Name: The Rumor
Rating: 3.8 (10 reviews)
ISBN: 9781984820549

Lesley Kara

Hearing a rumor that a dangerous ex-con has moved into town under an assumed name, a single mother becomes obsessed with the case, but her curiosity exposes her son and his father to a heartless psychopath who has killed--and may kill again.

A Novel

The Rumor

"When a single mother hears a rumor outside her son's school, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another--and now there's no going back. Rumor has it that a notorious killer, a woman who has been released from prison years after her brutal crime, is living under a new identity in Joanna's seaside town. So who is the supposedly reformed murderer now living in their neighborhood? Suspicion falls on everyone. As Joanna becomes obsessed with the case, her curiosity will expose her son and his father to a heartless psychopath who has killed--and may kill again. And she will learn how dangerous one rumor can become--and just how far she must go to protect those she loves from harm. She is going to regret the day she ever said a word"--

Kerri McDonald

Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

"Rumors can kill"

This book is centered around single mom, Joanne, who overhears a juicy rumor while dropping her young son off at school. That small rumor, which Joanne ends up helping to spread, turns into a beast that threatens everything she loves.

Alright, first things first, I finished this book in one day. And, guys, I am *not* a fast reader. I just literally did nothing but read this book all day because I needed to know how it was going to end! I was holding my breath at points because I was so caught up in what was happening on the pages. I felt Joanne's panic and pain and fear as things just escalated from bad to worse. It was a wild ride, to say the least! There were points where I could tell the author was deliberately dropping red herrings, which I get when it comes to thrillers, but it was a tad obvious. Still, it only detracted from my enjoyment a little bit. I still couldn't guess where the story was headed and I was definitely shocked at the end!

And the characters! I have read many a thriller where the characters fall flat but the plot is gripping. These characters, however, had a lot of depth, which helped me to sympathize with them. I felt entrenched in their drama, which made this thriller all the more tense!

As a debut, this book was pretty strong. I haven't enjoyed a thriller this much in awhile! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this author in the future!

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

The Rumor, written by Lesley Kara, just was not a book that I was able to get into. Generally, I love thrillers, I love the mystery and this book should have had everything I wanted.
It was well written, but there was something missing in the story that made me want to keep reading. Getting through this novel was a bit of a chore.
Could be that, while the idea of a rumor kicking this all off sounded interesting, the level that it is brushed off when first introduced just... made the rest of the novel end up feeling forced?
Looking for a thriller? REALLY want to read something that feels like All the Missing Girls? Maybe this can be that for you. The plot didn't push, and the characters just didn't propel the story forward.

The Rumor A Novel

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