This thriller had my attention from the moment I saw the unsettling cover. I assumed it was a crime involving a child (which was true) and a parent or investigators trying to resolve the situation (also true). This book had so much more to offer!

The story starts with the struggle of a mom, Susan Lentigo, who has lived through the death and rape of her young daughter, and is finally able to confront the man responsible.

The impending execution of the guilty party is coming up, and after raising some funds to travel north, Susan hits the highway on a road trip that will bring her closure after twenty long years.

The premise of this book was simple enough but I was riveted to each chapter. Susan had to overcome so much prior to this journey, however now she has monetary, time, and legal hurdles to overcome before the execution date.

To the very last page I was white-knuckle-reading! Absolutely tense and surprising, this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and is definitely my favorite read so far in 2021.

From its opening scene this book had me in its grip and wouldn't let me go until I had devoured the last page. The lead character is a fifty-five year old woman, who lives in a small struggling town in New York State. The community pitches in to find funds for Susan to head to North Dakota in order to attend the execution of the man who murdered her daughter twenty years before.
But is the man who was convicted all those years ago really guilty of the crime? Certain evidence arises that throws his guilt into question. The pacing of this novel is near on perfect. The characters, are so beautifully rounded and believable, that I know they will continue to stay with me for a very long time. The Necklaces is a fast-paced mystery, and a searing character-driven drama.
Matt Witten has written an absolute cracker of a story, simply superb.

A fabulous Murder story again lots of twisted turns & which reminds us when awful things happen we should always look at those closest to the victim even if we don't like where that path may take us it is often the truest.
The Mother of the murdered victim in this book is emotional , but tough & resilient too no mater what is thrown at her . I think this is a book many will enjoy reading.. #Fb,#GoodReads,#Instagram,#NetGalley,#Amazon.co.uk,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

Who killed 7 year old Amy? The premise of this book caught my eye, but what really sealed the deal was learning it was based off a true story. Yes, this book has several triggering aspects throughout the story, but has a way of keeping you fully engrossed until the very end. I read this book very quickly, as the author did a great job with the storyline & keeping the readers fully engaged up until the last page. This book was an emotional read, as it touches on many difficult subjects.

I will never say no to a thriller but, I won't always recommend them. I will absolutely be telling people to read The Necklace. I got about 40% of the way through it and then I could not read it fast enough.
Amy's necklace is obviously an important part of this story. The whole time reading you will be guessing how it's going to come into play. Where is it? Why is it so important?
The back and forth between past and present day really helped push this story along. I am not one to give full synopses or spoilers in reviews so I will just say if you enjoy murder mystery thrillers that keep you on edge until the very end when justice is served then this one is for you.
Thank you Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a book that’s so good you’ll read it in two days, this is it! The main character pulls you into her pain and won’t let you go. This is an exciting ride!

Blown away! This is absolutely a must read. I could NOT put this book down.

The beginning half of the book is admittedly a slower burn, but the last half picks up and is so fast paced! Your heart will literally be beating outside your chest, You really feel for the main character and Matt Witten does such an incredible job connecting you to her. It's not one of those books with the wild twist at the end, but that doesn't at all take away from the incredible story.

Thank you so much to author Matt Witten & Netgalley for my eARC copy of this book! Highly recommended and cannot wait to share this with my followers when we get closer to the pub date.

A book such as this promises to be intense and uncomfortable, and the book delivers on this. This can be a disturbing read, and is a mix of horror and true crime fiction. The idea of a eerie, multi colored necklace being the only evidence is haunting - and it serves as the central part of our story.

The story of a mother going on a trip to watch an execution is heart wrenching. The author does an excellent job of making you sympathetic to her, emotional, and a eventually paranoid. They do not ignore details as they write, she is a waitress struggling for money and now is without her daughter for years. However, this book is quite predictable and simple. Thankfully it does not lose its effect, there are dramatic ups and downs. This is a book best for someone new to both genre’s to read, it’s overtly simple in plot. The mystery is not too complicated. It’s overall a fun read, but can do with more twists and turns.

I want to sincerely thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to the ARC!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book! The review is my own.

This was a gripping yet disturbing read. I cannot imagine being a mother to a small child who goes missing, with the only clue being a beaded, crafted necklace. Now, add in driving cross country to witness the murderer’s execution to get peace once and for all.

I felt the protagonist’s pain while trying to figure out the culprit, and I actively sympathized when she was out of money for meals, lodging, etc. (although, that situation was glossed over and it seemed like the main character ate only a bowl of Cheerios and 2 burgers, and some nuts and cranberries in a week period , yet she threw away 2 slices of pepperoni pizza while broke and hungry).

Regardless, I enjoyed the book but given the lack of possible suspects, it was relatively easy to figure out the perpetrator.

I can describe this book with one word...intense. It's hard for me to review this book without spoiling anything but it was a heart pounding ride. This was the fastest I've ever read a book to figure out the answers. It's simple. Read it and you won't be disappointed.

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance.

Thank you, Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley for my ARC!

Prefacing the review with: I read A LOT of fiction in this genre, so I might be unreasonably difficult to please.

In this thriller, a small-town waitress decides to be present for the execution of a man who murdered her child a decade ago. While she makes her way to the jail, through a chain of events, she finds out that the murderer might actually be innocent and the killer is actually still out there. It's then a race against time to find proof and convince everyone else before an innocent man is punished.

The premise was solid and I was rooting for the mother to catch a frikkin' break.

The story definitely needs to be shorter, there is too much ado about not much. The misdirection was also ineffective (for me) - I guessed who it was in the first 50 pages, after which it was frustrating. The end was quite abrupt, I'd have liked a little more of a wrap up. Also, some parts of it were impractical, even when offered leeway for creative license.

For me, personally it was a 2/5 but I definitely think that other people would enjoy it. I also see that its been optioned; if done right, this could definitely be a brilliant movie.

3.5/4 stars. This was a rollercoaster of a ride. The first few chapters were a little slow but then it picked up and didn’t stop till the end of the book
Susan was the lead female role and was a great lead character that you can really context with. Trying to figure out who murdered her daughter years ago in the present day in the book. The ride this book takes you on is great. I figured it out quickly but I still really enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy.

As it has been pointed out elsewhere, the beginning of the book is kind of slow. Fortunately, the 2nd and 3rd thirds of it change that, and the narrative develops in higher octane.
Interesting concept, about how our inner voice can be, and in most of the times is, right about the situations we face. And even though the main character questions herself multiple times throughout the story, she ends up believing in this voice and acting accordingly and appropriately..
There are some parts of the book that are much less credible than others, so much so that I found myself repeating “now the author is pushing it!” more than a couple of times .But apart from these, a good plot.
Kudos to the description of the execution process – very detailed and convincing!
All in all a good captivating read.

The Necklace is about a woman whose child was murdered 20 years ago and she is awaiting the execution of the murderer. It was a quick read, flipping between the past and present but a bit disjointed, shifting between 1st and 3rd person, sometimes in the same paragraph.

I would like to say right-off that The Necklace is a good thriller with solid emotional backdrop. The book begins at a small town and just reading through the first 30% of the book, I feel that I have visited the place myself. The author did a splendid job of transporting me there.

The story is about a mother who is trying to find out the real identity of her daughters killer. Though she has believed for many years that it is the man who is facing death sentence for it, she starts doubting his guilt once she finds out a missing piece of the puzzle in an unexpected place. The story follows her struggles while she is trying to do it.

The author has managed to put the reader in the mother's place and empathize her plight. We go through the emotional turmoil she is going through. We feel confused along with her. That is a mark of a well written story.

But the same thing actually reduced the joy I was getting out of the story. I would have preferred for there to have been a bigger mystery, than the almost simplistic way it has been solved. Otherwise, I actually liked the book to some extent. And for this reason I give this book 4 stars.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley for the ARC .

This was an awesome book I had a slew of books this month that were just so boring - I loved this book from start to finish I would love to purchase and add it to my growing collection.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.
When Susan's daughter Amy is murdered as child. Her life and marriage end.
But at least the man who did it is behind bars and facing execution.
Or is the right man behind bars?
The book alternates between the time period around when Amy was murdered to the present as Susan prepares to watch her daughters killer get executed. Susan is the only POV. She faces hardship after hardship during her trek and still keeps going. She's a likable protagonist. Human and realistic.
Her search for the truth is a ride. Not such a wild one. But a adventure.
The last few chapters had me tearing through the pages. Was the person she thought it was REALLY the murderer?
Looking forward to reading whatever this author writes next.

Amy is going n a trip to North Dakota. Specifically, to the prison. There, to witness the murderer of her child (Amy) be put to death. Susan relates this to the bar patrons who are funding her trip. She says that this will put Amy's soul to rest...

Anything more would be a spoiler !

Do not miss this read!

SUPERB!

Many Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for an amazing story.

A missing child, a parents worst nightmare. The search for truth and the heartbreak that follows.

This is such a gripping novel. It puts you right in the shoes of the mother. The pain, the unanswered questions.

This was by far the best thriller I have read in a long time. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. Such a well written story.

4.5 stars. The Necklace is a fast-paced thriller that you won’t be able to put down! Alternating between the details of the crime 20 years ago and then present day as we follow Susan Lentigo as she plans to travel from New York to North Dakota to attend the execution of the man found guilty of the rape and murder of her daughter 20 years ago.

This book was everything you want a thriller to be - gripping, suspenseful, and satisfying. It was a one day read for me, as I just had to know what happened! I recommend this book for thriller fans and I will definitely look for more Matt Witten books in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley, Oceanview Publishing, and Matt Witten for the chance to read and review this advanced reader copy.