I think I may just not like this guys writing of women characters. I’m going to just put it out there. Susan, while I felt badly for her because of what she'd gone through, is also a nasty, unlikable person so I struggled with her character and a lot of what was happening in this story seemed far fetched or too convenient perhaps.

Then there’s the part where Susan has clearly been living under a rock for the past 20 years. You mean she hasn’t heard of body wash before? How? She's never purchased soap before and run across it in the process? There seemed to be a lot of this type of thing, Susan was clearly out of the loop in regards to many things. It just rang unbelievable to me which ultimately took away from might have been a decent story.

I love that the story alternates between the present and the past. It keeps you engaged throughout the story as you learn tidbits from each timeline to help you piece together what happened. I liked the cover before I read this book and I absolutely love it now that I have finished the book. The cover becomes much more sinister once you know the whole story. I thought the a-ha moment that Susan had was written really well. You can see Susan making the connections and putting the pieces together. Looking forward to reading more of Matt's books in the future.

After her daughter Amy's murder, Susan demanded the death penalty and vowed she would be there to see Amy get justice. Now twenty years later, it's time. Using money gathered from friends and family, Susan sets off, but shortly after her car breaks down. Riding several busses between New York and North Dakota. a truth is revealed that makes her start to think maybe they convicted the wrong man. She finds unlikely help with a teenage girl and the policeman that originally worked her daughter's case to try to save an innocent man and bring the true killer to justice.
Although the plot is a bit predictable and the MC is honestly quite unlikable, I thought the story was fast paced and kept me interested.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is one of my favorites that I was lucky enough to get from netgalley. I love true crime and emotional subjects and this hits hard. A 7 year old that is murdered, a mother who fights to put the killer behind bars and sentenced to death and years later discovered he may be innocent and the real killer may still be out there. As a mother, it's a nightmare to imagine but this was so well written and amazingly done, it felt real.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.
Very good plot that keeps you hooked throughout even though the story is heartbreaking. Well written and a good ending which seems hard to come by lately. Definitely recommend

Great book I am a huge fan of mystery thrillers. I kept wanting to read this book to see how it ends.

Wow! This novel was truly an outstanding read. I loved how fast-paced it was and that we got a strong female character. I loved how well written it was and there was truly not a dull moment in this book. I was fully consumed from start to finish!⁣
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I loved the mother’s resilience in this novel and that she was fully determined to do whatever she had to, to seek justice for her child. This novel is an intense read that will have you literally at the edge of your seats. There are some gruesome parts but they’re not too bad. ⁣
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Overall, you guys need to check this book out when it releases. Because it’s truly an amazing read and I would wholeheartedly recommend. The Necklace is now my third favorite read of the year and I look forward to having a physical copy of this one!

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book intrigued me from the first page. I enjoyed the unfolding of the story through the two different time lines and thought it was well done. Thank you NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This plot was well executed. I like how the suspense built toward to climax but I did find that parts dragged a little. Overall, I did enjoy this book quite a bit.

Great quick read. It captured my attention and I’m glad I was able to read it. Thank you for the ARC.

Really enjoyed the build up in this book but found the ending rather insipid, not very well explained and left open. Promised a lot and i really enjoyed it but fell flat at the last hurdle. The main character was about to see the final curtain fall on her daughters killer but not everything was as it seemed and the book takes another avenue down which a very familiar face may have been the downfall of her child

There aren't many thrillers that I can pinpoint the ending, but this was one of them. It was well written. Kudos to the author for a well thought out plot. I really enjoyed the story! The book was very engaging.

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.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good mystery/thriller. Great weekend read.

Susan Lentigo’s 7-year-old daughter Amy was raped and murdered twenty years ago. Now the monster responsible is going to be executed at a penitentiary in North Dakota, and Susan plans to witness the much-deserved execution of the man she thinks of as the Monster. And yet, something feels off.

Her friends raise funds to enable her to make the road trip to Dakota. But her car breaks down, and her money is stolen. She has to take a series of buses, sleeping at bus stops and washing up in diner bathrooms. Her struggle without money, being temporarily homeless, is hard, but the desperate mother rallies on, determined to make it to the execution.

About 20 years ago, the death of her daughter broke her family, as husband Danny divorced her and re-married and is now living with his wife, son and daughter in a distant town. But Susan is still holding on to her rage and grief, unable to forgive or forget, hoping the execution will bring closure.

But then she discovers a clue that shows that the wrong man may be killed in the execution, while the real killer gets away scot-free, if she doesn’t succeed in convincing the police to re-open the investigation. Her own daughter is lost to her, but maybe she can save another little girl from a horrible fate, and save the man she has called the Monster.

But are her suspicions right? Or is her grief-ridden mind making another mistake?

The book is written in the 3rd person limited past tense PoV of Susan. Alternate chapters are presented in the Then and Now timelines. The Then narrative is related to the disappearance of Amy, the investigation and the trial, while the present narrative takes us along with Susan on her difficult journey to North Dakota. Once the Monster is sentenced and her marriage breaks down, the narrative remains focused on the present day.

The Necklace of the title refers to a necklace that Susan and Amy had strung together, one that Amy vowed never to take off. Made with colourful plastic dolphin, duck and unicorn beads, the necklace was never recovered, and the police believed that the killer had retained it as a souvenir.

The basic premise of this novel is horrifying for any parent.

I liked the fact that Susan got by on sheer pluck and persistence, despite being hampered by lack of money and zero tech skills, buoyed along by the goodness of strangers. The extreme cold in the North and the long distance she has to traverse to reach her destination are other challenges that confront this single mother. This road trip gone sour is described well.

For a long time, the Monster isn’t given a name and we’re left puzzling over his identity. We first hear his name at the 36% mark, when Susan first becomes aware of him.

There’s a race-against-time element about the finish which comes at the 96% mark, just when the book is about to run out of breath.

I thought the book could have done without the romance. Susan’s life was so filled with turmoil at this time, the romance felt intrusive. For a mother who’s so focused on justice and doing the right thing, taking time off for love seems uncharacteristic. I thought the hint of the romance should have been saved for the Epilogue.

Also, the book started way too early. I almost lost interest at the beginning. It should have started with the crime and the information about the stringing of the necklace should have been presented later in a flashback, rather than opening the book with it.

We never get to know why the perpetrator did what he did. There’s no closure on that, and this feels like an important piece missing. Also, I would have liked a little more information on the Monster in prison.

The author names way too many characters in the first chapter, that have no place in the narrative. Amy’s friends, Kate, Sherry and Sandy, are mentioned by name when they have do nothing but chug beer in the first chapter.

Trigger warning: Rape and murder of children.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. This book is about a woman whose daughter is brutally murdered, and she now gets to see the killer receive justice. But is it really the person they thought it was all these years that killed Amy? I was not expecting the ending at all, and was definitely in shock! 4/5 ⭐️’s.

What I like about this story is that it's about what happens after the investigation is over and the case has been solved- or so it seems. Witten does a great job showing the emotional toll a case like this has on a family, and the agony Susan feels when she realizes that the wrong person may be behind bars. There were a few weak points that either needed clarification or change, but otherwise this was an engaging read

I had difficulty getting through this one.

Had asked to read it based on the publicity comment that it is 'fans of Karin Slaughter and Harlan Coben'.

The imagination is certainly there but it needs much more editing and is in no way comparable to those authors.

*my apologies for being so late with this review. I had some unexpected bumps in the road that I needed to take care of

📖My Thoughts📖

Have you ever picked up a book and the second you started reading it, the rest of the world just ceased to exist? That’s exactly how I felt when I picked this book up. This was a very gripping, fast paced, twisted story. I felt so anxious waiting in anticipation to see how the story unfolded. I really truly felt like I was a part of this story. Matt Witten is very talented to say the least. This book takes you on one hell of a ride, so make sure you don’t have any plans when you sit down to read it because you won’t want to stop until you finish. Part of me didn’t even want the book to end, but at the same time, I don’t think I could have handled the suspense any longer! This is an absolute must read in my book! If you enjoy psychological thrillers and crime stories, this is a must have!
Thank you Netgalley, Matt Witten and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️