📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

Talking To Strangers By Fiona Barton
Publication Date: August 27, 2024
Publisher: Berkley Publishing

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

What an entertaining and fun read this was!! Thrillers aren't always "fun," but this was one really was. Online dating - and dating in your forties-ish - were themes running through these plotlines, with relatable characters and skeezy serial daters with which people who've done the whole online dating thing are (unfortunately) probably all-too-familiar.

This book is one part murder mystery, one part domestic thriller, one part British police episode. This book features short chapters of multiple POVs, with numerous storylines to follow, and I was so intrigued to see how everything was going to ultimately intersect. This book kept me guessing the entire time, and most importantly, it held my attention and captivated my interest.

I thought I'd rate this a 4.5⭐ read... Until I finished it. And WOW. I did NOT see this twist coming. This is my favorite kind of book - a whodunnit that leaves you guessing...right up until the very last words. There is no way this book could be anything less than a 5⭐ rating for me.

I saw that this book is rated below 4⭐ on GoodReads, and to be honest, I'm not sure if we all read the same book. In my opinion, this book was brilliant! Maybe somebody figured out the ending before they got there, but I sure didn't. I just love books like this, the ones that leave you reeling as you savor their last words.

Fiona Barton has gained a new fan and I'm excited to read her other books -- if these twists are indicative of her writing style, I am here for it.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! Add this one to your TBR list - and request it on NetGalley if you can!

#TalkingToStrangers #FionaBarton #NetGalley #ARC #fivestarreads #thrillerreads #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #bookcommunity #booklover #thrilleraddict #booknerd

Investigator Elise King and reporter Kiki Nunn are working to solve the present day murder of a local woman, Karen Simmons. Little do they know, this case is wrapped up quite a few crimes presently and the past.
As the investigation continues, Kiki and Elise become bogged down by missing pieces and things are not quite adding up. After some harrowing detective work and an uncover sting, more and more questions crop up. In the end the story wraps up closing the cold case and the new... maybe.


This was a great read and I really enjoyed the read. The multi-pov was easy to follow and I appreciated having the dates to understand the timing of certain conversations.

Not my favorite by this author but it was pretty good.

Thank you to netgalley for the prerelease ebook

Fiona Barton's compelling novel "Talking to Strangers" delves into the complicated interpersonal relationships, internet dating, and the social concerns surrounding violence against women. It is a must-read.
Fiona Barton combines a variety of viewpoints, emphasizing the complex nature of interpersonal relationships and the risks associated with assuming anything about strangers. "Talking to Strangers" made me consider the kind of society we live in and left me wanting more with its thought-provoking issues and gripping story.

Thank you netgalley and Berkeley publishing group for the ARC

Talking To Strangers was a pretty good book. My only complaint is how the ending was tied up from the killer’s POV in the epilogue and it seemed so rushed as this person confessed to everything. It’s my least favorite way that authors choose to wrap up the ending of a good book. There was also another story line that was going on for one of the main characters that I don’t believe was addressed before the end of the book. Other than that, I did find the book to be really good. I like Fiona Barton books, I’ve read them all and consider her a “must read” author. She has strong characters, and the plot was well done, and subject matter was really something to think about especially with online dating apps being a big part of how we meet people nowadays.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC**

On Valentines day Karen Simmons is murdered and her new internet date looks like the likely suspect. Detective Elise King is investigating her death. Kiki Nunn is a reporter who is determined to crack the case regardless of who's toes she steps on or what Detective King says. The story intertwines four women lives with twists and turns that make it hard to put down.

Wow. Just wow. Fiona Barton knocks it out of the park with this one. I didn't think she could top herself after "The Widow", but this one had so many twists and turns I nearly got whiplash....in a good way. This one kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. I won't go into the plot because that can be read online, but suffice to say this is her best one yet.

When Karen Simmons is murdered on Valentine’s Day, Detective Elise King suspects her online date might be the culprit. Karen’s dating app activity divides the town—some blame her, while others protest violence against women. Enter Kiki Nunn, a journalist determined to crack the case and advance her career, even if it means facing off against Elise and the killer.

One of the things I really liked about this book is how it dives into some real-world issues. Barton doesn't shy away from exploring the divide in society over Karen's murder. On one side, you've got people blaming her for what happened, while others are standing up against violence towards women. And then there's Kiki Nunn, this fierce journalist who adds a whole new layer of drama to the mix.

Now, I'll be real with you—it did take me a little bit to really get into the story. But once I did, I was hooked! The way Barton flips between Elise, Kiki, and Annie's perspectives keeps things fresh and exciting. Although, I gotta admit, sometimes I found it a bit tricky to tell Elise and Kiki's voices apart.

"Talking to Strangers" is an entertaining mystery with plenty of characters and motives to keep you guessing. Sure, the ending might be a bit predictable, but it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment. It's the perfect book for a cozy weekend read, with relatable and realistic characters that draw you into their world. Definitely worth picking up if you're in the mood for a good mystery!

Four women. Four lives intertwined by the actions of the men around them. TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION/DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT; MENTION OF CHILD DEATH.
Kiki Nunn, a journalist and mother, is attempting to get her groove back by becoming a “real writer” again, undertaking the responsibility of covering the murder of Karen Simmons, a local hairstylist. Karen has spent the last several months combing the dating apps and websites, setting up a singles group for others in the area to meet and mingle, called the Free Spirits. But, when she turns up dead the day after Valentine’s Day, it opens up a web of questions that have been left unanswered for years. For Annie, she has spent the last 16 years going through the motions after the death of her young son, Archie, believed to have been murdered by a convicted sexual predator. Her older son, Xander, has lived with secrets since he was a child that has been eating away at him all of these years, but the actions of six men bring everything to light. For Elise, a police officer working the case on Karen’s murder, and working through her recent diagnosis of breast cancer, leaves her questioning her own sanity sometimes.
For all of these women, things have taken a deadly turn because of the men in their lives. Kiki’s ex-husband and father of her teenage daughter, left for a young woman, leaving her lonely and wondering what went wrong. But, when she begins investigating the apps that Karen was using during her dating trysts, she gets taken up with a man who ultimately sexually assaults her, and she goes on a rampage in order to get her revenge, but not in the angry, murderous way that happens in these kinds of cases. Kiki works diligently along with the police, including Elise, to bring her attacker down and he is none other than the man that Elise has been seeing, her neighbor, who went by the name of Mal, but used several aliases during his time on the websites.
Unfortunately, for Annie, Karen’s murder brings up a string of questions regarding her son Archie’s death that was she never sure she wanted answered. But after Karen’s untimely death, it began nagging at her due to the proximity to the location of where Archie had been found. Her marriage with her husband has been slowly deteriorating for the last 16 years, especially after his confession that he had been in a relationship with the murder victim, intending to leave his wife and children to start up a new life with her. But, when it is confirmed that Karen’s DNA was all over a jacket that had been found within their home, Annie isn’t sure what to think, until he is charged with her murder, and Xander, her older son, confesses to accidentally killing his younger brother after he himself had been sexually assaulted, Archie wanting to tell their mother what happened and Xander wanting to protect her from the truth.
In the end, every single women gets the answers they had been looking for, but through his own confession, Xander comes forward to the reader stating that he was responsible for the death of Karen, having swiped on her profile. When Karen realized that she was with the son of the man she had once loved, she tried to leave but Xander ended up killing her in the exact area where he killed his younger brother. He also accepts responsibility for the deaths of a local man named Ash, who was also in the woods when Archie had been killed all those years ago and knew the truth and was going to confess, as well as the death of the man who had assaulted him in the woods on that fateful day, though not directly. That man killed himself while in police custody when he had been coerced into lying about Archie’s death.
In truth, this story took me a WHILE to get into. After having read Fiona Barton’s trilogy, The Widow, The Child and the Suspect, I became a HUGE fan of this author. Each of those three stories had me hooked from the very beginning. This one, however, took me quite a bit. I found it to be a bit slow going to start, but it really did start picking up around the time that the character, Kiki, began identifying members of the group that called themselves the Band of Brothers. Each women’s story within this book is INCREDIBLY tragic. For Kiki and Elise, they’re just older woman, who are lonely and are wanting to get rid of that loneliness with a little male companionship. For Annie, the death of her son, the eventual birth of another son and then dealing with her older son and husband’s infidelity is something that no woman or mother should have to deal with.
Fiona really got down deep into the trials and tribulations that a lot of women face in the dating culture, especially when there is sexual assault involved. The constant victim blaming is something that happens every single day, though it is never the fault of the victim…EVER, and this is something that Fiona herself says multiple times throughout the story. I truly hope that any one who reads this book who has been through similar situations understands that it is never their fault…myself included.
Overall, 4/5 stars from me! I’d recommend this story to anyone, though I do leave the trigger warnings in place for those who are sensitive to the topics mentioned. Thank you to NetGalley, Fiona Barton and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC.

"Talking to Strangers" was a good murder mystery. At first, I was not sure how the author was going to link the three main characters together. Detective Elise and Reporter Kiki are both searching for answers as to who killed Karen, the local hairdresser, and why she was targeted. Karen's efforts to find love online and her singles group seem to be prime factors. The story also indicates that Elise and Kiki have had professional interactions in the past given the nature of their jobs. However, Annie's connection to the story seems more tenuous. Karen's body is found in Knapton Wood, the same location where fifteen years earlier, Annie's young son Archie was found dead. Yet, Archie's killer was quickly caught and committed suicide in jail, so there would not seem to be any connection between current and past events. The author creates clever ways to link the characters and events. There are lots of secrets to be revealed, and some twists the reader will probably not see coming.

This is a great read. I love all of Fiona’s books. She is a fantastic writer. Her stories and characters are on point. This story is unique and it hooked me from page one. This is definitely one I am going to recommend to all readers.

Detective Elise King’s investigation into a woman’s murder is getting derailed by a reporter who insists on doing her own investigation in Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton. I read this book quickly, it kept my attention and was well written.

The pacing was good, and the short chapters allowed the switch between multiple character perspectives.
An enjoyable and easy weekend read to immerse yourself in a good mystery.

I would recommend this book.

Publication date: July 25th, 2024
Page count: 368
Genre: thriller
Setting: small town
POV: multiple

It took me a significant amount of time to get into this book and become invested. The last 1/3 was very engaging however.

Short chapters with different narrators- at times it was hard to remember the story of the narrator.

Huge twist at the end!


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

It took a long time for me to get into this one. I felt sorry for our victim, and it was all very sad, but I also wasn’t very invested. The one main character I really liked was a woman who has decided to no longer be a door mat (loved her!), but the other two main characters kind of faded together.

The thing is, the book never really feels like it’s really about the murder. There are a lot of underlying messages here which, fine important, but the story suffers just a bit. And the solution is…different and distinct from all that messaging.

I definitely appreciated much of what the author tried to do here, but it may have worked better if I could have connected with our victim more.

It ended up being an okay read for me. I definitely didn’t hate it, but it didn’t inspire any greater feeling than that.

• ARC via Publisher

Detective Elise King’s investigation into a woman’s murder is getting derailed by a reporter who insists on doing her own investigation in Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton.

The pacing was good, and the short chapters allowed the switch between multiple character perspectives.

The ending was a bit predictable, but it didn't take away from the whole story. An enjoyable and easy weekend read to immerse yourself in a good mystery.

I would recommend this book.

#TalkingtoStrangers #NetGalley @BerkleyPub

Well, good news: DI Elise King is back! If you've read the author's previous work, "Local Gone Missing," you're already familiar with the character. However, like many readers, I slightly prefer the author's Kate Waters series, with "The Suspect" being my favorite novel of hers.

Now, let's focus on the multi-narrated "Talking to Strangers," which presents us with different voices alongside Elise King. She is dealing with her own issues while adamant to solve the murder of Karen Simmons. The other narrators include Kiki Nunn, an aspiring journalist who is focused on investigating Karen's murder. Kiki had interviewed Karen about her complex love life and interactions with various men who may have turned out to be creeps, stalkers, or even scammers. Could one of them be the reason for her demise?

The third narrator is Annie, whose son was also murdered and found in the same woods where Karen's body was discovered.

Besides the murder itself, what connection will tie these women together? Are they both in danger and could they be the target of the perpetrator?

The good aspects of this book include its pacing and short, intriguing chapters, even though the ending and the identity of the murderer become predictable in the middle of the story.

It's an easy read that allows you to get lost in the mystery, make quick guesses, and enjoy the full thrill. That's why, even though the predictable ending dampened my enthusiasm, I still rate it 4 stars for its fast pacing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was a great book on a relevant subject. Very scary in the age of online dating this fast paced book will keep the reader guessing to the last page. Very good!

Super slow start with an uncomfortably predictable ending. Also some of the female relationships here just don't make sense.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This concerns the investigation into the death of a woman called Karen, both by Elise, the DI tasked with the case, and Kiki, a reporter who has a personal interest as she has met Karen and her group of singles looking to socialize. The short chapters switch mostly between the perspectives of Elise, Kiki and a woman called Annie whose son died in the same woods as Karen many years previously. At times I found it difficult to remember if it was Elise or Kiki narrating, since they both went round interviewing the same people and their voices were fairly similar.

The ending was as I anticipated, and is the kind of ending I very much dislike, but it flowed naturally from the plot. I really don't see why people want to become reporters, and I really really don't see why people are so ready to talk to reporters, but there you are.

More like 2.5 stars. I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The premise of this sounded interesting but unfortunately I couldn't get into it.