e-book format in 2017 and as a paperback a year later. It also featured in the Sunday Times list of bestseller as a number 12 entry. The novel, Anything You Do Say, also became an e-book bestseller. McAllister came up with the release of her third book, No Further Questions, in autumn 2018. It has also been released under the title of The Good Sister in 2019 by Putnam USA. Author McAllister was born on February 28, 1985, in Sutton Coldfield. She was brought up in Tamworth.

McAllister completed her schooling from Tamworth’ds Belgrave High School and achieved A-Levels. Later, she joined Birmingham University and obtained a BA Honors degree in English. After this, McAllister shifted her focus towards law, studied GDL, and received a commendation. She also obtained a distinction from The College of Law in the Legal Practice Course. The completion of this course brought her employment in a couple of legal practices based in Birmingham as a solicitor. Throughout her adulthood, McAllister used her spare time to write fiction stories. She also used to make use of her evenings and her commute time to & from work to write novels. A time came in McAllister’s life when she was diagnosed with glandular fever and was under treatment for 2 years. McAllister used this time to write her first full-length novel. However, it remained unpublished. McAllister continued writing and eventually published her first novel in 2017. Since then, she has not looked back and has continued to write along with her legal practice.

The translation rights of McAllister’s first book have been obtained by a few foreign publishers. In 2017, McAllister entered a contract with Michael Joseph, a Penguin Random House imprint, to write two more novels. Along with writing novels, McAllister also writes blogs, which have appeared in numerous publications, including the Company magazine. Currently, McAllister resides in Birmingham with her loving boyfriend and a lovely cat. In her free time, McAllister loves to read a book, take hot baths for longer durations, and think of ideas for her new novels.

The debut book written by author Gillian McAllister is entitled ‘Everything But The Truth’. It was released by Penguin in 2017. The book contains the main characters in the roles of Jack and Rachel. Its story revolves around betrayal, deceit, and the compulsive need of a woman to uncover the truth of her lover. Initially, it is depicted that Rachel loves Jack very much and is pregnant with his child. Both of them love each other very much and Rachel puts all her trust in Jack. One day, she receives an email that sows the seed of suspicion in her mind about Jack. Her trust makes her not to read the message, but she feels tempted to open the email and see what is in it. It breaks Rachel’s heart to know the contents of the email and wonders if she can undo the moment. But, she can neither undo that nor the chain of events that get set in motion after that. Rachel wonders why Jack has been lying to her about his past for all these years and wants to know what exactly he is hiding from her.

Jack works as a freelance journalist, while Rachel is employed in a law office. They have not known each other for very long. Following a chance encounter, they fell in love with each other and indulged in a whirlwind romance. Their life looked all set for a better future when Rachel becomes pregnant. But, the email received on Jack’s computer makes everything go for a downfall. It makes Rachel turn into a mass of paranoia, nerves, heightened emotions, and mistrust. She wants to let things go, but has no control over her obsession of knowing Jack’s secrets and his past. This novel is told through the perspective of Rachel. It is an excellent psychological thriller with a suspenseful and character-driven plot. McAllister has provided it with a strong setting in Newcastle and Oban. All the others mentioned in this book seem believable, including the secondary characters. The story moves with a slow & steady pace and provides a string of intrigue that makes the readers keep turning pages until they reach the novel’s end. Many reviewers see this novel as a gripping and compelling psychological thriller having strong characters and an excellent storyline.

The second novel of McAllister’s writing career is known as ‘Anything You Do Say’. It was also published in 2017 by Penguin. The central character mentioned in this novel is Joanna. She depicted as an avoider. Joanna has lived all her life, changing her career aspirations every week and hiding her bank statements. One night while returning home, she hears footsteps approaching her from behind. Joanna becomes frightened and wonders if he is that man from the bar the same night, who would not leave her alone. As the steps start approaching at a faster speed, Joanna turns towards his follower and pushes him with all her strength. Due to this, the pursuer falls from the steps and lies motionless near the last step. This incident makes Joanna think that she cannot remain an avoider all her life and has to arrive at a decision when it comes to choosing between good or bad, right or wrong, truth or lie, and flight or fight.

On the night of the frightening incident, Joanna had gone for a weekend night out with her best friend Laura. As it was a Friday night, the pub was overcrowded. In between the drinks and dances, Joanna is approached and harassed by an unprepossessing man. When Joanna narrates this incident to Laura, they decide to leave the pub and head home. But, they make the mistake of going on their separate paths. Seeing Joanna going alone on the quiet streets makes the harasser pursue her. He follows her until she pushes him down the stairs. Joanna’s sudden movements and sharp thinking saved her that night, but she fears that the man might have died. From this moment on, the readers are offered alternating chapters delivered from the perspective of Joanna. The alternating chapters give many wide-ranging repercussions on the life of Joanna and her close one in 2 different scenarios of revealing and concealing.