Member Reviews
How well do you know people and to what extent can you trust them? Rose meets and falls in love with the charming Gareth but is he really all he seems. Sixteen years later Rose is still fighting her demons whilst trying to live her life. An excellent book
Yet another fabulous title to add to my Bookouture beauties! I have recently come to associate Bookouture with a love of books and probably the most consistent crime thriller collection out there today. That is why each time I get to read an ARC copy of one of their killer thrillers, I just can't say no! Clear the calendar.... Here comes K.L. Slater's new title, THE MISTAKE!
K.L. slater is becoming one of my favourite authors. I have read LIAR and THE MISTAKE is my second novel by her. Both of these are exemplary mystery/thriller books. The pacing was fast and the twists and turns kept me guessing right the way through.
SYNOPSIS - You think you know the truth about the people you love.
But one discovery can change everything…
Eight-year-old Billy goes missing one day, out flying his kite with his sister Rose. Two days later, he is found dead.
Sixteen years on, Rose still blames herself for Billy’s death. How could she have failed to protect her little brother?
Rose has never fully recovered from the trauma, and one of the few people she trusts is her neighbour Ronnie, who she has known all her life. But one day Ronnie falls ill, and Rose goes next door to help him… and what she finds in his attic room turns her world upside down.
Rose thought she knew the truth about what happened to Billy. She thought she knew her neighbour. Now the only thing she knows is that she is in danger...
The characters are very believable which is what makes the story so terrifying, Slater seems to achieve this in all of her books. The chapters are alternating - going back and forth between the past and present, revealing to the reader the background that Rose comes from. Some of the issues the book addresses are hard to read at times but are well handled. Also, the relatively short length of the chapters mean it is very easy to go through page after page without even realising it! Next time you look you've been up half the night and you're nearly finished.
A tense mystery thriller that had me completely engrossed. An unputdownable and compulsive read and a must for crime fans. K.L. Slater sure knows what she's doing when writing a psychological thriller. I'm sure whatever she comes up with next will be just as good and I will definitely be grabbing a copy.
Highly recommended.
I would like to thank Bookouture/K.L. Slater and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date is October 4, 2017.
Really enjoyed this book characters very believable would recommend
If I am not mistaken, but I may be in the minority on this one - but this book failed to WOW me. I saw a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews for this and thought "YES!!!" but I felt let down. This book just felt bland to me. I did not really see it as a psychological thriller, maybe a mystery. I am the first to admit, I like a little grit with my mystery and maybe that is why I was not wowed but also because I found I really didn't care much for the characters.
Rose blames herself for her brother's death. She had a lot going on the day she was watching him. She had been in a horrible, controlling relationship with a manipulating older man who had become more and more controlling and scary. Her best friend/former best friend had been attacked and no one knows who attacked her.
Rose is watching her eight year old brother when she takes her eyes off him, he wanders off and is not found for 2 days.....
Now Rose is 34 and working in a library and helping out her lifelong next door neighbor. When he becomes ill, she finds something in his house. This "find" triggers her need to know the truth. A man was arrested and charged with her brother's murder. But his "find" may change things. Could someone else be responsible for her brother's death. Rose starts looking into the past and talking to those involved in the investigation in order to gain some closure.
The story is told both in the past and in the present day. As the story unfolds we learn about the events leading up to Billy's disappearance and death. We meet all the players, we see how easily Rose was manipulated and controlled, we see how this affected her relationships and her self esteem, then we see Billy go missing. In the present day, we see Rose as an unmarried single woman. Her parents are dead and she is basically on her own. The the discovery turns her life upside down.
I found this book to be good not great. It wasn't a page turner for me. One plus is that I thought I had the identity of the killer figured out. I was WRONG! There is a twist but one that failed to really WOW me. It seemed to come from left field and in all honestly, I think I would have liked the killer to have been someone else.
Overall, good not great. I would still continue reading books by this Author in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to them!
Wow, what a creepy, chilling story! I was absolutely gripped by Rose, a character that had so much to overcome and seemed such a lonely soul, yet was incredibly strong and together when it came to solving the puzzle of what had happened many years before!
I’ve been reading a lot of thrillers lately that deal with obsession and manipulation.
K.L. Slater’s latest thriller Mistake shows the control one man has over a naive girl, who believes she’s found her true love. How blind we all can be when our emotions take over. How easily we put aside the warnings when our head is screaming NO! Only to follow what our heart wants. Sadly, more often than not, with painful consequences that effect our lives and relationships for years to come.
When Rose is only 18 she meets such a man. A very charming older man Gareth, who begins sweeping her off her feet. Ignoring her inner voice and friends warnings, she is soon in over her head, unable to break free.
K.L. Slater’s portrayal of Gareth is both repulsive and frightening. I felt sickened at his manipulation of Rose as she became more entangled in his web. So frighteningly real. It actually gave me chills. I found myself wanting to warn Rose! But, as with any young woman in love, they need to find out the truth themselves...even if it’s the hard way.
An extremely fast read that was difficult to put down. There are many layers to this story which kept me glued to the pages. As with any great thriller, plenty of twists to keep me satisfied! I certainly recommend!
A traveling sister read with Brenda, Norma and Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and K.L. Slater for a copy to review in exchange for an honest review.
For this review and our full traveling sister review please visit Brenda and Norma's Fantastic Traveling Sister Book Blog http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com
I read The Mistake with three of my Traveling Sisters and we really enjoyed reading this one together and discussing “The Mistake”.
The Mistake is a chilling and unsettling story of manipulation, obsession, and control that sent chills through us yet we were unable to put the book down until we reached the satisfying ending. The story also created a feeling of dread for us as it also revolves around the disappearance of a little boy. Even though I find this type of storyline to be very unsettling we felt K.L. Slater added just the right amount of dread without causing any unsettling feelings.
K.L. Slater does a good job creating a realistic, naive and flawed character here with our main character Rose and creating a very scary and unsettling situation for her with her relationship with Gareth. We could feel the control he had over her making us a little uncomfortable but giving us just the right amount of uneasiness to make this story an intriguing nail-biting experience.
Rose’s story is told through the past and present and we learn of “The Mistake” she made and the guilt she carries. We could feel the weight of guilt and the loss that she carried allowing us to question “The Mistake” for ourselves. We recommend this with caution as some readers could find it upsetting.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture, and K.L. SLATER for the opportunity to read a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
All of our Traveling Sisters Reviews can be found on our sister blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
THE MISTAKE by K.L. SLATER is a chilling, tense, gripping, and an angst-driven psychological thriller novel that had some exciting twists and turns that was absolutely unputdownable. I really like these types of stories that have an impending sense of dread in the background and has me so fearful for the main character. I had a constant uneasy feeling while I was reading this one.
K.L. SLATER delivers a well-done and thought-out story here with short chapters to make this a quick and easy read. The story is told from Rose’s point of view in the present day and from what happened sixteen years ago. I really enjoyed Rose’s character, she was flawed and quirky. Some of the issues that the book addresses were sad and emotional to read at times but I think the author handled these issues very well.
To sum it all up it was an enjoyable, exciting, fast-paced, and an entertaining read with a satisfying and surprising ending. I don’t think this story was at all predictable. Would highly recommend!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture, and K.L. SLATER for the opportunity to read a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
4 Stars.
Addictive, Creepy and utterly Consuming.
Rose’s past isn’t a pretty one. It has haunted her for the last sixteen years. When he was just eight-years old, her little brother Billy went missing. Days later he was found dead. Billy was everything to her. And she has never forgiven herself for his death. After all these years, the only person she has been able to trust is her friend and neighbor Ronnie. When he falls ill, she is beside herself – for he is all he has left. In preparing for his return home, she decides to clean his house and she finds something of Billy’s - something that makes her question everything.
Sixteen years earlier, before Billy went missing, Rose began dating a man named Gareth. He was much older than she was. He was handsome, and seemed oh so sophisticated. He liked that she was sweet, fresh and unsoiled. When Gareth began dictating what Rose did with her time and who she was friends with, she thought he wanted the best for her, being young and naïve, Rose didn’t realize what it meant and how it would change the course of her life -until it was too late.
This a book you invest in. Full throttle. Rose is a character you just want to fix - she reminds you of someone you know. KL Slater knows how to hook you. And how to make you care about characters, love or hate.
In KL Slater’s “The Mistake” the creep factor sets in something fierce. The hair on the back of your next stands up almost immediately and it stays like that for the entirety of the novel. The author knows how to make you feel uneasy like no one else out there. My stomach was in constant knots – I admit that I had a hard time reading this one - it affected me for personal reasons, and I will leave it at that. Even when you think you have things figured out, you don’t, “The Mistake” is just that good. This is a fast-paced, easy read that was simply unputdownable.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and KL Slater for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter and Facebook on 11.6.17.
Rose regrets the day she met Gareth Farnham sixteen years ago. Her first boyfriend, he weasled his way into her life gradually controlling every aspect of her life. She had no idea that he would totally destroy her hopes and dreams, her family and best friend, leaving her a fearful, lonely woman. She has always blamed herself for all that happened, but now sixteen years later she discovers something that totally changes everything she believed happened all those years ago.
This was such a good slow burning psychological thriller with great characters. Ms Slater has created a monster in Gareth Farnham and a nervous browbeaten woman in Rose. I loved the ending of the book where Rose gets the chance to take back control of her life.
Rose has never recovered from losing her 8-year old brother Billy sixteen years previously. She is convinced after all this time that a loved and trusted neighbour is somehow involved.
I dived straight into this book as I have been absolutely hooked on all of the K L Slater books that I have previously read. This book was just as gripping and kept me absolutely hooked. Yet another really great read. I'm so glad that I found this author about a year ago.
I would highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this talented writer.
My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy.
The Mistake
A thought provoking title I thought when I started reading this and I soon discovered a thought provoking story inside too.
Just what do you know about men when you are younger? What experience do you have apart from being around boys in school, any brothers you have and your Father/family male members?
Which ones do you trust, all of them? None of them or some of them? So how do you know that any potential boyfriend is going to turn out to be good or bad. Its a danger we all can fall into.
Gooey eyed Rose. smitten for the very first time by a man much older than herself, he wasn't a good choice for anyone.
Rose learns the hard way that he is not to be trusted, but its taken her some time and some loses along the way, including her best friendship with Cassie.
Casssie warns her to stay away, she can see that hes manipulative and controlling, but Rose loves him, she can't see it.
Rose is bereft of her parents, she lost her brother who went missing whilst she had taken him out to fly his kite, she blames herself.
We have the chance where the author takes us readers back in time so that we can pick up the pieces of what not only happened to Rose in her life but the events that her boyfriend Gareth evolved with her little brother and how scared and worried he became.
I wondered if Gareth was part of the reason that Billy went missing, then there was terrible thing that happened to her friend Cassie.
The author takes us back and forth in alternating chapters leaving us gasping for more.
I became eager for the answers to my questions, desperate to know more about Gareth, angry at Rose to wake up and see what was happening around her.
But Rose was used to leading a quiet life. With her cat, working in a library and has some issues of her own.
Rose visits her elderly neighbour on a regular basis, but one time she discovers her brothers red blanket in his house unexpectedly.
When I thought I had it nailed, it then turned another corner with a revelation of her neighbours secrets. Boy oh boy.
So many suspects.
So many loose ends.
K L Slater is one of my top 10 writers that I eagerly await her next book. I love her style, I admire the way her mind works and I love how to can make 'ordinary' into 'extraordinary'.
My sincere thanks to this author for keeping me up at night whilst I just read 'one more chapter' and to Bookoutour on Net Galley for my copy.
Rose lives her life in turmoil. She has never gotten over the death of her little brother Billy sixteen years ago. She’d been out with Billy, flying his kite when he went missing never to return home alive.
She trusts no one, except her neighbour Ronnie, until a chance discovery questions her trust in him too.
This book is really very good, at times I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to shake some sense into the young, vulnerable Rose and my heart broke for present-day Rose.
Decisions made can have far-reaching, long-lasting consequences.
I do like KL Slater. Loved all the characters with the exception of one. Sad who dunnit. Glad it was a happyish ending. Great book would have taken little or no time to read with more time in my hands. It's a must read.
I loved this book. It was fast paced from the first page but it had many twists in the plot to keep you guessing right up until the end. I read it in one sitting. A real page turner. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and KL Slater for a copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.
Sixteen years ago Roses little brother Billy went missing. Two days later he's found murdered. For a variety of reasons she feels responsible and has never recovered enough to lead anywhere near a normal life. She exists but doesn't live. She trusts very few people, but one person she feels she can trust is her elderly next door neighbour Ronnie. But one day he's taken ill and whilst he's in hospital Rose tries to help by tidying his home, which has obviously become too much for him. What she finds throws her into flux. She thought she knew what had happened to her brother but her discovery casts doubt on everything. All she knows for sure is she is in danger...
K.L. Slater is back. Yeah baby! I'm so happy I've come over all Austin Powers. As usual there's not much that can be said that won't be a massive spoiler. But what can be said is this is less about Billys murder and more about the lead up and the fallout. Any book that involves the death of a child can be tough to read but it's not used as the focus of the story which can sometimes be distressing and often downright distasteful. Here it's treated with respect but at a distance. This is more about Rose and her descent from a normal teenage girl to a thirty something emotional wreck. It's tense and dark and of course completely impossible to put down.
About 30 pages in the book hooked me. Slow-ish start to a phenomenal read. Characters were well thought out and the storyline was interesting. Would definitely recommend.
I have read a number of this authors books. I enjoyed this book but it wasn't as gripping as her other books for me.
I felt that the characyers just weren't as animated as I was hoping for
Beginning of the appear to be great mystery..beginning is good and author has succeed in keeping readers in suspension .it really feels chill to the bone.. but at the end it wasn't great mystery at all . i wish there were more mystery and twist in this book . Some more emotions from heroine ..thanks for the Netgalley for giving me this copy .