Based on a True Story by Sarah Vaughan
Seldom since Daphne du Maurier put readers on edge has a walk along the high Cornish cliffs signaled so much suspense and danger. Sarah Vaughn’s sixth thrilling novel, Based on a True Story, begs to be read in one long sitting. Its evocative tagline is: “All families have secrets. But it’s the lies that can kill.” The nuanced plot is loosely based on King Lear, with renowned children’s author Dame Eleanor Kingman cast as the mistrustful, unpredictable monarch. Her three daughters, Gemma, Rachel and Delia (Cordelia), hold close their own ambitions, secrets and lies with obvious nods to Lear’s offspring Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Birthday parties, massive storms and a dead body on the beach are all part of the mix in this densely layered story.
Widely regarded as a “national treasure,” Eleanor has planned a dual-purpose event: a lavish 70th birthday celebration for herself and a showcase for her recent multi-million-euro purchase of an estate and elegantly appointed manor house perched high upon the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Celtic Sea. Her best-selling books have enabled her to amass an enviable portfolio of architectural gems and luxury homes. The guest list is extensive with a mixture of family, friends, and colleagues but has become fraught for Eleanor. Her estranged original agent Peter was only reluctantly invited with the vain hope he would decline. Peter still harbors resentment for the massive success she achieved after deserting him for representation by his former assistant Charlotte, and his lingering acrimony over lost commissions may be prompting him to leak damaging secrets from the distant past. There is also a documentary film crew already present for several days, and, in contrast to the tightly controlled “fluff” interviews she had permitted in the past, Eleanor fears the planned biopic may cast her in an unfavorable light.
Independent filmmaker Ned Simpson has plans to interview her family, ex-husband, agents and various guests and seems bent on ferreting out scandalous innuendos. Sightings of a pair of uninvited guests strolling along the cliff walk and in the village add another disturbing element to the proceedings.
A Celebration Shadowed by Secrets
Eleanor is also unsettled after receiving anonymous emails that quote Shakespeare, claim knowledge of “her secret,” and threaten to expose a half-century-old lie. Her milestone birthday has stimulated greater self-reflection and possibly a guilty conscience for manipulating truth to suit her own needs, not acknowledging credit due and being miserly to associates. Aiysha, a young novice illustrator, was thrilled with the opportunity to work with Eleanor on Tyler, the latest multi-million-selling book that later included lucrative merchandising ties but was understandably aggrieved with the low flat fee contract that did not include royalties. Why was Eleanor surprisingly shaken by a child’s accusation at a recent author talk that “liars are bad!” because her stories are “made-up”. How much of Eleanor Kingman’s glossed-over early life was fiction with a grim reality of poverty, deprivation and a drunken, abusive father?
Daughter Gemma serves as her event planner and general dogsbody and is concealing a love affair. Daughter Rachel is her underpaid, underappreciated accountant whose anesthesiologist husband’s debts prevent her from quitting. Eleanor made them some modest gifts several years ago, but nothing more seems forthcoming. Her treatment of Delia, the youngest, clear favorite and inspiration for her mother’s most successful series is in stark contrast to her sisters. Similar to the real-life Christopher Robin Milne, Delia resented the attention and rebelled with alcohol and cocaine abuse, resulting in a lengthy stay in an upscale rehab facility funded by her mother, which successfully brought sobriety. Her main source of income is as a podcaster/yoga instructor and Instagram influencer who incessantly streams videos as “Delightfully Delia.” Defection on her part would be more painful than a scorpion’s sting for Eleanor.
A Family Divided by Ambition and Resentment
Based on a True Story lays bare the complexities and ambitions of a family at extreme odds with one another, vying for attention and most of all craving their mother’s wealth and lifestyle. Who, if any, among them can be trusted, and will this family unite when the matriarch is challenged? Sarah Vaughn’s prose crackles with excitement as the tension mounts, making this combination of psychological family drama and murder mystery irresistible.
About Sarah Vaughan:
Sarah Vaughan is the Sunday Times and international bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal, Little Disasters and Reputation, plus two earlier novels. Translated into 26 languages, Anatomy of a Scandal became a worldwide number one Netflix limited series, watched for 200 million hours in its first month alone, and starring Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery and Rupert Friend. Little Disasters dropped on Paramount Plus in May 2025, and stars Diane Kruger, Jo Joyner and a “powerhouse cast” including JJ Feild, Shelley Conn, Emily Taaffe and Stephen Campbell Moore. Reputation has been optioned by Made Up Stories and 3dot productions, the team behind Anatomy of a Scandal.
Before writing fiction, Sarah spent 15 years as a journalist, including 11 at the Guardian as a political correspondent and news reporter: great preparation for thrillers exploring power, privilege and misogyny, and incorporating police investigations and criminal trials. Brought up in Devon, she lives near Cambridge, England with her family and dog.
