Firstly, thank you to the publishers for this early review copy. I have also read both of Fiona's earlier books, but let me be very clear this book is so much more than the first two. This just hooked me in from the start! Great characters! Very tense pace! This book does not sit quietly if you dare to pop it on the side before you have reached the end... I am really looking forward to finally meeting Fiona this month - 24 Jan 2019 - Waterstones Durham. I will most certainly be recommending this to ALL crime thriller fans!

It was supposed to be the best time of their life: Alex and Rosie fly to Thailand after their A-levels to travel and party. But then, things go completely wrong and now the two girls are dead. What happened in the burnt-down-guesthouse? And where is that English boy who might have seen them last and is obviously closely linked to the fire? The parents fly to Bangkok and reporter Kate Waters comes with them to cover the story. But what they find out isn’t what they had expected: Kate’s son Jake is the wanted English boy who is now on the run and prime suspect in the murder of Alex and Rosie. Again, Fiona Barton could well entertain me with a plot with many twists and turns and a story full of suspense. The narrative does not follow chronology and is told from alternating perspectives which I found great since it provides a lot more depth for the characters on the one hand and keeps suspense high on the other. In the end, the case is solved without leaving any questions open. What I liked most were actually the very different characters who seemed all quite authentic to me: first of all the two young women who could hardly be more different. Quiet Alex who wants to see the country and learn about the culture and Rosie just expecting to have a good time partying. That this combination wouldn’t work out too long is pretty obvious. The girls behave like typical teenagers do on their first trip alone far away from the parents, they are careless and easily fall prey to all kind of wrong-doers. Also their mothers are portrayed in convincing ways, especially Jenny who is very bitter after her husband left her alone with the daughter. Most interesting of course is Kate whose role changes massively throughout the story: from the nosy reporter she herself becomes the target of the press and has to endure what is written about her boy without being able of doing anything against it. Altogether, a perfectly pitched thriller that keeps you reading on and on and on to find out the truth about what happened in Thailand.

I couldn’t put this book down. I received a proof copy of this (thank you very much for that) and I was honestly taken aback how quickly I was drawn in to the mystery. The story is told from the perspective of a mother, a journalist, a detective and the victim of a missing persons investigation in Thailand. Alex and Rosie should just be enjoying the sun and the sights on their gap year travels, but it seems it was doomed from the start. Each chapter flicks between the different perspectives of vital parties trying to solve the disappearance and as Barton delves deeper into the why of their individual involvement, it’s hard not to feel connected to them. With recent horror stories of gap year travels gone wrong rife in the media, this story makes the pain and injustice and suffering ever more clear. Be prepared to feel every emotion right along with these characters. I will definitely be reading a lot more from Fiona Barton this year!

What would you do, if your son is accused of murder in a foreign country, you are a working journalist and you know the pack will tear him to pieces. This is the test that journalist Kate Waters has to face when her son, Jake, is accused of double murder in Thailand. This is a situation that all mothers would fear. Alex O’Connor has just finished her A levels and is waiting for her results before going off to University, she has been saving up to spend the summer touring Thailand which has always been her dream. Her friend Mags drops out as she cannot afford to go and neighbour Rosie offers to take her place, and they go to Thailand. Jake Waters has dropped out of University and has gone traveling and the occasional email and telephone call to his parents to let them know he is still alive. But he has secrets and is telling his parents a story, while other things are going on, some of which he is not proud of. He cannot tell his parents and he has nobody to turn too, until he meets Alex and Rosie in Bangkok. When Alex and Rosie have not been in touch especially on results day, the O’Connors contact the police and report their concerns. Kate Waters picks up the story and interviews them and highlights their story. When two girls’ bodies have been found dead, the families of the girls, Kate and the rest of the British press pack fly out to Bangkok. When Kate finds out her son was in hospital in Bangkok and seemed to be central to the story, while being professional on the surface, she had gone to pieces inside. She wants to find the truth, to show her son in the best light, while the police and the press are pointing fingers at him. This is a wonderfully written and perfectly paced thriller, that hooks the reader and early and keeps them like bate waiting for the fish to bite. Such a compelling story, that many parents of teenage children travelling will recognise the feelings of distance, that lump in the stomach if anything happens to your child. The story is irresistible, you just want more, you will feel like a punch-drunk boxer by the end, but The Suspect is worth it.

I thought the characters were cleverly developed in The Suspect by Fiona Barton. The sense of dread was constant throughout this book with sone unusual characters, my favourite being the journalist. A surprise twist you won't see coming, highly recommended!