Originally published: 24 January 2019

Author: Fiona Barton

Published by: Transworld

Genre: Crime Thriller

Length: 384 pages

Reading dates: 20-24 January 2019

I’ve heard lots of great things about Fiona Barton’s novels so had high hopes for this and it didn’t disappoint. Featuring characters from previous novels including journalist Kate Waters and DI Bob Sparkes, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t read her previous books – this is described as a standalone novel.

The story starts with two 18 year old girls, Alex and Rosie who have recently started a gap year in Thailand. When they don’t phone to get their A level results, Alex’s parents report them missing. DI Bob Sparkes is tasked with looking into their disappearance. Journalist Kate Waters takes the case for The Daily Post. She is keen to be first to the story and manages to get in touch with the parents. But she also can’t stop thinking about her own son Jake, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left to go travelling.

This was an easy read told from multiple viewpoints including Alex, Alex’s mum, Kate and Bob. The story moves along swiftly and there are lots of twists and turns. As a mother of a teenager, I certainly understood the parents panic at not being able to get in touch with their girls. I have a 17 year old son and the thought of him travelling around Thailand without me is terrifying! I love the characters of Kate and Bob. The police procedural aspects are done well and I liked following the investigation through the eyes of a journalist too which is what sets this apart from other crime thrillers. Barton has a skill of capturing multiple characters well and each narrator has their own distinctive voice. A great book and I am definitely going to add her other two books The Widow and The Child to my pile!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Transworld Crime evening where I heard Fiona speak and meet her so I was thrilled to be invited on the tour.

Many thanks to Transworld for sending me a copy and to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour.  Be sure to checkout the other stops below…

About the author:

Fiona Barton’s debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and has been published in thirty-five countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives in south-west France.
Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards.
While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and she developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. Fiona interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most…

Website: http://fionabartonauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/figbarton