‘The Other Miss Jones’ by Sophie Flynn

Published by Hera Books,
24 April 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-80436-674-5 (PB)

It’s an unlikely friendship, conducted entirely by e-mail, and the way it began is even more unlikely. Sally Jones one day received an e-mail intended for someone else – someone with exactly the same name. They’ve been in touch for a few years when the other Sally seems to disappear.

Sally number one is a police call handler, a stressful job at the best of times, and more so when her wedding to Nathan, a DCI in the same force’s serious crimes squad, is just two weeks away. Sally’s boss prescribes some leave; she hates the idea, even wonders if she’s being sidelined, but at least now she has a chance to go in search of the other Sally, and offer help if she’s in trouble.

Without telling Nathan, or his mother, to whom she has grown close, she sets out on a mission – and gets much more than she bargained for. First the other Sally’s flat is wrecked; then her entire life isn’t at all how she described it. No one seems to know what has become of her, or if they do, they’re not saying.

When she finally succeeds in tracking the other Sally down, everything spirals away from her. Suddenly nothing and no one is what they seem, and she is left wondering if her whole life is based on a raft of lies and deceptions.

It’s a complex plot, encompassing stolen identity, sexual abuse, miscarriage of justice, and possibly most significant of all, the way the past has a way of sneaking up and delivering a body blow which sends everything into free-fall.

The characters are recognizable. Sally number one, observant, empathetic and just a little naȉve, largely because she wants to think the best of people. Nathan, handsome, overworked, considerate when he has time to be – and possibly a little too good to be true. Amanda, his mother, retired now but formerly a top brass police officer, still with all the organizational skills, air of authority and talent for politics the role required. And then there’s the other Sally, a woman whose past threatens Sally number one’s future.

There’s a strong supporting cast too; I especially enjoyed Tiff, a streetwise teenager who keeps popping up and proves an unexpected ally. And the author is clearly well acquainted with a certain kind of seaside town: not only the way the garish colour and shabby jollity become sad and grey when the holiday season ends, but also the poverty and squalor behind the rows of guest houses and arcades.

If you enjoy twisty psychological thrillers with characters who have hidden depths and plenty of secrets, you’ll enjoy The Other Miss Jones.
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Reviewer: Lynne Patrick

Sophie Flynn is a Cotswolds based psychological thriller author with an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes. Alongside writing, Sophie is the Head of Marketing at Jericho Writers. After being awarded a place at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School on the TopWrite scheme for young writers in 2017, Sophie began writing short fiction. She has since had many stories published and placed in competitions with organisations such as Writing Magazine and The Cheltenham Literature Festival. When not writing, Sophie can be mostly found on muddy walks with her husband and rescue dog or disappearing to Cornwall whenever possible.

Lynne Patrick has been a writer ever since she could pick up a pen, and has enjoyed success with short stories, reviews and feature journalism, but never, alas, with a novel. She crossed to the dark side to become a publisher for a few years and is proud to have launched several careers which are now burgeoning. She lives in Oxfordshire in a house groaning with books, about half of them crime fiction.