When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared?

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, whom she hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling.

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…

Another great read from Fiona Barton. I read The Child and liked it so I was hoping this one would be equally as thrilling. It did not disappoint!

We meet up with reporter Kate Waters again as she is following the story of the two missing girls only to find herself part of it. The POV switches between the reporter, the detective, a mother of one of the girls and one of the girls. The overall pace of the story wasn’t hang-on-to-your-seat fast but it was good. Not to slow. The twists were great and caught me by surprise. That ending! (I had forgotten about that little tidbit of info from before!) I also enjoyed the relationship between Kate Waters and DI Sparkes. How they respect one another. Overall great read and I am looking forward to more from Ms. Barton.

How far will a mother go to protect her child?

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wrote about this title on my blog and will provide details and a link in the next stage when I can share directly with the publisher

This was my first book to read by Fiona Barton and did not realize The Suspect was the third in a series. That being said, it stood alone just fine on its own, and I did not need to have read the other two as the references to them were minimal. The Suspect centers around two girls that go missing on a trip to Thailand, and their mothers' attempts to find them from the US. Kate Waters is a reporter, a consistent character from the previous two books, who happens to have a son in Thailand as well. She gets the lead interviews and headlines on these girls, but the narrative quickly takes a turn when it appears her son has not been honest with her regarding his whereabouts and activities in Thailand, and is now connected to the missing girls.

This was a great read, and was informational on all the things you should NOT do when traveling overseas. I felt like this could be a parent's literal worst nightmare, and Barton did an excellent job at keeping the story fascinating, but never did it veer off into an extreme or absurd plot that jumped the shark. All of it was believable, which made it that more frightening. The overall pacing was steady - I read this in a couple of sittings. She also covered all the bases in how a mother would react through each of the mothers in this story - anger, denial, depressed, etc.. DI Bob Sparkes is also a consistent character (I believe), and he had a touching story regarding his wife but I also enjoyed the relationship between he and Kate, e.g. Detective vs. Reporter.

Overall this was 4 stars for me and I would definitely recommend it when it is released on 1/22/19. I will be going back and adding the first two books in this series to my TBR as well! Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the electronic ARC of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions above are my own.

The third book by Fiona Barton is my favorite so far. Two girls from England go missing in Thailand during their gap year. When Kate Waters a journalist starts researching the story she finds her own estranged son is connected to the missing girls. This book takes a lot of twists and turns. I really liked the ending. I will be looking forward to more from Barton in the future.

Fiona Barton’s The Suspect has a ripped-from-the-headlines premise that takes a surprising turn with a suspenseful twist, making this a fantastic development in the Kate Waters series. With short chapters and alternating narrators, the pace of this book was quick and lively. I particularly loved the back story from Alex and the contrast to the search and investigation. A fascinating case with a unique plot twist that is sure to be a hit!

Reflection

I’ve read all three Kate Waters books, and I love how each iteration continues to develop Kate’s character, while still working as standalone reads. In the first book, The Widow, Kate is a less prominent (but important) character, and the focus is largely on the titular character herself. What does the widow know? What will she reveal?

In The Suspect, Kate is truly the central character and voice in the story. I really enjoyed hearing more from her in this book. Her storyline in The Suspect is particularly interesting, because she ends up having a personal tie to the case. I really can’t elaborate, but there is a wonderful, heart-pounding moment she has part way through the first half, and I get chills thinking about that line in the book!

Let’s talk about the central case, shall we? The book starts and we learn Kate’s son is off in Thailand, taking a two year hiatus from college to live and work in Phuket. Next we switch perspectives and learn about two girls who are spending the summer traveling in Thailand, only their parents stopped hearing from them about a week prior. So already you can see where the intersection between Kate’s personal and professional lives might occur.

As Kate picks up the case of the missing girls, she can’t help but wonder why she hasn’t heard from her son in so long. The case brings up some painful truths from Kate’s own life. The case reminds me so much of the famous case of the two Dutch girls who went missing in Panama. They did eventually find their bodies, but it wasn’t clear at first what the cause of death was. The stories are clearly not identical, but I remember finding that case incredibly haunting. In particular with the finding of the backpack, the emergency calls from their cell phones, and the cameras. I won’t go into that case here (though maybe I should do a true crime post sometime??), but you should look it up. Chilling!

I loved Alex in particular. The contrast between what Alex is actually experiencing with her friend Rosie and what her parents hear and friends see on facebook is such an important story for our time. The pressure, especially on young people, to showcase an enviable life can have detrimental effects. In this case, it contributed to the disappearance of two girls without their parent’s realizing what was wrong.
Enter Kate Waters, whose dogged determination to find the story (and the truth) uncovers a myriad of clues that help lead the detectives closer to the truth. Add to that Kate’s own maternal worries and connection, and truly this is a captivating story.

I read this book with the Book Besties. We all had a slightly different reaction to some things, but a great discussion about this book. I think I had read the most books from this series, and certainly that added to my enjoyment of the case. I hope you will read their reviews and hear for yourself what their reading experience was like!

Thank you to our partners at Berkley for our copies!

This was an intriguing story that kept the mama bear in me on the edge of my seat!

This is a story guaranteed to make any parent squirm... Leslie and Jenny receive the call that no mother ever wants to receive, they need to head to Thailand to identify their daughters bodies...

Being a parent is a tough job, and being the parent of adult children is sometimes even harder... i’ve read so many reviews that state that they don’t know anyone who would allow their children to go to Thailand at the age of 18? And that’s fine if you don’t believe you would allow your children to go to Thailand, but it does not mean that a parent that would allow their children to go to Thailand is a bad parent.... I also think that a lot more UK kids in their late teens early 20s travel, the gap year is much more common... I personally don’t know anyone here in America who had a gap year? With the exception of Malia Obama, who I guess I don’t know personally...It is more than likely I would not want my kids to go to Thailand, but there comes a point in your child’s life that it is up to them... in this book Alex has graduated is about to head off to university and has saved her money for an entire year for this trip, in hindsight probably not the greatest idea, but... well I went off on a bit of a tangent there, sorry about that.... back to the book!

When two 18-year-old girls Alex and Rosie go missing while on holiday in Thailand it stirs up all kinds of emotions in Kate.... Kate’s son Jacob dropped out of university and went traveling to Thailand to “find himself“ with very sporadic communication with Home... Kate who is a reporter instantly gets herself on the case, and when the families travel to Thailand she is compelled to go too... but Kate has no idea what awaits her in Thailand, secrets and deceptions that will turn the reporter into the story!

This book really was more of a mystery/police procedural/family drama than a traditional thriller... but I was still completely engrossed in the story wanting to know what happened to these girls... I really liked Alex and I loved getting to know her through her Facebook posts and communication with her BFF back home... Rosie on the other hand was much less sympathetic, to say the least.... my heart broke for these parents and I really felt their pain and their need for justice and truth.... I can only imagine how hard it would be as more andMore truths were revealed about your daughters’ horrifying last days...

A perfectly paced story that was propelled forward by short concise chapters... i’d say this book was more plot driven then character driven, and generally I do like a story to be more character driven, but this one completely captivated me.... as I said my mama bear was on high alert... I just needed to know what had happened to these girls, and how these parents coped with living my worst nightmare....

A well constructed story with a large dose of mystery and a splash of thriller! Recommend!

🎵 OK I’m going to start doing something a little different with all my reviews. I love music and I always have a song going through my head as I’m reading... so I’m going to start sharing with you lyrics and a link to the song running through my head while reading. At least until I run out of songs or inspiration!

<i>Bangkok, Oriental setting
And the city don't know that the city is getting
The creme de la creme of the chess world
In a show with everything but Yul Brynner
Time flies doesn't seem a minute
Since the Tirolean spa had the chess boys in it
All change don't you know that when you
Play at this level there's no ordinary venue
It's Iceland or the Philippines or Hastings or
Or this place!
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
And if you're lucky then the god's a she
I can feel an angel sliding up to me</i>
- Murray Head 1984



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rgc_LRjlbTU

*** Big thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***

A reporter discovers she has close ties to a story she’s covering and finds herself in the spotlight. As each piece of news comes to the forefront, she must decide whether she can remain an impartial bystander or become an involved mother. Author Fiona Barton brings back her smart journalist character in her latest novel The Suspect.

When a pair of teenage girls go missing during a trip to Thailand, British journalist Kate Waters jumps at the chance to cover the story. She’s built a reputation for herself at her paper and has enough contacts to guarantee she’ll get the exclusive interviews with the girls’ families as well as vetted information from the police. Despite the obvious jealousy from colleagues at rival papers, Kate uses the trust she’s built with her sources in the most honorable way.

Although she may not admit it to anyone else, the story has some personal resonance for Kate. Two years earlier, her older son, Jake, dropped out of his course at the university and decided to travel. Since then Kate and her husband have only had intermittent communication with Jake. Kate understands how the mothers of the two missing girls must feel. It’s almost as if Jake himself is missing.

She receives the shock of a lifetime when she discovers that not only is Jake not missing, he’s right in the center of the story of the girls in Thailand. Kate does the honorable thing and steps away from the story as a reporter, but that doesn’t stop her involvement as a mother. When word comes that the girls’ situation may have become much more complicated than anyone could imagine, Kate gets bombarded by the media and learns firsthand how the people in her own articles must feel. It makes her even more determined to get to the bottom of it all and bring Jake home.

Author Fiona Barton has returned with another thriller that will keep readers up late at night even as they agonize over the choices the characters make. Kate Waters is smart and confident, but Barton doesn’t let that get in the way of possible vulnerability. Readers who are mothers will feel Kate’s heartache and root her on. While her husband and younger son don’t figure in the story as much, Barton doesn’t abandon them completely. The overall affect reinforces the idea that sometimes a mother treads the path of parenthood in emotional isolation.

If the book is to be faulted anywhere, it’s in predictability. Readers will guess in many instances long before Kate does where the story will go. Some of the plot points won’t surprise anyone except the characters. Barton saves them by making them three-dimensional, well-rounded people and also with her artful prose, but it’s a shame that some of the thriller isn’t so much.

In the end, however, Barton does provide readers with a plot that also has heart. She manages to keep a few surprises in store, and in some cases she doesn’t hesitate to follow tragedy to its end. Not every story can end with roses and rainbows, and Barton makes that clear in this book while twisting readers’ emotions into the most delightful knots all at the same time.

Thriller lovers and those who enjoy Barton’s books will like The Suspect, which is why I recommend readers Bookmark it.

A frantic search ensues after two girls go missing in Thailand, in Fiona Barton’s third psychological thriller, THE SUSPECT.

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime for two 18-year-olds. Alexandra and her best friend had diligently been planning their visit to Thailand during their gap year at school. Alex’s best friend bows out last minute, however, and neighbor Rosie enthusiastically steps in to go. Things go wrong from the very beginning, and soon after, the girls go silent and no one’s heard from them for more than a week.

Detective Inspector (DI) Sparkes is on the case, as is reporter Kate Waters, both whom we know from THE WIDOW and THE CHILD. But then they do hear something that takes parents, detective and reporter to Thailand—an occurrence that sparks more questions and concerns for everyone involved.

As they desperately search for answers, the case deepens, becoming far more personal—and precarious—to Kate.

The narrative unravels through multiple perspectives: The Reporter, The Mother, The Detective and a handful of chapters narrated by Alex. And although the driving question is what happened to Alex and Rosie, it’s easy to remain rapt with the many twists that punctuate the story.

I did guess who was responsible for what happened (it’s not difficult), but the way it actually goes down, along with the fallout, is what’s really unnerving.

It’s a solid “whodunit” thriller overall. Somewhat predictable with shifty characters aplenty, but worth the read for casual readers and avid fans of Barton. Kate Waters is the character with most depth, and therefore the one who most resonates. Every parent will undoubtedly shudder with the story too. Key takeaway—don’t send your kids to Thailand!

This book was a good murder mystery. The story takes place in England and Thailand showing cultural
differences when handling a murder case. You follow the two young women on their adventure in Thailand as things spiral out of their control. I liked the twists and turns which made this a real page turner.

Told from the perspective of three different characters, one being posts from one of the dead girls. There was just something about this format that kept me from totally connecting to the story. There were many positives, a reporter who becomes part of the story, a moral quandry pertaining how far one would go to protect her child. One big twist in the story that I didn't see coming. The format though, read more like a documentary, which made it difficult for an emotional connect. I just never really felt the characters. Was more a tell not feel. So for me, this was a good story, different plot, a locale, Thailand, that I have read little about, just wish I could have felt more.

ARC from Netgalley.

Malia Obama did it. Prince William did it. They’ve become increasingly popular over the last decade or so. Fiona Barton’s The Suspect takes a hard look at the latest hot trend - The Gap Year - and shows that while for some it can be fun, for others it can easily prove otherwise.

Alex had been saving for over a year to go to Bangkok for her gap year. She and her best friend were going to see all the coolest temples, hang out at the local beaches, and take dozens of selfies documenting their awesome time. But when her friend decides not to go, Alex finds herself traveling with neighbor Rosie instead. Alex and Rosie are barely cordial acquaintances but not even doubts about her traveling companion are enough to cool Alex’s excitement about her coming adventure.

When her family goes a week without hearing from her, they grow concerned. Reaching out to the local police and the British embassy in Thailand, they receive reassurances but no real help. They jump at the opportunity to speak to reporter Kate Waters and make their story - and worries - public.

Kate is no fan of gap years. Her own son Jake dropped out of law school over a year earlier to work with turtles in Phuket  and the two of them had a heated argument over the decision. She barely hears from Jake anymore and has no real desire to chase after other people’s children following the same dream. The news desk is slow however, and when she gets a tip from DI Bob Sparks about two missing teens, she speaks to the family, determined to get an exclusive human interest piece. She has no idea that soon those two girls will be the center of a whirlwind in her own life.

Told from alternating points of view, this tale is all about simple, ordinary decisions that turn out to have extraordinarily bad consequences. Ms. Barton is the queen of the slow burn mystery and this book is no exception. The plot doesn’t twist and turn so much as it meanders down a slightly curvy road. Initially, it’s not a story that surprises – each new element is not so much  revealed as gently introduced and I was able to guess what was about to happen just slightly before it actually occurred. These quiet exposés are actually intensely compelling - the reader becomes deeply engaged in learning whether or not their assumptions are correct and if so, (or not) what that means for the plot.

Then the latter third of the tale simply explodes. Events are not quite what is expected, the truth is very difficult to come by. At that point you are invested in the characters, especially all of the mothers. Just how far will they go to for their children? What effect will each tragic revelation have upon them?

Compelling and addictive, The Suspect slowly sucks the reader in. I think the slow start and the leisurely pace of the beginning might be a turnoff for those looking for an instant thrill, but if you are willing to put in the work, the payoff, in the end, is worth it. The book certainly left me thinking about it long after I put it down.

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“ The Suspect” by Fiona Barton brings back DI Sparkes and reporter Kate Waters on a case that has her not in the usual role as reporter on a crime but as part of the story. The mystery revolves around Alexandra O’Connor and a childhood friend who steps in at the last minute to accompany Alex on a dream trip to Thailand before starting college.
Kate Waters jumps at the opportunity to cover the story and travel to Thailand where her son has been hiding out for the last two years.
The story is a bit slow and some characters need more of a backstory or introduction throughout rather than a neat wrap up st the end.
The big reveals are unsatisfying as they are told from an observers point of view rather as they happen. Regular readers of musteryand thriller genre will figure out most of the surprises. Mama is a looming presence throughout but you never get a clear read on her motivation- is she purely mercenary or truly evil.
Itbis an interesting story that could have been tightened up and some side characters eliminated.
The main theme throughout seems to be how well do you know your children and what are you hiding from yourself because it’s too painful to admit

A 3.8 rounded up

This was my first time reading a book by Fiona Barton and what a pleasure it was! This story about two eighteen year old girls who go missing on a trip to Thailand and the desperation of their families to find their whereabouts intrigued me from the beginning with just enough detail but not over the top descriptions of the characters and surroundings. Fiona caught the essence of what a parent goes through when they discover that their children are not all what they think or want them to be.
The writing is engaging, just enough tension to keep the pace going. This psychological thriller is a must read of the year.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To say I've been on a Netgalley kick lately is the understatement of a lifetime. I sat up late one night and just scrolled through as many upcoming releases as possible requesting anything that caught my eye or sounded good. Some I picked due to genre or recognition of an author I have either read or who probably sits on my bookshelf with all my other hundreds of TBR's (okay maybe not hundreds, but it feels like it).

During this hour-ish of insomnia, to my amazement, I stumbled upon Fiona Barton's soon to be new released novel "The Suspect." If Fiona Barton isn't ringing a bell right away to you, she is the author of "The Widow" and "The Child." All three books follow news reporter Kate Waters and each story is a different crime that has shaken the community.

A quick confession: Barton is one of the many authors who have sat on my TBR shelf for, what feels like, forever. "The Child" was a Book of the Month pick in 2017 and "The Widow " was Barton's first novel, both which I have bought and not read as of about a week ago. When I saw "The Suspect" was being released next week, and realized Kate Waters was in every book, I knew I had to read the other two before reading this new one. Disclaimer: you do NOT have to read them all to understand "The Suspect." They all standalone, but I was worried about possibly "The Suspect" mentioning the past two books and ruining the endings to either of those, which, along with my Obsessive Compulsiveness, made me decide I needed to read them first.

I also must admit that I am O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D with British Procedurals (or European Procedures.... is that a thing?). I don't know if it's because they're all set in Europe or what, but you give me a crime story based in England, Ireland, Italy, etc. you have my undivided attention. I also love listening to them on audiobook. I could listen to someone with an England or Irish accent all day long. Okay, moving on...

This was, hands down, my favorite one by Barton so far. That I can remember, I don't feel like I've had a mystery/suspense book tug at my heart strings like this one. I honestly felt a variety of emotions including happiness, annoyance, sadness, heartache, anger, etc. I enjoyed all the characters in this story and I love the working relationship between Waters and DI Sparkes (who is also in both "The Widow" and "The Child"). The story gives you every parent's worse nightmare: Your child going on vacation and then comes up missing. You are introduced to two families, whose daughters, leave for Thailand on a vacation after graduation. What first was a fun-filled vacation before college, becomes an investigation into the disappearance of these two girls and the shotty investigation that is conducted by the Bangkok police.

Coming in at just shy of 450 pages, this book is a pretty quick read with short chapters and a story that makes you not want to put the book down. "The Suspect" will be released January 22nd and if you're into mystery genre's with a multi-person POV then this, and honestly all of Barton's novels, are for you.

--Brit

@callemarie- Litsy
@bookreader_craftbeerlover -Instagram

3.5 Stars
Kate a journalist is reporting on mystery surrounding the death of two girls during their gap year trip, and finds herself in the middle of the story. It was an interesting take reading the story through her eyes on the other side as the story now instead of reporting it. The book was well written and had me engaged to see what would happen next. It was an intersting quick read although I felt a connection to the characters lacking. Kate was the most interesting one and didn't realize she was part of prior stories. I will be checking them out at a later time.

Thank you to NetGalley for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m happy to say that my first read of 2019, was.. AMAZING.

Fiona Barton does NOT disappoint in her third book that is set to release Jan.22nd.
I loved being back with Reporter Kate Waters and Detective Bob Sparkes and reading how they unfold yet another chilling mystery. The plot was perfectly thought out and executed throughout the book, with surprises I didn’t even expect.
Barton’s writing is just brilliant, and it’s authors like her that make me LOVE this genre.

This is definitely a must read of mystery fans.

Fiona Barton is a great writer and I have enjoyed all her books, including this one. She keeps you going with good stories, prose and intrigue.

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: their teenager is thousands of miles away, and unreachable. Her Facebook and Instagram are no longer being updated; she’s not answering her phone.

This is the terrifying situation faced by two mothers in The Suspect, Fiona Barton’s third novel featuring journalist Kate Waters. (I reviewed the first book in the series, The Widow, a couple of years ago.) Lesley O’Connor’s 18-year-old daughter Alexandra traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, with her friend Rosie Shaw, promising to phone home on the day her eagerly-awaited A-Level results came out. When the day passes with no word from Alex, Lesley reports her missing.

The disappearance soon becomes national news, which brings Kate into the story. Her son, Jake, is also in Thailand, living in Phuket. While he’s older than the girls, it’s concerning to Kate that he’s not been in more frequent touch: “There’ve been three e-mails, but our eldest son told us early on that he wouldn’t be contactable by phone. Said he was freeing himself of all the stress that constant calls would bring.”

Kate follows the story to Thailand, hoping to perhaps pick up some clues to exactly what Jake’s been up to while she’s investigating the girls’ disappearance. In a flashback, we learn early on in the book that level-headed Alexandra and free-spirited Rosie were at odds even before their plane touched down in Bangkok (“Rosie had had three glasses of wine with her hideous airline meal—’The chicken or the pasta?’—and Alex had warned her she’d get dehydrated. Her friend had rolled her eyes and made a big show of flirting with the man in the next seat before falling asleep and snoring gently.”). Alex had been hoping to see the sights, while Rosie’s main interests included partying and boys.

The Widow was fairly bleak, dealing with some pretty unsavory themes, and The Suspect isn’t exactly a feel-good novel either. (Any parent whose kid is angling for a gap year in Thailand will probably refuse to let them go near the place without a sober coach and an armed escort in tow after they’ve read this book.) Barton, a former journalist and editor at major U.K. newspapers, writes with authenticity about how Kate must insinuate herself into the mothers’ lives in order to scoop her rivals. The story is told from multiple points of view (including the police), but I always looked forward to returning to Kate’s first-person chapters, since her straightforward, authoritative yet compassionate voice is the best thing about this series.

Alex and her closest friend have been planning for a long time to take a trip to Thailand for a summer vacation. When her friend backs out of the trip another friend, Rosie, finds out and insists that she is going to accompany Alex on the trip. Alex has an agenda well planned and has mapped out all of the activities and places that they will visit. Rosie, however, has different ideas for how they will spend time on their trip and her plans do not match with the plans Alex has made. Unfortunately, Alex is unsuspecting of Rosie’s ideas, and because of this once they are on their trip things quickly turn disastrous.

The girls’ parents are also unaware of the change in plans and when they don’t hear anything from them for several weeks both families begin to worry. Soon the parents enlist the help of local detectives and the Thai police. And when the police get involved so usually does the press. This is when reporter, Kate Waters, becomes part of the story of the missing girls.

Coincidentally, Kate’s son is also supposed to be somewhere in Thailand and he has not been in contact with his family for some time either. Kate tries to remain objective about the girls and their disappearance but worry for her son is never far from her mind and she can’t help but wonder if he could also be in danger. When the investigation escalates following a new discovery, Kate herself becomes an integral part of the story and she must withdraw from reporting on the case. With each new discovery the case becomes bigger and more personal as it unravels to a surprising conclusion.

The recounting comes from many different characters with multiple points of view and so it gives the reader insight into the personal and professional perspectives of the different individuals involved in the disappearance. The transitioning from one person’s narration to another happens flawlessly and keeps the reader engaged.

The major theme in the book is of family and of a mother’s love and care for her children. The book probes the consideration that children grow up and away from their mother’s care way too quickly. When children reach a certain age a mother loses the ability to protect and safeguard her children.

The primary characters are well developed. The detective is both professional and personable. Kate is a spot on reporter until circumstances go awry. I did, however, wish that Alex could have been stronger willed in her dealings with Rosie. Her responses are disappointing but if she had been more forceful, there wouldn’t have been a story. (Sigh)

Overall the book is interesting and entertaining with enough twists and turns to make it a satisfying read for fans of the mystery and suspense genre.

This review is written from the eBook ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.

The subject matter of this story drew me in immediately. Two girls decide to take a journey to Thailand before they head off to college,something exciting but also in my mind frightening, especially at there age. And my fears were well founded. Well told as expected from Barton, and interesting twists along the way. Thanks #netgalley for this book.