Talk about twists and turns, this one wasmore like a maze. totally unexpected for most of the storywith a real quirk at the end. It certainly woke up my brain cells and was a compelling story right to the end,

Alex lives with his wife Beth in a small suburb. He isn't an easy person to get to know but is well know in the neighbourhood. However, someone wants to open the trail behind the houses and he is against it. Why?
What does he have to hide ?
This book twists and turns leaving the best twist to the end. Will keep you guessing all the way through.

This is written in two timelines. Present day, Alex is married to Beth, where they live in Silver Vale. Alex values his privacy and doesn't do any social media. Beth doesn't feel this way and does a couple of things that really annoy Alex. This escalates and spells trouble for their marriage, not helped by Beth's friend Zara, who moves in after losing her job. She likes winding Alex up.

1995. Rick is in his twenties, has a decent job, and a flat. Rollo is Rick's lodger.
Rick meets Marina, who works in the same building. They meet for lunch, but not all is as it seems. Soon, Rick is hatching a plan
for him and Marina to be together.
This was very well written. There are plenty of shocks and the twist, well I wasn't expecting that!
Really enjoyed this pacy read
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

I hadn’t read any of Candlish’s books before but I knew she was popular, so I wanted to see why.

I was not disappointed. This follows two storylines. One of a runaway fugitive from the past and one of a married man in the present day.

Rick fell in love. Had a whirlwind relationship with a girl at work and gave everything up to help her. But in the chaos of them making a bid for freedom he realises that he’ll be chief suspect of a crime. So he runs and hides.

Alex is unhappily married. His wife is distracted by their house guest and keeps making decisions that do not help how he feels towards her.

But Alex isn’t his real name. He had to change it years ago. What happened between the escaping lovers and now? And what is really hiding on the bank of the disused train track?

A fast paced and gripping read.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book by Louise Candlish. I apologise for the delay submitting my review, I thought I had.
I loved this story told through a 2 timelines. It was full of false leads and twists along the way, typical of Louise Candlish's work. I am a fan. A the characters and descriptions portrayed the characters and settings well. I wrongly guessed the suspect until the end.
Looking forward to the next book by Louise Candlish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my review copy.

A fantastic thriller full or twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end.

I loved the duel timeline it really ramped up the feelings of distress Alex feels. Will his marriage to Beth survive? Why is he so worried about the nature trail? Will Rick end up with Marina? And most of all who is Alex?

I loved the 1990s vibe, Candlish really managed to evoke the era with the parties, music, and weather.

I enjoyed this well written tale of deceit and toxic relationships. Whilst I bought into most of the twists and their possibility, I have to admit that, by the end, I felt there were just too many storylines going on and concentrating well on fewer would have improved the book for me.
Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance copy of this book

Oh my days! This book hit the ground running and didn't let up until the very last page, in between delivering shock after twist after, well... you get the picture!
We start with Alex and Beth who live in a nice suburb. The only blot on the landscape is a disused nature trail and Beth has been campaigning to get it tidied up and reused, she has just got the backing from the council as the books opens. For some reason this sends Alex into a bit of a spin. He is obviously unnerved by something... Frightened... Terrified...
Meanwhile, in out dual timeline book, we pop back to Alex's past. To his 20s and follow his relationship with Marina and the subsequent police involvement there...
Have I whetted your appetite yet? I hope so cos this is a stonkingly good read that held my attention strongly throughout as the story delivery secret after lie after duplicitous behaviour.
But the story wouldn't be any good if the characters weren't able to hold it up and this author never disappoints in that regard. I have read a couple of this author's other books (not as many as I want but I am working on that) and each have been just as cracking.
The dual timeline works extremely well, the past injecting enough to move the main present-day story along, colouring and clarifying as they meander around each other.
And then the ending - reeling with shock! And that's all you'll get from me... Just do yourself a favour and read the book. You won't be sorry.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

A rollercoaster of a ride.
What is it about the new nature trail being developed behind his house that has Alex so worried and fearful of secrets from the past being discovered?
A dual timeline from 1995 where we meet Rick and the present day with Alex and his wife Beth living in suburbia.
A slow burn novel, lots of character development at the beginning and at times I wondered how it was all linked but once I was a little way through it all became clear. There were a few surprises along the way too

Overall I really enjoyed this, another great thriller from Louise Candlish with an excellent plot. Loved the twists, which I didn't see coming, There were a few parts where I felt that someone acted out of character or didn't question a huge red flag, but it is fiction of course. I did enjoy it and would recommend.

The Only Suspect was a good read that left me guessing the whole way through. The only complaint was that the main characters were not particularly likeable which made it difficult to care what happened, but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of the story and I wanted to know what was going to happen.

A great story with some twists along the way and some unexpected pop ups. Really hard to put down once you are hooked in.

I have to admit I couldn’t put this book down. I don’t always like books where every other chapter is a flashback to an earlier time but in this case it works well. It is a really good, well written crime novel with lots of suspense and a really good twist at the end. I would love to discuss my thoughts on the ending and whether justice is seen to be done but it would give away too many spoilers. I will save that for my book group. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I've read quite a few books by Louise Candlish that I've really enjoyed and was looking forward to this one when I saw it was new. To be honest I was disappointed on the whole as there were very few real twists or even much credibility in the characters for me. Having said that, I read to the end, which I wouldn't have done unless I wanted to know what happened! So Candlish writes a book that rattles along and makes you keep reading, though there wasn't as much suspense in this one as I've felt in some others.

I normally LOVE Louise Candlish’s novels so couldn’t wait to start this one, however I felt that the storyline was very drawn out which somewhat spoilt it a little. It is set in 1995 which I loved as that is the year that I left school so I kept getting flash backs to things that I had forgotten eg. pagers!

The main character ‘Rick’ is 26 and falls for a girl working in the same office block as him. There is then a murder near by and the book focuses on ‘Who dunnit’. It also flashes back and forth to modern day and a character called Alex (I won’t say anymore as I don’t want to provide any spoilers)!

As you’d expect from Candlish, there are SO many twists and turns and just when you think you’ve got the plot sussed, she’s got another shock in store for you!

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster UK & NetGalley UK for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

A well written psychological thriller but not my favourite Louise Candlish novel.
Book is written as a dual timeline between the present day and 1995. Very much a slow burner, but the truth/ ending of the story is not what you would think.
I found the characters in general unlikeable, Alex does little to redeem himself and Rick is overly naïve. To not like characters is one thing, but to have no invested interest due to a lack of feeling for characters means you don’t have as much interest in the outcome.
Overall, a bit long but I look forward to her next book.

The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish
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Publication date: 01/02/2023
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When the construction of a nature trail behind his house begins to concern Alex it becomes clear to everyone that things aren’t quite as they seem and perhaps Alex has a secret from his past he doesn’t want to be unearthed.
The book switches between a mixed narrative and time scale, mixing the past with the present to show the story of two young lovers that didn’t go to plan.
Cleverly written with clues dropped in throughout that things weren’t quite as they seemed. Unfortunately I guessed the twist too early on and this did ruin things slightly for me. However, worth a read and is another fantastic write by Candlish.
Thank you to NetGalley, Louise Candlish and Simon and Schuster for this ARC in return for an honest review

Absolutely loved this. I couldn't work out where it was going for ages and then when I thought I had worked it out, I was wrong.
Cleverly switches between the present day and the late 1990's and I especially thought the narrative in the 90's was very evocative and took me right back. Another winner from Louise!

I am a bit conflicted about this book. I thought it started out well, and I liked the different time frames. However about halfway through it started to wane for me and I was willing something to happen. The main character was not likable, and when the book started to drag I found it hard work. Overall it was not a book that I really enjoyed..

The book was okay just too long and it lost its way . The main characters were unlikeable. Not up to her usual standard for me so was a bit disappointing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it