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.
Nice review 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the book, it really does sound very promising!
Thanks – I think she is a very good writer. I hope her next book has a less predictable plot though 😀
I really liked this a lot! The small town setting was just perfect <3
The setting was so good – I think she probably lives in a similar town, it was described with such detail 🙂
Sorry that you were a wee bit disappointed with this title. It sounds like you need to switch up genres for a book or two. I get that kind of reaction when I read too many thrillers back to back.
You’re right, I’ve been reading too many of these kind of books! I can usually predict the plot. I did enjoy the writing style of this one 🙂
The set up of this one sounds great!
I would recommend it – well-written, great sense of place, just (for me) a little predictable.
I still have to read my copy. I’m curious if I’ll figure it out too or not!
I’ll be interested to hear what you think 🙂
I live in a tiny little town and I’m always so surprised how rumors can spread like wildfire. This sounds promising despite its predictability. I’ll see where I can find it. Very nice review – thank you!
I’m sure you’ll like this book then, particularly if you like books which keep up you up at night because you just have to get to the end!
Thanks for your comment 🙂