Strangely, and entirely not by design (it’s certainly not a subject I’d necessarily seek out), The Rumour is the second book I’ve read very recently which concerns a child who killed a child - the other being The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts. They’re very different books, though.

When estate agent Joanna - recently returned to the small seaside town of Flinstead with her young son - hears a rumour that the notorious Sally McGowan, who was convicted in the 1960s of killing a five year old boy when she herself was just ten years old, is living locally under a false identity, she has no intention of spreading it. But somehow, that’s exactly what happens. And as the rumour mill goes into overdrive, things soon spiral way out of control, leaving Joanna wishing she’d never said a word.

The Rumour is a well constructed thriller with largely believable characters and situations - it’s easy to see how Joanna, keen to fit into new social groups for the sake of her son Alfie - is drawn into spreading damaging gossip which leads to some very unintended consequences. While I won’t claim to have guessed where the story was going, the reveal when it came didn’t feel that surprising and I should perhaps have been more shocked than I was.

A good read with an intriguing premise and some convincingly drawn characters.

More chick lit than high octane thriller but a clever concept and absorbing storyline about secrets, lies, rumours and family

The Rumour had me hooked from page 1. It’s one of those books that draw you in and keeps you guessing to the end. Well written and with pace that gathers momentum. I would give this book 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK Transworld publishers and the author for the chance to review.

An excellent debut novel. So many twists and turns. I thought I had guessed the ending but I was wrong!

WOW. When I first started reading this I thought the story was a bit slow and choppy. As other reviewers have said “it didn’t seem to flow”. When I got around half way through I found I couldn’t put it down. At the beginning I guessed the identity of Sappy McGowan but as the book wore on I thought I was convinced about who it was and it wasn’t who i suspected in the beginning. At the end where you find out the truth it’s heartbreaking but that final paragraph of the book! My jaw dropped. A fantastic read

Ohhh my I want to tell everyone to read this totally addictive, fantastic book it’s hard to believe it’s a debut as it was just outstanding. Right from the beginning the story draws you in with the rumour that a reformed child killer may be living under a new identity in the small town of Flinstead and of course paranoia, gossip and suspicions are rife and I have to say not only in the book but in my head also as I found myself suspecting everyone !!
There are many twists in the book and the ending is superb but it’s also a book that makes you think ..what if !!
So to conclude it’s a psychological thriller at its very best and going to be a book that everyone will be talking about ..I could gush about this book for hours so best to say just read it because it’s brilliant!!
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A rumour goes around a small seaside town that a child killer - who was a child herself - is living in their town, under a new name and protected by the law. Everyone is curious and wondering who it could possibly be. A shopkeeper who keeps to herself and has the same initials as the murderer is victimised. The rumour mill is working overtime. Is there any truth in the rumour? Women look at other women suspiciously at the book club and the babysitting group.

A magnificent book, well told, it keeps you guessing until the end.

What a brilliant debut novel. Filled with more than enough tension, red herrings and twists to keep me up way past my bedtime!

Wow, what a book! I can’t believe that this is a debut novel as the writing and plot are both very accomplished.
I was riveted by this book from the first page and the twist at the end took me by surprise. A fab psychological thriller that I would strongly recommend.

A great debut novel and a warning what spreading rumours can cause. It was a riveting storyline which kept me enthralled from the beginning to the last page. Plenty of twists and turns and second guessing. Would definitely read another book by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

This is an all-consuming book, which I put down halfway through thinking it was going to be too dark for bedtime reading. In actual fact, it’s only the crescendo at the end that’s dark, the rest is an intriguing play on rumours and who can you trust...

Clever but not taxing it shows you how rumours can gather speed and generate all sorts of outcomes.

4.5* It’s an impressive debut that’s well worth a read.

This is a gripping psychological thriller with an interesting premise. The story starts with one person’s off-handed comment about the possibility of a child killer living in their village, a child killer with a new identity and under police protection. This soon becomes a village-wide rumour as more and more tongues begin wagging. People feel paranoid and begin to look at each other with suspicion, wondering who it might be.

This a great debut novel which I loved. It is skillfully written, has a credible plot and is full of twists and turns. It is also a cautionary tale highlighting the damage that rumours and gossip can cause. I will definitely be looking out for Lesley Kara’s next novel.

The Rumour by Lesley Kara is released after Christmas this year but I couldn't wait any longer to read it after seeing such fantastic reviews for it from my book friends. Happy to report that I could not agree with them more.. this book is fantastic! It had me dying to know how it was going to end... and oh my goodness the ending had me completely shocked!! No spoilers but what the!!!

Joanna has moved back to small beach town Flinstead with her son Alfie to be closer to her mother. They are bothe struggling to make friends so when she hears a rumour at the school gates she casually mentions it to one of the other mums and it spreads like wildfire. Rumour has it that a child killer lives amongst them under a new identity. But who could it be, and are they all safe. It shows just how dangerous words can be. Wonderful writing this debut novel will have you wanting more.

Thanks to Random House, Transworld Publishing Bantam Press and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.. all opinions are my own and are in no way biased. I look forward to seeing what this author does next

Great book that had me hooked immediately. It was a real guessing game with a few red herrings throughout and a great twist at the end. A great debut from an author I’ll read more of.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion..

OMG that twist in the end! I thought this was a very solid debut. I'd definitely read from this author again.
I think the idea behind was very good, more original than many mystery/thrillers I read this year.
We're in a small and secure town. A rumour starts that a woman who killed a child when she was 10, is living there. And things keep rolling as people get more paranoid, accusing and nervous.
Kara is very good at keeping you on your toes until the last reveal. It was a slow start I think, but it keeps getting more interesting. I thought the end was glorious. It was surprising and emotional.
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for access in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, had me hook, line and sinker from page one, it was full of twists and turns and red herrings too and I was desperate to know who the killer of little Robbie was!!!

So little Robbie is killed in a seaside town years ago, Kara moves back here from London for a break from the fast lane with her young child, she starts to gossip at the school gates, one sentence starts a rumour that grows and takes on its own form, everyone suspecting every one of been the murderer.

Kara shows in the book just how easy a rumour is spread along with the devastating effect it has on not just the person the rumour is about but the whole community in general, it was a seriously good book and one that's a must-read for 2018!!

Wow what a fabulous debut book, it had me completely hooked and I couldn't put it down. Really unusual story line and great characters I shall look forward to more books by this author. The pace of the book was great and it kept me guessing all the way through, I will be recommending this book to friends.

Well, this was something a little different for me and, by different, I actually mean brilliant. I had no idea where on earth we were going for the first part of the book but... oh my... once we got there, I was gobsmacked!
Let me go back to the past for a minute. There was this child killing. And by that I mean that the killer and victim were both children. But, on that day, both these people lost their lives. The victim for obvious reasons, but also the killer. After years of incarceration, she was released with a new identity, having had to forsake all she had known, all her family, her entire past. Added into the mix is the fact that she will have to live her life looking over her shoulder, desperate to hold onto the anonymity that the courts bestowed upon her which is the only thing holding back the hatred the populous has for what she did.
Until one day there's a rumour. Speculation. Maybe, just maybe someone has figured it out. That someone tells someone, and they also spill. Someone says it to a group of people and, before long, fingers are pointing every which way and innocent people are getting caught up in the rumour. But Joanna only mentioned it cos it gave her a bit of attention in a world she is desperate to be a part of. Attention that looks very much like jumping up and biting her in the proverbial as the truth of the matter slowly starts to come out.
Oh my! Parts of this book really did make me squirm. Along with Joanna to be honest, as she very soon begins to regret fanning the flames of this particular fire. It really made me reevaluate the things I might have spread or encouraged, and the voracity of them. It really got a bit intense at times for certain of the characters along the way. Careful what you wish for is a very apt phrase for what happens next. Something I for one didn't really see coming. It's all about "could". This person could be living in the town, they could be this person, they could be that person. Until it practically becomes a witch hunt and the whole thing gets a bit out of hand.
Characterisation was excellent throughout. To be honest, it had to be as there are quite a few of them. But they were all very well crafted and played their parts to perfection. One of the things I found interesting in the book was the fact that most people have at least one secret, mostly nothing much to do with anyone else, but when there's a big secret threatening to be exposed, even if it has nothing to do with them, it's interesting to see how everyone turns to protecting their own secrets. Fear of fallout I guess. But a great exercise in psychological behaviour nonetheless.
And that ending, both the reveal part of the book and the very end. Again, Oh My! The former caught me napping and I read completely rapt as all was explained, and the latter, well, no spoilers here but OMG!
As if that wasn't shocking enough, after reading the acknowledgements I find that this is apparently this author's first novel. Well blow me down... I figured that I might have a back catalogue of equally well written books to add to my tbr. I'll just have to be patient and wait and see what she serves up for her next course.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Rumour has an intriguing premise rumour has it that Sally McGowan a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in the sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea. one casual remark, one whispered confidence that’s all it takes and rumours spread like wild fire in the small insular town. As the reader you feel like you are one of the towns people living there, amid the rumours and the speculation, which immediately makes you wary of every character you are introduced to, which adds a high level of tension to the read. Lesley Kara misdirects the reader at every possible turn, which was personally the reason I enjoyed this novel so much, I do love to be outwitted by an author.

There’s something really disconcerting about this book I think it’s because you feel uncomfortable being part of the rumours, you make assumptions and very much like the paranoid people of the town you find yourself putting each character under the microscope, looking for that clue will uncover infamous Sally McGowan. The sense of disgust and outrage from the towns people is evident, and it seems more because this was a murder committed by a child.


As with many rumours, once whispered they take on a life of there own and things quickly began to escalate. Joanna tries to shy away from the gossip but she finds her self drawn into it, and on occasion, she’s even responsible for it. Joanne comes to realise she may have opened a can of worms, whilst placing her son in danger. The author highlights the damage rumours and gossip can inflict on innocent individuals, but she also explores the privacy of someone in witness protection, and the feelings and emotions of someone hiding in plain sight. There’s an intensity within The Rumours pages, it doesn’t come from a fast plot or dramatic scenes it comes from “the not knowing” the constant shifting of suspicion from one character to another.

The Rumour made for an intense and unfortunately far to credible read, it’s one that will cause wide debate amongst it readers, I found myself contemplating the rights and wrongs of this complex story and whether some who commits murder as a young ages deserves anonymity. I’m really excited by Lesley Kara’s writing and considering this is her debut she has written an outstanding psychological thriller, that should stand proud on the book shelf next to the more established authors of this genre. In case you haven’t already guessed I will definitely be recommending this novel to anyone who love a psychological thriller that really does keep you guessing to the end.

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog

This is an intriguing book. It starts out on a basis that every person can understand - the rumour that a paedophile has moved to the area. To make matters worse, the main character unwittingly finds herself amplifying those rumours. Potential vigilante action happens against some of the possible candidates, as the rumours shift and change shape. There is a totally epic ending, that accelerates the reader at warp-speed to the conclusion. Everyone's worst nightmare - not that, not what you're thinking - it's worse. Far worse. The very worse you can't even imagine.