“Keeps you guessing until the final page.”—Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train“A rollercoaster ride to the very last sentence.”—Fiona Barton, author of The Widow “Everyone will be talking about The Rumor.”—Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door When a single mother hears a shocking rumor outside her son’s school, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to … her son’s school, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another . . . and now there’s no going back.
Rumor has it that a notorious killer, who committed a brutal crime as a child, has been living a new life under an assumed identity in Joanna’s seaside town. So who is the criminal hidden in their midst? Suspicion falls on everyone.
As Joanna becomes obsessed with the case, her curiosity will expose her son and his father to the supposedly reformed murderer—who may be ready to kill again. She will learn how dangerous one rumor can become . . . and just how far she must go to protect those she loves. She is going to regret the day she ever said a word.
Praise for The Rumor
“A brilliant premise with a killer twist. The Rumor depicts the prejudices and secrets that simmer in a small seaside town to devastating effect.”—Colette McBeth, author of An Act of Silence
“This mystery has an unusual and resonant theme—how a single rumor can morph into a completely unmanageable, deadly force. . . . [There’s] psychological acuity throughout and [an] astonishing ending.”—Booklist
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5 out of 5 stars!
First off I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher Ballantine books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchanged for an honest review.
Jo isn’t the type of woman who spreads rumors. Well, at least not normally but then again a woman will do anything to help her child to fit in and belong! You see, she hears a little rumor and though she has no desire to mention it to anyone she lets the rumor slip at a book club. It seems that there may be a child killer in their midst. A woman named Sally stabbed little Robby Harris when she was a child. She has been released for years and living under an assumed name. It seems she MAY have settled in their little town! Though Jo promises herself that she will not mention it again. It is a promise she plans to keep until she finds out her son Alfie who was once bullied in the city they lived in before she moved to the small town to be hear her Mom and to save Alfie from bullying is being bullied again. She hears from her partner that there is a very good chance that Sally really is here. The reason it makes sense? It seems Sally moved to a dry town. Jo wants Alfie to be accepted and that means that she must be accepted by the other Mothers so she drops more juicy gossip. Before she knows things get out of hand. A woman in town is accused and mob mentality takes hold.
Jo also starts to get veiled threats from a twitter account and then a class photo is digitally changed to show Alfie with a knife in his chest! As Jo and her partner Michael set out to find out the truth we watch a small town begin to fall apart. Because their town is full of retirees there are many suspects. I pretty much narrowed it down to two people and zoned in on the correct culprit about halfway through. Did that weaken the impact of the reveal? Not at all! In fact it made me more excited to get to the confrontation/reveal and boy was the ending fantastic! Even the final sentence in the novel is great!
This is a stellar 5 star book. Each character is well rounded and the story is strong. Though you are disappointed with the way many of the residents act the town does seem like a nice little town. We are only human and we do not always act perfectly so you can forgive the residents for acting out of fear.
If I had to give one con it would be that you could clearly tell that this book was originally a UK set mystery. It felt a little off in that aspect and there really was no need to change the location for the northern American audience, Please don’t let that stop you from picking this up though!
The Rumor by Lesley Kara
Pub date: June 18,2019
Ballentine Books
Genre: fiction, mystery
Rating: 4/5
I received a digital copy of this ARC from NetGalley and Ballentine Books in exchange for an unbiased review.
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes—Mark Twain.
A cautionary tale of how rumors can develop a life of their own. Similarly, it explores how easily people can be misinterpreted and judged. Do people deserve to protect their privacy and life events? It seems that everyone is subject to interrogation for being too quiet and isolated or being a boisterous busybody!
“He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.”—Friedrich Nietzsche
Joanna Critchley, a real estate agent moved back to her hometown of Flintstead with her young son Alfie. She lives closer to her mother and hopes that her son will escape bullying and find some friends. She feels partly responsible as she has been reluctant to engage with the other mothers. She never married Alfie’s father, Michael Lewis, who is still very involved in their lives. She fears they don’t blend into the neighborhood being a single mom raising a mixed race child.
In an attempt to socialize with the other mothers at drop off at Perrydale Elementary, she questions a rumor repeated by Cathy who does not hesitate to express her option. Thus, the rumor becomes topic amongst the mom’s group who eventually embrace Joanna when they believe she has information regarding the rumor. She reluctantly accepts an invitation to join their Babysitting Circle in attempts to help Alfie’s social situation. The group consisting of Debbie Barton,Teri Monkton, Karen from book club, Fatima and her “neighbor and honorary mother” Kay.
Apparently, a woman named Sally McGowen, who served time for stabbing five-year-old Robbie Harris to death when she was ten-years-old, has relocated to their quiet seaside community. It was a sensational news story back in 1969 and she seemed to remain off the grid until reporters tracked her down six years following her release in 1981. The resurrection of this story ignited the interest of the town who are trying to uncover the truth of the rumor she may be living among them. It also stirs controversy regarding whether people who commit heinous crimes and if they are capable of reform.
At the urging of her mother, Jo joined a neighborhood book club where her circle of acquaintances widens. At the fourth meeting she struggles observing persistent questioning of the the newest member. She feels like people are allowed a live life without broadcasting it to the whole town. In Liz Blackthorne’s dining room,
with Maddie, Jenny, Barbara and Karen, Joanna interjects with the rumor she had heard at school much to the surprise of everyone. She succeeded in changing the conversation but soon regrets sharing this with women she barely knew.
The story did get a bit confusing for me to keep track of the many characters involved with Joanna and how she knew them. The story maintains mystery and raises questions as it unfolds and people become paranoid about whether a killer is living in Flintstead. Many question why her identity should matter and others are eager to condemn raising suspicion and unrest in the quiet town. The truth is that we don’t have any control over other people and what they perceive their truth to be. Often, the people pointing their fingers at others are merely trying to distract attention from themselves.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2729394965
https://bookwormreviewblog.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-rumor-by-lesley-kara.html?m=1
This was a well written narrative attempting to coerce a thriller from a work of general fiction. The story line descriptives were conflicting as to geographical setting, as a range of regional terminology was used. In addition, the plot pace was slow at times, alleviating any sense of anticipation or suspense. The character development for our main character was strong, however, everyone else felt as if the author was only scratching the surface. Perhaps genre expectations take precedence but in comparison to similar works in this category it falls short of the mark. 3 stars.
Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheRumor