The Rumour: The Sunday Times bestseller with a killer twist

by Lesley Kara

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When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back . . .

Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?
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'Everyone is going to be talking about The Rumour. An intriguing premise, a creeping sense of dread, and a twist you won't see coming!’ Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door.

'In this chilling tale of paranoia, suspicion and accusation, Lesley Kara keeps you guessing until the final page.' Paula Hawkins, No.1 bestselling author of The Girl on the Train and Into the Water

'A great debut with a slyly clever premise and a rollercoaster ride to the very last sentence.' Fiona Barton, bestselling author of The Widow and The Child

• ISBN10: 1787630048
• ISBN13: 9781787630048
• Publish Date: 27 December 2018 (first published 10 December 2018)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 April 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Bantam Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[zooloo1983]

I must be one of the last people to read this book! I bought it when it came out with all the hype of the blog tours and then life passed me by. Then I rented the audiobook from the library and could finally settle down and start the adventure.

Well, I had a few false starts, I couldn’t get into the audio at first, which was odd because I like the narrator, Clare Corbett. My brain just wouldn’t engage at first but once it did click we were off on the tangled web of lies.

A rumour is just Chinese whispers and these things can do last damage, so the premise for this I found fascinating. Something so small can do the most damage, it can destroy someone especially when its a rumour as big as this one.

I knew something was up when I followed the book through and I guessed how it would end. I think if I hadn’t read so many books lately where there is a final sucker punch I would have been more surprised. Instead, I felt a little flat reading it.

The entire story is enthralling, however, mainly because you know that what happens in these pages could and does actually happen. We have seen it in our lifetime, what we don’t see is the other side. Here, Kara takes us down a path to sympathise with the “murderer” to see what a mistake things were. I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone what has happened but by showing us the wholesome character first definitely makes you have that sympathy and somewhat protectiveness over them, which is crazy.

I enjoyed The Rumour, I was intrigued by the spiralling rumour, the impact it had on everyone’s lives in the sleepy village and I waited for the explosive reveal. However, do not come into this book thinking you have a break necking speed of a book, because you don’t. You have a slow burner, which is thought-provoking and it made me question everyone. I am not even ashamed of some of the people I cast my eye over.

[Leah]

The Rumour is one of those books that sucks you in and doesn’t let go, until you’ve finished. I thought the whole premise was so intriguing and it’s kind of scary that people who have committed despicable crimes could be living in your very own town. It’s like those rumours from way back that Maxine Carr was living in County Durham, where I’m from. Do I think someone like Maxine Carr should get a new identity after what she did? Be set up for life, with a new name and able to move on? Hell to the no, and not in my bloody town anyway, but that’s another story for another day.

Witness protection is something of a rarity in the UK – it’s certainly more prevalent in the USA and I suppose it goes on here, of course, it just isn’t something I suppose you’re aware of. What gets me most about The Rumour is the whole concept of the novel is literally based on a game of Chinese whispers, started by our narrator Joanna. And if you took a shot of alcohol every time Joanna uses the word “rumour” you would be drunk after 10 pages, because boy, does she like to bring it up a lot. It’s so fascinating how one little rumour can do so much damage – and not just to the person they’ve cast as the villain, but to innocent people too and this novel really shines a light on that.

I really liked Joanna, actually. She was a fantastic narrator and the unfolding of who the real Sally was, was done so cleverly. Slowly, but surely, as Joanna investigated and uncovered a bit more about what was going on in her small town, the picture became clearer. Actually, that’s a lie. I had no idea until it was actually revealed what was going on. Because the suspicion is thrown on so many people, I saw it going a different way and I was gobsmacked when the whole thing came out. So bravo Lesley Kara, you amazing writer you – you fooled me! It’s amazing that you can’t really know who you live close to or who is in your town, amazing and terrifying, and the novel was quite claustrophobic as Joanna is very isolated initially – her boy, Alfie, is struggling to make friends at school, Joanna is reluctant to make friends with the other mums and it’s easy to see why the spreading of this rumour helped her social standing and why she allowed it.

I genuinely loved this book from start to finish. The whole thing was perfection – the plot, the writing, the pacing, it was all done so incredibly well that I knew I was going to love this book pretty much from the off. This is going to be one of the big thrillers when it’s released for sure. It ticks all of the boxes of a successful crime novel and then some and I’m so glad I spotted the cover on Twitter and remembered I had a copy to read early. Proof that a good cover and a good tag line can make you pick up a book in double-quick time. I’m very excited to see Lesley Kara’s career progress because The Rumour was a magnificent read from start to finish and I loved it.