This episode centres on The Salt Path, a publishing phenomenon that has sold millions of copies worldwide, inspired a major film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, and has become, for many readers, a story of endurance, love and hope in the face of loss.But over the past year, that story has also become the subject of a major investigation by The Observer.Our guest is Chloe Hadjimatheou, narrative editor at The Observer, whose reporting has examined serious questions about the truth-claims of The Salt Path, including the authors’ identities, the circumstances around the loss of their home, the presentation of illness, and what responsibilities publishers, journalists and readers have when a memoir presents itself as fact.In our conversation, Chloe takes us inside that investigation: from the first tip-off that something didn’t quite add up, through months of document-trawling and interviews, to the ethical, legal and emotional decisions involved in publishing a story that challenged a book so many people loved.We also talk more broadly about narrative investigation as a form, what kinds of stories Chloe is drawn to, what this case says about our appetite for certain kinds of stories — and what advice she has for early-career journalists who want to do deep, patient reporting in a fast and pressured media environment.You can read Chloe's reporting for the Observer at https://observer.co.uk/contributor/chloe-hadjimatheou and listen to her podcast series by searching for "The Walkers" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or BBC Sounds.J-Lab is a podcast by the Civic Journalism Lab at Newcastle University.