I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an advance copy of True Crime, a stand-alone set in Bristol.

Ten years ago promising journalist Katy Harper disappeared without a trace. There were suspects but no proof of wrongdoing and Katy’s mother, Grace, was left broken and without answers. Now she decides to participate in a new documentary about the disappearance to keep Katy’s case alive, but it doesn’t work out that way and leaves her seeking her own answers.

I thoroughly enjoyed True Crime, which is an engrossing read with several unexpected twists and a moreish story. The format is non traditional, but not uncommon, mixing a straightforward first person narrative from Grace and flashback chapters to Katy’s last day, again told in the first person with chat room logs and synopses of the documentary episodes. It sounds confusing, but is actually quite easy to follow and a good way of imparting facts and impressions from various other interested parties.

The difficulty in the novel is following Grace’s thought patterns. She is still grieving so she’s erratic and illogical, but she’s also determined and spends the novel confronting the suspects, all of whom participated in the documentary, and trying to establish some facts. It makes for compulsive reading as she makes progress. I was less impressed by the reason behind it all, which is an old trope and not particularly convincing and loathed Katy by the end of the novel.

True Crime is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This was a gripping read introducing us to Grace whose daughter, Katy went missing ten years before. She was never found, despite an investigation into her disappearance. When a production company approaches Grace to produce a podcast looking again into Katy's case in the hope that new information may come to light, Grace finds missing evidence appearing which may hold the key.

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was a little bit of a slow starter, but really picked up the pace as the story moved on. I loved Grace's character, she was just how a mother should be - dogged, determined and never giving up on her child! Ten years without her daughter was obviously really difficult for her, but as new information and evidence comes to light, Grace may finally be able to put Katy's disappearance to bed and move on.

The storyline twisted and turned as it went on. We are given lots of suspects to ponder over, some which had already been suspects in the original investigation. I couldn't work out who was involved or how and there were lots of red herrings and dead ends throughout. I loved the twist in the storyline, which was totally unexpected, and thought the ending pulled all the loose ends in perfectly! I was hooked into the storyline and couldn't put the book down once I'd started it. A cleverly written crime investigation which I would recommend!

So good!

Spoilers!!!!!




This revolves around the disappearance of a young woman who was investigating “something big”.
At the ten year anniversary new information comes to light which leads to the story coming to light and finding the missing girl. I found the story captivating, but a little predictable (still loved it), and the golden key club just icked me out - too similar to what’s been happening recently with the me too movement.
The only part I didn’t love was the mother’s death. I wish Katy had been able to say goodbye, but perhaps then it would have been tied up too neatly.


Overall great book, quick and short read that I couldn’t put down
4.5 stars

A little slow for my tastes and despite my love of podcasts (especially true crime!), I feel books centered around podcasts are somewhat overdone. Katy went missing ten years ago. She left her desk at work and was never heard from again. Grace, Katy's mother, is asked to participate in a documentary on her daughter's disappearance and things don't go as planned.

A new author to me and I loved this so I'm going to have to buy the back catalogue.

True Crime is a clever, involving psychological thriller, hugely addictive with an intriguing plot and relatable, compelling characters.

It speaks gently to the ethics of the true crime world, whilst also telling an entertaining and unpredictable story.

Really good. Recommended.

I need to be honest here. The first 20% or so was a little rough for me. The story moved a little slowly and I’m starting to find books that use true crime documentaries or podcasts a little tired.

But I stuck with it and I’m glad I did – and all because of Grace. I adored Grace. She’s a smart and feisty bulldog of a mom who will not let go. I hope I’m the kind of mom Grace is in this book!

I was rooting for her every step of the way and she kept me reading until I found myself totally engaged in the story.

While the twisty bits weren’t quite so twisty as perhaps intended, they were very, very satisfying!

I ended up really enjoying this book and (thank you, Grace), I’m glad I read it!

• ARC via Publisher

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

A little slow to start but it went fast once it picked up for me. I had a theory about the ending was kind happy to see I was only half right. :D I think the end part could have been a bit more fleshed out but I enjoyed it overall.

What a harrowing experience for a mum to go through, her daughter went missing 10 years ago without a trace. What had happened to her only child who was training as a Journalist. A story that took over her life that turned out to be more dangerous than she could deal with, which then her mum picks up 10 years later. Where was Katy, was she still alive or was she dead. Her mum never gave up hope. Who can be trusted?
This was a great book with lots of suspense, my second book by Georgina Lees and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, Georgina Lees for an ARC in return for my honest review.

What a great read this book totally kept me on the edge of my seats and I couldn’t put it down. I had no clue what had actually happened with this story of a missing woman who has been gone for ten years and was blown away by the ending. Just what you want from a thriller and would make a great series on the tv.

Georgina Lees is a personal favorite. She delivers fast paced, easy reads. I enjoy these as palette cleansers in between tougher books.

This just completely engaged me from the get go, there was no easing into, a real rollercoaster of emotions. I so needed to know what had happened. I loved how they brought the true crime podcast into it and explained the background. It just so worked.

The ending was brilliant, it just tied all the strands together.

This author is always one of my go to authors she always delivers.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely is my own.

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded and who was involved and how. Kept me guessing what happened to the end.

True Crimes was a captivating thriller that drawed me in and kept me reading till the very early hours of the morning.

Katy has been missing for 10 years and her mother Grace has never stopped looking for her and is invited to be on a podcast regarding the case but knowing podcasts we have listeners that will speculate on the situation. Grace is now doing her own investigation since the police still have no ideas on what happened and it is getting nowhere. Taking it into her own hands she interviews co-workers, the ex boyfriend and the professor and learns along the way clues that she has no idea how they could have been tied up with everything going on.

True Crimes is a harrowing emotional book that shows how far a mother will go to find what happened to her daughter, fitted with dark themes, a wide range of different suspects and is most definitely full of suspense and twists and turns that keep the reader engrossed in what is happening. Mostly I enjoyed how Georgina Lees showed the true love between Grace and Katy, of how far anybody would go and the devotion to finding what happened to loved ones.. It was an emotional thrilling read that definitely had me gasping at times.

A solid 4.5 that anybody who loves true crime and thriller mystery reads, True Crime is a must read and I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t wait to get to the end to see how everything added up together.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and publishers for the copy of this arc in exchange for my full honest review.

Katy, a journalist, disappeared without a trace 10 years ago. Her mother Grace has never stopped looking for her, believing that she will eventually come home one day. Presently Grace is approached about a documentary about Katy in hopes of generating leads to her disappearance. What happened to her? Where is she? Who would want to her?
True Crime hooked me from the beginning and kept me glued to the pages. Lots of suspects, lots of theories, lots of suspense. Love Georgina Lees writing and the format of this book. A page turner for sure!

From the start the mystery surrounding Katy’s disappearance several years on and the fact that her mother is still pursuing the truth is gripping. I love the texts from the conspiracy theorists and the new documentary focusing on the various individuals who are of course lining up like Agatha Christie suspects. Thoroughly enjoyable

True Crime was a compulsive read – keeping me up until the early hours racing through the pages to uncover every last secret.

Lees fills the book to the brim with twists, red herrings and clues to bring it all to an explosive conclusion. The atmosphere and pacing is off the charts. This is massively assisted by the use of the true crime show. The episodes give it a sense of counting down, with the tension rising as the episodes and the pages start to run out. I loved the use of multi-media formats to tell this story with the television show transcripts mixed into the narration. It adds a perspective outside of Grace’s which is important as you get so wrapped up in her head. She is a brilliant protagonist though, consumed by grief and guilt. The mystery of what truly happened that night dominates her life with consequences that are far reaching and unexpected.

This narrative device of the true crime documentary also exposes a grimy side to proceedings. I loved the throughline of the exploitative side of the true crime industry. It is all about, ironically, creating a story and the most attention-grabbing story at that. Very little empathy is shown for the victim and the impact the case still has on those who knew Katy, even those who were casted in a negative light. It shows those rippling ramifications and uproots deeply buried secrets. The contrast of the producers from the initial meeting with Grace to their eventual response is so well done. At the end of the day, her daughter is just the latest in a long line of products for them – stories to grab the headlines and social media trends until the next comes along.

True Crime is an emotive, explosive examination of the exploitation of real people in the name of shock value and stories to hook an audience and feed the true crime industry.

Wow, this book is truly a thriller! Katy has been missing for 10 years and her mother, Grace is invited to be a guest on a podcast about it. Of course she is skeptical as it will invite all sorts of listeners who will speculate but have little real information as the police and detectives still have no clue what happened to her. And so she begins investigating on her own, interviewing co-workers, an old boyfriend, and eventually finding what she thinks are "clues" but she has no idea what they really mean or how they tie together. It's a dark, often creepy, twisted tale about power and control that had me gasping frequently. Loved it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing this book, with my honest review below*

Georgina Lees hasn’t been the type of author of mysteries and thrillers where you know it’ll be a light and by the numbers book, and True Crime was no exception. I’ve previously enjoyed ‘After the Party’ and ‘The Girl Upstairs’ so I know her novels have more complex plots, but in addition to being a mystery that goes further than the description for the book hints at, this book also addresses two very important topics. The exploitation of those who are subject to true crime documentaries and podcasts is one that we may miss amongst the huge demand for them (also skillfully addressed in ‘Kill Show’), and sexual abuse, with the often unmentioned steps women take every day to avoid sexual violence and in stigma to this abuse as part of that. Georgina Lees addresses both and the love between mother and daughter with Grace and Katy, introducing her readers to a mystery that leaves you thinking about larger societal issues.

The read was tense and heartbreaking, and I thoroughly enjoyed it (though it may be triggering to some). My only criticism is that the ending crept up on me and this book would have benefited from a more time spent in the aftermath of the climax. That said, maybe it’s haunting because it didn’t and left it to the reader to imagine where key characters may be down the line and what the larger fallout and challenges from the crimes in the novel may be.

Thank you again for the ARC, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter. It is much appreciated and I enjoyed the read and the opportunity to share my feedback.

Thank you to #netgalley, #georginalees and #onemorechapter publishing for this ARC of True Crime for an honest review

I was really excited to read this book. The cover captured my attention, the synopsis made me really excited to read it

Ten years ago Katy went missing and Grace, her mom, was devastated and never stopped believing that her daughter would be found. Enter a True Crime Documentary to dig into
The disappearance. A true who dunnit. Was it the Douchy ex boyfriend? The professor? A co-worker?

The chapters were short and easy to read. The story really kept my interest for a while. There was a lot of chatter and a lot of the mom running around and trying to figure out where her daughter is. A lot of the book was just a bunch of chatter; some tied back to the story, some did not. Once we really got to towards the end, the story fell apart for me. I just spent all this time going through this story that spans 10 years and the ending was so abrupt. It was like someone asked you question and just threw the answer at you before you could open your mouth to answer it. Without giving any spoilers away, if this was a big secret that spanned years and included very high powered individuals, there should have been more time spent on that part in the story. How, who, why. And also one comes back and one doesn’t make it after all this? The ending really pissed me off. All this energy spent setting up a great story and then the ending completely fell apart

The characters are well developed with just enough information to understand why they are involved. This book would have been a 4.5 stars for me but with that abrupt ending without more information provided on the actual reason for Katy’s disappearance , it turned into a 2.5 star book.

This was good! I enjoyed the story and solving the crime.there were some twist and turns but overall a typical true crime thriller. This was a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.