Really loved this book. The writing was absolutely stunning. It also kept my attention the entire way through, never once was I bored reading this book. I could not put it down and read the entire thing in just under a day!

The story was absolutely stunning as well. A mother's love for their daughter should never be doubted. And wow. The fact that she went out of her way to prove that man was innocent was just so great.

One of those books that you can't put down, From start to finish you fell the mothers pain, and the horror that every parent fears. You just never know who to trust, but sometimes your gut feeling is the correct one.

Really interesting to find out that the author was inspired by a real life case. The author note is just as interesting as the novel (nearly) and so it was good to read that at the end and see how he had been inspired to write this story.
It's one where you have to put yourself in the shoes of the woman who has lost her daughter. Driving all that way to see a man die sounds awful but if it were your daughter? If you were seeking justice and closure for something so evil?

It had the feel of Fargo and The Life of David Gale. Intriguing and a good paced thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
Wow. This is an excellent, emotional, gripping book. Going in I wasn't sure but from the first page it had me hooked. I read this book in a few sittings.
Firstly the characters were really vivid. The main cast was quite small so the main characters I felt like I really understood and seeing the way grief and fear affected her felt realistic. Outside of the main cast there were quite a few minor characters, even they didn't feel like objects simply to progress the plot, though, they felt like real people.
Speaking of characters, I LOVE a rag-tag team coming together to solve a mystery and The Necklace absolutely had this. I loved both Robert and Kyra.
Part of what I wasn't sure about going in was the travel aspect but I misjudged. The risk, the vulnerability, the adventure and the unpredictability in the travel were all essential to this story and I really enjoyed it.
This may have been the highest stakes I've ever read and that's saying something. I won't spoil but the stakes are really raised at the end and it's a race against time. I was quite literally on the edge of my seat, biting my nails. That whole chapter (if you've read it you know the bit I'm talking about) I don't think I blinked once.
I enjoyed the discussion surrounding the death penalty, obviously it's a very difficult topic and everyone is pretty set in their opinions but it was interesting both to see it from the perspective of a victim and to see her opinion falter over time.
There was one element I thought was a little weaker, though. I loved the necklace and the part that it played in the story, I also liked how much rode on it - it raised the stakes - however for how strong that element was some others felt much weaker. I could understand why the main character was having doubts and the necklace in the story was so clever but some other parts, for example the resurfacing memories seemed a little heavy-handed - don't get me wrong, I think it's absolutely realistic that given the circumstances you might start to doubt yourself and what you believed to be true and your own memories, it just felt heavy-handed and like it was being spelt out to readers a bit too much. This wasn't a massive issue though, especially because the necklace element was so strong and was way more significant in the mystery anyway.
Nonetheless this was a first-rate thriller/mystery - I will definitely be reading from this author again.
4.5⭐

3.5/5. I don't exactly know if this book is exactly amazing, but it's an absolutely page turner. Once I started it, I couldn't take it down. The main character is a woman still trying to cope with the death of her daughter, specially when he starts having doubts about wether the man charged of her murder is actually the true murderer, and it follows her journey. It's really easy to get into the story, and the plot is easy to follow. I wouldn't exactly say the ending was surprising for me, but still i enjoyed this overall and I liked it. However, I think the ending was a bitt abrupt and everything happened too fast.

Wow! This was one of those books that I couldn’t shake it long after I finished it and the whole time I was reading it, it felt so real and vivid. The writing is amazing and the author has the power to really bring you into the story and the words on the page actually come to life.
I loved this book. I loved the characters and the emotions they all made me feel.
10 stars! I want to read more by this author.
Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my free arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was hard to put down and I read it all in one sitting. I liked the characters and the story structure worked well for this book. And I was kept in suspense until the end.

I'm sorry but as my English is not as good as my Spanish, I will write on this language.
Thriller muy entretenido y con un argumento realmente original.
El comienzo ya es impactante. Susan Lentigo va a Dakota del Norte para asistir a la ejecución del hombre que violó y asesinó a su hija Amy, de siete años, hace 20. Como no tiene demasiados recursos, sus amigos organizan un concierto para recaudar fondos para el viaje.
En este trayecto, además de pasar las de Caín, en un momento dado se da cuenta de que podría estar en un error, y que el condenado no fuera realmente el asesino de su hija. Y comienza un "tour de force" para descubrir la verdad, salvar a un inocente de la inyección letal y hacer que condenen al auténtico culpable.
Como digo, muy entretenida.

I received a free ARC of The Necklace from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Necklace was a fast read for a snowy and cold Maine afternoon and it managed to mostly entertain until the end. Throughout the book I kept thinking that something was off with the plot but I couldn't quite pinpoint the problem. Some plot elements were repetitive and some characters were more caricatures than rounded individuals. But the last few chapters were so unrealistic that they sullied the entire novel. Having victims' family members stroll past other prisoners' cells on Death Row? Ebullient victim advocate whose thoughtless comments add to family's pain? These really awful plot elements weaken the story.

The murder of a child as portrayed through the anguish of her mother presents a high emotional point. Little Amy was kidnapped, raped and murdered with her supposed murderer quickly captured, tried, and convicted. Decades pass before his scheduled execution and in those long years mother Susan has existed but not really lived. Incapable of really moving on, now divorced Susan still lives in the same New York house with her daughter's bedroom a time capsule to what was. Only the scheduled execution of her daughter's murderer in distant North Dakota gets her motivated to move, to be a witness to his death. Her journey there alternates between grimy road trip and weary nausea. Her bus ride gives her extended time to think and remember, especially her ex-husband. When the bus journey takes her through his new home town, Susan exits the bus in order to inform him about the execution. And her doubts really settle in about the guilt of the man awaiting execution in North Dakota.

Witten does a great job presenting Susan - a woman whose life stopped decades earlier yet she still gets out of bed every morning. Other characters like her mother and ex-husband are less appealing not because of their character flaws but because of their flat, singular personas.
#NetGalley #TheNecklace

An amazing book. I had never heard of the author before so this was a step into new territory. Susan the mother to a daughter found murdered 20 years ago is taking a trip to see the man found guilty and condemned to death due to her request for the death penalty. Susan, heads out on her 1,000 mile trip to watch the execution with a clapped out car and money raised by her community to pay for her trip. What a journey and what a finale. The ending is brilliant. Great plot and characters. I really enjoyed this book.

Good read. Susan Lentingo is out for justice for her raped and murdered daughter. A slow burn thriller, mystery told in then and now format. On her way to the execution of her daughters murder she starts to have doubts if the right man is being executed. With help from Kyra she’ll begin to unravel the real killer. Thank you @netgalley

Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher through Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5

The Necklace was an incredibly intriguing mystery novel. It pulled me in from the first sentence and I was dying to figure out what happened to the necklace throughout the book! Susan was a fantastic narrator for this book since she never intended to find herself in the position where she doubted the trial conviction years before. The fact that it’s optioned into a movie only adds to the book, as it’s written so descriptively and clearly that I could definitely picture the movie in my mind as I read it. Fantastic, dark read that I will highly recommend when it’s finally available!

I feel weird saying how much I have enjoyed reading this book considering it’s dreadful topic. This book hooked me from the first page and kept me reading even at work until the end. It’s a mother’s worst nightmare to have something tragic happen to their child; It’s not uncommon to wake from nightmares about our children and realize it was just a dream. But this story takes you through the horrible experience of having a young child raped and murdered, going through an investigation and trial, then the aftermath of self doubt and grief, then the reflection one at the precipice of the execution of the one found guilty. It is written beautifully and takes you through this sordid experience in a way that kept me reading and wanting to find out how it ends. On her way to the execution Susan reflects on her daughters murder and her life. She finally starts to bring up old memories that she has hidden from herself and begins to question the events of the murder, the person found guilty and the weight of justice about to be served by death. On her way from her hometown to the prison she goes through a journey of self discovery and starts her own murder investigation. As both her physical journey with its own twists and turns is told in tandem with her history the story comes together on the day of execution where justice is served. What a satisfying ending to such a tragic story!!
I’m going to dry the tears from my eyes and go hug my daughter now.
Thank you to Matt for writing so delicately about this horrid topic and thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I could not put this book down. It was gripping from page one and had a lot of twists and turns. The emotions the characters go through, you feel them all and you constantly need to know what happens next, I read this in just over a day! The way the book went back and forth from present day and 20 years ago was genius and perfectly announced so there was no confusion. I'd love to see this made into a movie!!

When twenty inches of snow keeps you house bound for the weekend, you can either moan and bitch or finish a thriller in one day. I chose to devour "The Necklace."
Susan and Daniel live in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Their world falls apart when their seven year old daughter. Ami is kidnapped, raped and murdered. Twenty years later and long divorced, Susan travels to North Dakota to witness the execution of the man convicted of her daughter's' murder. The trip from New York State to North Dakota is filled with problems and Susan arrives penniless after all of her travel funds are stolen. She also begins to have doubts that the right man is being executed.
This book would make a great film and despite the gruesome subject matter, it was
an exciting read.

This book is full of emotions and you won’t be able to stop thinking about it even after the last page. Ping ponging back and forth with the past and present it focuses on the emotional struggles of a woman who suffered tragedy and is determined for justice. You’ll find yourself staying up late just to finish it! Thankyou NG for the copy!

A mother's worst nightmare; yet the perfect tale of a mothers strength and relentless for her child. The willingness to carry on after a tragedy, the need for rightful justice. A thriller so well written it's believable.

This book was really good from page 1. The story was interesting and drew me in quickly. Susan lost her 7 year old daughter, Amy, twenty years earlier when she was kidnapped, raped and murdered. The man who was convicted is on death row and set to be put to death soon. Susan is determined to be at the execution and her friends have raised the money for her to get there as she has a meager salary as a waitress and has divorced from Amy's father. The book goes back and forth between the present day with Susan on her way to the execution, and the past when Amy disappeared and her body was discovered and all that ensued. The book flows well and there are several twist and revelations that occur as the story progresses. I was interested the entire time and the writing, although pretty basic, was clear and concise. Quick read but definitely a good thriller! Thanks so much to NG for the ARC!!

i really enjoyed this it made me stay up late last night and i was reading at work (please dont tell my boss) because it was good. the author really did a good job showing the heinous crime, showing the mom as straight crazy and being real with loss, death and everything in between. I think more of <spoiler> Danny being a perv </spoiler> would have solidified the story better but i really liked it. I would have loved a WHY the killer did it.. but that's a personal desire. I loved the epilogue and i think i needed the epilogue after this rough story.

Susan is on her way to witness the execution of her daughter’s killer that occurred 20 years ago when she stumbles upon evidence that may point to someone else being the murderer. That’s the premise of The Necklace, a decent, if somewhat improbable thriller that holds your interest. This is a quick moving book, keeps the characters and the fluff to a minimum, and hooks you emotionally from the very first pages. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.