Guilty was such a great book. It was filled with so many twists and turns. It made me anxious the entire book because of the twists. It was well written and definitely made you wanting more with every page turn.

This was a stunner of a story! I loved it! Starting with a missing child it then takes you into the dark side of journalism, corruption, adultery, broken families and the ultimate revenge. A breathtaking ending. Highly recommended. Read it!

Goodness gracious me, this is one dark read!

I requested this book on Netgalley because of the cover. It was the pretty pink balloon that did it. Never mind reading the description so I didn't actually know what this book was about. Except someone made a terrible mistake that could ruin their family. Thank you tagline. And so I was pleasantly surprised.

When thirteen year old Constance goes missing, reporter Amanda Bowe zeroes in on Constance's uncle Karl and absolutely vilifies him in her articles. Six years later, Karl's life is in ruins. He's lost his job, his house, his wife and child. Mud sticks. Meanwhile Amanda is thriving. She has a successful career, a husband and a son.

This is a story about revenge but also about how powerless you are when nobody believes you, even when you know it's the truth. In this day and age of "fake news", this story is incredibly apt. "Guilty" highlights the power of the media and how quickly and easily they can distort facts and turn them into something they're not. Yes, they do good but they're also capable of utter destruction.

You can't help but feel for Karl. Watching him go from being a valued member in a close-knit family to being completely alone, was heartbreaking to read. Despite his actions, I sympathised with him all the way.

"Guilty" is one gripping psychological thriller with a well constructed plot and realistic and believable characters. I felt it was quite slow but I was still mesmerised. The addition of newspaper articles was genius as it truly showed the difference between what actually happened and what the reporter wrote. It really added an extra layer and proves you shouldn't always believe what you read.

Incredibly thought-provoking, it'll make you question everything.

Dark, twisted and bang up to date.
A story of murder, revenge, lies, kidnapping, affairs, manipulation perception and how actions have consequences that can destroy you at any time.
In this book karma really is a hitch and when the past comes back to bite it hurts like hell.
Very cleverly written, different and intriguing read.

Excellent book. Great storyline and characters. A real page turner. I would recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read it. From the first page of the prologue I was hooked! It was a gripping psychological thriller which kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. It definitely wont be my last book by Laura Elliot! I would definitely recommend it!

After a disagreement with her parents thirteen year old Constance Lawson decides to sneak out of her house to perform a dare given to her from a secret club she’s joined. After completing the dare however something happens to Constance keeping her from returning home so the next morning her parents are frantic and begin the search for their daughter.

Karl Lawson is Constance’s uncle and had been close with his niece so when the search begins he shares that he knew of her being in the secret club but had thought he’d gotten her to give it up. As the days go by with no trace of the missing girl the media runs wild with the story and when her body is found suddenly Karl finds himself the main suspect in the crime.

Guilty by Laura Elliot is going to be one of those psychological thrillers that plenty of people fall in love with but unfortunately I wasn’t one of those people leading to my low rating with this one. For myself I found this one a bit on the slow side and hard to connect with while reading. The focus on the media or more specifically the journalist Amanda Bowe left a lot of the book being news articles which to me throws off my pace with connecting with the characters and feeling it becomes more of reading the evening news.

This book is told in four parts and to be honest if the entire story was only the first part dealing with the missing Constance I might have scored this one a bit higher also. Searching for a missing child and wanting to know just what had happened is rather intense and engaging so that part of the book had my attention. After moving on though is when it started to drag for me and I really start to question what is going on and the characters interactions. I can see why others would love it I suppose but just in my own opinion it wasn’t anywhere near as engaging a story after a certain point and this one turned out to just not be for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Guilty is a mesmerizing psychological thriller that is driven by revenge, and will leave you completely fulfilled with a flawless ending. Guilty is the first novel I have read by Laura Elliot and it will NOT be my last. I found Guilty to be impossible to put down, the characters are intoxicating, and the story compulsively addicting.

Even a glimmer of suspicion in a case involving the disappearance of a missing child can ruin a person’s life. That’s what happened to Karl Lawson after his 13-year-old niece disappeared. Police may not have picked him as their prime suspect, but journalist Amanda Bowe did, and her stories crucified him in the press and the court of public opinion. Lawson loses everything, while Amanda goes on her merry way, with a thriving career and a happy family, complete with a little boy. Then everything changes, and Amanda finds out what it’s like to have your life destroyed and everything you love ripped away from you

This tense psychological thriller grips you tight from the prologue and adds layers of tension with each page you turn. The overall mood of the book is dark, and it touches on taboo subject matter. Laura Elliot has skillfully crafted an excellent novel. Her writing style keeps you flipping pages at a frantic pace.

The plot of part one revolves around the disappearance of a 13 year old girl, Constance, and her uncle, Karl. The initial investigation is marred by a personal attack and smear campaign against Karl and the magazine he works for. This attack is carried out by a reporter for the local tabloid who always seems to be one step ahead of the story. Ghosts from his past have come back to haunt him.

Part two focuses on the tabloid reporter, Amanda. The author focuses on her background, her motives, and the anonymous source of her information. Then we learn about her relentless pursuit to focus on Karl and attempt to destroy his life. The mighty hand of the media and the public eye can unfortunately paint the picture that best suits their needs and motives. Reporters have a huge influence on public and legal opinions.

Part three flashes forward and finds Amanda in a successful career, married with a baby on the way. Meanwhile, Karl is slowly fading away, finding himself jobless, homeless, and seeking comfort in a bottle. His resentment for Amanda and society in general is palpable. He soon receives help and encouragement from some unlikely sources and gets his life back on track.

Part four begins with an alarming phone call that sends Amanda's world into a tailspin. Karl launches a devious plan to give Amanda a dose of her own medicine.

The characters are complex, well developed, and relatable. There are many twists and turns in this book that will keep you guessing. The multi-layered plot will keep you reading long into the night to figure out what the next chapter holds. I highly recommend this book to fans of thrillers and psychological suspense. I received this as a free ARC from Bookouture on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.