TALKING WITH STRANGERS is the second book in the Elsie King series, delivered through the three points of view of Elise, Kiki and Annie who are connected through circumstance. Highlighting some prevalent issues the plights of these woman are emotive and raw and the author has woven them together to create a engaging read.

Dark, Edgy..
Kiki Nunn is already ahead of the game when the body of a woman is discovered. She is determined to make sure that it stays that way as she begins a search for the truth. Propulsive suspense with a pacy, well developed plot populated with a credible and carefully crafted cast. Dark and edgy.

Wow what a thrilling murder mystery with a surprising twist at the end.
Loved the character Kiki a journalist who investigates 2 murders and never gives up trying to help the police while looking into online dating and the drawbacks of not knowing who you are meeting.
This is a modern day story with a cautionary tale for anyone who meets someone online.
Would highly recommend if you like murder with a twist.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is very current. A woman who has been on dating apps is found murdered. She was openly dating different men, was interviewed about dating in her 40s, and organized various social activities where people could meet. The public is coming up with all the well-known comments, how it is her fault, that with all the drinking and going with strange men she was bound for this. It is easy to get upset with all this victim blaming.
The book is told from three points of view, the police officer who is investigating the case, the journalist who did the interview, and a mother whose child was killed around the same spot. Though that last protagonist slowly finds her way into the main story I feel she did not add much. I even thought she was a bit too obvious about some things. The two others, Elise King and Kiki Nunn, were a strong story together. Both women working on their side of the story made a complete puzzle for me as a reader and made it possible to try and solve the mystery myself.
This book has some very triggering storylines, though I felt they were not described in much detail making it bearable. After reading you may not want to go dating in your life ever again though.

Karen Simmons is murdered on Valentines Day and had been known to frequent dating apps. Elsie King begins an investigation, however is antagonised by Kiki Nunn, a reporter who will do anything to get a scoop. Both woman risk everything to discover the truth. Will they find it?

I was looking forward to reading this as I enjoy Fiona Barton’s writing style. This was another well written, dark, disturbing mystery and a solid police procedural. There are a lot of serious topics explored here and I appreciate the way the author has gone about this, highlighting current issues. The returning characters were well written and I like the focus of one of the main characters being a reporter. I also enjoyed the storyline being based around online dating and found this compelling.

Although this was a well written mystery, I found it very slow. It took a long while for the story to get going and by the time it did I had lost full interest. This wasn’t a bad read overall and I’d definitely be interested reading more books with these characters, but personally (so far) I prefer the Kate Waters series by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I have reading every book this author has written and have never been disappointed. This is a novel of our times as a well as being a good story it’s a bit of a cautionary tale. It could be you. Brilliant book.

An enjoyable read. Each chapter tells the story from the viewpoint of one of the characters. The plot consists of 2 murders (one a cold case) and rape. It also explores the world of online dating. I particularly liked the descriptions of the small town environment and the interplay between the police and the media as personified by detective Elise King and journalist Kiki Nunn.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I've read and enjoyed quite a few of Ms Barton's books, and this was no exception. As well as a page turning mystery with some believable characters the author manages to highlight the perils of online dating and victim blaming without being preachy.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

Elise King is back in another explosive thriller! Karen Simmons is single and looking for love but along the way she is determined to have a good time. Then on the day after Valentine’s Day her body is discovered in the woods … she has been murdered.

Kiki is a reporter and a single mum. She had been researching the singles scene and had interviewed Karen as part of this. She is determined to further explore the perils of online dating and hopefully uncover the truth surrounding Karen’s death and lead Kiki to Karen’s killer. However she seems oblivious to the danger she may be putting herself in.

Elise King is the officer in charge of the investigation into Karen’s death. She is struggling in the aftermath of her cancer diagnosis but is determined to do her job. After three years of being single she is finally starting to come around to the idea of dating again and when the attractive single man who moves in next door shows an interest in her, she can feel the sparks fly.

Annie sees the news of Karen’s death and it affects her deeply. Not only does she know Karen from years ago, Karen was found in the same woods that Annie’s son was found murdered over a decade ago. Annie’s husband thinks she should just left go and not revisit the past but Annie can’t and has always struggled with the unanswered questions surrounding her son’s death.

A thoroughly enjoyable book which is told from several characters point of view.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This was one twisted emotional ride covering topics of murder, rape on line dating issues and social media. All the waythrough hints were given to help the reader decipher who had murdered Karen. I had decided my suspect probably 50% through but was still not aniticipating the ending. The characters were amazing and although there was so many chapters at the start to identify them all it did not take long to piece them all together and see there places in the story.
I loved the village environment where everybody knew everybody elses business and gossip abounded.
Highly recomend this to all who read psychological murders as it kept me on the dge of my seat throughout.

Kiki is a journo on the edge of extinction, needing a story to save her from her terrible copy and paste ‘clickbait’ she is now forced to post…..Karen is dead, for no other reason than she had been ‘looking for love’ via online hook ups and dating
Kiki senses a big story, and she is right, but what she finds when she delves into the world of apps will not only shock her but also reignite an old murder case aling the way
Elise is the DC in charge and recovering from breast cancer, she wants the case dealt with sharpish and not with Kiki’s interference, Kiki intends to help whatever
and so the women embark on a tentative togetherness re finding out what has happened, both putting themselves at risk

The book covers sexual assualt, rape and gross misogyny amongst other dark subjects but is non glorifying, however is not afraid to call out those that need to be called out

The writing is sharp, almost acidic in its observations but needs to be and far from being offputting adds to the urgency, some very good self deprecation dark humour and soul searching throughout

More than real characters, edgy writing and dialogue and disturbing storyline make this a read you will be a part of and want to help to solve and feel a need for justice

This was very much a slow burn and I was itching for it to get moving. The second half was much pacier than the first and that kept me on my toes.

A good weave in on the subject of dating and the world of online dating at that too. I liked Kiki the determined journo, and this had some strong female leads who carried the plot well.

A good twisty plot with a few surprises along the way.

This book was a pleasant surprise to be honest, I went in pretty blind. It started off with what I thought was going to be a fairly run of the mill thriller, and it was somewhat of a slow burn to begin with. But the ending was so twisty. I had an idea for part of it, but the revelation definitely left me gawping. It all came together so well and it touched on topics that are really important and highlights the dark, unsavoury bits of society that are very real.

I also loved the characters and enjoyed the different POVs. It worked really well.

I'd highly recommend!

This book is written from three viewpoints; a female police inspector, a journalist and a grieving mother. I’m not sure that the different POVs added to the story because they were somewhat distracting. My main gripe here is that all the male characters were awful, which isn’t realistic. Also the females were needy, apart from the sergeant, who was under used. A solid plot, but maybe overlong as I found my attention wandering at times.

Talking to Strangers
Fiona Barton
Published 25/07/24

****

Suspect everyone.

Reporter for the ‘Sussex Today’ newspaper, Kiki (Erika) Nunn, is told by her editor that a woman’s body has been found in a local wood. It turns out to be that of Karen Simmons, who Kiki had interviewed quite recently (as founder of the ‘Free Spirits’ singles group) for an article about middle aged single women.

Investigating officer, DI Elise King, single mother, recently returned from breast cancer treatment, recognises the victim as a local hairdresser.

A few years previously there had been a murder of a young boy, Archie Curtis, and in the same location, Knapton Wood.

Each chapter is the progressing story of one of the characters - Elise, Kiki and Angie - Archie’s mother.

It is interesting to follow the different perspectives of the investigation. With Elise it is a police procedural interspersed with her various personal ‘problems’ - her cancer and brain fuzz from its treatment, and dipping her toe into dating again. For Kiki, also a single mom, it is a God given opportunity to get herself back in the mainstream of journalism with a big story that she finds herself in the midst of, and her investigations draw her even deeper into it. Annie is still grieving the loss of her son, she still has her elder son Xander, now an adult and living in London. She also has a son, Gav, born just a year after Archie’s death. Her husband, Henry, and she have become somewhat estranged since Archie’s death.

The story progresses in short bursts, alternating between the various strings which encourages the reader to read ‘just another chapter’! I enjoyed the story and the way it is told, and certainly would recommend it. One minor criticism I have is that there are quite a lot of N American words used for no apparent reason, most of which I had to look up (fortunately easy enough if you are reading a digital version).

I read this book from a pre-publication copy kindly supplied by the publisher, but this is an honest review with no concession to their generosity.

Suspect everyone

Karen Simmons, a local hairdresser in Ebbings, is found in Knapton Woods, killed by an unknown person. Karen had started her evening with a night out with best friend Mina Ryan celebrating Valentine's day in their local, The Neptune. On the day of discovery of Karen's body, Kiki Nunn is told by her editor the name of the victim. Kiki recognises the name as she had been doing a feature on online dating and had interviewed Karen for the Sussex Today website. DI Elise King and DS Caro Brennan from the Major Crimes Team begin their investigation into finding the person responsible. This leads them to discover a case from 2004, when Archie Curtis (8 years old) had been found in the same place. How do the cases connect? Why are they important? No spoilers as you will need to read the book to find the answers. The story is told in multiple POV and over different time lines. All the sub plots lead to a dramatic ending. It is a fast paced, page turning of a read. I will recommend this book.

Karen Simmons is a fun loving forty four year old who is looking for love, then on Valentine's Day, 2020 she is found dead in Knapton Wood. The police begin their investigations, headed up by DI Elise King and her team. Also interested in the case is journalist Kiki Nunn who, a week earlier, had interviewed Karen relating to an article she was writing about mid life romance and the problems she faced during the whole online dating experience and talking to strangers but, as she delves deeper into this story, could she be putting herself in as much danger as Karen?

Taking to Strangers is the latest thriller by Barton and brings Elise King back into our lives after first meeting her in Local Gone Missing. This one is a slow burn, told from the perspectives of multiple characters, and details what happens from before the murder and then throughout the investigation to its conclusion and beyond. There are some delicate subjects dealt with in this story; rape, grooming, misogyny and all are researched intricately by the author. It was interesting to read about how the public were divided on the reasons for Karen's death, some blamed it on her behaviour and how she dressed/acted where others were in complete sympathy with her and rightly so, nobody deserves to be treated this way, this does happen in real life and it's about time society woke up and realised this is not the attitude to have towards women. This is an intriguing read, with some good twists and, although I guessed who the perpetrator was, it didn't affect my perception of this story.

I'd like to thank Random House UK, Transworld and Netgalley for inviting me to read this book, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Secrets and lies in this book,a family ripped apart by a long ago event brought again to light by a recent tragedy in the same area,
The perils and pitfalls of internet dating,a collision waiting to happen and when it does it reverbates through the whole community.
A gripping and intense read,I raced through this book.

This was a good solid mystery, but I did not find it as good as the others books I have read from this author.
It was a slow burner that just simmered along.

A murder mystery set in a small coastal town, it starts with the killing of a local hairdresser on Valentine's Day. Written from multiple character viewpoints, the story ended with a satisfying denouement and it was an enjoyable read.