The Suspect

by Fiona Barton

The New York Times bestselling author of The Widow returns with a brand new novel of twisting psychological suspense about every parent’s worst nightmare...

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...

• ISBN10: 110199052X
• ISBN13: 9781101990520
• Publish Date: 25 February 2020 (first published 22 January 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 432
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781101990520

Reviews

[mary]

Typical mystery read. Maybe I’ve just read too many books of this type. I was never surprised by the twists and turns in this book. I always seemed to be one step ahead and knew exactly what was coming up each step of the way. That’s not to say that this book didn’t have quite a few big reveals, I just knew about them beforehand.

I gave it three stars because it didn't take me long to get involved in the story despite it being somewhat predictable. I enjoyed how the story went back and forth between the reporter, detective, one of the missing girls, and one of the mothers. I felt that the characters were developed enough, but I didn't particularly like or resonate with any of them. But the plot and writing were easy to read and made it for a fast paced read despite it being quite long.

[Leah]

Magnificent thriller. Full review to come, but definitely buy/pre-order this book.

[Amber]

The Suspect is a lot more intense than Barton's previous books because the situation was a lot more personal for the main character, Kate. The previous books were a lot more focused on the characters who were directly affected by the case, like the suspects (ha) and the victims. The Suspect, however, focuses a lot more on Kate and her journey, and her relationship with her son. I really like how this series is developing, as I like Kate as a character. Her insight into the world of journalism is intriguing and informative, and it helps that the author herself used to work in the same industry.

Despite all of that, there's still not a whole lot of substance, as is usual with an adult thriller novel. It's very much focused on the case itself instead of character development and emotional connections. That said, I'm cool with that. I knew what I was getting into with an adult thriller.

I'm not sure where Barton was going with the detective and his side plot. She seems to have tried to add emotion with his wife being terminally ill, but we barely see him or know him at all, so should we really care? It makes me wonder if Barton is planning bigger things for his character in future books in the series.
The mystery in this was absolutely tragic, and it had me hooked from the start. Barton always writes about such dark topics, and she always does a really good job with it.

I loved this book, and it's definitely my favourite in the series so far. I hope Barton keeps going with this series because I'm really getting into it! And as a side note, Kate's son is a complete brat and she should have left him in Thailand.