I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Suspect’ by Kathryn Croft in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
For as long as she can remember Jess has been brought up by her father Danny and step-mother Carolina. Danny has always told Jess that her mother Lori was killed by Nathaniel French although the police could never find enough evidence to prove it. Twenty-eight years later Nathaniel approaches Jess in a busy London street to say that he didn’t kill her mother, and Jess finds herself believing him.
‘The Suspect’ is in effect a family drama that moves in time between what happened to Lori in 1992 to the present time when Jess is confronted by Nathaniel French, with the story told between them in alternating chapters. The storyline is very good, the characters believable, but although it starts well and immediately grabs my attention it slows down mid-way until I’ve found it hard to keep interested. Throughout the story I’ve continually changed my mind as to who I believe caused Lori’s death until I reached the end and I’d been right all along but not quite as I’d expected. This has been an enjoyable novel and although I feel it could have been better I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to read it as I always enjoy this author’s books.

Jess is forced to revisit her mother ‘s murder over twenty years ago when confronted by the man who was accused of her murder. Trying to convince Jess he knew her mother and was not responsible for her death, Nathaniel turns up dead and Jess is forced to figure out the truth before it’s too late. Great read!

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED The Suspect! An absolutely addictive FIVE star psychological thriller. I started this and couldn't put it down until the final breath taking page!

I was not only on pins and needles every chapter but guessing every chapter who did I trust, who's telling the truth, who's lying. At one point almost every character in the book appeared to be guilty of murdering this little girls mother.

Synopsis: I was just a little girl, fast asleep in my stroller, the day my mother was killed. I don’t remember anything about the sunny day that turned so dark.

She’d be so happy for me now, twenty years later, with my dream job as a photographer. But all my happiness vanishes in a heartbeat when the man from our past walks towards me, his eyes on me for just a fraction too long.

I recognise his face from the picture in the papers. He killed my mother.

I try to run but he wants me to listen. He says that he is innocent, and that my family have been lying to me for years. My family said he killed my mother. They lied…

This is my first book by this very talented author, Kathryn Croft and I look forward to reading many more of her books. I want to thank the author, Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this E-ARC

The Suspect is told in two different timelines.
What dark secrets is her family hiding from her?
Can they all be hiding what really happened to her mother 30 years ago?
Main character, Jess, finds so many unanswered questions as she begins her search about what really happened to her mother. But, she is determined to find out the truth no matter what she has to do.
When the truth is revealed, I found I was totally wrong in who I thought the murderer was.
Definitely a suspenseful, intriguing and intense psychological thriller with lots of mystery.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was very slow. I didn't really care for this book. To me it wasn't a thriller.

Thank you net galley for let me read this book

I am so grateful to Kathryn Croft, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Suspect. Thank you!

*This review contains spoilers!!*

This was my first book by Kathryn Croft.

The plot of this book was interesting, and I didn't see the twist coming at the end, but it was a very slow burn. The story dragged and was a bit confusing at times.

Synopsis:
Jessica's mother, Lori, was killed in front of her when she was a toddler. Her killer was never caught. One day 28 years later she is approached by the man that was suspected of killing her mother. He swears he is innocent and begs her to listen. Jess is terrified. She tells her father who refuses to go to the police. This makes Jess nervous and confused. Her father may not want answers, or justice for her mother, but Jess needs answers. How far will she go to learn, and expose, the truth? Who can you trust when everyone you know has been lying to you your whole life?

The story alternates between Lori's point of view in the early 90s and Jess's point of view in the present.

As you followed Lori's story you learn that her fiancé, Danny, is actually married and has been cheating. Lori then decides to go on this personal vendetta to rid London of its cheating men. She picks up married men, sleeps with them, and then goes to their wives. It's a very outlandish concept.

Gabriel's character and motive seemed far-fetched and like a pointless distraction.

I didn't understand the final chapter from Belle's point of view. It was unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story.

I am especially confused because at the end of the book it says that Carolina was hit by a semi truck and her body was dragged underneath. Following that scene it says, "Jess hears her dad’s scream as he takes in what’s just happened. As he is forced to confront the devastating cost of all his lies." So you would assume she died. But then a couple of chapters later it references how Zara visits BOTH of her parents in prison. How did Carolina survive??

So ultimately if you're looking for a fast paced, action filled, edge of your seat thriller then this book isn't for you.

It was a decent read but a lot more could have been done with the storyline.

Also on a separate note the book description listed on NetGalley and GoodReads etc is not anywhere close to what happened in the book. There are a lot of inconsistencies.

(I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Kathryn Croft's latest, THE SUSPECT, is a chilling domestic suspense whodunit of a young woman who tries to make sense of her mom's murder when she was only a toddler and twenty years later uncovers a web of deceit, secrets, and lies.

Can you trust those closest to you?

The novel is told from two timelines and POVs: Lori, the mother (past) in the early nineties, and her daughter, Jess (present) day.

Lori was a great mom who loved to take her baby to the park. Jess was just a toddler in her stroller, around two years old when her mom was murdered at the park.

Present day, Jess thinks someone is watching her. She is a photographer and loves spending time in her studio. She makes it a point to notice things around her and what is right in front of her.

Being she was so young, she remembers nothing that happened that day.

Danny, her dad, is married to Caroline, and she also has a half-sister, Zara. Her family never talks about her mom, but now twenty years later, Jess is approached by Nathaniel, who says he has information regarding her mother, Lori.

Nathaniel was a suspect in her mom's murder but was never charged. They never found who murdered her mom, and Jess is haunted and wants to learn more. So many lies had been told in her family, masquerading as the truth, and it must stop. Jess is determined to get to the truth.

Nathaniel seems to have loved her mom, and they were dating. He has information, and Jess believes him. Her family warns her to stay away. However, before he can provide more details, he winds up dead. Who wants to quiet him?

From past to present, we hear from Lori and how she met Danny with his secret life and lies. He was controlling, and Lori had no idea of Danny's other life. He worked a lot, and they never married.

When Lori tries to escape with Jess, she is murdered. Now Jess is getting close to the truth and discovers more information which puts her in harm's way the closer she gets.

How far will the murderer go to keep their secrets? The people she has loved her entire life have been telling lies.

We also hear from Lori's friend, Belle, and two men in Jess's life Gabriel (reporter), and Harrison (ex-husband).

"Sometimes promises need to be broken for the greater good."

An intriguing, twisty domestic suspense thriller filled with long-buried family secrets, drama, and tension.

I enjoyed the timelines and POV. I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Tamsin Kennard for a pleasant performance for all voices.

I experienced some technical issues with the audio version, which continued to stop, so it was nice to have the e-book to refer to.

Thanks to #Bookouture and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC.

Blog Review posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 8, 2023
Feb 2023 Must-Read Books

When Jess was a toddler, her mother, Lori was murdered while she was sleeping. She does not remember anything about the incident. The murder was never solved.
Years later, Jess is approached by a man that looks familiar, who urgently wants to speak to her. She recognizes him and realises that he is the man that was the main suspect in her mother's murder.
She meets with him a couple of times, against her father's wishes, and he tells her a bit about the relationship he had with her mother.
He arranges to meet her to tell her the whole story and to clear his name, but he never makes the meeting.
Jess finds out that her family have been lying to her all her life and she is determined to find out why.

Everyone is a suspect.

A very good psychological thriller, although it dragged on quite a bit. I was kept guessing as to who killed Lori.

Thanks to netgalley for this one. I felt bad for the main character, Jess, and wanted her to find all the answers she needed. I definitely did not guess who it was and was surprised. I felt that her dad had something to do with it but couldn't quit figure out exactly what it was.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Normally I'm a big fan of Kathryn Croft but this book just didnt do it for me. I found the characters very blah. Reading through the book was just too much effort. I'm over half way through and I honestly dont know if I'm going to finish it.

When I read the blurb and tag line for The Suspect, I was immediately intrigued. The premise for this novel is something quite different to the books I've read recently and my interest was piqued from the outset.

The Suspect is written with a dual timeline, with chapters both in the present day and the early 1990s. The chapters in the past helped me to build a picture of Jess' parents and her wider family and I quickly became involved in the story and I wanted to know more about the events that had led to Lori's death. In the present day, I was rooting for Jess to find the truth because I wanted to know too! At times, the reader is aware of what happened slightly ahead of Jess and this adds extra tension to the novel.

Kathryn Croft is a talented writer. Her writing is fast paced and I raced through the pages of this novel! I was suspicious of almost everyone the whole way through and I had no idea who I (and Jess) could trust! There were times when I was reading, I thought I had everything worked out, but I did not guess how it would all come together.

Hmm, I don't even know where to begin. I have quite mixed feelings about the book. I really, really had high hopes for the book as I've read other books by Croft. But this book was an avarage 3/5 slow-burner book - and emphasis on the slow-burn. Still looking forward to read Croft's other books that I still have on my to-read list!

This is such a layered story. It's part murder mystery, part dealing with a dysfunctional family, a relentless search for the truth and a love story. Its jam packed with lies and deception and lots of twists. Jess is the main character, and I could feel her pain as she searches for the truth about what happened to her mother 28 years ago when she was 2 1/2 years old. All the characters were well written, but many were not very likable. The suspense of what Danny did kept me reading long into the night. Whenever I thought I'd figured things out there was a twist, and I wasn't even close. The epilogue seemed like a final resolution, but no one tells the complete truth, and I was yet again sorry for the story to end. I highly recommend the book and thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.

Slow burner. Just an average read. I have read better from this author. Some twists were predictable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I struggled through this one. I just couldn’t relate to the main character, which made the story difficult to get through. I did enjoy the switching of perspectives from Lori in the past to Jess in the present. The mystery was somewhat predictable with a few interesting reveals throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kathryn Croft for the ARC.

A brilliant book that kept going until the very end, I haven’t read of this authors books before but I enjoyed it and look forward to more of them

The Suspect by Kathryn Croft is a thriller that does just enough to make it a page-turner. I read it in one sitting.
Jess was only two when her mother Lori was killed, and Jess has spent her entire life believing one person was responsible.
However, when that person shows up years later professing their innocence, Jess has questions. This sets her off on a mission to uncover the truth.
I liked Jess. I could understand both her desire and reluctance to learn the truth. Her actions and reactions felt realistic, and I could see myself making some of the same decisions that she did.
I also liked the way the plot unfolded. Interspersing Lori’s experiences leading up to her death gave insight into her frame of mind, which gave the reader an interesting perspective to bring into the current timeline with Jess.
Even the secondary characters served their purposes, especially in Lori’s case. Her family…well, they must be experienced to be believed.
While I thought that the truth was obvious, I was surprised to learn that I was only partially correct. The author did just enough to keep me guessing throughout, changing my mind about the guilty party numerous times.
And even when you think you’ve figured everything out and the author has wrapped everything up – there’s still another twist to come.
I really enjoyed The Suspect and will be eagerly waiting for the next book from Kathryn Croft. For more reviews, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.

Twenty years ago, Jess was in her buggy when her mother was murdered in the park. She had no recollection of who killed her mother at that time. Now in the present day, a man approaches towards Jess. Jess immediately recognized him as the man who was accused of her mother's murder but when the man tells her that he was innocent, Jess was confused. Her family seemed to have lied to her and Jess is determined to uncover the truth about what really happened to her mother and who actually did murder her mother.

The story divides between past and the present, the present mainly told in Jess's POV and the past mainly told from Lori's Jess's mother's POV and is set in 1993. This was very intriguing to read and I was hooked into the story from the start of the chapter till the end. Lori's part was interesting as she finds that she had been in a relationship with a married man and she was going to start a new life by enrolling into a university thus taking her daughter with her. There were moments in the story where you were put on the edge, there were some twists and turns and the ending was an unexpected twist! Overall, there is whole bunch of family drama in this book, which made this book more compelling to read.

So if you are looking for an unputdownable thriller with a bit of family drama in it, then try reading out this book. Worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Another well written psychological thriller, I enjoyed this one.
You know from the outset that the accepted narrative of who killed Lori is flawed. Jess is approached by the prime suspect who denies killing her mother Lori and says in fact they were in a relationship at the time.
The book follows Jess as she tries to uncover the truth. I thought I had it figured out but no!
Plenty of twists and and an enjoyable read.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book alternates between the POV of a daughter whose mother was murdered when the pair was at the park many years ago when she was little; along with the mother before all this had happened. Now the daughter is grown up, and because of her past, very guarded. One day, she's approached by the main suspect of the murder case who was never acquitted, claiming his innocence. He said he couldn't have done what he's accused of, because her mom and him were lovers. What is the truth? Who is the real culprit?