This is a gripping read, a pyschological thriller narrated by Jo, a young lone parent who has recently returned to the seaside town of her birth to give a fresh start to her young son Alfie. For his sake, she's desperate to fit in, and confides a rumour to her new 'friends'. A rumour about a child-killer who may now be living in the town under an assumed identity......

Suspicion, paranoia and fear all play their part in the drama that unfolds. I galloped through this book. I tend to think that with its focus on the school gate and a young mother's worries this story may appeal more to female readers. A look at those who have reviewd this book on Goodreads so far confirms this. ( )

The Rumor by Lesley Kara is a 2018 publication.

The premise is certainly interesting. One child kills another child- and now years later, a rumor begins circulating that the killer, now living under an assumed name, has now moved to a small town- one that sounds remarkably like theirs. Joanna gets caught up in the gossip only as a way of fitting into the community_ but soon she comes to regret it when a new follower on Twitter begins tweeting ominous literary quotes warning against the spreading of rumors. Is Joanna simply guilt ridden over spreading rumors or could there really be a murderer in their midst?

After reading ‘The Dare’ several years ago, a few people suggested I give this one a try. Now, nearly four years later, I’m finally getting around to reading it. The story did hold my attention, though Joanna could get a little too carried away at times, and I had suspicions early on about how things were going to turn out.

Once I got to the seventy percent mark, though, I found myself souring on the story just a bit, due to the introduction of unnecessary situations that didn’t really fit with the characterization, or add anything noteworthy to the story, which was annoying- on top of realizing that my initial impressions were indeed correct. But there was still thirty percent of the book left to read, giving me hope that something really big might be coming- so I continued on- but only with a minimum of cautious optimism.

In the end, I didn’t experience anything, all that earth shattering. There were some tense moments, but it teetered on overkill. The conclusion, while probably meant to leave one feeling a bit of a chill – was unnecessarily ambiguous- leaving the reader to decipher the closing narrative on their own.

At the end of the day, I can’t say I was entirely impressed. It was one of those books that I could take or leave. Because I usually straddle the fence in these situations, I’ll go ahead and leave a three-star rating- but that might be a bit on the generous side in this case.

*Sporadic strong language and sexual content. ( )

Suspense

This book had SOOO many twists and turns and plot twists that I never really guessed the ending. No the best book I’ve ever read but definitely a good one. ( )

Joanna's little seaside town has always been like every other small town: quiet, sleepy, and filled with gossip. Joanna thought she would never return to Flinstead, but she does not regret moving back for her young son. Trying to start a new life is hard enough, but doing so in your small hometown as a single parent is challenging. When Joanna hears a rumor that one of the women in their town may be an accused child murderer, she thinks it is all gossip. However, a series of events leads Joanna to think that this piece of gossip may just be more than a rumor. When Joanna does a little investigating, she discovers that one of the local shop owners fits the description of the murderer. As she becomes more obsessed with finding the truth, she digs too deep and finds that she not only might have found the murderer, but that she is now the one being hunted...as is her young son.

This was a very good book! I read it in just a few days! Thank you Ballantine Books and Librarything for the advanced readers copy! ( )