Alex O’Connor and Rosie Shaw went to Thailand for a trip of a lifetime to celebrate the end of secondary school. Unfortunately, after they arrived, Alex, who had originally planned the trip with her best friend Mags, learned that she and Rosie were not of the same mind when it came to organizing their activities. Still, Alex was determined not to tell anyone except her BFF Mags. On social media, she was still maintaining the fiction of an ideal getaway. But when Alex and Rosie miss their scheduled check-in with their parents in England and a week goes by without any contact, they report the eighteen-year-olds missing.

Kate Waters, the dogged reporter from The Widow and The Child sees the potential for a big story and pursues it for her paper, The Post. But she doesn’t count on the events being as personal as they are nor can she imagine the circumstances in Thailand that led to the girls’ tragedy. She must ask herself how far she will go to get to truth and how much she will sacrifice for the story.

The Suspect is structured much like Barton’s previous books. Here, the main point of view characters are the Mother, the Detective, and the Reporter. Only the Reporter chapters told from Kate’s point of view are in first person. The shifting perspectives allows Barton to provide different aspects of the story, but the Detective, DI Bob Sparkes, and the Mother, Lesley O’Connor, are flatter than I prefer in major characters.

One of the best things about the Kate Waters books is that the protagonist is a middle-aged woman defined by her accomplishments instead of her appearance. Though she is often one (or more) steps ahead of the police, she has a generally good relationship with Sparkes. Through their relationship, Barton explores the interdependence of the police and press.

In the novel, mothers play a much more significant role than fathers who range from well-meaning if ineffective to selfish and destructive. The mothers of the two missing girls bear the brunt of the trauma and handle it much differently. Motherhood is also represented by other characters including Kate, Mama, the proprietress of the Bangkok guesthouse where Alex and Rosie are staying, and a series of foster mothers of a character who appears in the novel. They all approach motherhood differently in ways that range from neglectful to supportive to unhealthy, and the mother-child relationships inform how the teenage characters in the novel behave and make decisions.

Social media and how people present personas highlights the theme that it is so difficult to know others when they are controlling their public selves--even when those others are one’s own children.

The narrative is not linear. The greatest effect of this is an impending sense of doom since we know the outcomes of some events before the characters those events effect. At times, though, this device becomes confusing such as when it is used within a chapter to enhance suspense. Instead of evoking a sense of mystery, these moments caused me to step out of the narrative to figure out what was happening.

Having the book set in part in Bangkok was an exciting choice, and I looked forward to seeing English characters in the Thai setting. This, however, was a missed opportunity because the capital city was presented as a den of iniquity that swallowed up westerners. There was only one Thai character of note, and she was a fairly one-dimensional villain. The Thai police were represented as a mixture of incompetent and corrupt and the people in general as untrustworthy. I found this depiction of Thai citizens problematic and wished that Barton had included a more positive Thai representative.

In the previous two Kate Waters books, Kate is generally seen as competent, confident, intelligent, and aggressive. While she still has these traits in The Suspect, she is challenged by the events of the book in a way that makes her to me more interesting. At the end of the book, she was talking about taking a buyout in the Post’s next round of redundancies. I hope that’s not the case. I’d like more of her! This book is not to be missed by Fiona Barton fans. Readers of literary mysteries will also enjoy The Suspect.

3.5 stars. A decent enough, slow-building mystery/police procedural, similar to the other two books I’ve read by Fiona Barton. The story rather calmly unfolds through several different characters’ points of view. The journalist from Barton ‘s previous books returns to report on the disappearance of two young women on a gap year trip to Thailand. The story becomes personal when her son appears to be involved. The reporter character, Kate Waters, is well-written and sympathy for her dilemma grows as she becomes the news item instead of the news reporter. The ending is a bit disappointing as it is inferred rather than clear cut.

The Suspect was a great book! Very dramatic and mysterious and I didn't see the switch up coming. This really is every parent's nightmare and in both the sense of the girl's and the boy's story. Two young girls go missing on a trip to Thailand and one young boy left home a year before and his parent's do not know where he is or if he is okay. Their stories intertwine in the most unfortunate way. I enjoyed how the story switched between the the parents, the reporter, the detective, the diary of one of the girls and the actual events that took place. You were getting everyone's point of view and you were learning about what really happened piece by piece which really kept the suspense of the story lined up. It also made you think about what a mother would do to protect her child, under any circumstances. I like how it ended with a bit of a cliff hanger. Loved it! I will be looking for other titles by this author from now on.

Two British girls are missing in Bangkok. The story is told from the perspective of the Reporter, The Mother and the police. A trip of a lifetime turns into a disaster and the Reporter ends up being more involved than she originally sought. A good amount of suspense and some unexpected twists make for a well written mystery. This author is pretty consistent in delivering a solid novel.

Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

There are things to like about this book -- it's a fine narrative and the writing is by and large solid -- but there are also a lot of things not to like as well. As I notice some other reviewers have mentioned, the profusion of points of view combined with the non-linear time structure is incredibly confusing and sometimes downright irritating to try to read. It's like sitting in a noisy, crowded room with too many people talking at once, all of them trying to tell you the same story from a slightly different perspective. It's not enriching and it's not fun. You just want most of them to shut up and let one person tell you what happened in a sensible and straightforward manner.

Fiona Barton has written another intriguing psychological thriller that’s hard to put down.

Two teen-aged British girls disappear while on a post-graduation trip to Thailand. Newspaper reporter Kate Waters takes an interest in learning more after meeting the girls’ parents. Kate’s own son is on a gap-year trip, and she can relate to a mother’s worry, especially when the travelers do a poor job of keeping in touch. Little does she realize how personal her interest will become once she travels to Thailand to flesh out her story.

Three characters narrate the novel in alternating chapters — one of the missing girls, Kate, and Detective Inspector Bob Sparke of the London police. Through their eyes we experience the seedy side of Bangkok, the angst of parents waiting for news they may not want to hear, and the damage that dogged commitment to career can wreak on families. Interesting twists keep the ending from being predictable even though one must wonder at the coincidence that brings all of the characters together in the first place. Barton’s enjoyable writing style keeps it all moving along, creating a book that’s likely to keep you reading later into the night than you may have intended.

Four and a half stars.

In Fiona Barton's newest novel our favorite journalist Kate Waters suddenly goes from reporting the story to being the story. When 2 local girls go missing in Thailand Kate, who is covering the story thinks of her own son who has been traveling and uncommunicative for the last couple of years. On the front lines of the story Kate discovers that the story of these missing girls is entwined with her own story in ways she could never have imagined. Full of intrigue and suspense Barton's newest novel does not disappoint!

Fiona Barton is back and The Suspect is even better than The Widow. You'll be turning pages until the last one.

I was granted access by netgalley.com to an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was hooked my in the first few pages, and I had a tough time putting it down! Intriguing and suspenseful, I'll recommend to all lovers of psychological thrillers!

My first of Barton's, but definitely not my last. Barton has a way that really creates a fictional story into a form that makes you believe that you're actually reading nonfiction. It's intense and real and breaks your heart at times and other times chills you to the bones. Highly recommend, to my fellow thriller lovers. But be prepared for some intense feelings, especially if you're a parent.
Will be using in a daily challenge, recommending, and reviewing in Chapter Chatter Pub closer to publication date.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to this title on NetGalley.

As in her previous titles, Barton explores the complicated, intertwined world of news reporters and detectives, this time set in both London and Thailand. Kate Waters is once again thrust into her latest story, as she has been in the past, but this time it's personal. After finding out her son Jake, who has been off "finding himself" for the past two years, supposedly in Bangkok, is mixed up in the disappearance of two young English girls, Kate is forced to answer some tough questions and face the real possibility that her son isn't who she thinks he is.

You may think you have the mystery figured out, which truthfully you can see parts of it early on in the story, but Barton's latest suspense will keep you reading and guessing to the very end. It will make you wonder what lengths you would go to protect your own child. Full of heartbreak, loss of innocence, and genuine emotion; it's a fantastic next read for any mystery/suspense junkie.

I received a copy of The Suspect from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kate, a British journalist, is able to land a big story about 2 girls who disappear while on vacation in Bangkok. She befriends one of the girl’s mothers, hoping for the inside track. When the girls’ whereabouts are discovered, Kate suddenly realizes this story is explosive and strikes much closer to home than she could ever have imagined.

The Suspect captured my attention, but it seemed to drag on longer than necessary. We get to know Kate and Bob pretty well, but I never felt like I got to know the personalities of most of the young adults. However, this story leaves the reader uncomfortably aware of some of the dangers lying in wait for trusting people, and then wondering how far we, as parents, would go to protect our children.

Another great suspense novel from Fiona Barton. Two girls on what is supposed to be a fun adventure and one young man on a quest for adventure before committing to adulthood. It's all about the crossover of storylines and the impact it has on their families.

The Suspect by Fiona Barton. The story was a slow start and a bit confusing at times with the introduction of the variety characters. The mystery is quite good and more of Kate Waters' personal life is presented. A good addition to the Kate Waters mystery series.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Two eighteen year old girls travel to Thailand and go missing, journalist Kate Walters investigates what happened before they disappeared. As the story unfolds, how does a member of her family fit into all of this. Great thriller, great writing, I loved this book!

Not sure that the multiple POV was necessary for this story, and the plot dragged on a little bit too long but I enjoyed the story anyway!

I really enjoyed The Suspect by Fiona Barton. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives/narratives that pieced together the story of what happened to two high school graduate girls who go missing while on a backpacking trip in Thailand. I found some narratives to be better developed than others - The Reporter - Kate Waters, whose own son has been travelling in Thailand but out of touch for some time - is one example of a really well developed narrative. The narratives of the parents of the two missing girls were less developed, and I do think there was potential there.
All around - super entertaining, page-turning read that I will recommend to my readers who enjoy thrillers in the vein of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, etc. etc. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced egalley of this book!

I first found Fiona Barton through her second book. I read it as fast as I could and as soon as I put it down, I wanted to go and read the first. With that being said, I found this book had a bit of a slow start but once I got past the first 50 pages, I couldn't put it down and finished it in 2 sittings. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next, another great read from Fiona Barton.

Two young women have gone missing while on holiday. A culture of drugs, drink, and parties in a foreign land. Secrets, lies, and a mysterious fire. A writer sent to cover the case, finding herself involved on a personal level in a nightmare she could never have imagined. A detective trying to work the case from across the ocean while dealing with his own personal tragedy. Just when you think you've solved the case, another twist, another clue. Thank you, Fiona Barton, for another intriguing and emotional read. I hope you're working madly on your next book!

A news story about the death of 2 girls in Bangkok suddenly becomes personal for reporter Kate Waters in this new thriller by Fiona Barton. She discovers the tables turned when she finds herself and her family becoming the story instead of covering the story.

This is not only an intriguing murder mystery but a compelling family story about what a mother will do to save her son.

Highly recommended!