Review: The Suspect, by Fiona Barton

The Suspect, by Fiona Barton

Penguin Random Audio - 2019
Thriller
Kate Waters Series
Audiobook
Narated by: Susan Duerden, Fiona Hardingham, Nicholas Guy Smith, & Katharine McEwan

11 Hours, 32 Minutes

My Rating (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐1/2

First off, let me note that I didn't realize that this was part of a series until  after I finished it.  Normally that might pose a bit of a problem for me, but in this case, the story worked completely well as a stand-alone. None of those references to past events that are glaringly obvious to a reader who hasn't read the previously related work. The story is marketed as a stand-alone, but I have seen it labeled as part of the series as well since the main protagonist was introduced in Barton's previous work. Rather than getting into splitting hairs over whether this is truly a stand-alone, or part of a series, I will just leave it at that and carry on to the story and review.

The ultra responsible Alex and the impulsive, care-free Rosie set off for adventure in Thailand together during their "gap year".  When communication from the girls stops suddenly, Alex's mom sounds the alarm and involves the authorities. 

Kate, a reporter whose son has been in Thailand for some time, but whose own communication has dropped off, takes on the story and goes to Thailand to find answers for the story unfolding about the girls disappearance, all the while hoping to track down her own missing son while there. 

The story was good, but for me it wasn't a "WOW" book. While the story teased out slowly and kept me engaged, it felt like it really stretched a bit too far at times, and lacked some of the hard punching twists I have come to love from the genre. 

Narration was provided by a full cast and was well performed quite well. As with any full cast narration, characters were easy to identify and follow, and the characters were portrayed with appropriate emotion during the story.

All in all a good if not particularly memorable read.

Happy Reading,

Christine