Thread 23 : To feel disappointed - and now disgusted too - after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

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The Observer's original exposé: The real Salt Path: how a blockbuster book and film were ...

First thread: To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film? | Mumsnet

Links to threads 2-16, the other 20 Observer articles and videos to date, Raynor Winn/Sally Walker's statement, our timeline and sources can all be accessed in the OP and first few posts of Thread 17: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5403285-thread-17-to-feel-disappointed-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

Links to threads 18-20 can be found in the OP of Thread 21: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5460943-thread-21-to-feel-disappointed-and-now-disgusted-too-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

Thread 22:www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5470952-thread-22-to-feel-disappointed-and-now-disgusted-too-after-reading-this-in-the-observer-about-the-author-and-her-husband-from-the-salt-path-book-and-film?

Most recent:

• Salt Path: A Very British Scandal, available on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV, 15th December 2025
• ‘Don’t look for the money. I’ve taken it all’: Salt Path author Raynor Winn’s ‘confession’ that she stole from her family | The Observer
• Observer Newsroom: The Real Salt Path Story, Thursday 8th January 2026

New posters joining us in the genuine spirit of our civil discourse are welcome. It would be helpful to get the background from at least some of the Observer exposé items before posting.
To all - Please be extremely cautious when it comes to naming or implicating people and addresses not in the public eye or with no direct connection to the story, and around the understandable health speculations, especially where details are unclear or still emerging. Remember, even Hollywood rabbits attract the odd flea. Please do not engage with drive-by scolders and ploppers who seem to have their own agenda and seek to derail. Avoid @'ing and quoting them as - from experience - this will only encourage them back to the threads. For over 6 months we have done amazingly well together for 22 very interesting, very serious and very silly threads so far. I can't be here as much as I'd like so all help with keeping our discussion walking along in our usual reasonable and respectful fashion is very welcome.

After 22,000 posts there are still new things to look out for on the path:
Podcast series (7 episodes) from The Observer's award-winning Investigative Journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou, 13th January 2026.
The Walkers: The real Salt Path | The Observer

After listening to some of The Walkers: The real Salt Path podcast episodes from The Observer today my thoughts are even more with the victims. I also believe that the publishers, agent and prizegivers must now act and be seen to act.

Please start each post with the podcast episode you are commenting on, for clarity and to help others avoid spoilers if they wish to do so. Many thanks.

As always, keep to the path, no saltiness, eat fudge and drink cider.

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Hi @Freshsocks did you see that 12 hours ago I was sharing our conversation about TSP sales?

Re: HNTDD the hard copy proves that they are scammers - it had a recommendation from a fictitious Welsh newspaper in a banner across it!

Thanks, YY, the Mars Bar Incident.

I agree. I think HNTDDD merits a podcast episode. Hasn’t Salray discussed the raffle element and cancellation of it? The book feels like it’s a smoking gun & the charabanc sleuths could no doubt prise anything suspect within.

How creative.

& @DoubtfulCat who is the ‘dipper’ & what do we know of his backstory? Is it ‘Cooper’?

If this is the link where the quote about not selling came from, it does read to me more that these are the sort of book people who collect rather than sell books. Although it could be taken either way - "Very few of us want to sell our books" or "Very few of us want to sell our copies (of HNTDDD)".

https://www.librarything.com/topic/371935

I agree the plot is totally Salray, what I mean is we couldn't find the author from the ISBN number, that number can be in the pseudonym, as this books was. Gangani publishing do not have to reveal the real name of the author, not unless there is some kind of legal action, against the author. When we were searching, we could not get past this. I know Chloe has the copy, and the plot speaks for itself, but Salray hasn't acknowledged herself as the author, she just hasn't denied writing it.

It’s “Baxter”, as “Elias” first lays eyes on him. Remarkably similar to how “Raynor” first spots “Moth” across a crowded canteen 🙄

Yes I saw that and other comments elsewhere. There was a more specific remark from memory, now deleted. Why would this book, pre scandal, be collectable?

I think it’s clear from reading the whole book (we spotted the similarities in style from just the first page) that Sally either wrote both, or had a copy of HNTDDD and massively plagiarised it. Aren’t there people who analyse texts to judge if they’re written by the same person? Although in this case she has so many tells that it’s going to be fairly obvious with the whole book available.

Baxter has two identities? He’s also Elias? Dissociative personality disorder? :) And he’s a drug addict who loses a business/property?

Gerald Rattner might be a possible counter-example?

I think it is a sensitive, hot potato for SalRay and think there’s a clue/there are clues within. Curious as to what these might be.

I had forgotten about Gerald Rayner @PinkPanther57.
I think the saying "there's no such thing as bad publicity" is a myth like my most depressing day of the year :)

Um, am I the only one who doesn't really want to think about the Mars Bar dipping thing? I'm of the vintage, as is SW, that grew up with stories, maybe apocryphal, of what some rock stars got up to in the bedroom with branded confectionery.

Although tbh, I doubt it really happened with Raymoth, more likely she added it in as saucy detail.

Yes recently there was Coldplay-concert-cuddling-colleague-CEO

@DoubtfulCat so Elias & Baxter same person? One an alter ego? Is Sal alluding to Moth the showman dandy & Tim the troubled out of work gardener plasterer? There may be lots of clues as to the real Slim Shady in HNTDDD!

Baxter and Elias are the characters from HNTDDD, Moth and Raynor are the characters from TSP or TWS. Both couples meet when the female character spots the male character dipping his mars bar in tea across a crowded cafe/ college cafeteria.

That was just terrible wasn't it, the looks on their faces.
We really need to get hold of a copy of this book, perhaps we're going to have to go and borrow (steal) Chloe's copy :)

I think Gangani said that it had more in its pipeline, but so far as I know nothing came out.

The opposite problem from its sole director.

Ah! @DoubtfulCat said something about Baxter in guise of Elias & I got wrong end of stick. :) It’s the unisex names!

True, Ratner proves there is such a thing as bad publicity 😄But the difference is that he denigrated the quality of his company's products. People don't want to buy jewellery that's been described as "total crap". But when people buy a book, it's because they find the subject interesting. And the scandal sparked a lot of interest in the Walkers.

One of my books had a character with a unisex name and my editor made me change it. She said it's a bad move to make the reader have to guess at the sex of your character. Maybe Elias and Baxter are a gay male couple?

I do think there is evidence that a lot of people have rejected the Walkers' brand now.

If it turns out that TSP was ineligible, it would be the decent thing to name one of the other books from that year as the corrected winner (and to reclaim and re-award the proze money).