By: Kathryn Croft
Narrator: Tamsin Kennard
ISBN: 9781837903894
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Publication Date: 02/08/2023
Format: Audiobook & e-book
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
My family said he killed my mother. They lied…
I was just a little girl, fast asleep in my stroller, the day my mother was killed. I don’t remember anything about the sunny day that turned so dark.
She’d be so happy for me now, twenty years later, with my dream job as a photographer, and I’m sure she’d love my new boyfriend, Gabriel. But all my happiness vanishes in a heartbeat when the man from our past walks towards me, his eyes on me for just a fraction too long.
I recognise his face from the picture in the papers. He killed my mother.
I try to run but he wants me to listen. He says that he is innocent, and that my family have been lying to me for years.
My father and sister tell me to stay away. They remind me that because of him my mother never got to tuck me in at night or ease me through my first heartbreak. Gabriel says he could be dangerous. But when he is found dead, I am shaken to my core. Who needed to keep him quiet?
I won’t feel safe until I find out what he wanted to tell me. But when I find that my father has lied about the past and Gabriel has hidden photos of my mother under his bed, I realise I can’t trust anyone. I want the truth. But if I find it, will my life be in danger?
An absolutely addictive read that will have you racing through the pages and questioning everything you thought you knew about your family. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena.
My Review
Kathryn Croft's latest, THE SUSPECT, is a chilling domestic suspense whodunit of a young woman who tries to make sense of her mom's murder when she was only a toddler and twenty years later uncovers a web of deceit, secrets, and lies.
Can you trust those closest to you?
The novel is told from two timelines and POVs: Lori, the mother (past) in the early nineties, and her daughter, Jess (present) day.
Lori was a great mom who loved to take her baby to the park. Jess was just a toddler in her stroller, around two years old when her mom was murdered at the park.
Present day, Jess thinks someone is watching her. She is a photographer and loves spending time in her studio. She makes it a point to notice things around her and what is right in front of her.
Being she was so young, she remembers nothing that happened that day.
Danny, her dad, is married to Caroline, and she also has a half-sister, Zara. Her family never talks about her mom, but now twenty years later, Jess is approached by Nathaniel, who says he has information regarding her mother, Lori.
Nathaniel was a suspect in her mom's murder but was never charged. They never found who murdered her mom, and Jess is haunted and wants to learn more. So many lies had been told in her family, masquerading as the truth, and it must stop. Jess is determined to get to the truth.
Nathaniel seems to have loved her mom, and they were dating. He has information, and Jess believes him. Her family warns her to stay away. However, before he can provide more details, he winds up dead. Who wants to quiet him?
From past to present, we hear from Lori and how she met Danny with his secret life and lies. He was controlling, and Lori had no idea of Danny's other life. He worked a lot, and they never married.
When Lori tries to escape with Jess, she is murdered. Now Jess is getting close to the truth and discovers more information which puts her in harm's way the closer she gets.
How far will the murderer go to keep their secrets? The people she has loved her entire life have been telling lies. We also hear from Lori's friend, Belle, and two men in Jess's life Gabriel (reporter), and Harrison (ex-husband).
"Sometimes promises need to be broken for the greater good."
An intriguing, twisty domestic suspense thriller filled with long-buried family secrets, drama, and tension.
The suspense was high and I was glued to the pages/audio. I enjoy Kathryn's books and look forward to reading more. Stay tuned for her upcoming THE LIE upcoming April 23, 2023.
I enjoyed the timelines and POV. I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Tamsin Kennard for a pleasant performance for all voices.
I experienced some technical issues with the ARC audio version, so it was nice to have the e-book to refer to.
Thanks to #Bookouture and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 8, 2023
About the Author
Kathryn is the bestselling author of ten psychological thrillers and to date she has sold over one million copies of her books. Her third book, The Girl With No Past, spent over four weeks at number one in the Amazon UK chart, and all her books have reached number one in the UK Apple Books chart and she has also appeared on the Wall Street Journal's bestsellers list.
With publishing deals in sixteen different countries, Kathryn has just finished writing her eleventh thriller and is now hard at work on book twelve.
After twelve years living in London, she now lives in Guildford, Surrey, the place she grew up, with her husband and two young children. WEBSITE
