Susan Lentigo's daughter was murdered 20 years ago and now the time has come for Susan to travel to the execution of the murderer. Susan is broke and so friends and family host a fundraiser for Susan to be able to afford the trip. Her husband left her shortly after the murderer was caught, but she feels compelled to let him know about the execution. Susan decides to take the trip by bus and gives herself plenty of time to get there.

During the trip she has many misadventures, including the stop to inform her husband about the execution. She meets many interesting people as well.. Sometime during her trip she comes across something that makes her have serious doubts that the man whose execution she is attending. She starts to suspect someone else. She has to prove it before an innocent man is executed. But how? She is not sure where to start, but Susan is a smart and resourceful woman.

This was an awesome book, and even though you know pretty early on who the suspect is, the suspense in proving it keeps you reading long in to the night! Highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of The Necklace by Matt Witten in exchange for my honest review.

Amy was brutally murdered and a man convicted and sentenced to die. Amys' mother Susan on her way to witness the execution and get justice for her child. Except, Susan isn't certain the correct person has been convicted.
When the case won't be reopened Susan decides to take matters into her own hand and find out the truth and get the justice for Amy.

This book kept me on the hook to see how it was going to end and who the killer was. Written at a fast pace and left many possibilities open as to which way the story would go.

Enjoyed the ride and would read more by this author

The Necklace by Matt Witten read like a movie script. There were a lot of visual descriptions that made you feel like you were there with Susan Lentigo. Susan is on a voyage to attend the execution of the man that raped and killed her daughter Amy 20 years ago. The story has you on the ride with Susan from upstate NY to North Dakota. On the way, she suffers a lot of misfortune. However, this journey has Susan reliving the whole ordeal and has her second guessing if the man that was accused is actually the man who did this horrendous crime.
I enjoyed the book. In the beginning it was pretty slow. Susan was put into a lot of unrealistic scenarios but strangely enough it works and reads like a movie i.e it would never happen in real life. I don't want to spoil the plot! Read it!

Thank you #Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read #thenecklace by #MattWitten

What a heartbreaking story of a young girls murder and her mother’s quest for justice. A necklace that was never found and and a convicted killers recanted confession. This mystery novel pulled out all the stops, kept me guessing until the final pages. So entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley for this highly entertaining arc

The Necklace took me on a rollercoaster ride. I enjoyed how it had flashbacks between the past and present and we got a true sense of what Susan and her family were like in the past and we can see how Amy's murder affected her. I was invested in Susan's journey to reach North Dakota and witness the execution of her daughter's killer. When he meets Danny and sees Amy's necklace on Emily-I was shocked. I did not see this twist coming at all. Right along with Susan, I began to doubt that the real murderer was behind bars. I wanted to see justice and Susan prove that Danny was the true killer. The only thing I wish was in the epilogue was more information about Danny. Was the necklace enough to convict him? Did he end up in jail? Did he confess? I felt there wasn't enough closure with Danny being the true murderer.

This is a good story, with a very strong female lead character, is well written and has great pace. There are a few weak areas in the plot – else it would have been just great.

Susan plans to attend the execution of the man convicted of assaulting & murdering her seven-year-old daughter Amy, 20 years back. She just about makes ends meet as a waitress but is helped by friends who raise funds for her travel to North Dakota & expenses. Amy was Susan & Danny’s only daughter, and the loss is devastating. Susan tries counselling, and yet struggles to move on. This takes a toll on their marriage as well, as also straining Susan’s relationship with her mom for a time.

Susan leaves for North Dakota, but her car breaks down in the early part of her trip. She has to later take several buses to make the trip, and most of the money she had is stolen. At one of the stops, Susan chances upon some material which makes her think that just maybe the man convicted of her daughter’s murder may not be the real culprit. She receives help from a young girl in school - Kyra (a character who features briefly but adds strength to the story) who supports her in pursuing her hunch. As she reaches North Dakota, Susan speaks to the FBI agent (now retired) who oversaw the investigation many years back and who has also come over for the execution, which is just hours away.

This is a very interesting story and keeps you hooked. Susan’s determination despite all odds makes for powerful reading. The author mentions in a note at the end of the book of two real stories which form the primary themes of the book – a woman short of money set to make a trip to see the execution of the person who murdered her daughter, and another story of a women’s pursuit to find the real culprit. This story also brings alive the issues which exist in the law enforcement and justice systems the world over, and the crying need for reform. The main issue is a weakness in the plot – what arouses Susan’s suspicion and the events in the last few pages. Nevertheless, a book I very much recommend – it is a very engrossing read.

This was a bit of a miss for me. The storyline wasn't bad, but the dialogue and the main character's inner monologue were just hard to believe. A lot of the conversations and her own thoughts felt generic and definitely didn't sound like the words of a woman. Also, the big reveal at the end was sort of revealed halfway through the book, so it wasn't really that exciting or satisfying. I think it could be improved and be a really good story, but as is, it wasn't quite what I expect from a good thriller.

The Necklace by Matt Witten. Oceanview Publishing, 2021

The Necklace tells the story of every mother’s worst nightmare. Susan, working an extra shift, learns that her seven-year-old daughter Amy has been missing for four hours; no one picked Amy up after school. The story begins with a very short chapter 1, Susan and Amy selecting beads for a necklace, then in the next chapter, shifts ahead twenty years to a fundraiser to cover Susan’s expenses to drive across country to the convicted killer’s execution, then continues to flash back and forth. The book had me hooked from page 1.

The writing is excellent, the plot suspenseful, the characters credible. I don’t know anyone like Susan, who in her mid fifties had barely left her hometown in nearly thirty years, then sets out across country with a maxed-out credit card in an old car puffing black exhaust. At several points I wondered if the story really needed her journey to be so incredibly difficult, and wished her life not so bleak and hopeless. This wasn’t a distraction from my enjoyment and engagement though. I read the book in over several hours, I literally could not put it down.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Necklace free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #TheNecklace #NetGalley

Wow, I found this book incredible. It was an easy read with well thought out characters. It also dove deep into depravity. I was horrified and had to keep reading to find out how it ended. I was shocked at some of the brutal details in this book but it definitely gave it an edge. Horrifying, suspenseful, twist and turny with an ending that will shock you.
As a parent this book put my worst fears into actual words, it was crazy to read a story about the deepest darkest worries parents have.

The day of the execution arrives for the man who murdered Susan Lentigo’s daughter Amy twenty years ago. She prepares to go to the execution site in North Dakota to witness his death. Her journey is tiring and stressful as her car suddenly stops working, she relies on public transport and along the way her money gets stolen and she is forced to rely on the assistance of others to get to her destination.

During her trip, she decides to pay her ex-husband Danny a visit because he seems unenthusiastic about the event that is about to unfold. She discovers that he does not want to be reminded about the past and will not be attending. Susan is not happy with his explanation, but on her way out his office she noticed a picture of his new family and something catches her attention. She observes that his daughter Emily, is wearing a similar necklace to the one Amy made.

After seeing the necklace on his daughter, herself, she began to speculate and question the events of the past. She begins to wonder if the man in the execution ring is really the killer. She relies on the help of a young lady Kyra and the retired officer Robert Pappas who assisted in the case twenty years ago.

Susan’s character suffers greatly, she is depressed in the early stages of the story because of the death of her child. She does not understand how her husband is not affected by the loss of his daughter, but he still shows compassion and comfort towards her until the point where he has had enough and decides to leave. Twenty years later, she is still affected but is not in the state of depression and wants justice to be served. She continues to believe that her daughter’s killer has been caught and is ready to witness his execution, but her doubts have her wondering how she could not have notice all the signs before. She does everything in her power to try to convince the FBI, that they have the wrong guy and to postpone the execution.

Matt Witten’s novel was exciting and an eye opener, the world is still facing murders of young children especially girls in which innocent people are trial for these murders because the authorities assume the evidence brought against these persons are enough to convict them for the murders. I was really moved by the motivation and inspiration behind this novel. I was saddened when I found out who the murderer was in the story, but this is a fact. In most instances, the killer is always someone close to you.

This mystery/thriller novel is highly recommended and tells the story of what is at present in the world today. The Necklace was intriguing and inspiring; the character Susan Lentigo was a determined and strong held individual. The impact of losing her child opened her eyes to the truth that she could not have seen in the past and she was not going to back down no matter what.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars; it was a compelling story, and I was moved and touched while reading it. This was an exceptional story and Matt Witten piqued my interest in reading more of his stories.

Thank you Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for the eARC.
What a great read this book is! The story is of an Upstate New York mother devastated by the murder and rape of her 7-year old daughter, who, 20 years later, is on her way to attend the execution of the supposed murderer. The determination and tenacity of this middle-aged woman is heartbreaking; despite serious setbacks, she stubbornly continues her way across the country. The obstacles she overcomes are unbelievable!
We follow the events surrounding the murder 20 years ago, then fast forward to today as she makes her way to the execution site.
Wonderful; this book will stay with you for days. I loved it!

I received this book free from Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, loved the cover and. I love how it tied in to the story. This story had super dark subject matter (TRIGGER WARNING**- child abuse, sexual abuse, murder), but I did enjoy the story. It hits a person right in the feels that’s for sure. It had a twist but not the twistiest twist I’ve ever read lol.
I would recommend it to fans of murder mystery books.

To me the book started out too slow before it really got interesting but once it did I couldn't put it down. There is nothing like a woman's strength and how much she can cope with. It turned out to be a page turner and worth the read.

It’s a bit of a tear jerking mix between past and present. Hard to put down. The writing style reminds me of The Butler

Get ready to be blown away! This is a five-star story that provides an emotional rollercoaster ride. Thank you to Matt Witten for recommending that I read this book – you were right – I LOVED IT!
The Necklace tells the story of a woman’s strength and determination for justice after the murder of her seven-year-old daughter. This harsh tale will break your heart, and leave you feeling Susan’s pain, anger, and sadness.
Matt Witten took a heart-breaking story and turned it into a book that left you feeling admiration for his leading lady. From the very first page you form a bond with Susan and Amy and page after page you experience Susan’s emotions with her. His writing wraps you tightly into the story and makes it impossible to put this book down. I got so lost in this book, I forgot to make my family dinner – I completely lost track of time while I was reading this.
When Susan’s daughter disappears, only to be found raped and murdered Susan wants justice. She wants the man responsible caught and punished for what he did. When the guilty man is brought to justice, Susan is left waiting twenty years for his execution. An event she will not miss for anything. As the day draws near, Susan makes a few discoveries that leave her wondering if the right man is about the be put to death. Twenty years down the line, she takes it upon herself to get at the truth and ensure the right man is being punished.
The Necklace is every mother’s worst nightmare. Reading this book left me with tears in my eyes as I run through every emotion with Susan. Her fear, loss, grief and finally anger was brilliantly written by the author. You find yourself right there with the characters, deeply engrossed in the story.
The character’s in this book are realistic and easily likeable. You spend most of your time with Susan, she is an everyday mother, who makes mistakes and has her flaws, but you never doubt her commitment to her daughter. Susan’s mother, Lenora – stole my heart. She reminded me of my mother – always meaning well but somehow managing to mess things up. I just loved her.
This was a terrible story; it explored the reality of my fears about something happening to my daughters. Yet, I could not put this book down – while I had my suspicions of where the story was headed, I had to keep reading, not believing that I was right. I loved every minute of this book – the ending while a little predictable still left me shocked. Could that really be the truth?
Crime fiction enthusiasts will love this book. It is a harsh, gripping story told from the victim’s mother’s perspective leaving you overflowing with emotion and unable to put the book down.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough – please get yourself a copy – you will not be disappointed; Matt Witten created a true masterpiece with this story. I am sure you will hear a lot about this book between now and publication day in September.

Thanks NetGalley for providing this book for a review.
What would you do if a man murdered and raped your child , he was caught and put on trial, given the death penalty? Would you want to see him put to death ? Well that’s what this book is about . You get hung up in the journey Lenora takes to witness the execution of her daughter’s death . This man brutally killed and raped her daughter Amy ,and Lenora and her husband Danny are left with the aftermath. Lives change but Lenora has never been able to move on , but she feels that she can move on after the death of this killer . I felt the author put us on a journey that at some times seems predictable, but sty exciting.

This was a gut wrenching book that grabbed me from page 1.
The depths a mother will go for her child is portrayed in this book you can definitely feel the mother’s pain and anguish.
I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
A definite must read.
Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced ebook copy.

The Necklace by Matt Witten #twelfthbookof2021 #arc Thank you to #NetGalley and #OceanviewPublishing for the advance reader copy. (Pub date 9/7/21)
**Content warning: child murder, rape, execution
This book covers hard topics, but the premise drew me in immediately. Told in two time periods, present day as Susan is traveling to witness the execution of her daughter’s murderer, and twenty years ago, as the murder occurs, both narratives were immediately fascinating to me. And then Susan begins to have doubts about whether the killer is actually guilty, and decides to investigate. There are a few moments you have to suspend disbelief, which I won’t mention due to spoilers, but overall, although the subject matter is really difficult, I enjoyed the book. #thenecklace

This was the first book I read by Matt Wilson and this was really gripping book . I will definitely be reading more of his books. I could not read this book quick a enough. The story is about Susan daughter who was raped and murder and her mum wants justice for her death.
Thank you NetGalley and Matt Wilson.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is a gripping thriller, following a mother's journey as she travels to the execution of her daughter's killer. I found myself drawn into the story and really hoping that Susan would find closure. There were a few spots in the middle where the book was kind of slow for me, and I had a pretty good idea of how it would end, but it was really well-written and I cared about the characters.

A warning - I almost DNF this book at the beginning because the original crime involved a 7-year old girl and I found it very hard to read.