The Suspect is the third book in the Fiona Barton series, Kate Waters. I read her previous novel in the series, The Child, and enjoyed it. This novel is a mystery, which begins with two friends who go on a trip to Thailand and disappear. Kate Waters, who is a news reporter, picks up the story. Written from the POV of numerous characters which I thought would be confusing but it was pretty easy to follow along. I found the story enjoyable but too long. It started and ended with a bang, but I was pretty bored in the middle. Kate Waters was also less likable to me in this story. I enjoyed her character in The Child. I will definitely read any forthcoming novels by this author but found this one to be just mediocre (3 out of 5 ).

Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

i really loved the storyline and that it was a page turner. This was my first Fiona Barton book and it won't be my last. I am looking forward reading her backlist titles. This is the perfect beach read.

I am going to an in depth review of this book in What to Read Next Blog this month.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A smart, and at times, unnerving mystery with complex characters and a situation which will make you rethink your travel plans.

THE SUSPECT is a dark and multilayered story that is equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking. It is also the third book where journalist Kate Waters makes her appearance on an investigation. However, this time around she is faced with the fact her son may be the reason two girls are dead.

With the usual effortless flow to her writing, Barton gave me a smart, timely, and twisted mystery surrounding a suspicious fire and two murders. What I like about the book were the multiple perspectives. This allowed the reader to not only have different vantage points to the crime, but it brought into play the humanity of all the characters. While I was reading, these glimpses into the minds of the various players broke up the investigation. In addition, it let me check in with characters from previous stories I had remembered.

All in all, THE SUSPECT was an addictive investigation with some surprising revelations as well as characters to invest in. The book is so good because it could actually happen. The reality behind the story is much more frightening to me. I cannot wait to see what Kate tackles next.

4 1/2 Addictive Stars!

Every parent's worst nightmare! Except one of the parents is the lead reporter on the case. LOVED this story!! And the multiple narrators were fantastic. Don't miss this one.

Two girls travel to Thailand for their Gap Year but suddenly go missing. Their frantic parents in England get no real help from the authorities in Thailand so they turn to the press for assistance. It turns out that Alex, the more sensible of the pair, didn't really know her traveling companion Rosie all that well and their trip to Thailand ends up taking all the wrong turns.

Their families turn to Kate Waters, a reporter who is eager to tell their story. But Kate is actually harboring her own painful secret: her son Jake dropped out of university several years before and basically disappeared in Thailand. Her smart, sweet and nerdy son has not been in touch with his family and Kate and her husband fear for his safety.

Kate soon becomes enmeshed in the lives of the missing girls' families and becomes the center of even more drama: she is taken off the story due to her own son's possible involvement in Alex and Rosie's disappearance. 'The Suspect' is an intensely compelling story with many twist and turns which end in a stunning conclusion.

Each family's story is told from alternating points of view that are at once gripping, thrilling and compelling. Does any parent ever really know their own children? The mystery of what happened to Alex and Rosie slowly unfolds in a completely surprising and terrifying way. As a parent, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next chapter. As a reader, I could not wait until Kate and British investigator Bob Sparks got to the bottom of the girls' disappearance.

The exotic locales are described in all their colorful glory but the author doesn't hesitate write about the dark side of Thailand. Gap year travel may be exciting but the dangers of travel abroad are laid out in painful detail here. The author also explores the sometimes tragic role of social media in our lives.

This book starts off rather gently and then the last part of the story virtually rockets to a shocking conclusion. Although this is the third book featuring Kate Waters, it absolutely can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend the audiobook, however, with the multiple narrators perfectly voicing the different points of view. Although I received an advanced review copy of this book, I downloaded the audiobook and absolutely loved it.

Thrilling and addictive, 'The Suspect' will stay with me for a long time. Another wonderful mystery from Fiona Barton!

I have been a huge fan of Fiona Barton’s previous titles, The Widow and The Child. This book was nothing short of exactly what I’ve come to expect from her, spectacular! When a bored detective comes across a case of two missing English students in Thailand she takes the case is a way to fill some news. What she didn’t expect was how big this case would become in the search to find the girls. It’s an excellent story and per Barton’s usual, full of twists!

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left home to go traveling. This time it’s personal.And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think ...

I loved the way the author weaved in details of her past books into this one! I like that Kate and Bob were in this story, but I would have liked to know MORE about them and their story, if that makes sense! While I was able to predict a lot of what was happening, I loved the story and the details that this story had! I just wish things had been revealed a bit slower and not so early on in the book.

Author, Fiona Barton, seems to have a rather large cult following on social media. Her books (especially this new one) have been all over my Instagram page and I have to admit, I was intrigued by the prospect of being able to fan girl a new-to-me author.

As I have said before, I am new to the thriller genre and often become intimidated by starting new series mid way through, however in recent years I have had fairly good luck with starting mid series.

I had seen that this book can be read as a stand alone, even though it is part of the Kate Waters series.

Summary

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry.

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left home to go traveling. This time it’s personal.

And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think (summary from Goodreads).

Review

I would absolutely agree that this book could be read as a stand alone book. I had my reservations when I started it, but ultimately I felt that the author orientated the audience in the ‘world’ and it’s characters. I didn’t feel lost at all.

This book addresses every parents worst nightmare…..a missing child. Even though the missing girls are teens, I think any parent would have heightened anxiety when reading this book. I myself have a two year old son, and just reading this book made me extra nervous about kidnapping. Not in a way that made me not want to read this book, but in a way that made the book more personal and made me invest in it in a way that I wasn’t expecting.

The author’s writing is smooth and also practiced. It is evident that the author writes thrillers with a daft hand. I felt like the transitions in the book and the story itself fit well together and flow nicely. It is clear to see why this author has so many dedicated fans.

I noticed that some reviewers felt that this book fell flat when compared to the other books in the series. For me, I have no reference so I cannot say if this book was less thrilling than the others. In my opinion it was a fun read with some twists and turns that kept me interested and reading at a steady pace.

The only thing that I had a hard time with was the main character herself. Maybe in other books, Kate is more likable. But for me in this book, I just didn’t connect to her in the way that I had hoped. The story itself was a delight to read but the main character just wasn’t my favorite.

Book Info and Rating

Kindle Edition, 416 pages
Published January 10th 2019 by Transworld Digital
ASIN B07BMV45V8
Free review copy provided by Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Thriller, mystery

Wow wow wow! This book is a thriller for the ages. The beginning eased you flawlessly into the story, and I was sucked in the entire time I read it. Kate Waters is a fantastic main character, and the depth to which Barton goes for her stories is incredible!

A parent's worst nightmare becomes true when two girls traveling in Thailand disappear and then are found dead following a suspicious fire. Kate Waters , a journalist, is covering the story when she finds that her own "out of communication " son was entangled in these girls lives. Kate continues to cover the story even when she is placed on minimum duties at the paper. Everyone wants to talk to her son but the only clue of his whereabouts is a speeding ticket indicating that he has returned home. What's his story and how to unravel this mystery of things that are not as they seem.

The Suspect is nicely done suspense, if at times a tad predictable, but that may just be the result of reading several titles by this author and having an idea how her stories evolve.

A 3.5-star rating. A good book, but not as action-packed as I would have liked. I couldn't relate much to the characters, maybe because I haven't read the two previous books in the Kate Waters series.

Full review at https://mysterysequels.com/book-review-suspect-fiona-barton.html

Lately, I seem to be stuck in "three-star land." Another book that kept my interest but fizzled in the end. There was one surprise reveal, but other than that, not much in the way of anything that grabs you by the seat of the pants. Might make for a good tv movie.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a scary depiction of something that could very well happen in today's society. It is hard to believe that parents would let their teenage daughters backpack through Thailand but gap year adventures are becoming popular. I enjoyed the mystery and was able to figure out some things. Recommended!

I did not realize that The Suspect was the third installment within a series. It can be read as a stand alone book, but perhaps if I had read the first books I would have felt more connected to the characters. Overall, the story was a slow burn, well developed mystery. The concept of losing touch with your child while he or she is vacationing on a “gap year” in a foreign country is frightening. The book did not disappoint and kept me turning the page. If you enjoy unraveling a story layer by layer then pick this one up!

I am a huge fan of Fiona Barton but this book did not live up to her other books. I’m not sure why this one didn’t draw me in as easily but I suspect it was due to the number of characters telling the story as well as the timeline constantly shifting. Since I was reading on my kindle it made it hard to look back which I frequently felt the need to do to clear up confusion.

What a great way to ring in the New Year! My first book of the year The Suspect was a win! I read this as a group read with my fellow Traveling Sisters. As a whole everyone really enjoyed it.

This was a slow burn for me that increased with intensity which each page. I found that a little before the halfway point I could not put it down. I think one thing that made it so interesting was that you can easily imagine this whole scenario actually happening.

Two young girls go missing in Thailand after they embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Wanting to experience the world before tying themselves down to college. Alex and Rosie set off for a experience they should remember for a lifetime. Except things were not exactly going as planned. The girls lose contact with their parents, will they ever be heard from again?

I tell you what, if I had a child traveling in another country while reading this book, I would be having a bit of a breakdown right about now. It was so realistic, it drew me right in. There were several twists that caught me off guard and had me frantically trying to contact my fellow Traveling Sisters for a "freak out" moment.

This was my first Fiona Barton book and it was a winner for me! I found it to be a page turner and suspenseful right up until the end. I can see more of her books in my future for sure.

Fiona Barton burst onto the scene with her 2016 debut, The Widow, a novel I devoured one blistery, snowy day. Fast-forward three years, and Fiona now has just as many book under her belt. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed with her sophomore release, The Child, though it could have been a combination of multiple factors: I had overly high expectations, I listened on audio, or it could have been that I read it during the summer. For whatever reason, The Child didn’t live up to my hopes (though now I’m thinking I might need to give it a second try).

That said, when I was approached to take part in the blog tour for The Suspect, I pounced. I wanted to relive that blizzard of a day when I first discovered The Widow.

Two eighteen-year-old girls suddenly go missing in Thailand and their families are suddenly in the spotlight. Why didn’t the girls call home the night they said they would? Where could they have possibly gone? Why isn’t anyone from their hostel talking? Journalist Kate Waters wants this story – and not just because it’s gained international attention. This is a story that hits close to home for her: two years ago her own son ventured off on a global adventure and she’s heard from him only a handful of times since he left.

As the case slowly unfolds, it becomes clear Alex’s and Rosie’s parents didn’t know their daughters as well as they once thought…and Kate’s worries are closer at hand than she imagined.

Told in four perspectives: Alex, the mother, the reporter, and the detective, The Suspect wastes no time jumping right into the action. The fast pace had me instantly engaged and flipping pages; I needed to know what Alex was thinking, how her mother was reacting, what was going on inside Kate’s head as she dug deeper into the mystery.

A hostel fire and a shady owner, a nasty divorce and remarriage, a cancer diagnosis, there were several other storylines at play here and normally I could have done without them in order to get to the meat of the story. Much to my surprise, everything here worked. I was intrigued by the bad relationships and grim prognoses just as much as I was by the fate of the two girls.

There are a few tidy bows and sitcom-y reveals, but overall I was thoroughly invested in The Suspect! I’m not one to post spoilers – especially for mystery novels – but this was one I didn’t want to put down and I dove into it at just the right time: a snowy weekend. There’s nothing like reading a mystery on a cold winter day, is there? I do recommend this one and look forward to Fiona’s next! Newcomers, feel free to jump into this one; while all three novels are part of a larger series, each can easily be read as a standalone.

A trip that was to be so fun, a friend couldn't go, another offered - A nightmare begins -
I was given this book from NetGalley for an honest review -
Kate, a reporter whose son is also missing wants first dibs on the story of the two girls missing .
As she discovers more she uncovers that her son was there also - was he involved? what happened? and where are the girls?
Once again I found the ending to be a shocker!

I just couldn't get into The Suspect like I did the previous two books of Fiona Barton's. ,

The third installment in Fiona Barton’s Kate Waters series is a solid, engrossing read. Should be noted that this book can be read as a stand-alone.
Alexandra O’Connor and Rosie Shaw are eighteen years old and backpacking in Thailand. But after no contact with their families, they are reported missing. As is usually the case, the police aren’t too concerned as they are adults.
Journalist Kate waters hears of the missing teens, and decides to write a story and take an interest in the disappearance. It hits close to home for her, as she has not heard from her own son in over 2 years.
Told in different points of view, The Suspect is a good, suspenseful, well crafted story.