The Artful Anna Harris: A Novel

by Tracy Maton

'Highsmith herself would raise a glass' - SARAH HILARY
'Drew me in from the very first page and had me hooked throughout' - PHILIPPA EAST
'An intriguing cat and mouse game, which will keep you reading into the early hours' - TINA BAKER

'You are quite the chameleon, aren't you? You could wear anything, do anything, and yet you choose plain, plain, plain. Is it all a front for a secret life?'

When the vivacious Sofia Carstairs arrives in her sleepy country village, Anna knows her life will never be the same again. Her new best friend is carefree, elegant and intoxicating. Her life doesn't revolve around church flower arrangements or Sunday lunches with the in-laws. Sofia reminds Anna of the person she used to be, before she worked so hard to fit in that she practically disappeared.

But is it enough to just be Sofia's friend? Anna wonders what it would be like to be Sofia, if only for a little while. But once Anna starts pretending, she finds it easy to pretend the rules don't apply to her. How far will Anna go to get what she wants? And what will she do to those who stand in her way?

Full of sharp observations and shocking twists, The Artful Anna Harris is perfect for readers looking for the next The Talented Mr Ripley.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Audiobook

368 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2026

Reviews

[Matt Milu]

If you love messy characters who make an art out of making bad decisions after bad decisions, this book is for you! The ending was very suspenseful and the book was a hoot! 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

[Lianne Hare]

This was dubbed a modern twist on The Talented Mr Ripley and my interest was immediately piqued. I was lucky enough to have gone to Vipers 2026 Spring Launch at the tail end of 2025 and got to hear Tracy Marin talk about her debut and she’s every bit as sharp and witty as you’d expect from the way this has been written.

We start out meeting our protagonist Anna, she’s left her old life behind and settled into sleepy village life with her partner Ben and shaping herself to fit as the doting daughter in law, this is all shaken up when Sofia moves to the village and Anna’s infatuation with her starts. The age old “do I want to be friends with her or do I want to BE her?”. Anna seemingly will put a mask on to fit any social situation and likes to try on lives to see how they fit. But Anna has a past she seems to struggle to keep pushed down and every so often we see glimpses of the real Anna Harris.

I haven’t read a book quite like this in some time with the way our protagonist (who absolutely isn’t reliable) is walking us through the crime and deceit where I truly felt attached to what should be a deeply unlikeable character. Morton has somehow created Anna Harris flaws and all but managed to keep her somewhat lovable and then I’m under Anna’s spell. Spectacular in my eyes. This was such a good fun read and there’s no guessing games involved because Anna will keep you up to speed page by page of the real time going’s on and every character that comes along uncovers a little bit more of her whilst adding twists to this incredible debut. I had to remind myself this is Mortons debut because it reads like she has an extensive back catalogue building to this.

A story of lies, infatuation , deception and manipulation, I’m glad it made it onto my 2026 reading pile and now I need to know, what’s next for Tracy Morton because I turned the last page and immediately wanted more!

[Stephanie]

This book is diabolical fun. The main character is completely unhinged but in a strange way I was kind of cheering for her. So enjoyable and excellent on audio, too. Thank you, Libro.fm for a copy of this thriller!

[Dozelina 666]

I actually had a funny interaction with the author when I shared this book's release on Instagram. She replied, *"You might be glad your name is spelt differently when you meet her!"* ... I can confidently say she was absolutely right. :))))

From the very beginning, Anna felt like one of the most unreliable narrators I've read in a while. Every time I thought I had her figured out, she'd lie, manipulate someone or reveal another layer of herself that made me question everything I'd read before.

Anna has a seemingly perfect life, a fiancé, a loving future in-laws and a quiet life in an English village. But appearances can be deceiving and before long she's juggling secrets, lies, questionable decisions and relationships that become increasingly complicated. Watching everything slowly spiral out of control was honestly the best part of the book.

I also really enjoyed how morally gray Anna was(n't). She isn't your typical thriller heroine, and that's exactly what made her so entertaining to follow. I never knew what she was going to do next, and while I certainly didn't agree with many of her choices, I couldn't stop turning the pages to see how far she would take things.

There were a couple of moments where I had to stop and think because the twists, deception and shifting perspectives became a little confusing, but everything eventually came back together.

My only small complaint is the ending. It wasn't bad by any means, I just found myself wishing for one final twist or an extra chapter that packed a little more punch.

Overall, this was an entertaining psychological thriller with an unforgettable main character, plenty of deception and enough twists to keep me guessing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

https://turnthepagewithana.blogspot.c...

[Lu thrillskillsandchills]

The Artful Anna Harris was an easy 5⭐️ for me!

Holy con-lady! I LOVED Anna! She’s cunning, manipulative and everything I want in a con artist protagonist. I couldn’t help but root for her, even when I absolutely shouldn’t have. I’m fascinated by con artists, grifters and fraudsters, so a thriller centred around a morally grey woman reinventing herself and staying one step ahead of everyone around her was always going to be right up my alley.

Marketed as The Talented Mr. Ripley if Tom Ripley were a young woman today, this absolutely delivered on that comparison. Watching Anna slip so effortlessly into different versions of herself, manipulate those around her and blur the lines between truth and lies was endlessly entertaining. She’s one of those characters you know you probably shouldn’t be cheering for, yet somehow you are anyway.

I struggled to put this down and finished it in just over 24 hours. I listened to the audiobook, and the narration elevated an already brilliant story. Every character had their own distinct voice, making it effortless to know who was speaking while pulling me even further into the story. It felt like I was experiencing Anna rather than simply listening to someone read the book.

I’ve said this plenty of times this year, but my goodness… 2026 is debut season! This is yet another debut that never once felt like a debut. If this is what Tracy Maton can do in her debut, I’ll be first in line for whatever she writes next.

[Jo_Scho_Reads]

Oh Anna Harris. Aren’t you quite the enigma?

When we first meet Anna, she’s living a content yet nondescript life in a quiet Somerset village. Her partner is Ben, a good, kind man and his family and friends have welcomed Anna into their lives with warmth and generosity. But still. Something is missing, but what? So when the charismatic and confident Sofia enters her life, Anna sees an opportunity to recall the person she once was. And who she could be again…

This book took me completely by surprise, in a spectacular way. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but definitely not this. On first appearances Anna seems like Mrs Average, although there is a hint of reservation about her, a sense that what you see is not quite what you get. But once you start unpeeling those layers, you’ll be in for one hell of a shock.

This is such a clever story, it’s essentially a crime novel but told from the view of the protagonist. And it’s written so well that despite knowing that you shouldn’t, you still feel empathy for Anna. Well I did anyway, I’m not sure what that says about me! I found her intoxicating, like a chameleon blending in with her surroundings wherever she went. I honestly couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what she would get up to next.

If you want to dive into a wonderfully twisty read that will grab you right from the start, then look no further.

[books_by_vickib]

2.5 ⭐️
Struggled a bit with this one. Think it just went over my head and I didn't fully engage with characters.

The ending of this book confused me a bit, but then the main character is an unreliable narrator so I guess it was not going to be a happy ending 🤣

There were some moments of dark humour, sadness and a few deaths (I'll say no more) thrown in to this story and it was a good debut novel.

I felt sorry for Anna at times during this book, it's clear she never fitted it and tried so hard to the point she is totally unhinged at some points. But she's not the only one who dabbles at someone else's identity. There are definitely a few secrets in this book.

[Sonica]

I inhaled this debut and it had me questioning every character and second-guessing every decision. 😮‍💨🤯

Anna is one of those unforgettable characters you can’t stop thinking about. She’s complicated, captivating, and walking a dangerous line between the life she has and the life she secretly craves. Just when you think you’ve figured things out… the story pulls the rug right out from under you. 👏🖤

If you’re a fan of:
✨ morally gray characters
🏡 idyllic villages hiding dark secrets
👀 shocking twists
📖 “just one more chapter” reads

…then you NEED this book on your TBR! Trust me, this is one you’re going to want everyone to be talking about. 🙌📚

[Diane Dachota]

A fun and twisty mystery in the style of a Patricia Highsmith novel. I love interesting main characters and Anna is certainly one of those! We meet Anna and her lovely boyfriend Ben along with Ben's mother Dee and his brother and sisters. Anna is happy to have found herself as part of a nice and devoted family. She also has a best friend named Sophie. But Anna isn't an ordinary person and we quickly find that out when Sophie revels she is disgusted with Anna's habit of making fun of Ben and his family. The pacing and the way the tension unfolds is very well done. Part of the story is about Anna having two miscarriages and feeling uncertain about trying again-something relatable to a lot of women.

The intrigue in the story ramps up when Anna meets Mark, a handsome art therapist that she starts to see on days she takes her future mother in-law to physical therapy. Mark ,(like Anna) has secrets and Anna is attracted to him while she is smart enough to not trust him. Anna also begins a friendship with an ill elderly woman named Jan and how all of these come together is the fun part of this book. I don't have to like a main character to find them interesting and I didn't exactly like Anna but found her to be fun and wanted her to end up happy. I also liked the side characters: cheerful Ben, his sweet mother Dee and rich, lonely Jan who maybe wasn't as naive as people may have thought. I did think the ending came about a little abruptly but all in all, I enjoyed and highly recommend this very different thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC for review.

[Mary Heather]

This was such a fun read - I love an unhinged, unreliable narrator and Anna Harris was definitely able to keep my attention while keeping me entertained. Throughout the entire story, there are twists and turns that keep things interesting. Just when you think you've been given some insight into the character and know what she's thinking, something new happens and you are left wondering where exactly this is going all over again. I really enjoyed the writing, which was very clever and at times quite humorous. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody that enjoys a well written, smart mystery/thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this ebook ARC!

[Zoe]

Dark, cunning, and addictive!

The Artful Anna Harris is an unsettling thriller that explores the dangerous allure of reinvention, the intoxicating pull of obsession, and the devastating consequences of believing you can become someone else without losing yourself in the process.

The prose is sharp and intense. The characters are deceptive, morally ambiguous, and impulsive. And the plot is a slow-burning descent into a world of identity, manipulation, secrets, desire, grief, lies, betrayal, fractured psyches, and shocking twists.

Overall, The Artful Anna Harris is a clever, atmospheric, compelling debut by Maton that has left me eager to read whatever brilliantly twisted story she comes up with next.

[laura_does_books]

Well, this little cracker of a book has certainly kept me glued to my seat for the past few evenings.

Synopsis:
Anna Harris seems to have it all. Living in a picturesque English village with a doting boyfriend with his supportive family close by, she has a job as a primary school teaching assistant.
But Anna Harris is not who she appears and rather than enjoying the quiet life, she craves
excitement.
When the outspoken and adventurous Sophia Carstairs moves into the village, Anna is drawn to her like a moth to a flame as Sophia reminds her so much of her younger self.
To spice things up, Anna creates another persona; a more exciting and interesting version of herself. But will this supposed bit of fun not only bring up her past but wreck her relationship and ruin her future?

What a ride reading this book was. Told through a first person narrative, I found Anna pretty hard to like due to her narcissistic tendencies and lack of a moral compass. I was, however, fully invested and engrossed in her story and I didn’t have to suspend my belief to thoroughly enjoy this book.

It’s a bit tricky to discuss anything about the plot without giving spoilers away but if you enjoy a dark, psychological thriller that’ll keep you up late reading, then this is the book for you.

Thank you to @viperbooks and @tracymaton for sending me this brilliant advanced copy for my honest review.

UK Publication Date : March 2026

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[Lost Vegas]

Anna has a past, but now lives in a lovely village with a lovely partner and all the English countryside beauty you could imagine. That is until Sofia turns up, Sofia reminds Anna of the past and they have a whirlwind friendship that throws Anna back in to being how she was on one side and staying the loving partner in the other.

I found this book quite good fun but this was ruined by the ending. There is very little point writing all these wonderful characters and ending so abruptly with little resolved. Could have been 5 and now is 3.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Lorraine Carpenter]

A fantastic debut and a breath of fresh air, Anna the antihero is an unlikeable FMC, but you can't help but be completely engrossed in her story. It has some great twists and is definitely a fast paced, page turner that you can't help but pick up and continue. It's hard to do an in-depth review without giving away the story which is in my opinion best experienced going in blind! But it is 100% fun and incredibly enjoyable!

[Merricat]

This is a debut novel by Tracy Maton. I am a fan of Patricia Highsmith and so apparently is Maton. I enjoyed this book quite a lot.

The plot : young woman in a rural village whose social group seems to consist mainly of her partners family. She makes a new friend and almost instantly becomes they become best friends. This plays out over the first 40% of the e-book. The dialogue is good. As this part of the book would seem a tad slow for me the dialogue really kept my interest.
I did find myself wondering when something would happen and when something finally did happen it was a “whoa what?!?” Moment for me.
From then on you see that all is not as it seems with Anna Harris and her life.
But the writer doesn’t come out and tell all she leaves little snips here and there of Anna’s POV or her memory of things past that made me want to know more.

This is one of those novels that I more or less have some things figured out early on but it absolutely did not detract from the tension the writer was building.

I honestly didn’t find it that dark more like the Agatha Christie books I used to read. Even Mary Stewart with much more of an edge. There are secrets yes. Family that was a bit cloying. I really wanted Anna to succeed. (Mr Ripley or Strangers on a Train) I can see the influence of Marin’s love of Highsmith’s novels.

I highly recommend this debut novel. I will definitely pick up the next novel this woman writes too.

And I really wonder is there going to be more of Anna Harris. Really I do hope there is.

Thank you to NetGalley who provided the ARC

[Heather Poet]

I really enjoyed The Artful Anna Harris!
There was something about Anna's story that pulled me in and kept me wanting to see what would happen next. I loved the mix of secrets, relationships, temptations and the characters felt like people I could actually get invested in.
It's one of those books that has a little bit of everything-beautifully written, emotional, and with enough twists and surprises to keep things interesting. I definitely found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading!

[Lourdes C.]

I almost stopped reading this book because the first chapters are very boring. But I ended up liking the story and the main character. I was not keen on the ending. My biggest criticism is that the author uses plenty of British idioms. I guess the author, who is Canadian, wanted to use as many British expressions and idioms to convince us that the story takes place in England. Or maybe she is trying hard to be British since she lives there now. As a writer, she should want to be understood by as many readers as possible.

[Mattine]

Anna is living a humdrum life with her boyfriend Ben. Sofia comes along and Anna realizes there is more to life. Sofia challenges Anna in many different ways. Anna decides to challenge herself and live like Sofia. What ensues is an absolutely crazy and wild ride where you find that Anna isn't so boring after all.

[Hannah McKinnon]

The Artful Anna Harris is a spectacular debut that’s compelling, twisty, and surprising. In giving the reader free access to Anna’s thoughts, Tracy Maton’s exploration of her main character’s psyche, deep dark secrets, and destructive modus operandi are equally genius as they are wicked and addictive. A sinister must read!

[Laurie]

Thank you to NetGally for the advanced copy of this book. I’m not sure what to say. I think I liked it. It is very different from anything I’ve read. There was a little difficulty with the language and some of the phrases. Fortunately I like variety.

[Knabs]

I enjoyed reading about the devious Anna Harris. The pace dips a bit after the first “incident,” but things pick up again after Anna makes a new friend. Not sure if the author is planning another installment, but I would definitely read another book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for making an advanced copy available.

[Mehva]

style didn't work for me

[Bea Alabaster]

Very fun!
Hard to compete with the real Ripley but an excellent proxy
3.5 stars rounded up

[Renee]

This story kept me reading and trying to figure out what would happen next! Lots of interesting twists and turns! Not the ending I was expecting! Definitely worth the read!

[Melissa Ford]

The first half was a nice thriller but I didn’t get the big deal. The second half was a wild ride and I totally understood the praise. Very well done.

[RT]

This book took me completely by surprise. Well crafted, well written, engaging intelligent propulsive with a deliciously satisfying end. An entertaining read that’s worth your time and effort.

[Ally Jay]

The storylines felt a little disjointed

[Michele Menard]

Third book I’ve read in six months with the same basic premise. It was okay but I probably won’t recommend it.

[Sarah]

3.5 rounded up. Strong writing and characters, and engaging read, but the last third was missing something for me.

[Jen]

3.75 - Have to mull this one over a bit more.