Wednesday, February 27, 2019

The Suspect - Book Review



Thanks to Berkley book who provided a complimentary copy of The Suspect by Fiona Barton. The following review reflects my honest opinions.



The Mother. Lesley and her husband haven't heard from their daughter in a week. Alex is traveling in Thailand with a friend. She was supposed to call to get the results of her A level tests and she missed it. They're worried but as soon as they call the police, it will become real--something has happened to their daughter.

The Reporter. Kate is always after the next lead for a story. The news cycle is dull when she hears about two missing girls in Thailand. Kate's own son has been in Thailand for the last few years and maintains minimal contact. Kate is determined to find out what happened to the girls and maybe even reestablish a relationship with her son.

The Detective. Bob has so much on his hands. His wife is dying of cancer and now there are reports of two British girls who have gone missing on their holiday in Thailand. He's sure they will turn up like most reported missing vacationers. But as time goes by, this case is going to demand more of his time.

The Suspect by Fiona Barton is the third novel featuring journalist Kate Waters. I haven't read The Child or The Widow. The Suspect certainly stands on its own. Barton weaves a smart mystery about these young adults, freshly exploring the world on their own for the first time. The world ends up being a lot more dangerous than they ever imagined.

The Suspect is intriguing. I found it a little slow in the middle. I just didn't care about the detective or his dying wife. Perhaps it's because I hadn't read the earlier books and wasn't invested in them personally. However, as the investigation picks up speed so did the pace of the book. I promised Rand that I would only read a few more chapters and then turn out the light but I couldn't stop turning the pages.

The Suspect is intense without being gratuitous or too scary. I enjoyed the surprising plot twists and found it to be a solid and satisfying mystery. I'll definitely pick up Barton's future novels.

The Suspect by Fiona Barton is published by Berkley and released on January 22, 2019.

2 comments:

Ashley said...

Sounds pretty good! I’ll have to add this to my list!

Unknown said...

I also enjoyed this book, and I agree some of the other story was boring. I loved the twists and turns and I know I certainly don't want to let a college age child of mine go off to Thailand alone. Wow. Of her other books I enjoyed The Child best. They are stand alones and the the relationship between Kate and the detective isn't really that significant. Glad you enjoyed.