Susan's daughter Amy was raped and murdered twenty years ago and now the killer is about to be executed. Or is he? Susan never doubted the identity of the villain but she was so consumed with guilt and grief and then her life fell into pieces. Her husband Danny, Amy's dad, has remarried and is now a success while she's a waitress who need to crowdfund from the community for the drive to the execution. A series of disasters- a robbery, a broken down car and so on- lead to the revelation that something isn't right. Can she convince the FBI to reopen the case in time? Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It's a well paced thriller with a good protagonist in Susan. I felt for her in so many ways.

This is a new author for me which I enjoyed and look forward to seeing what is next for him. This is a well written story about getting justice for the condemned and the victim. I enjoyed how the authors use of details took the twists and turns to a new level. The characters pulled me into their story from the beginning and kept me engaged throughout. They brought the story to life on each page. This is a fast paced story that is full of action and I had a hard time putting it down. Will justice be found or will it be too late for the innocent and another girl falls victim? I really enjoyed this book and what the characters brought to the story. The growth was great throughout. I highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens next.

An emotional rollercoaster! Susan Lentigo's daughter Amy was brutally murdered twenty years ago. Susan now finds herself penniless and making her way 1500 miles to witness the execution of her daughter's killer, but why is she doubting his confession? I found myself willingly being dragged through all of the emotions felt by the main character, and frequently doubting my own judgement alongside her. I liked the flashbacks of memories from when her daughter was alive and it made the story believable and relatable. The writing style meant I became completely absorbed into the characters and storyline. Thoroughly enjoyable despite the uncomfortable subject matter. Highly recommend!

Twenty years ago Susan Lentigo's seven-year-old daughter, Amy, was raped and murdered. Her marriage didn't survive the death of her only child and she just barely made it through with her sanity. Since then Susan has lived a quiet life in her small hometown.

Now, all these years later, the appeals process has run its course and the monster who killed her baby is due to be executed. Her family and friends hold a fundraiser to get together enough money for her to travel across country to witness the execution. On that trip she suffers obstacles real and imagined and begins to seriously question the guilt of the accused murderer as well as her own sanity.

This is a good, slow building page-turner that flashes back and forth from the present day to events that occurred twenty years ago. The publishers blurb is mildly misleading; the main crux of the story is about the cathartic road trip that leads Susan Lentigo from Upstate New York to North Dakota and brings about the closure that has eluded her for twenty years. The vast majority of it is Susan reasoning through her feelings of doubts, guilt, and suspicion. There are twists, turns, mystery and suspense but it's not what would generally be categorized as a thriller/suspense/mystery. It's more nuanced than that, more character driven.

Obviously, given the subject matter, there is some content that sensitive readers might find objectionable -- but for the most part it's not graphic except for some strong language (F-bombs).

I would say if your interest is mainly for mystery or suspense then you might be disappointed. If you want something with more emotion, a more personal story, then you might enjoy this one.

The Necklace is a fast paced race to find a killer...and save a man from death row.

The synopsis of this one sounded so good, that I had to give it a try. I am happy to say that I found this one to be very well plotted out and fast paced. I was very investing in finding out if Amy's real murderer would be caught, after 20 years no less!

I did have a few issues however. The writing in this one could use a little finesse. It felt like a story being told by just anyone, not necessarily a writer. Some phrases lacked sophistication as well as the word choices (ie: "stuff" and "crap" were a few of the words that stuck out to me). The characters also felt a little one dimensional at times.

But with that being said, I also quickly found that I couldn't put this one down. So what does that mean? It means that this is a thriller meant for entertainment, a binge read! Fast, fun and full of mystery and action, The Necklace might not be a book that stays with you, but you will enjoy reading it!

I received a free digital copy of The Necklace from the publisher.

Here's the thing--I did not expect this book to be really good.

A courageous heroine who after twenty years set on a journey from upstate New York to North Dakota to witness the death sentence of the man who killed her daughter some twenty years ago. However, on the journey, she finds a circumstantial evidence that seemed that the man who supposedly raped and murdered her daughter and who is behind the bars might be innocent and her daughter's real killer might be still out. But none of them, the FBI agents and even her own mother wouldn't believe her thinking she was still being emotional and delusional. But Susan is determined to prevent this innocent man from getting the death sentence and put the real man who is responsible behind the bars.

To me, this was somewhat an emotional read. Susan Lentigo seems to be a favorable and courageous character who would do anything to her daughter and so the character grew into me. The story is written in time span--from Present Day when Susan sets the journey to North Dakota to twenty yers ago that led her daughter Amy being murdered. The writing was flawless and engaging and the author did a good job drawing the reader to the story. I was so hooked into the book that I stayed up all night reading this book! The fact that the story is written in a realistic way that these things could happen in real life, where an innocent man could be sentenced to jail is too shocking and emotional to me. I heard this book might be made into a movie so looking forward for the movie as well.

Overall, this book is a heartbreaking, emotional read and quite unputdownable. Worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This was a great thriller that details the murder of Susan's daughter, Amy when she is very young. Alternating between past and present, Witten reveals the fact that the accused killer is on death row 20 years later and is set to be executed. Susan wants to be there; she's lost everything, her daughter, her husband, often her sanity...so she's determined to move beyond and put the past behind her. Her journey is arduous as she must travel by bus to North Dakota with little money; fortunately she finds "friends" along the way that help her discover the truth. This is a tightly-woven story that will keep you guessing until the end! I raced through it!

This was a well written story with great pace and a string female lead. I could not put this boom down and it really picked up the 2nd half.

I will be honest this was a hard book for me to read due to the traffic nature of the murder that took place and the offensive language the main character used. I fully understand this was to really grasp the rage she felt but it just threw me off.

Thoroughly enjoyable read. It was fast-paced with plenty of turns and twists, leaving the reader wondering right to the end what the outcome would be. You were drawn into one scenario then another, each one more believable than the last.

Susan Lentigo’s daughter was murdered twenty years ago—and now, at long last, this small-town waitress sets out on a road trip all the way from Upstate New York to North Dakota to witness the killer’s execution.

On her journey she discovers shocking new evidence that leads her to suspect the condemned man is innocent—and the real killer is still free. Even worse, her prime suspect has a young daughter who’s at terrible risk. With no money and no time to spare, Susan sets out to uncover the truth before an innocent man gets executed and another little girl is killed.

But the FBI refuses to reopen the case. They—and Susan’s own mother—believe she’s just having an emotional breakdown. Reaching deep, Susan finds an inner strength she never knew she had. With the help of two unlikely allies—a cynical, defiant teenage girl and the retired cop who made the original arrest—Susan battles the FBI to put the real killer behind bars. Will she win justice for the condemned man—and her daughter—at last?



My Thoughts:

A story that sweeps back and forth between the past and the present, The Necklace kept me turning those pages, unsure of how it would all unfold.

Susan was a character I felt connected to since her love of her lost daughter and her uncertainty about events she is only now remembering kept my heart pounding as I turned to the very last page. And the final reveal was one I had been hoping for all along. 5 stars.

***My e-ARC came from the publisher via NetGalley

Susan is trying to get to North Dakota from New York to witness the execution of the man found guilty of murdering her 7-year-old daughter 20 years prior. She has a myriad of issues besiege her road trip along the way, including thoughts of whether the wrong man has been sentenced to death and who could have really done it. I thought this premise was pretty interesting, including the need to fundraise to get to the execution. This aspect of the story really brought to light how much Amy's death took over Susan's world, to her detriment.

This one didn't work too well for me. Overall, it had a predictable ending, too slow of a build, and too, too many roadblocks for Susan to overcome to get to ND. It wasn't clear to me for more than 3/4 of the book why the murderer was in prison in ND and not in NY, so that upset the balance of the premise of the book. Also for about 95% of the book, Susan was a wishy-washy, unconfident woman, dragged down by the horrors of Amy's death. Then at the 11th hour, she all of a sudden becomes this fierce almost madwoman, taking a 180-degree turn from her entire life; why all of a sudden? It was obvious to me that one of the potential killers was going to be a red herring, so that left only one other option unless something random was going to be brought in out of the blue.

This is a compelling domestic thriller, set in upstate New York. The primary character, Susan, lost her 7-year old daughter to murder almost 20 years earlier, and Susan traveling to North Dakota to witness the execution of her daughter’s killer. This is a very good read - recommended!

This fast-paced novel keeps the reader interested from the beginning! The form of two time periods is irritating at times because you want to know more right now! The plot is divided between 20 years ago when Susan's daughter was abducted and the present when Susan is headed to the execution of the killer. Things, as usual, don't go as planned!!

I struggled a lot with this book. The Necklace has a great premise, but that was one of the few things that I enjoyed about this book. The pacing is good and so is the atmosphere. The author does a fantastic job setting up the plot. However, the characters felt flat. I also couldn't find any of the characters to be very compelling. The dialogue also felt stilted and awkward at times. I really wanted to like the book, but I ended up wanting a lot more from this book.

I would like to thank Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an ARC.

I have very mixed feelings about THE NECKLACE. There is no denying that Matt Witten has done a superb job of writing a most disturbing novel. This book, if read by families of young victims, will undoubtedly cause much distress. There are times when I feel extreme sympathy for Susan Lentigo, the victim's mother, and times where I find her behavior untenable. She is definitely an enigma both thought provoking and terrifying.

This is undeniably a page-turner that you will find difficult to find a good place to pause for such mundane things as sleeping or eating. It is a compelling story of the abusive murder of a seven year old girl, the subsequent capture of her killer, and his sentence of death. You might expect it to be a treatise on the death penalty. It is not. It is, at times, descriptively graphic and purposefully horrifying.

The book is without a doubt a 5-star read; the subject matter is not. Based on a true case with fictional embellishments, it is horror that has happened… more than once.

Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end.

3.75 stars. I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I must say that it was totally unexpected which I mean in a good way.

This book started slow for me but after a couple of chapters I couldn't put it down. It was quite gripping and I was engaged till the end. Although towards the end, it again started to slow down but I loved how everything came together.

I found the characters to be interesting and the plot was fantastic. I wasn't connected to the characters much but Lenora irritated me many times in the story. I was happy that she didn't have much role in the book.

Although the reader could guess from the very beginning who the actual killer is, it was fun to read how everything unfolded.

There are some triggering topics of child abuse, death of a minor, miscarriage and mental health so beware before diving into the book.

It was more towards the fiction side with some mystery/thriller elements in my opinion, as it dealt with human emotions.

I loved reading this book and I would highly recommend it.

The Necklace is a fast-paced thriller that you won’t be able to put down. The story is told from the point of view of Susan, a woman whose seven-year-old daughter was brutally murdered twenty years ago. We get two timelines--one set twenty years ago, when the horrible crime occurred. The second timeline is present day, when the man put behind bars for killing her child is just days away from being executed. Susan has scrounged up just enough money to travel to the execution. This is the day that she’s waited for for twenty years. She should be ecstatic. She should be happy to finally be getting the closure she craves. But a simple piece of evidence sends her reeling. Is it possible that the man who’s being executed in mere days is not guilty?

This story is incredibly fast paced. I could easily tell that the author is ordinarily a writer for TV. The writing style is very direct--with little flowery language or description to bog down the prose. I’m a fast reader, but I can say that any other reader would also be compelled to finish this in one sitting. The novel reads a little like a James Patterson novel--you can’t help but think “One more chapter!” and before you know it, you’re at the climax of the book and there’s no way you’re stopping now.

This book deals with some very dark and dreary subject matter, but it isn’t a dark and dreary book. Fortunately, because of the writing style, we don’t get caught up too much in Susan’s thoughts. This could easily be a heavy and depressing read, because what’s more depressing than following a heroine whose daughter was brutally killed, her husband left her, and she hasn’t been able to move on in twenty years? Despite all this, Susan has a sense of direction. At first, Susan is focused on getting to the execution. Then, she’s pinpointed all her energy on finding the truth. There isn’t much time for introspection and dark existential musings, and I was happy about that. There’s a hopeful note that lingers throughout the narrative, which is a unique approach to an original storyline. 

The book is called “The Necklace”, because Susan had made a beaded necklace with her daughter just days before her murder. The necklace was never found. This simple piece of jewellery plays a key part of the plot. This book has quite a few twists, one or two of them had me gasp almost comically. 

I recommend this book to those looking for a fast-paced thriller that they can devour in an evening.

As an attorney and spouse of a criminal defense attorney, the beginning of this book wasn't very realistic. Granted, this is fiction so you aren't anticipating something exactly true to life. I found the beginning of the book to be slow and the entirety predictable.

If you are looking for a book that will push you out of your comfort zone, a book that will haunt you and take you on a heartbreaking journey, through a whirlwind of emotions that will slowly tear pieces from your soul, then you should not miss this riveting, page-flipping thriller.
Twenty years of the horrible nightmare, one second they are enjoying their time together, the next one she has lost her baby forever... Twenty years spent in unbearable pain, and powerless to continue, twenty years, but the end is almost here, ....... The man who murdered her seven-year-old daughter will be put to death... But what will happen when Susan sees something that offers a completely different light on things? What if the convict is innocent and someone else enjoys freedom? What is the right answer to everything?
This book contains all the elements of an extraordinary thriller: a really solid story, with a very strong female lead character, well-written plot, and a great pace, with perfectly woven elements of family drama and dysfunctional relationships, as well as the corrupt criminal justice systems. Admittedly, there are a few incidents outside the realm of possibility, but still, this is an exceptional read that will not let you sleep until you read the last page.

Twenty years ago Susan Lentigos daughter Amy was raped and murdered. Twenty years later Susan is heading to North Dakota to witness the execution of her killer Curtis Jansen. But on her journey she starts to doubt her original instincts.
This book was a slow burner, the first part of the story was almost repetitive, which buses she needed and how hungry she was. But by the middle of the book I was really starting to enjoy it. Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review