#TheTruthWaits by #SusannaBeard is a tough read. It grips you, makes you uncomfortable and challenges you to think about topics you don't really want to. This isn't a light or fluffy read but if you want the challenge, this could be for you.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Susanna Beard's 'The Truth Waits' will take you breath away.

In 'The Truth Waits' Susanna Beard has written an absolute gem of a psychological thriller. From the first page of this book I was swept away by Beard's lyrical and hauntingly beautiful prose. What I was not expecting was the taut plotting and depth of characterisation that made this both a novel of style and substance. As such, this book is a rare find. Yes, this was a slow burner of a story, but it was all the more satisfying for the unhurried way the plot unfolded. As readers, we follow in intimate fashion, the journey to the truth of events that led Anna to find the body of a young woman on the wind-swept beaches of Lithuania. By virtue of this author's prodigious writing talent, which conveyed with depth and beauty the setting of this novel, I felt the salt of the water on my tongue, the sand beneath my toes and the wind buffeting my cheek. Whist this is no small feat in itself, it is the plot and characterisation that marks this book out as a superior novel. On a visceral level I felt Anna's transformation from a successful career woman to crusading truth-finder, intent on uncovering the insidious events that led up to the death of a young girl, cast aside on a Lithuanian beach like some ordinary flotsam and jetsam. The amateur detective is a trope in contemporary novels that doesn't always work, but in Anna's case this seemed like a natural extension of the self, with the events on the beach precipitating a transformative event in her character. Anna's pursuit of justice takes us to some uncomfortable places, with some unpleasant, if not downright evil people, but the novel is all the more satisfying for holding up a mirror to the worst of human nature.

Summary:
Anna has everything worked out – a successful company, all the comforts she needs and no ties. But when she stumbles across the body of a young girl on a deserted beach in Lithuania, everything changes.

Anna is compelled to uncover the story behind the tragedy, despite concern from her partner, Will. Everything points towards sex trafficking, but as she searches, her own deepest secrets start to surface.
When Will disappears without a trace, Anna is pulled further into the murky world of organised crime. Time is running out for them all, and there’s a killer out there who will stop at nothing.

If there was one thing that grabbed me about The Truth Waits it had to be the prologue,

On a strip of land by a northern sea, salt water caresses pale skin. Bare legs are washed clean, buffeted by gentle waves and a million grains of sand. A single shoe, its skinny heel pointing to the sky, lies lonely. Fabric swirls in the backwash, its pattern of leaves and flowers fading in the brine; yellow hair curls and curves like soft seaweed. The eyes, blue as the sky, stare out into the world, which has turned away.

Beard, instantly created a wonderful air of mystery, endless questions whirled around in my head. Who was the body on the beach. Was she murdered or just a victim of a simple drowning or suicide?

Our main protagonist, Anna, is the unlucky one who finds the body, and her reactions formed the basis of the novel.

In Anna, Beard created what at first appeared to be a strong, stoical character, a character whose outward demeanour seemed almost impenetrable to outsiders, as if she were protecting herself from people and life.

The discovery of the body had a profound effect, you could feel Anna’s defences slowly lower, especially when she met Will, a man whom she realised meant more than a casual affair. I loved how Beard portrayed her gradual change, this once emotionless, workacholic discovering who she was and that life had so much more to offer.

It was this focus on Anna that made The Truth Waits stand out, making it much more than your standard thriller. Her obsession with discovering who the young woman was slowly began to take over her life and Beard took Anna on a tour of Lithuania, opening up the true horrors of the trafficking industry. It was a part of the novel that made for uncomfortable reading but at the same time utterly fascinating as Anna met the traffickers and the families affected by their dirty trade.

Beard racked up the tension and before long I was enveloped in Anna’s dilemmas as she wondered who she could trust and what part each character, including Will, had to play in the whole affair. The latter pages were quite fast and furious and I hoped that Anna would get the happy ending she so wanted.

If there was one thing that Beard did extremely well, it had to be her wonderful descriptions of Lithuania’s windswept coastline, setting the scene, creating a bleak and desolate image in my mind, that perfectly matched Anna’s mood and her discovery.

The Truth Waits was a novel of human emotions, of the need we sometimes have to look further than what is in front of us, to dig deep and really think about what we actually want and need.

If you want a gripping and compelling novel then you need look no further!

A thrilling read which kept me turning the pages, characters you care for and just brilliantly written. Great novel!!

Enjoyed this book and the character of Anna. It wasn't as fast paced as some of the books I've read lately but this made a nice change and helped the plot to be more character driven. It still managed to be very gripping and I was drawn in quickly, right to the end. I ended up reading it in one day. ISome dark themes are covered and it definitely makes you think about life. 'll be looking out for more from Susanna Beard in the future!

The truth awaits was a slow, slow burn. When the book started I didn’t “care” about Anna. The book didn’t get good until the last half. It wasn’t an awful read so I would still suggest it to people. I thought the relationship between Will and Anna was cute but I don’t get a real love story out of it. I just couldn’t really bond with the characters. Writing was good.

The Truth Waits, the second psychological thriller from Susanna Beard, is a superbly compelling read, albeit with more substance to it than most which I always appreciate. It is certainly a dark affair and deals with some of the cardinal sins of life - greed, guilt, evil and revenge, but also has a focus on the part love, trust and reconciliation can play in healing a soul. The balance between the light and dark is expertly managed, and luckily, in the end, good triumphs over evil, just as it should.

Anna has business interests in Lithuania and gets stuck there when an ash cloud grounds all flights. During her stay,while walking on the beach, she finds the body of a dead young girl. No one has answers for her as to whether the girl was murdered or was it an accident. When she moves hotel she meets Gavin and his wife who are in the same predicament and they introduce her to Will who is also stranded. Over time herself and Will get close but she cannot forget the young girl Margyryta.
After returning home she starts to ask questions and soon learns more about human trafficking in the Eastern European states. Will has come across a lot of these stories in the process of his work as a journalist, including the death of an ex girlfriend Olga. During the story Anna meets a lot of people who know more than they are letting on, including Will!! Then Will goes missing and Anna finds herself deeply embroiled. She comes across Gavin again, what is his story?
I enjoyed this book. The start of the story draws you in. However at time I found Anna very niaive and felt like shouting at her to wake up. It all comes together and along the way we find out a lot about Annas past
Thank you to Netgallet, the publishe and author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Truth Waits
by Susanna Beard
Legend Press
General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Nov 2018


I am am reviewing a copy of The Truth Waits through Legend Press and Netgalle:




Anna believes she has everything, a successful company, all the comforts she needs and no ties. But stumbling across the body of a young girl on a deserted beach in Lithuania, everything changes.


Anna finds the need to uncover the story behind the tragedy, despite concern from her partner, Will. She soon realizing everything points towards sex trafficking, but as she searches her deepest secrets come to the surface.


After Will dissapears without even a trace, Anna is pulled deeper into the murky world of organized crime. Time is running out, will they be able to stop a killer before it’s to late?



I give The Truth Waits five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

A fast-paced cleverly written crime thriller with some great characters and a plot that zips along with a dark undertone.

I just wanted to shout STOP to Anna but she didn't and she unravelled the mystery but got herself caught up into it too. A different type of story, unusual and breaktaking. Enjoyed this book and the plot.

I love this authors work because every title is original and well-researched. This was different as it was based somewhere I've not read about before. It begins with a body and the discovery leads us on a trail into dark territory. A very well written book that I loved even more than Beard's last. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Five star thriller! First, thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an e-galley of this book. I could not put this book down, but then there would be a twist, and I'd have to put the book down and catch my breath! Anna is traveling, and goes for a walk on the beach. She comes across the body of a girl at the water's edge. She can't let it go, and continues to check in with police on the status of their investigation. Pretty soon, they are asking her hard questions, and she's having to face that things might not be what she thought they really were..... I just can't recommend this book enough!

Anna is a successful, workaholic business woman who travels to Lithuania frequently for her company.
Due to a volcanic eruption in Finland, her flight home is canceled. The smoke and ash in the air have delayed air travel.
With her free time, she decides to take a long walk on the beach. She starts out with clear weather, but soon the rain pours down and the wind swirls around her. As she struggles to make her way back to the hotel, she looks down at the water's edge and sees something strange. Taking a closer look, she realizes there is a human leg sticking out of the water. Through the downpour, she sees the sightless eyes of a young girl staring up at her.
She makes it back to the hotel and informs the police what she stumbled upon and they begin investigating.
Before Anna is able to fly home, she meets Will, a travel journalist. There is an immediate attraction. They discuss whether the girl she found could have been caught up in human trafficking, which is prevalent in the area.
Anna is haunted by the girl and begins her own investigation into the death. She gets involved in the sordid world of human trafficking, putting herself in danger.
Is Will an ally, or is he somehow involved in it too?
As their relationship deepens, secrets that they both keep will be revealed.
This started a little slow for me, but by the middle of the story the pace really picked up. By the end, I was invested in the characters and anxious to see how things resolved!
Thank you to Legend Press and NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Truth Waits by author Susanna Beard is a true thought provoking suspense/mystery that holds more than interest.. It holds many questions that you'll have to read the book for. This was a really good book, definitely recommend!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of The Truth Waits in exchange for an honest review.

Anna's very successful business brings her to Lithuania. She has traveled all the way from London and is getting anxious to return home. However, there has been a volcanic eruption and all travel has ceased. So she is stuck. She is trying to make the best of it until at least the airlines are running again.

She decides to take a walk, and when she is near the beach she discovers the body of a young girl. Horrified, she contacts the police right away. They make a quick investigation and ask her a few questions. She gets rather annoyed, however, when she notices that the death of the girl is barely mentioned in the media.

While waiting at the hotel, Anna meets a few people, including Gavin, his wife Charlotte, and a travel journalist named Will. He tells her about some of the articles he's worked on, and he mentions sex trafficking. This is an activity that is prevalent in countries like Lithuania. Due to what Anna has learned from Will, among other things, she wonders if that could have played a role in the young girl's death. If so, why aren't the police doing more?

She decides to investigate things herself, despite being warned by Will and others to leave matters alone. Anna and Will draw closer together, but suddenly Will disappears. Anna starts wondering if he could have a role in the nefarious activities that went on while they were in Lithuania.

This story vacillates between the criminal activity of organized crime, drugs, and the aforementioned sex trafficking. The Truth Waits also delves into the pasts that Anna and Will seek to hide, and deep emotions that affect Anna in several ways. It is quite a compelling, if not often tragic, story. Although it was a stressful read at times, I was pleased with the conclusion.

Many thanks to Legend Press and NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

I would like to start off by saying this isn't a psychlogical thriller. This is an international crime thriller. I have to warn you there is international sex/human trafficking involved.
The book starts off with this protagonist who found herself stranded in Lithuania due to the ashes coming from the eruption of a volcano. The planes were grounded for days. She takes a walk along the beach only to find a dead 16 year girl washed ashore. After giving statements to the police, she meets a man younger than her while waiting to fly back to England.
She finally flies back to her home in England only to find that girl is constantly on her mind. She slowly develops a relationship with a journalist she's met back in Lithuania. During the course of their relationship with him, he doesn't want her to get involved with the investigation of the dead teen once she found out sex/human trafficking may be involved. Her co worker, friends, and family don't want her involved. As the story moves on, it turns out that she and the journalist both have dark secrets of their own. The heroine spirals deep into depression along with panic attacks. However, she doesn't give up. The conclusion was good.
It is mostly suspense/mystery, crime, relationships, corruptions, power, guilt, tragedies and trafficking.
The book may be dark but it is interesting even though it started out slow.
I'm going to give it a 3 3/4 stars.

I received this ARC from Legend Press through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. Thank you.

Anna finds a teenage girl’s body on the beach in Lithuania while on a business trip to her textile factory. Prevented from leaving by a natural disaster, she meets a journalist named Will, who moves into her carefully constructed life. He and her friends warn her against pursuing the girl’s murder, but her own past urges her on, until she finds herself in danger, and Will is incommunicado. Beard portrays a workaholic with repressed emotions and memories vividly, though Anna seems to throw up a lot and has quite a few anxiety attacks, not to mention the breakdown from grief. The story seems as self-oriented as Anna, focusing on her distress throughout, when it could have explored the horrors of sex trafficking further. Even as Anna is justified in her wavering faith in Will, his character is not developed enough for the reader to make a judgment call either way. Though the story is a good one, it could have given a little more weight toward other characters, and even considered location a main character in its cultural presence, but Anna simply comes across as too neurotic to notice anything else. I was graciously given a digital copy by the publisher through NetGalley.

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