There’s a rumour spreading in the seaside town of Flinstead. Sally McGowan, a notorious killer, is living there. Back in the sixties, she murdered a child, when she was a child herself. Under a new name, she could be any one of a dozen women in the town. Joanna, a single mum and outsider who wants to be accepted by the other parents, finds herself drawn into the rumour. And that’s when the threats begin…
I was very impressed with this book. It’s a well-written debut novel with an excellent pace and credible characters. I read the second half of it in a three-hour sitting, going to bed early so that I could read to the end without distractions! This is definitely one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read. I enjoyed the writing style, sense of place and building of tension.
I only had two issues with The Rumour. Firstly, the plot towards the end was quite similar to other books I’d read in this genre, which made this one in particular seem a little formulaic. Secondly, I guessed the identity of Sally McGowan very early on and was proved correct. That was disappointing because I like to be proved wrong when it comes to thrillers. This meant that there weren’t enough surprises to keep me entertained. Luckily I enjoyed other aspects of the book and I’m looking forward to Kara’s future works!
This book was published last year by Transworld. The paperback will be out this July.
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