Joanna loves with her 6 year old son, Alfie, and she is desperate to fit into the inner sanctum of school mums. She joins the book club and the babysitting circle and eventually a bit of gossip at the school gate seems to do the trick. There is a murderer in witness protection in their town and every lady is a suspect. When her reporter boyfriend moves in, he wants to keep it quiet so he can get the scoop. Will they determine who the murderer is?

I really enjoyed this read. Very simply written without too many characters and it leaves you thinking ‘ it’s her definitely her’ then in the next chapter you doubt yourself Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This read effortlessly combines chic lit and mystery. The synopsis made it sound like the standard sort of my mystery that is very popular at the minute but it was in fact a brilliant read and very belivable too.

When a rumour starts flying around the small beachside town of Flinstead, Joanna takes as much interest as the next school mum. It's easy to get caught up in a rumour, especially one as juicy as this. Faced with idea that a child murderer may be in their midst, having served her time and been given a new identity, the town is on edge. Joanna finds herself unable to leave it alone, unknowingly putting herself and her family at risk.

This one was so much better than I was expecting! It sounded a lot like another book I'd read recently, so I was reluctant, but pleasantly surprised. The writing was fantastic, all the appeal of a domestic thriller just flowing onto the page. It was such a captivating, enjoyable read and I cannot wait to see some more of this author's work out there. I got huge Liane Moriarty vibes, an easy book to get sucked right into.

When a rumour starts going around that a female child killer lives in their small seaside town, women of the right age start to be suspected, and the town is enraged.

Joanne passes on the rumour, and the ramifications of that act are horrible, as things start happening to her.

People start to act differently in the town, and Joanne becomes obsessed with articles about the child killer.

This was a very good psychological thriller, and it reminded me of Mary Higgins Clarke, with the protagonist being at the centre of the action, and sweeping you along, through twists and turns.

The Rumour is out now, and is available on Amazon, and everywhere else you can find books!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and Random House and Transworld (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

this book centres around a rumour that upon release from prison notorious child killer, sally macgowan has been relocated under a new identity to a sleepy seaside town. the locals are incensed that a child murderer could be walking among them leading to suspicion falling upon many female residents.

i thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Random House UK and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Having read the synopsis, I knew this was going to be my type of book, and it was indeed a very enjoyable read. However for me, it didn't quite have the "can't put down" factor. It did take me a little longer than usual to read the story, and it may have been due to this, that I got slightly muddled over some of the characters and where Joanna met them i.e. school gates, baby sitting circle, book club etc.
I didn't guess the outcome ahead of time, but the ending just seemed to play out, without being particularly twisty, grabbing, or exciting. As the story started to conclude though, I did find it very thought provoking, and I pondered over how I would react if I were in Joanna's shoes.
Overall, it was an interesting and enjoyable read but it just didn't quite have the wow factor for me.

Rumours can kill ......

Unbelievably good read ! Paranoias and suspicions abound in this smart, fast paced thriller- I really couldn’t put it down

A simmering feeling of danger lurks under every word and from early in you fear for Joanna and Alfie and just how it is all going to play out.

A lesson for us all in the power of rumours

There has been a lot of shouting about The Rumour on social media for a while, and with Lesley Kara due to attend "Crime and Wine" at Waterstones Leeds next week, I thought it was about time I joined the party. I am so glad I did! The Rumour is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in ages. As the title suggests, The Rumour starts with a rumour, which is small at first, and then escalates until it has developed into something out of control. I do not have any children, but the development of the characters of the playground mums who spread the rumour feels so realistic that I found myself getting swept up in it myself. We read the story of Sally McGowan, and I just had to know who she was. The community is so close that it could be anyone, and I found myself treating all the characters with suspicion (and sometimes feeling really bad about it.) This interest is piqued by the small sections from the perspective of Sally McGowan, which allows the reader to see how she reacts to the rumour as it spreads.
As the rumour gathers pace, the novel becomes quite dark, as I suppose is inevitable with the subject of child killers. However, it is impeccably researched, and I found the information about probation and protection interesting. It did lead me to question my thoughts about whether I would be happy to welcome someone like Sally McGowan to my local area.
The ending of The Rumour is incredibly frantic, and I had no idea that it would become so fraught with danger! I was terrified for the characters involved and I was gripping my Kindle so hard! I was also bowled over by the twist, which knocked me sideways.

A really interesting debut; well constructed, promising and interesting. Lesley Kara really explores small town mentality and the power of tittle tattle. Is there a former child killer in their midst, if so, who is it?

A simple premise and on the whole, the characters are convincing. The clues seemed a little obvious, so I expected the child killer to be someone different...so for me the outcome was disappointing. Lots of potential and certainly an author if interest.

I did enjoy reading The Rumour, it was one of those books that I'd kept seeing about, but I found the delivery of it a bit underwhelming.
Yes I guessed who Sally McGowan was fairly early on in proceedings, but I wasn't too disappointed in that. I just felt that the book was jumping from one scene to the next with such rapidity that the writing became a little disjointed. I assumed that most of the women that were introduced were suspects, but it felt that the author had to declare each suspicion with a neon flashing light that really wasn't needed.
The book did bring up some useful talking points; the whole issue regarding the consequences of false accusations was a valid concern. Along with whether convicted killers deserved the right to anonymity when the families of the victim weren't afforded the same rights and privileges. So I guess The Rumour would be well suited to a book club where it would prompt a fairly healthy discussion or two I'm sure.

I really want to read more thrillers. They’re just so much fun. I especially love them without gore and trauma (for the reader!) like, The Couple Next Door – and The Rumour. In Lesley Kara’s suspenseful novel, single mum Joanna hears a rumour that Sally McGowan – the notorious child killer – is living in her small town. Sally was only 10 years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death 48 years ago… but does helping to spread the rumour mean that Joanna’s now in danger?

Continue reading the review over on Pretty Books: https://prettybooks.co.uk/2019/01/13/mini-reviews-the-rumour-the-flatshare-dont-you-forget-about-me/

Strange story with a surprise twist I didn't see coming.The power rumours have and the damage they cause often to innocent parties.

Single mum Jo is keen to fit in at her new town, for the sake of her young son. She gets caught up in playground gossip about an old murder, and things soon begin to sweep out of control. Fast paced, and told in short and punchy chapters, this is an engrossing and readable thriller. There were aspects of the story which were particularly far-fetched, and I felt the novel lost it way. I will, however, look out for books by this author in the future.

A really intriguing read, a great storyline that keeps you guessing until the end, brilliant read, interesting characters with a story to tell

This is a brilliant book, which will keep you guessing, literally up to the last word! My only criticism would be that there are too many characters.

A really engaging thriller that is hard to put down!

Looking forward to Lesley Kara's next book.

4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lesley Kara for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Rumour is a novel about the damage that gossip can do, and also about whether people who’ve done a terrible thing as a child can ever be allowed to make a new start as an adult. This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 and I finally got to read it this week and it was everything I hoped it would be, and more!

I was gripped by The Rumour from the opening pages! It was unsettling to be reading, and sitting in judgement, of the women at the school gates gossiping about a rumour one of them had heard that child killer Sally McGowan was living in their midst whilst at the same time immediately wanting to know whether this was true or not! At heart there is maybe something in all of us that can’t resist salacious gossip and this book really plays to that.

The novel also explores very cleverly the repercussions of the gossip in the town too. A woman is falsely believed to be the killer and her life is left damaged by the rumour. Other women who are of a similar age as Sally McGowan are looked at with suspicion. It must be horrible to feel in danger when you’re innocent. It also made me think about what it must be like to have done something so awful as a child and to have served your time and to be deemed to be rehabilitated but then it’s always there. Even with a new identity the media, and the gossips, will never quite leave it alone.

I really liked Joanna in this novel, although I did find her a little naive at times, she was clearly someone who wanted to do the best for her son and to make a life for herself in this town they’ve recently moved to. She tries to make friends with some other mums in order to help her son make friends, which is how she ends up fuelling the gossip with her own take on the rumour.

Lesley Kara captures small town mentality so perfectly. I grew up in a smallish town where everyone knew everyone else’s business. Gossip was right around the town before the subject of the gossip would even know about it. I found it so claustrophobic as I got a bit older and I’m glad not to live there anymore. The Rumour really captures how gossip spreads in small towns, and also the reasons why people gossip. Often no harm is meant but that doesn’t mean no harm is caused.

The Rumour is full of red herrings, and this makes for such a rollercoaster of a read. I loved that when I thought I had it all worked out there was a sting in the tail. The Rumour is a brilliant, fast-paced and unputdownable novel and I’m already thinking that it is highly likely to be on my best books of 2019! It was that good!

Well drawn characters with a plot that had lots of twists! A very readable story, just when I thought I knew where the story was going, I found I had be led up the garden path again. Most of us find it hard to resist passing on a bit of gossip and this story shows the danger of passing on rumours. An excellent first novel.

The Rumour is a very enjoyable read.

When single mother Joanna returns to the seaside town of Flinstead with her young son Alfie, she’s looking forward to a new start and being near her mother. Joanna is struggling to fit into her new life after living in London and in a bid to make life easier for her son she engages in gossip at the school gate. It does get them accepted by the ‘in crowd’ but it places them in danger.
Joanna was a character I liked instantly. I sympathised with her predicament, she regretted what she said and she did it without thinking about the consequences. That people who were innocent could be accused of terrible things and have their lives ruined.
It is one of those novels that makes you suspect everybody. There is a threat from more than one person. It only has short chapters and was very quick to read. Most of it is told by Joanna’s point of view but there are also glimpses of Sally and you see how she is coping with possible exposure.

The topic is a difficult one. A child killer who herself was a child and who has been released whilst still young and the victim’s family seeing them lead a normal life. But the author shows both sides, that the killer has far from a normal life.

A brilliant debut novel that I couldn’t put down. Thank you for letting me read it.

What a great first book ... I thoroughly enjoyed this book, right from the first page and I am a sucker for a good thriller and this book had some really good twists that I never expected. I found the characters to be interesting and the plot is something you might imagine could happen to anyone. Its something we can all relate to gossiping with the mums at the school gate and then one thing leading to another and a rumour gaining ground, and this book really showing how one rumour can really start a chain of events.

Cant wait to see what else Lesley Kara has to offer in the future