3.5 stars - As a parent, this book was very hard to read. My heart shattered for Susan (the main character)!! The cover is absolutely brilliant, and fits the book perfectly. I think the only thing that could be improved upon would be an explanation on how Susan forgave her mother's voicemail.

The whole 'travelling to the execution' was stressful!! (Why didn't Susan have an emergency credit card or something?)

All in all, a good read, I think the book was the perfect length!

This is very difficult material for any reader, but that being said this is an engrossing book. A bit of a slow start but then it takes off very powerfully. Any book that gives vivid descriptions of child abuse and certainly murder will present obstacles for many readers but especially parents.

I was not expecting The Necklace to be anything that it was. A mother’s worst nightmare comes true when her daughter is murdered and her killer is sentenced to death. 20 years go by and the mother wants to drive across the US to see the killer get justice. Only is he really the killer? So many questions left unsolved. She thought he was all those years but now starts to question his innocence. This was a very fast reading story and it did have a lot of hard issues to read but I just kept going as I wanted to see how it was going to end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of the book is a good one: a grieving mother is on her way to see her child's murderer executed, but then finds reason to doubt that the right man is being put to death. Unfortunately, the reader is given only one other possible suspect and the outcome seems obvious from the beginning. The writing was good and there are some genuine twists at the end that did surprise me but the ultimate truth seemed telegraphed almost from the beginning.

Despite the story being somewhat predictable, I appreciated that the central character of this book was genuinely broke--hard working but with real money problems affecting everything she does. It made me realize how seldom novels portray genuine working-class poverty. So while I might have given this book a 3.5, I rounded up for the honest portrayal of money issues-- and for the hilarity of the grieving mother's mother. A good easy read.

This book really hit me hard, but in such a good way. I loved the way the passage of time was shown between when the incident happened and present day. It was heart wrenching but the writing made me feel like I was sitting beside Susan in her car, on the bus and at her house. I felt what she felt. The agony of losing a child to rape and murder and feeling like you need the vengance and closure. I sped through this book, could not put it down. I loved that this book was written because of hearing a similar story in the news. There was so much detail and information that went into this story, it was incredible. This will definately be a book that I will recommend!

An emotive thriller that grabbed my attention from the get-go. Susan and Danny are happy with their seven-year-old daughter Amy and life is good. That is until Amy goes missing and is later discovered murdered. Whern the suspect is found and the killer confesses, the trial and verdict seals the Monster's fate. But the ordeal is not over for Susan and Danny as grief takes its toll after their tragic loss and their lives slowly start to fall apart. Fast forward twenty years and Susan is on her way to see the killer's execution but on her journey she stumbles upon an adventure and discovers something that could mean the Monster is in fact innocent. Fast paced and emotive this story flits between the past and present and will keep you on high alert as you start to doubt who really killed Amy all those years ago. Some great characters Including Susan, Lenora, Kyra and Agent Pappas. Exciting that this book has been optioned for film—with Leonardo DiCaprio attached as producer. Fingers crossed.

It was a great book, once I finished it. It was a hard read at times because of what happened to little Amy. However, the writing was so well done, story developed perfectly and the characters came to life so well that I finished it and was very happy with the outcome. I liked Susan as a mother, her relationship with her mother and Susan's relationship with her husband before, during and after Amy's death. I got to know the characters well and did not see that twist coming. A great read.

There are trigger warnings for rape, execution, loss of a loved one, abuse and mental illness.

This one started off slow for me, I was worried it would be a did not finish, but, I am glad I persevered! It turned out worth it and solid!
A woman plans to travel to NY to witness the execution of the man who killed her daughter years ago. We alternate between the year of Amy's death, and present time. While she travels she encounters people and situations that make her second guess the guilt of the killer and what transpires is well developed and intense. If you start this one and it feels laggy, don't give up! Good read!

I went into this not knowing a lot about it. .I liked the title and I also like mysteries/thrillers.

Chapter One starts 20 years earlier when Amy was seven year old and her mom Susan went to the bead store looking for just the right beads for a necklace. This was an aww for me as I, too, loved bead stores; always careful with my money so it took a long time to pick out ‘just the right beads’!

Story is centered on Susan Lentigo who is a waitress in a small town in upstate New York. Her seven year old daughter Amy had been raped and murdered twenty years ago and the man who did it is ready to be executed. Susan decides to drive to North Dakota to witness his execution. However, on her trip to ND, Susan discovered something that makes her believe the real killer is still out there and she is on quest to find who did it.
I was certainly on her side hoping to catch who really did it.

This story is named the Necklace” as Amy loved the necklace she made. She said she was never going to take it off. However, when she is found, she is not wearing the necklace. It does show up later or at least it is one that looks like it.

This was not an enjoyable read. It is without a doubt any mother’s worst nightmare.
I had such a hard time with the subject and I do not like f-bombs and other profanity. I do understand Susan’s anguish and being so upset. I get being so furious and exhausted and want a powerful emotion so expletives. But to me so much profanity is used as filler as was in this case and so much just wasn’t all that necessary.

I did like the Epilogue. Additionally, I like reading the ‘Author’s Note’ and Matt Witten’s inspiration for this story. It is actually based on two real life stories. The characters were also inspired by real-life people.

Want to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for this early release granted to me for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 21, 2021

CW: Child abuse, Death row/execution
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Publication date: September 21, 2021
Review date: March 29, 2021

Susan is on her way to North Dakota to watch the man who raped and murdered her seven year old daughter, 20 years ago, get executed. On her way there, she has many misgivings that all lead her to have to face her past head-on. Her adventure causes her to start to look at her past differently and, while doing so, she starts to have doubts on whether "the Monster", the man everyone was sure committed the crime, is actually guilty. Susan goes on her own investigation to figure out, who actually committed this horrendous crime.

I picked this book up because of the cover. The cover for some reason caught my attention and led me to read the synopsis. This book was so intriguing! I love murder mystery type books/tv shows and as I was reading this book, I felt like I was actually watching one of my favorite type of cop shows like CSI, Law and Order, Rizzoli and Isles, Blue Bloods. Funny enough, I come to read up on the author and he in fact has written TV shows like Law and Order, House, CSI etc! The story came alive and I would love to be able to watch this as a movie or a tv series episode. Unlike these other shows, however, the investigation didn’t come from the cops or the FBI. It came from the victim's mom. There was so much more raw emotion because of this. Susan was such a strong protagonist. She was resilient, determined, and did everything she could to bring justice and the truth to light. Matt Witten also included some problems with the justice system - things like long interrogations and the effects on suspects.

The book started off a little slow, especially since, if you have read the synopsis you kind of already know what's going to happen. However, when the book took off, it really took off. I could not put the book down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. I kept going back thinking I must be wrong about something at some point because the author really makes you question what you think is going to happen and then takes it back and then you sit there like… so what is going on?!

My favorite part of the book and what caused the book to go from a 4 star rating to a 4.5 star was the Author's Note at the very end. I don't usually read those, but something told me to do so… and I am so glad I did! The author mentions in the note that he based the storyline on two real life stories of women. One was about a woman trying to make enough money, just like Susan, to be able to attend the execution of the man who murdered her daughter. The second was about a woman who was determined to find if a convicted man was actually guilty for his crime. Combined, the Necklace was born!

It was a great and intriguing book! My main reasons for not making this a 5 star was:
1. The little slow start
2. I wish we understood a bit more of why the guilty person actually did such a horrendous crime. I had quite a few questions once we figured out who did it.
3. The subject matter was sometimes a little heavy

Overall, I absolutely recommend this book and hope you will add this book to your TBR!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this electronic review copy!

Twenty years ago Susan’s six year old daughter was taken and killed.
Now the man who was found guilty of this crime is awaiting execution.
As Susan travels to the prison to witness him being executed she relives the events of that terrible day and begins to have doubts about who actually killed her child.
A story that has twists and turns and some good characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A truly interesting mix of characters revolving around a child's murder and the aftermath. Characters are well developed, and definitely flawed - to the point of making some really stupid decisions that have serious consequences and left me wondering who would actually do that - but it all flowed along for a quick read with a satisfying conclusion.

This is a thriller set amidst family tragedy and grief. The book follows the mom, Susan, as she struggles to deal with her daughter's death and her murder's execution.

Not for me. Too slow of a start. Too many unbelievable situations. It did pick up in the middle though. It could just be me as many other reviewers loved it.

My first time reading this author. I just want to say that about midway is when it starts to really get nail biting Truly enjoyed.

I highly recommend this book. I literally could not read fast enough. Everything this Genre should be and more!!
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the thrill of reading early.

Matt Witten is a former writer for Law & Order, and this book has the feeling of a screenplay.

Despite starting off a bit slow, the pace quickly picks up. It was quite the page turner, and I couldn’t stop reading because I wanted to find out what happened next. The story alternates between timelines – when the murder happened, and the present day. I normally don’t enjoy stories with alternating time lines, but this story was so well-written that I didn’t mind it in this case.

Thank you to NetGalley, Oceanview publishing, and Matt Witten for the opportunity to review this ARC. This review and all opinions are my own.

A really gripping read. I will say the first few chapters were a little slow and hard to get into, but after that it really picks up pace. The setting and the characters were all equally captivating and fascinating. At times this dead get too dark for me, and it got a little heavy but all in all a very suspenseful read.

I had a very difficult time reading through this one. It did not seem to hold my attention. I don't feel comfortable rating this one since I didn't really absorb much of it, but I will leave this at a three star rating.

Enjoyed it, but found it fraught with coincidences and discoveries that were just too wildly improbable to satisfy me as a thriller.

Bus happens to drive through the town where someone lives. Young girl happens to be willing to help. Lady who helps her at the restaurant happens to be someone relevant. Plus the titular necklace.

However, I did like it, therefore the 3.