Sixteen years ago, Rose experienced a horrible trauma, suffered the loss of her best friend, Cassie, and also her brother, Billy, disappeared and was later found murdered. All seemingly at the hands of one man -- the psychopath who was her boyfriend at the time -- Gareth Farnham. Now she's fearful, anorexic, bulimic and lives alone in the house where she grew up. Working at the library in town, she has not moved on from that period of time. When Rose makes a startling discovery at her neighbor's house, she knows it is up to her to finally ask the questions and get the answers she needs in order to regain her life.

Told in back and forth narrative between present day and the past, Rose describes the events and her reactions to all that took place. She's quite a mess now and the reader hopes she can find the backbone and strength to see this through. This is not particularly suspenseful, but it is a nicely woven mystery with psychological overtones. The theme is one that is quite prevalent and I will only say that it has to do with men who isolate and control those victims they seek out and attempt to capture. It takes some twists and turns on the way to a surprising conclusion and I enjoyed it. I'll continue to read others by this author.

This is the 4th book I have read by this author and I have loved every one of them, they just get better and better.

No hesitation in giving this one 5 stars.

Highly recommended!

I’ve been a massive fan of K.L. Slater ever since I read her debut psychological thriller Safe with Me, and knew she was an author to watch. This is now the fourth novel of hers I have read, and it did not disappoint.

After sixteen agonizing years and Rose still blames herself for her little brother’s death. During the investigation, all signs and evidence pointed to one man, Gareth, Rose’s boyfriend at the time, who has spent the last sixteen years behind bars. Now Rose leads a pretty solitary life. She works as a Librarian, helps care for her elderly neighbour and spends too much time anxiously looking over her shoulder. When elderly neighbour Ronnie is rushed to hospital he tells Rose not to go upstairs under any circumstances. A couple of days later she goes upstairs to clean the place before Ronnie is discharged home, and finds Billy’s blanket in a cardboard box in the spare room. Rose was always sure of Gareth’s guilt. After all this time, was Ronnie responsible for Billy’s death?

Told in alternating timelines from Rose’s point of view, one is present day, the other starts around the time of Billy’s murder and carries on from then. The reader is taken on a journey through Rose’s life and the difficulties she’s faced since losing her brother like eating disorders, unemployment, domestic abuse and the ultimate survivor guilt that just won’t go away.

K.L. Slater has so cleverly planned and carefully executed the relationship between Rose and Gareth, delicately showing piece by piece how he carefully selected a young vulnerable woman, essentially groomed her, before engulfing her in his manipulation and becoming in complete control of every move she makes.

The Mistake is majorly character driven and the author expertly creates a realistic, naive and flawed protagonist here in Rose and creates a very scary and unsettling situation for her with her relationship with Gareth. I was able to connect easily with Rose who even as an adult sometimes felt like a child.

The description and my summary of the plot really don’t give anything away. You think you know where things are leading when all of a sudden there has been a curveball thrown, and it leaves your head spinning in all directions. The plot has been so well thought out, planned, seeds of doubt sewn, red herrings left all over the place for the reader to decide what’s relevant and what’s not. Who is “The Mistake”? Your violent ex-boyfriend rotting in jail, your frail elderly neighbour who has been hiding your dead brother’s scarf, or someone else entirely?

The Mistake is more of a Mystery Suspense than a thriller but has all the perfect components to keep you enthralled till that surprise killer ending.

“He has a good sense of direction. His class teacher had said so last summer when they went on the mini-beast hunt, here at Newstead Abbey. And so Billy forged ahead, his inner compass telling him that the kite was definitely around here somewhere.”

Sixteen years ago, Rose blames herself for her brother, Billy’s death. Her abusive and overbearing boyfriend at the time would have stopped at nothing to make sure Rose was his forever. When Billy goes missing, blaming him for his death is the only logical explanation!
As the story unfolds, Rose realizes that the people in her life that she thought she could trust, she shouldn’t have ever trusted. With each turn of the page, new details emerge of how and why Billy died. Secrets are kept, deceptions are uncovered, and appalling evidence may have put the wrong man in jail!!! Or has it???
Nail biting, edge of your seat, thrilling!!!!! KL Slater does it again!

A thoroughly enjoyable read about Rose, her family and friends and the traumatic events that occur and shape her life.

I read this in a day,but found myself skim-reading a fair amount of it.I wanted to shake Rose.Gareth was a great character you love to hate,but this just didn't grip me like K.L Slater's previous book 'Liar' did.I didn't dislike it and will still check out future books by Slater.

A pretty good read, albeit a bit predictable with where you could see it going. The lead male character in this book is creepy as hell and gives you shivers to think there are people out there as manipulative and gross as him!

This is my first book to read by this author, and I really enjoyed it.

The book bounces between the past and the present, building up what happened to Rose as a teenager to help the reader understand the adult she has become. I always think this is a technique that works well in novels when it is done well, and Slater did a fantastic job of this.

I also enjoyed how subtly Rose begins to realize she's in a controlling relationship as a teenager. There was a level of creepiness there of course, but I think it played very true to life. No one wants to believe that their partner is controlling or manipulative, so the slow realization for Rose seemed extremely believable. She also slowly loses touch with her friends and pushes her family away, even forcing her younger brother to keep painful secrets for her.

Rose struggles, even as an adult, to come to terms with what happened to her brother. She knows he was murdered and has put the man behind bars who she believes did it, but now secrets are becoming revealed and she is no longer certain of what happened in the past. Is the guilty man behind bars? Or is there more to the story?

I really loved this book. I felt like there were elements to it that were so realistic it was heartbreaking, and the author did a great job of leading the reader to the climax without giving away the ending. Overall, a very suspenseful, enjoyable read!

I just love books that grab my attention like this one did. I was either reading it or thinking about it. The author told enough to keep me interested but didn't reveal much until the end. I definitely didn't see the end coming. Looking forward to read more by KL Slater soon.

This mystery is set in two time frames,the present day and sixteen years previously and flips back and forth between the two.In the chapters set in the past our protagonist eighteen year old Rose Tinsley is a art student who lives with her mum,dad and eight year old brother Billy.Rose constantly feels like her life is stuck in a rut so she is delighted when she meets a older man called Garath who asks her if she would like to go to the cinema with him.Rose agrees to meet up with Garath and can't wait to tell her best friend Cassie that a handsome older man has actually asked her `plain old Rose`to go on a date with him.What Rose doesn't know is that Garath is a narcissistic,control freak who over time begins to isolate Rose from the people who truly love her and starts to control every aspect of her life.Cassie tries to warn Rose about Garath`s behaviour but Rose won't listen until something happens that causes Rose to finally remove her rose tinted glasses and see Garath`s true character.She tries to end the relashionship but no one walks away from Garath Farnham,he continues to terrorize Rose and then horrifyingly young Billy goes missing and is found murdered two days after he disappeared.

In the present day chapters,Rose still lives in her parents house and lives a sad,lonely life,the highlight of her week being when she is at work in the local library.Although she has lived in the same village all her life,she doesn't have any friends.The only person she is happy spending time with is her elderly next door neighbour Ronnie.He was there for her family during the terrible events sixteen years ago so now it's Rose `s turn to take care of him.One day she finds him collapsed on the bathroom floor,she calls an ambulance and he is rushed into hospital.Rose decides to clean his house while he is away,only when she is in the spare room,she finds something that causes her to doubt everything she thought she knew about her brother`s murder.Someone was arrested,charged and sent to prison for murdering Billy,that person has always insisted that they are innocent.Now Rose needs to know the truth even if it means confronting horrors from the past that she would rather forget.

I loved all of K l Slater`s previous books especially Blink which is one of my top 10 books from this year.Although I enjoyed reading The Mistake I didn't get to the end and think OMG,that was brilliant,I could happily go back to the beginning and read it again,I just felt...rather disappointed.It was hard to feel any sympathy for Rose at times,it was understandable that she would have issues after everything she had been through when she was younger.But you would have thought,sixteen years later and with the person who killed Billy being safely locked up,she wouldn't have been such a nervous wreck.And she was constantly whining and moaning especially when she was younger,it was hard to understand why Cassie wanted to be her friend.That said Rose did redeem herself a bit with her actions in the final chapter,that made me want to give her a hug and say good for you girl.

The identity of Billy`s killer was surprising and unexpected,I certainly didn't see that coming.Gareth`s creepy manipulation and gradual control of Rose was scarily realistic and believable,he was a very sly,horrible character.It was mentioned a number of times that Rose`s parents where dead but you never found out how they died and although it was also mentioned a number of times that the library where Rose worked might have to close,that issue was left unresolved.This is more a mystery than a thriller,there are not many twists but the chapters are short and it is a quick read.Although I was a bit disappointed with this book that won't stop.me reading The Visitor when it is published next year.

I really enjoyed this book, as well as others from this author. The main character is Rose, a librarian, who lives with the guilt of the disappearance of her little brother years ago. As well as, the guilt from a man she let into her life, Gareth, who changed things for her tragically. But an incident causes her question all that she has believed to be true. This was a thrilling ride that I enjoyed from beginning to end.

Roses' brother Billy was murdered 16 years ago. Rose feels guilty as he was with her at the time. By chance Rose finds Billy's missing blanket in her neighbours house. She starts to wonder what really happened to Billy and who she can trust. The book flips back in forward in time telling us what happened 16 years ago. As the story unfolds we finally find out the truth. A well written book that keeps you guessing right to the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher Bookoutoure, for the advance ARC in return for an honest review.

Rose is in her thirties and leads a very cloistered, lonely life. She is bulimic, suffers social anxiety and shows signs of OCD. Her only contact with the world outside her job as a part-time librarian is looking in on her elderly neighbour Ronnie. Sixteen years ago, Rose’s little brother Billy died, and to this day Rose blames herself. When Ronnie is taken to hospital, Rose helps by cleaning the house, when she finds Billy’s red Blanket in a box. Has Billy’s killer been closer than she ever thought? Has everything she believed to be true about Ronnie’s death been a lie? Rose has to face her biggest fears.

The novel flits between two time lines; now and 16 years ago, leading up to Billy’s death. Rose’s early life is surrounded by her family, friends and she has a boyfriend so what happened to her to change her into the shell of the woman she is now?

When Ronnie is taken to hospital, Rose helps by cleaning the house, when she finds Billy’s red Blanket in a box. Has Billy’s killer been closer than she ever thought? Has everything she believed to be true about Ronnie’s death been a lie? Rose must face her biggest fears.

The storyline twists and turns, and there are a number of Red Herrings along the way. It does keep you guessing until the end, although not sure how much I would regard the ending as a twist. Its closure for Rose which gave me a sense of relief that she could start on getting on with her life.

I have read other K L Slater books, and this is up to her previous standard. Easy five star.

I loved this book it grabbed me from the first sentence and it did not let go until the end.. I did not guess who the killer was. Great book. I will definitely look out for more by this author. I read it in 2 days.

An excellent read from begining to end. All the twists and turns throughout the book come together very nicely to form a complete and wholly satisfying ending.

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. I enjoyed this book, especially that I didn't know who the real culprit in this story was till it was revealed It was well written and was full of suspense and intrigue. There were many twists and turns. Without giving away spoilers, there was a very unexpected ending by the main character in this novel. I highly recommend this book to readers who like psychological thrillers filled with suspense and twist and turns throughout the book.

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers and The Mistake by K.L. Slater did not disappoint! This story goes back and forth between the present and 16 years into the past. When Rose was 18, her brother, Billy, was kidnapped and murdered. In the beginning, the circumstances behind his death remain unknown. However, throughout each flashback, more information comes to light. It turns out that Rose was approached by a man named Gareth. He seemed nice and actually interested in her. They began a secret relationship. What started out as a romantic relationship, turned cold and controlling. Gareth was very possessive. Even Cassie, Rose’s best friend, warns Rose about how dangerous this relationship is becoming.

Flash forward to the present, Rose takes great care with her routine. She is a librarian now and has a strict schedule. She is always watching her back and worried about what is around the corner. One day, she is helping out her elderly neighbor and she finds her brother’s blanket in the spare room. How did he get Billy’s blanket? Billy had this blanket with him when he was kidnapped and it was deemed a crucial piece of evidence, if it was ever found. This topples Rose’s very fragile world. Her neighbor was a good friend and always there for her with the death of Billy and later with the death of her parents. But what if the wrong man was in prison for Billy’s death? She owes it to Billy and her family to find out who really murdered her brother.

The suspense in this book was nerve-wrecking. There were several points where I got chills! Usually I find it tedious when books go back and forth between different time periods. But that was not so with this book. The book had a wonderful flow to it. The author was careful not to give too much information at one time to really create suspense.

Another wonderful aspect of this book was the characters. They were real and so relatable. Rose goes through multiple traumatic experiences and she comes out scarred. She shows signs of severe anxiety and bulimia. Her experiences with Gareth left her shaken to the core. She lives in a constant state of fear. She also shows signs of depression with the death of her brother and parents. She hides from the world in her job at the library. Rose was a character that had real reactions to traumatic experiences and that made her a wonderful main character. I also loved that up until the end of the book, there was always a state of uncertainty with the other characters. Gareth was evil, controlling and untrustworthy but that does that automatically make him guilty. Then there is the sweet elderly neighbor named, Ronnie. He has been there for Rose through all the hard times, but is he lying or harboring some terrible secret? The fact that Rose can’t trust anyone makes this book so intriguing!

I only wish that there was more information at the ending. There was a couple unanswered questions about some of the characters. I won’t say which ones because I don’t want to spoil anything. But there was one detail I need to know. What happened to the library? Rose loves her job at the library but the government wants to shut it down. This was not a crucial part of the plot, just a little side story but I NEED TO KNOW! Did the library get shut down or was it saved? This poor little town needs the library!!! Like I said, this really wasn’t important to the main plot but I wish it was solved.

Overall, I found myself flying through this book and not wanting to put it down. I can’t wait to check out other books written by K.L. Slater!

Rose Tinsley, who's lived in Newstead all her life, is the librarian at the Newstead Library - one of the smallest in Nottinghamshire County. When budget woes dictate that the library might close, Rose becomes very concerned about her job. Employment opportunities have been scarce in Newstead since the coal pits closed decades ago, and Rose - who has HUGE anxiety issues - CAN'T move away from the security of her home and her 'safety routines.'

Rose's troubles stem from things that happened sixteen years ago, when she was a naive 18-year-old college student. At that time Rose met a man - thirtyish Gareth Farnham - who was in Newstead to manage a construction project. Rose was flattered by the attentions of the handsome 'older man', and would sneak around to meet him behind her parents' backs.

Step by step Gareth manipulated Rose into isolating herself from her family and friends. He also convinced her to accede to his increasingly intrusive demands. Gareth wanted to control every aspect of Rose's life - from the movies she saw, to the flavor of ice cream she ate, to her college plans. When Rose resisted Gareth's 'requests', he became furious and made ominous threats. In time, Rose tried to break away from Gareth.....but it was harder than she'd hoped.

At about this time, another tragedy occurred in Rose's life. One sunny afternoon Rose took her 8-year-old brother Billy to Newstead Abbey - to fly his kite - and the little boy disappeared. His body was found two days later.

Rose and her parents were devastated by the loss and never fully recovered. Though a culprit was tried and convicted for Billy's murder, Rose became neurotically fearful. She developed compulsive behaviors like bulimia and hyper-awareness of her surroundings. From that time on Rose has been constantly looking over her shoulder for stranger-danger; has hardly ever left town; has been afraid to go out after dark; has been unable to leave her windows open; has been compulsively locking her doors; and so on. To add to her woes, Rose lost both her parents a few years after Billy died.

Now, sixteen years after Billy's death, Rose is living a quiet, mundane, not-so-happy life. She has little fun and no friends - except for her elderly, next-door-neighbor Ronnie. Ronnie has always been extremely solicitous of Rose's family, and Rose reciprocates by looking in on her housebound neighbor and doing his grocery shopping.

One day Ronnie is hospitalized with the flu and Rose decides to tidy his house - to thank him for being such a fine person. While Rose is in Ronnie's attic, she finds something that casts doubt on the identity of Billy's killer. In fact, it's possible the wrong person has been imprisoned for the crime. No matter the consequences, Rose feels she MUST discover the truth.

The book alternates back and forth between 16-years-ago and the present. In the past, Ruth interacts with her parents; plays with Billy; goes to school; hangs out with her best friend Cassie; volunteers at the library; dates Gareth; and so on.

In the present, Rose goes to work; chats with the library patrons; shops at the local co-op; binges and purges; locks herself in the house; etc. Most importantly, Ruth follows up on the discovery she made in Ronnie's attic, despite getting an ominous note that says 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie.'

The book is an engaging psychological thriller, but I'm not as big a fan as many other readers.

First, most of the story is told from Rose's point of view, in a 'step-by-step' format. I have a problem with this kind of narrative, which tends to be circumscribed and slow-moving.

Second, I have an issue with Rose as a character. Though I understand a teenage girl being infatuated with a dashing older man, Rose seems overly foolish. She constantly makes excuses for Gareth's terrible behavior; believes whatever he says; and gives in to him against her better judgement. Even as an adult, Rose has trouble dealing with the manipulative creep. I just don't like to see a character being such a doormat (and a little whiny to boot).

I do like the book's ending, and for that I give Rose three cheers.....rah rah rah Rose!!

Though I have some criticisms, I'd recommend the book to fans of psychological thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (K.L. Slater), and the publisher (Bookouture) for a copy of the book.

Having read and adored THE LIAR I was pretty sure The Mistake would be fantastic and it was. A dark and twisted tale by a super talented author.

I wasn’t quite sure if this was my kinda book when I started but I’m pleased I stuck with it! Roses brother tragically died and years later Rose relives the horror as new evidence comes up.....this is an excellent book that keeps you gripped and is very readable !!!