Title: The Suspect
Author: Fiona Barton
Series: Kate Waters, #3
Published: January 2019, Berkley Books
Format: ARC Paperback, 416 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
The New York Times bestselling author of The Widow returns with a brand new novel of twisting psychological suspense about every parent’s worst nightmare…
When
two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are
thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic
with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared?
Journalist
Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story,
first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth–and this time is
no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, whom she
hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go traveling.
As
the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even
this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think…
My thoughts: I am a big fan of Fiona Barton’s books and love that she has continued to write stories with Kate Waters as a character…I fell in love with her in the author’s debut novel, The Widow. I just love when authors take a beloved character and keeps giving them stories!
While this is the third book featuring Kate Waters, these books are not necessarily considered a “series” in that they have to be read in order, though there are some minor threads that are carried through. But Fiona Barton gives enough back story in this book that you will not have any problems if this happens to be the first book you pick up.
I love the way Fiona Barton tells her story. She gives us multiple perspectives, but ones that make the most impact to the story. This time around, the story is told from the reporter (Kate), the detective (Bob Sparkes, who has been in previous books), and the mother (Lesley, who is Alex’s mom, mother of one of the missing girls). Interspersed in these chapters are diary entries from Alex.
I also like that this story is told straight-forward in chronological time – there is no back and forth in time. Not that I don’t like when stories more between the past and present, but in this case, I liked that it moved in a linear fashion. The diary entries start when the girls get to Thailand, but the other chapters start from when the girls have stopped checking in and there is reason to believe something is wrong.
This is a slow-burning type of mystery that will pull you in right from the start and take hold of you. The intensity and suspense builds as the story starts to unravel and you find yourself trying to work out what is going on. This is definitely every parents’ worst nightmare and Fiona Barton writes with such passion, tapping into the emotions and grief of the parents in such a way that it feels so real and believable. Just how far is a mother willing to go for the love of her child? That’s what Fiona Barton shows here and it clearly comes across loud and clear.
This book is very cleverly written. It’s filled with some twists and turns that surprised me, to be honest, and also one that packs quite the emotional punch. I hope that we see more of Kate Waters in the future – she is one character that I can’t get enough of! I definitely recommend picking this one up…especially if you like emotionally charged thrillers.
I just listened to The Child and am planning on listening to The Widow very soon. I'm really excited to see that Kate Waters is back. I agree about liking the chronological timeline. It just works better for me sometimes. I'm looking forward to this one!
I've not been able to get to her books. They certainly handle very current and realistic issues and obviously very well written. Thank you for this review.
I like the premise of this books, but think I will start with the debut book.