One of Us

by Elizabeth Day

“Funny, sharp, sophisticated, this is Elizabeth Day’s writing at its finest.”
—Dolly Alderton, New York Times bestselling author of Good Material

“The thinking person’s thriller. A Trojan horse of a book—part Highsmith, part Waugh—that hides within its superbly gripping plot a gimlet-eyed interrogation of class, privilege and power.”
—Lucy Foley

When Fliss, the eccentric grown daughter of the powerful Fitzmaurice clan, is found dead on beach in Bali, what seems like a tragic accident stirs more suspicion than closure for those who’ve traded favors with—and within—her family for decades.

There is Ben, Fliss’s brother, eager to minimize his sister’s passing, since it’s suddenly clear he’s next in line to be Prime Minister. And Martin—Ben’s erstwhile best friend—who is just happy that Fliss’s memorial gives him the chance to re-enter the Fitzmaurice orbit, seeking revenge and acceptance. He can’t help but notice that Ben’s wife, Serena, seems to have discovered in middle age that her privileged existence is more like a gilded cage. Or that Ben and Serena’s daughter Cosima has become an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents seem to stand for—a pivot her late aunt would’ve applauded. Where does Richard Take—Ben’s disgraced colleague, determined to make his big comeback, fit in? And circling them all is Andrew Jarvis and his money: Has he been their loyal hero, or the one who has thrown his weight around just to keep them all in check?

Delivering incisive commentary on the hypocrisies of the elite, this juicy ensemble drama about old friends and dazzling wealth perfectly captures the uneasy balance between personal ambition and collective responsibility. One of Us is a page-turner with teeth, a mash-up of The Wedding People and Succession—darkly comic and cutting, as well as unexpectedly hopeful.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Contemporary, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Mystery Thriller

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 25, 2025

About the author

Elizabeth Day is the author of The Party and other books, as well as one of the most influential podcasters at work today. Her show, How to Fail, has become a go-to hitmaker, launching authors such as Meg Mason and Glennon Doyle onto the bestseller list in the UK. She divides her time between London and Los Angeles.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art lecturer Martin Gilmour is forced to attend therapy sessions for his inadvertent use of a word deemed unacceptable by one of his students. He’s not happy about it and makes that abundantly clear, in fact, he’s a bubbling cauldron of fury, resentment, jealousy – you name it. Some of Martin’s many issues emanate from Ben Fitzmaurice, an old school friend for whom he does a massive favour years ago and then is unceremoniously dropped from the inner sanctum at Ben’s 40th birthday party. To his great surprise, seven years on, he receives an invitation from the Fitzmaurice clan which may provide an opportunity for revenge, to put a spoke in the wheel of Ben’s meteoric rise through the political ranks. Then there’s aristocratic Serena, Ben‘s wife, who is slipping into the menopause with increasing disillusion about pretty much everything. Their eldest daughter, 17 year old Cosima is an environmental activist with which her troubled Aunt Fliss sympathises but her parents less so. Finally, there’s disgraced MP Richard Take whose desire/need for a comeback takes him into less than salubrious territory but it’s fair to say he requires a reinvention. Their stories intertwine as their lives dramatically unravel as buried secrets come to the surface while ‘flexible truths’ reveal their actual truth. Each story blends and melds seamlessly. It’s a day of reckoning with multiple onlookers.

Witty, hilarious, juicy, salacious, delicious, ambitious, obnoxious, treacherous and perhaps forgiveness? I just love the tone that Elizabeth Day strikes in her novels and it’s just so cleverly simple. The insertion of maybe a couple of words and you have irony, humour, devastating wit or perception but frequently humour and it’s the sending up kind with nails hit firmly on heads. The end result is highly entertaining with a frequent chuckle or a nod in agreement.

This is a novel about privilege, the “ruling classes”, it’s about power and greed and what that can mean and lead to, it’s about climbing the greasy pole of politics and about betrayal and revenge. It’s impressive and powerful, fantastically observed with pinpoint characterisation though few are likeable. Martin is a complex man and hard to weigh up, is he a yes man or an avenging angel? I grow to like him and also Cosima whose heart is in the right place even if her tactics aren’t. It’s perfectly pitched and paced, extremely insightful and with moments of tension. I really like the ending as everything comes at a price.

Overall, it’s a highly entertaining read from beginning to end and one I can recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to 4th Estate for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[Kath B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to 'The Party ' which I read a couple of years ago. In that book, the protagonist Martin Gilmour, had to reassess his relationship with his 'best friend' at university, Ben Fitzmaurice, and learn the consequences of trying to fit into a class structure he clearly did not belong to.

In 'One of us' the time frame has moved forward 20 plus years and the story brings us up to date with how Martin and other key characters from the first book have survived and developed since then.

Set against a backdrop of corruption and scandal within the British political system, each of the characters narrates their own chapters to explain their individual viewpoints about how they feel about everyone else.

The story is full of double-dealing, betrayal, adultery and revenge as ambitious men in powerful positions act in their own best interests to get to the top. Will they get away with everything though? Especially as everyone bears a grudge against someone in their group. Bad men acting very badly. Great storytelling and a well written book. Recommended for readers who enjoy political intrigue and clever plot twists. Although this is a sequel, it can be read as a standalone novel.

[Adrian Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read of Elizabeth Day and I have to say I enjoyed the experience overall.

One Of Us is the story of a family of privilege in modern day England and their dysfunction as they bury secrets and use the class system to its full to try and attain absolute power, a power in its search alone that corrupts and suppresses the skeletons in their closets. That is of course until events conspire for those who feel wronged to plot a path for their downfall.

This one is told from multiple characters points of view and, going into it blind I was unsure of where it was going and what it was going to be. Initially very witty and funny, it seemed like a little humorous dig at the obvious class system in England that is still so prevalent with some less than savoury characters peppering the story.
But as we get to know them and the story evolves so does the tone as it goes down a darker path and suddenly becomes more “real”.

It’s a weird one. It’s a cast of unlikeable, self absorbed characters that are totally narcissistic and with whom you spend the whole book with. It’s tonally a little uneven, changing from straight up humour to very serious and disturbing topics while shining a light on that class system and how power corrupts. It shouldn’t really work but it somehow does. You still feel like an outsider looking in when spending time with these characters rather than being invested in them and their stories but at the same time I found it hard to put the book down, I needed to find out what happened next.

So it’s an oddity. One that’s hard to put a badge on but I thought it was a great and interesting read and one that I had a really fun time reading.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

[Karen Chong · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5.0

It’s a pleasant read from start to finish, it had a steady pace and logical plot. However it does touch upon SA and right- wing type politics with some transphobic comments at points (so if that’s not your cup of tea this book probably isn’t it). It’s all high class and upper Echleon member of society type vibes set in the UK, specifically in London and Cambridge. The book is centred around secretly, betrayal, suicide and politics- but I wouldn’t say this book is thrilling or suspense at all. It’s a slow steady paced book but there isn’t many twists. It’s an ok book, I didn’t know what to expect but didn’t have a bad experience reading it’s ok. It’s a short read, but there is a lot of words on one page!

The book is centred around several characters all with a past and an agenda. We meet Martin and Ben who were best mates for decades until the terrible events at Ben’s 40th birthday party which tore their friendship apart. Martin receives an invitation to the dazzling Fitzmaurice family after been shunted 7 years ago but he can’t resist the chance for revenge. Ben wants to be the next prime minster but Martin he a few tricks up his sleeve. We then meet a few other interesting characters and family dynamics which includes his wife serena, his daughter Cosima who is an environmental activist and the disgraced MP Richard Take - but then there’s Fliss the family’s balck sheep who’s death sparked more confusion then closure. It’s a book full of interwoven stories and we progressively see the unravelling of secrets held onto for years!

It’s an ok mild read, it’s not that bad but it’s very bland- but digestible.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I can absolutely appreciate why so many have rated One of Us so highly, I personally found it quite dull. Day is a fantastic, witty writer but reading about a bunch of unlikeable (with the exception of Fliss and Cosmina), privileged characters who always seem to come out on top regardless of what they did felt too close to reality for me to get much enjoyment out of. I loved Magpie from the author and it was much more my reading style so perhaps a case of wrong reader, wrong book on this occasion.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have really loved Day’s books in the past, but unfortunately for me this was like Anatomy of a Scandal, but if it was boring. There’s too much going on and none of it is spicy enough.

[Resh (The Book Satchel)]

This was incredible and funny!! When I began reading One of Us, I had no idea that this was a sequel. This reads like a standalone, so you don't have to read the first book (I came to know it is a sequel when I checked the book online). It deals with timely issues (rich establishment families, political corruption, sexual abuse, dysfunctional families and environmental activists). The characters—Martin who harbors old resentments, Ben who is touted as the next PM, Jarvis who is a womanizer with lots of money invested in political campaigns, Richard Take who is a disgraced MP trying to connect with the Tiktok gen, Cosima the activist daughter who is against everything her family stands for, Serena the unhappy wife who feels suffocated—are well crafted that it is a joy to read them. Also, great dialogue! I read this book after a dry patch with books and i am glad I picked it up. Very funny, very engaging, and also leaves you thinking about our world shaped by powerful men.

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I have to read Book 1 at some point, mainly because Elizabeth Day knows how to write great characters

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oscillating between 2.5 and 3 stars.

Zero fresh air in this, although the writing wasn’t bad. Best I can say is that it’s a boring version of Saltburn.

[Sue Oshin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book of Elizabeth Day and i did not enjoyed it all 😭 For me, it is a quite dull read or actually im not into the politicians related.

For those who enjoy the genre of thriller and mystery in political views, definitely you will enjoy this book because i found that the premise was quite interesting.

It is about the desperation beneath the privilage in politics life in Fritzmaurice’s family. A story where everyone include the family & friends who has a secret and something to hide and lose.

[Katie Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A juicy tale but despised all the characters, they’re all twats

[Joanna Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Day's One of Us is a story of power, politics and privilege ... and how, even in the seemingly tightest of circles, buried secrets have a habit of rising to the surface.

This novel has 4 narrators: Serena (wife of high-flying Tory MP Ben Fitzmaurice, a man who is touted as the next PM), Martin (an old schoolfriend of Ben's, and someone who has spent his life craving acceptance from the glittering Fitzmaurice family), Richard, a disgraced Tory MP (strange how those words so easily slide together, isn't it?) and Cosima, Ben and Serena's oldest child, who is starting to see through the chipped varnish of her parents' lives.

First off, this book is genuinely hilarious. The social references, the killer one-liners, the pin-point walk-on characters ... the cultural observations and exploration of the absurdity of human behaviour in this book is just so incredibly funny (there is a line about a Le Creuset saucepan that made me laugh so much I had to put the book down until it was all out of my system). I also found the themes of acceptance in the story incredibly moving and if you too have struggled with the toilet/pardon/serviette v loo/what/napkin dilemma of life, you are going to very hard relate to one of these characters.

However, and this is a very big however, as delightfully witty and moving as this book is, it has a very dark and powerful (and exceptionally timely) centre ... because this is also a story about the abuse of power, about corruption and exploitation, and it's down to Elizabeth's skill as a writer that it manages to convey those brutally important themes whilst still being very (very) entertaining.

One of Us continues with the story of characters we first met in Elizabeth's 2017 novel The Party. However, you do not have to have read The Party to enjoy One of Us (although I would highly recommend you do, it's equally brilliant).

One of Us is published at the end of September. A very big thank you to 4th Estate for very generously sending me a proof. It's an absolute joy. Hilariously funny, yet also deeply powerful. A rare and compelling combination.

[Nurah · Rating 1 out of 5]

So fantastically dull. Who wants to escape in a book only find it is a parody of British politics and posh toffs.
Really tried, but there was nothing of interest here. Dislikeable characters and no plotline. Too many narrators and all a headache. How did Day stay awake writing such average "meh" pages? Did not finish. Not for me. Thoroughly disappointed. Note for author: Please don't just write for the sake of it and because you can.
Lastly, who wants to read about privileged white men or rich kids going vegan for a week?!

[Indieflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Elizabeth Day's The Party and this juicy tale continues the story of Martin and Ben. I perhaps didn't love this one quite as much but it still kept me completely engrossed. I enjoyed reading about the dysfunctional Fitzmaurice family, odious politicians and Ben's dry bitchy thoughts. There's much about the power and privilege of the wealthy, the rewriting of events to suit their narrative and corruption in high places. Money talks as they say.
I think some reviewers have read this as a stand alone, but you'll definitely get more out of it if you read The Party first.
4.5 stars.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Men? Being bad?? Shocked.

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I began reading, and the characters seemed familiar. Upon checking, I met them a couple of years ago when I read The Party . The characters were great to catch up with. The first time around, I found most of them compelling but unlikable, and this book did something I did not expect. By the end of it, I was so pleased with where they landed. Characters grew, and I didn't just find them interesting, I found them likable. This really showed how flawed and complex the main characters were. Their interior lives were just as interesting as their exterior lives. I would read another book featuring them, and I would read another book by Day.

I definitely recommend this & the prior book, The Party.

[Sam Whittaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed One of Us but I found it hard to care about any of the characters so it always felt like a surface level read. It's the sequel to The Party which came out in 2017, so even if I'd read it ( which I hadn't ) I suspect I would have needed the large amount of exposition that takes up the first few chapters. Once everything is established it's very much a parody of recent British politics with thinly disguised versions of recent high level politicians. I think one of the problems of the book is that is not very original and writers such as Jonathan Coe have produced far better.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘One of Us’ is the sequel to Elizabeth Day’s ‘The Party’ but readers do not have to be familiar with the latter to understand the former. Indeed, the author ensures that we are aware of how Ben and Martin’s relationship has developed from childhood until the present day right from the outset of this novel.

Yet again, the focus is on ambitious, former public school and Oxbridge men, now with political clout, whose only desire is to increase their standing with their peers, their power and their wealth, whilst caring less than nothing about the ways in which they do so. Sounds familiar?

Ben is at the centre of this world and aiming for the top. Meanwhile, Martin, a lecturer in art history, is leading a quiet life in Cambridge until he receives an invitation to attend Ben’s sister’s funeral service. He accepts without knowing that the invitation has been sent by Serena, Ben’s long-suffering wife, to spite her husband after yet another of his unfaithful episodes.

Martin, back in the fold, but now viewing everyone and everything from a jaded perspective, begins to understand that the layers of toxicity run deep. Marriage and friendships are not as presented in the colour supplements and the generations are doing a grand job in passing down a blend of selfishness and callousness which permeates this wealthy clique. Except for one – Ben’s eldest daughter, Cosima, is determined to fight against her sheltered destiny.

Elizabeth Day’s characters both fascinate and repel. Her attention to detail allows us to gain a clear picture of their entitlement and assumptions, of their extraordinarily flexible moral code – if one can even call it such. Do the men at the centre eventually learn what really matters, what is truly of value? Possibly; only time will tell!

My thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

[Claire Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all honesty, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d get on with this novel (for no other reason than it’s not my usual type of read and felt a bit out of my comfort zone), but I literally could not put it down and ended up giving it five stars!

Told from multiple POV: the politician’s wife, the politician’s daughter, the ex best friend, the sister, the disgraced politician, One of Us is a candid exploration of life in the privileged echelons of the upper class, political world. The #multiplenarratives work together to reveal the lies, betrayals and hypocrisies that can feature in this cut throat world as each character reveals their secrets and motivations to us through their own voices.

The chapters are around 20 pages each, allowing us to really get to know each character before it moves on and building that relationship with the reader. Some of what you read is frustrating, some is simply upsetting - but all of it was rather captivating!

Thank you to @4thestatebooks for my #gifted copy pre publication - I really enjoyed

[Erin McInnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall I’d give this book 3.5 stars. There should be a callout for trigger warnings in this book with topics such as addiction, rape and suicide.

The plot was good, kept me generally engaged but lacked a bit of energy to keep me gripped. All the characters were a bit selfish, some more than others, but generally didn’t have me rooting for anyone. I did however want Martin to live his authentic self and was glad to see that happen in the end. I felt awful for Fliss and what happened to her and the way is shaped her future. I feel like the author tried to rebound Ben’s character by the end but I’m not buying it. I also feel Richard was an opportunist rather than a truth seeker and made the situation work in his favor to rebound the career he damaged. Serena was just sad and still worried about her reputation above all else all the way to the end. I was happy to see Cosima find what made her happy although it wasn’t lost on me the similarities being drawn between her and Fliss. And Jarvis, he should go straight to jail and they should loose the key. I wish there was one character I could have really connected to and rooted for from the start.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think definitely have to read The Party first (which I’d really recommend) ~ I was so so so excited when I realised this was a sequel. As all seconds they never quite live up to the first but this did a solid job. I really enjoyed it and was particularly invested in the female characters - Serena and Cozzie - and how that would all play out. I do think the very obvious and on the nose nods to recent political scandals might age the book slightly in the future but for now I loved itttttttttt.

The way that Elizabeth Day writes just really appeals to me and I’ll read anything she publishes in the future.

Thanks so much to fourth estate for sending me an early proof of this, very privileged to be one of its first readers!

[Pooja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
One of Us is a sequel to the Party, but it’s not necessary to have read it as the previous happenings are recapped. I had mostly forgotten the Party so appreciated the reminder!
The plot focuses on the wealthy upper class Fitzmaurices, in particular the head of the family, Ben (who is running for Prime Minister), his wife Serena, daughter Cosima and sister Fliss, whose death is at the center of the book. The other important character is Martin, loyal friend of Ben since school and secretly in love with him, but now looking for revenge after events in the Party. Finally we have Richard, a down on his luck politician who will nevertheless be an important player in Ben’s career.
We get POVs from all the characters except Ben, which is interesting as most of their actions are influenced by him. We never understand his thoughts, just see how he is from the other narrators.
Without giving too much away, there are several themes covered - social class, futility of politics, aging, the climate crisis, cancel culture, the changing role of women in society and childhood trauma, but the main theme is revenge. Each character has their own grievances and ultimately this book is about how they act on these feelings. It’s a slow build up to an explosive ending, but I really enjoyed it. The writing felt fresh and I liked the elements of humour. I did feel that perhaps there were too many themes, almost running the risk of being unoriginal, but overall a good and absorbing read.
I also listened to the audio book for this - great narration by Richard Armitage as Martin!

[kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin and Ben were buddies in school — until Ben drunkenly ran over his girlfriend, Vicky, and Martin agreed to take the blame in exchange for a huge amount of money.

Ben is now married to Serena, whom he has four kids with. He’s now at the frontlines of English politics as Energy Secretary, while his eldest, Cosima, is secretly part of an environmentalist activist group.
Martin is still resentful towards Ben, who is now cosied up with Martin’s former bully, Jarvis. Then there’s Richard, an MP caught masturbating in his office, a scandal which threatens to bring down his entire political career.

When Ben’s sister Felicity unexpectedly dies, things come to light and troubles start rising.

——
This was a character study more than anything else. Martin seemed to be the protagonist of all of it (the first-person narrative in only his chapters certainly points that way). It was, all in all, a bit unmemorable. It had loads of plot lines that sort of worked out in the end, but the near constant perspective changes were wearing me out a tiny bit. Did it need to explicitly spell out all the transphobic and homophobic slurs and comments? No. Did it do it? Yes. Idk, it was alright.

[Trina Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fitzmaurice family are used to covering up scandals, after all, years before they bribed the police to not press charges in a road accident, and paid Ben's friend Martin to take the blame.
Ben is now the Energy Secretary and vying to become Prime Minister so can little afford any further scandals to come his way. But with a daughter who is an eco warrior, and Martin back in the bosom of the family but still resentful, can things be plain sailing.
I hadn't realised this was a sequel to The Party, but it didn't detract from the storyline. The main characters didn't particularly have any redeeming features, but such was the skill in the writing, by the end you had to feel a touch of empathy for them, apart from one, which will become obvious.
It's a story of power and revenge, privileged people who think they can get away with anything.
It's not a quick read but it is an enjoyable one

[p.]

The problem with this book is me because rich people appear to be fundamentally uninteresting, in evilness and goodness both. It really makes you appreciate 'Succession' for suceeding to make us care about a rich family and find thrill in the spectacle of their horribleness. Or maybe it is just that the English upper echelon have been completely enfeedbled by generations of keeping up appearances that they lack the vigour of the nouveau-riches.

But I know this would appeal to a lot of people so OK. Maybe I got it and it never made me care anyways.

[liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good! good pace, curious plot, and some deeply unlikeable characters. 

caveat: the writing every so often uses verbose (and unnecessary?) words like "vituperative", "au courant", "rapacious", and "solar plexus" which is distracting because it doesn't work stylistically - it's like when someone overuses a thesaurus and the words stick out, unnaturally. I wonder if the intention was to mirror the upper class characters with their private education, but it wasn't consistent enough?

notwithstanding intent, such vernacular became rather vexatious, which I felt right in the...well, solar plexus.

[Kirsty]

not for me.

[Alana Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: a very enjoyable listen with fantastic narrators giving life to vibrant characters.

[Debbi Barton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book, but overall it was as dull as dish water. I felt it was trying too hard to be like Caledonian Road or Salturn but without the, wit, intellect or articulation. I don't know how much of this was me not in the mood for this book 😕

[Bertie Breaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last one of the year turned out to be the best!

[Laura Candon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Could not put it down! Saltburn meets Made in Chelsea. A 10/10: beautifully written, interesting characters, and a gripping storyline. Elizabeth Day is a queen!