4.5 stars

What a fantastic thriller!

The author did a fantastic job of keeping me guessing, I was never quite sure exactly who to suspect and then the twist at the end was incredible!

I also loved the commentary on rumors and how easily a rumor can get out of hand and how easily a person can get caught in up rumours.

Highly recommend checking this thriller out!

3.5

I really enjoyed the ride I took with The Rumor! The twists and turns surprised me continually. I had to suspend my disbelief in a few parts, but it was worth it for the enjoyment of this fast-paced thriller. The last sentence of the book left me reeling and had me wondering, "Did that just happen?" I'm still whirling about that and want to know more.

No you don't understand. This was crazyyyy. Crazy good. I didn't expect much, BUT THE END. I MEAN. I MEAN.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Digital for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I must admit, I am a sucker for psychological thrillers. This is a book that had me gripped from the very first page. Not-quite-single (it's complicated...) Joanna lives in a quiet seaside town, Flinstead with her young son Alfie. The quiet of the town is shattered when a rumour is started that a former child killer, Sally McGowan has been given a new identity and re-settled in their sleepy paradise. Joanna's peaceful existence is shattered as she begins to suspect every woman in that age bracket. As one might expect, this tension leads to a devastating climax. Don't worry - no spoilers. I was very surprised to read that this is Lesley Kara's first novel as the plot development is tight and the creation of the different characters and their interlinked relationship is nuanced and believable. I look forward to more of Kara's books in the future.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Digital for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I must admit, I am a sucker for psychological thrillers. This is a book that had me gripped from the very first page. Not-quite-single (it's complicated...) Joanna lives in a quiet seaside town, Flinstead with her young son Alfie. The quiet of the town is shattered when a rumour is started that a former child killer, Sally McGowan has been given a new identity and re-settled in their sleepy paradise. Joanna's peaceful existence is shattered as she begins to suspect every woman in that age bracket. As one might expect, this tension leads to a devastating climax. Don't worry - no spoilers. I was very surprised to read that this is Lesley Kara's first novel as the plot development is tight and the creation of the different characters and their interlinked relationship is nuanced and believable. I look forward to more of Kara's books in the future.

I will admit that I like a good rumour but I'm more at the 'who snogged who at a work Christmas party' end of the scale than at the 'that person is a notorious child murderer in witness protection' end. I thought this book was fairly meh but readable. I didn't like how the main character kept clarifying in different ways that her partner was black and he son mixed race, every five seconds. We get it. I also don't have children so don't really identify with the mums at the school gate. Having said that there was nothing particularly bad about the book; the story was fine and the writing was bland but okay. I guess my biggest gripe would be that in order to keep you guessing, there were so many characters thrown at you in a red herring type way that unless this was the first book of this type you have ever read, you were always going to guess the ending.

I would say that this was a fairly average book and you could do worse than read it. Also I just have to say that the 'twist' at the end is barely a plot point let alone a twist and all but the dimmest of readers will probably say, yeah, duh, when they read it.

I flew through this book in 2 days it was that good!
Joanna accidentally starts a rumour that there is a child killer living in her home town of Flinstead to try and fit in with the other mum's to help her son Alfie fit in at school and make more friends.
This book was full of twists from beginning to end and when I thought I'd figured out who it was another twist came along and changed everything! The gossiping mum's and their circle was portrayed brilliantly and I can just imagine this is exactly what it's like at every school gates in a morning. You are left on the edge of your seat throughout trying to finish it as soon as possible to get to the answer!