Becca Reviews: In Her Defence by Phillipa Malicka

In Her Defence is a novel about abuse of power, memories (and misremembering), and a person's power over another person. The plot revolves around a libel court case regarding a therapist, a famous ceramicist and her daughter, among other players. Our protagonist, Augusta, has connections with each of the involved parties and may be able to bring truth to the case if she so chooses.

It did take a me a little while to get stuck into this book but come the half way point I was hooked. It really feels like you experience time passing, locations changing, and characters' sentiments towards one another warping throughout the plot. At it's core this novel is about power play within relationships, across various relationships, but so much more happens alongside that.

I loved the detail relating to ceramics, art and painting, travelling in Italy, and court proceedings in London. There are so many flavours to this book. Malicka wonderfully details the architecture of apartments and details of restaurants etc.

It can be hard to pick a character to root for as they all take being, at the least, morally grey very seriously. This might mean some readers find it hard to connect with the book and the characters but I think everyone will be able to see parts of themselves in the different people explored. Some chapters felt like a bit of a trudge to get through but I understand now the scene setting and the tension building that was done subtly and cleverly.

I do think when we finally came to a crucial time of giving evidence that the witness statement kind of fell flat, I understand the witness had ulterior motives but it felt like a lot of build up for very little.

This is like watching a true crime doc where you're not sure the victim is wholly innocent and you slightly pity the guilty party, even when you don't want to! You're truly not sure what to feel even right up to the end of the book (and maybe beyond) but the ride is wild and the characters oh so complex.

Read: 10/02/2026

Published: 03/02/2026

Price: £10.99 (GBP)