I love a Louise Candlish book because she just knows how to take ordinary people and turn their normal lives into the stuff of nightmares!

Secrets supposedly safely buried in the past reemerge to threaten the lovely life Alex has built for himself with his wife, Beth. A murder was committed not far from their home, but that was twenty years ago, and the killer was caught. So why is Alex so worried?

As always, the writing is excellent, and you can feel the fear and claustrophobia as events escalate. I felt quite smug at one point, as I'd worked out a wee bit of the storyline, but there were loads of twists in the tale still to come that knocked me for six!

Thanks to the author, Simon and Schuster UK, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

Wow, what a fantastic read!!! The cast of characters are excellent in this twisted story and there's a couple of moments in the books where you're left with your jaw on the floor as the story flips and you have to re read the end of the chapter to make sure you got it right. Fabulous story-telling. I honestly can't say enough good things about this book!

Having read several other books by Louise Candlish and loved them, I was looking forward to this one. And what a gripping read it proved to be - another winner from Candlish.

With dual time lines, the book switches between the present day and the 1990s. In the present, we meet Alex who is living happily in the suburbs until his wife gets involved in a campaign to develop a local nature trail which risks uncovering secrets he has long kept hidden. Back in 1995 we are introduced to Rick who gets involved with Marina, a woman working in the same office building who turns out to come with quite some baggage.

As Candlish brings the threads together, she skilfully keeps the reader on their toes, throwing in red herrings and twists galore. And just as you think you have it figured out - Candlish deftly throws in yet another jaw-dropping twist!

All I can say is that Candlish has confirmed her status as a must buy author for me - and if you are looking for a genuine page-turner that will keep you guessing then you need to pick this one up now!

I'm a fan of Louise Candlish and I enjoyed reading The Only Suspect immensely.

The writing is marvellous - it's descriptive, compelling and the characters and locations are really brought to life. It's told using past and present narratives; both were extremely engaging. The present day sections were, in part drôle, witty and amusing and the past sections really immersed me in London life during the mid-90s. It's multilayered with twists, some of which I guessed and I was fully invested in the characters. A magnificent, very highly recommended tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Simon and Schuster UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Rick meets Marina at a cafe near where they both work for different companies in the same building.He falls in love with her and they start to see one another, she can only see him Thursday nights and during lunchtime at work and she later tells him she is married to a man called Drew Stanley who is very controlling and abusive towards her.Rick goes with his flatmate Rollo to see where she lives and sees Drew with another woman at the house.
Rick and Marina decide to go into hiding together and she tells him she has got a bag together at her house ready to go .Rick rents a car and drops her off nearby but she does not return so he goes to find her but there is a battered body near the back door ,he believes this is Marina because of the clothes she is wearing so rings an ambulance from the house phone and leaves. He goes to the house they had rented to hide in.He starts to watch the news and sees the newspaper reports showing the murder and surprisingly the pictures of Drew and Marina are of a different woman and he is the only suspect for the murder of this Marina .
Years later under the name of Alex Parker now married to Beth he is living in a house near where the murder happened when a friend of Beth's, Zara moves in with them temporarily and seems to connect Alex to the murder but doesn't say directly just drops hints. Many surprising twists along the way before this story ends in a surprising way.

Review: This book was definitely a slow burn for me. The book takes place across 2 timelines and often I find that easier to read in physical or ebook form and so I started off reading the ebook but then when I switched to the audiobook, that was when I gelled with our protagonists and couldn’t stop listening until I got to the end.
The dual narrative timeline aspect of the book was definitely one of my favourite things about it. The 1995 timeline felt so retro and some of the london i recognised from going there to visit as a teenager. Smoking indoors in particular lent a whole other level to that time and place. Rick takes the lead in 1995 with the beautiful Marina, who is like a siren in that she seems to be able to get Rick to do and say whatever she wants. Then we have Alex in the present day timeline. This timeline is definitely where the key bits of information are slowly given to you tiny nuggets by tiny nuggets before you're thrown back to 1995 and have to rethink the plot all over again.
As usual with a Louise Candlish novel, there were moments where I gasped out loud. One moment in particular was such a juicy reveal that I had quite a lot to say about it whilst hoovering with my headphones on and my husband had to come upstairs to see if I was OK. So if that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for in your reading life then this book is definitely for you!
If we’re comparing this book to previous Louise Candlish novels, I would say that I think this one is a little less dark just because it is such a slow burn of a book but it plays with your mind in ways that I didn’t even think possible. It gets under your skin and into your head and you just don’t know who is double crossing who or if there’s anyone you can trust! I really enjoyed it and highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you Simon & Schuster for a copy of The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish to read and review. I’ve enjoyed reading books by Louise before and you can read my last review here : https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2022/06/13/the-heights-by-louise-candlish-2/

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This is a dual timeline book following Rick in 1995 and Alex now. We know that the two timelines are linked in some way, that Alex used to be known by another name and is worried about the work happening locally to waste ground near his home.
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In 1995 Rick has fallen in love with Marina but the course of true love faces some uphill battles. Can he help Marina escape?
At the same time we want to know what Alex is afraid of (other than the pregnant lodger his wife invited to stay).


I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the tension built up well. I did guess some elements but there were plenty of twists and I loved the ending – some things never change! I’m sorry if this is a vague review but I’m trying to avoid any spoilers.

Not for me at the moment. I can see me coming back to it eventually but struggling with it at this moment in time

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster UK and Louise Candlish for my ARC of ‘The Only Suspect’ in return for an honest review.

I have read all of this author’s previous books and all have been excellent. This was no exception and I thought was the best out of all of them.

The story centres around Rick in the 1990s who became entangled with a young woman, Marina, and Alex in the present day who is married to Beth. Alex and Beth live in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale where there was a murder years before. Alex becomes alarmed at the creation of a nature trail close to their house and the story begins to unfold.

Such a clever twisty plot with amazing characters.

Excellent read. Highly recommended

Fantastic from start to finish. Loved the pacing, the characters and the setting! Candlish’s books just keep getting better and better!

4.5 stars. This is a great thriller.

We start by meeting Beth and Alex who have been campaigning for a nature trail close to their home to re-open, although we find out its more Beth as Alex seems to have something to hide.

The book flicks between past and present. Going back to the 90's we meet Rick and Marina who meet whilst working in the same building. All is not as it seems and with more and more shady characters being introduced I was almost racing through the pages to find out who they were and how they were connected. I thought I may have worked out the twist but I can honestly say I didn't see it coming!

I will be recommending this to others and looking out for more from Louise.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Only Suspect’ by Louise Candlish.

This was a cracking mystery thriller! I would suggest reading ‘cold’, so just a few details to give a sense of its plot: Alex lives with his wife Beth in the South London suburb of Silver Vale. He isn’t particularly outgoing, keeping himself to himself, though he is a good husband.

However, when Beth announces that a local site, disused for decades, is going to be turned into a nature trail, Alex’s behaviour radically changes. He becomes jumpy and is always watchful. It turns out that he is guarding a secret from his twenties, one that involves a police investigation.

The narrative unfolds in two timelines: the present day with Alex and in 1995 where a young man named Rick becomes involved with Marina, a fascinating woman with a complicated private life.

This proved a gripping read with plenty of twists. It’s the kind of novel that is almost impossible to put down and is bound to please Louise Candlish’s many fans.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Louise Candlish has done it again - created a novel with a cast of characters none of whom I *like* but all of whom *fascinate* me.

I guessed the main twist early on, but kept on reading because I wanted to - *needed* to - understand the circumstances.

The one thing I didn’t like was the coincidence that Alex should end up living at the scene of the crime. I don’t mind the happenstance itself - stranger things happen randomly in real life - but the journey to Silver Vale in the taxi with Beth for the first time felt a bit laboured.

Otherwise, this is, as is usual with Candlish’s novels, a brilliant read, and I’d recommend it to anyone.

This is a really solid thriller that I enjoyed. A decent, 3* good read in my opinion.

Alex is a man married to Beth and who is in meltdown due the the opening of a trail at the rear of his house. His panic is due to the secrets that could be unearthed and, as the story develops and we move from Alex in the ‘now’ to Rick in the ‘past’, we are taken on the journey of intrigue.

It’s well written, it just lacked something for this to be anymore than a decent read and I certainly guessed the ending. However, it’s a really good, easy, enjoyable thriller and I’m grateful to NetGalley and Simon Schuster UK for the opportunity to preview.

Another jaw-droppingly good thriller and this is the reason why I will always read Louise Candlish without even looking at the blurb!

This is the story of a guy who meets a girl but this is no ordinary love story. This girl comes with baggage; baggage that's going to throw a spanner in the (love) wood~work.
Is she a good person with an unfortunate story to tell or is there something darker behind it? Will Rick be able to save her or is it him that needs saving?
I did pick up on one of the subtle clues in the book and I also guessed one of the plot twists correctly but man oh man the ending had me bamboozled!

A brilliant read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A real page turner.
This book drew me in and I didn't want to stop reading. Excellently told over two timelines with the unexpected around every corner. The characters were all very believable and the book just flowed.
Recommended!

In present day Alex is freaking out because the woodland behind his house is being dug up to create a nature trail… it’s the same site a body was found back in the 90s.

In 1995, Rick meets a mysterious and intoxicating woman called Marina who he becomes infatuated with but her life proves a lot more complicated than he initally thought.

This is such a brilliant fast paced twisty thriller, it’s a bit slow at first but once the pieces all start coming together you won’t be able to put it down (I stayed up reading until 3am!)

The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because I did guess the twist BUT that didn’t diminish my enjoyment! Good thrillers are few and far between and this definitely a good one!

The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish
I give this book 4.5 stars

Alex lives a comfortable life with his wife Beth in the leafy suburb of Silver Vale.
Then Beth announces the creation of a nature trail on a local site that’s been disused for decades and suddenly Alex is a changed man. As the landscapers get to work, a secret threatens to surface from years ago.

This is a cleverly constructed thriller with a gripping storyline.The twists and turns gradually unravel to add to the suspense and keep you turning the pages. Told between the past (90’s which l loved) and present storyline,with multiple narratives (are they all reliable and likeable) I was sucked in. Filled with deception,love and flawed characters, l flew through this tense mystery trying to work out what wasn’t right, the twists that I didn’t see coming ……..I loved it!
With thanks to Netgalley,Louise Candlish and Simon and Schuster UK for my chance to read and review this book

Really good tense thriller worked over a dual timeline.

Back in the 1990’s Rich and Rollo share a flat and into Rich’s life comes Marina, who could be the love of his life but for the complications which include her being married to a violent man. Drink and drugs fuel parties at the flat and help Marina escape once a week to a better place. Out of the blue Marina is found dead and Rich is the number one suspect.

In present day Alex lives with his wife in a less than happy relationship, which is childless and which she fills with good deeds such as conservation and he fills with work. When her friends Zara comes to live with them and starts raking up his past, Alex is spiralling into a panic and it it bringing back memories of the 1990’s and what happened to the girl called Marina.

Good writing, great twists and turns and well paced from start to finish. I would highly recommended this if you enjoy a thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it !
Absolutely marvellous !
I always get really excited when a Louise Candlish novel gets published and this one really lived up to my expectations.
It’s all really edge of the seat stuff, I couldn’t put it down.
5⭐️’s