The Suspect by Fiona Barton

The Suspect by Fiona Barton

Published January 2019 – Berkley Hardcover

Book provided by the publisher

Description:  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…  (publisher)

My take:  Thank you Berkley Publishing for sending me a free copy of The Suspect. The first of Fiona Barton’s novels I’ve had the chance to read, it is about two girls on a gap year trip to Thailand. What could go wrong? Well, since I’m a parent whose children are grown and out of the nest I can think of plenty that could go wrong. And it does in this book. I think reading from a parent’s perspective – or maybe any adult’s perspective – will color the way one reacts to the events. What it all distilled to for me is this question: What would I do to protect my child? And what about children who don’t have a strong, supportive parent to step in to protect them? Morals, ethics, and human decency might go out the window. I was rather appalled by the actions of all involved at one time or another – and maybe that’s the point. Again, what would I do?

I don’t read a ton of mysteries like The Suspect but I think many readers of the genre will like it. I think younger readers (teens, young adults) will most likely relate on some level to a few of the characters. The pacing is good and helped by short chapters – an aspect in suspenseful books that I’ve come to appreciate. Lastly, I must say I really enjoyed the character of DI Sparkes and would love to read more about him going forward from this novel. I appreciated how Barton handled what was going on in his personal life while he was on the job trying to solve the crime.

Will I read another book by Fiona Barton? I think I’ll eventually circle back and read The Widow. I’ll also read any books that follow The Suspect that include DI Sparkes.

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About the author:

Fiona Barton is an award-winning journalist in the UK who has worked for the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, among other publications. She drew on her thirty-five year career to craft Kate Waters into the dogged, resourceful reporter that readers have come to love in the previous two books. Barton says writing Kate feels “like coming home.”

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