The Fraud (2023) is set in 1873 and follows Mrs. Eliza Touchet, a Scottish housekeeper. Touchet has spent much of her life living and working with the famous novelist William Ainsworth. As Ainsworth declines, Touchet begins to explore her interests, like writing, abolitionism, and her family and friends. Over time, she becomes disillusioned with the life she had grown accustomed to, including England itself and Ainsworth, who she thinks doesn't have any real talent.
At the same time, the novel tells the story of a former Jamaican slave named Andrew Bogle. After escaping the bondage of slavery, Bogle travels to London, where he learns more about class and the true nature of people—specifically, how often and easily people deceive each other. He learns this through his participation in a fraud trial, for which he is the star witness. That trial, which was later dubbed the "Tichborne Trial," captivates Mrs. Touchet and will ultimately decide Bogle's fate.
Fraud has its roots in real-life history. Reviewers, most of whom wrote positively about the novel, appreciated the novel's grounding most. Kirkus Reviews enjoyed the novel quite a bit but felt that the novel wasn't as groundbreaking as some of the author's previous work. To that end, in their review, they called it "Intelligent and thoughtful but not quite at this groundbreaking writer's usual level of excellence." The Washington Post liked the novel more, calling it "clever" in their review.
