This was a dual timeline book with present day and flashbacks to 19 years ago when the main characters were teenagers. A present day death may have links to a death in the past. The police investigators try to solve the current crime as well as looking into the past death. While I did enjoy the story, it did drag a little for me. With lots of possible suspects, I didn’t guess the outcome. Loved the cover art! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

Rumor of Evil by Gary Braver is a gripping psychological thriller that expertly blends crime, suspense, and a touch of the supernatural. The story revolves around a cold case murder that resurfaces when new evidence emerges, challenging the boundaries between rumor, truth, and evil.

Braver’s writing is taut and engaging, with a well-paced plot that keeps the tension high from start to finish. The characters are well-developed, each grappling with their own dark pasts and secrets, which adds layers to the central mystery. As the protagonist digs deeper into the case, the story shifts between moments of intense psychological insight and chilling revelations.

The novel also explores how rumors can shape perceptions of guilt and innocence, and how the past never truly stays buried. With a carefully crafted plot full of twists, Rumor of Evil is a page-turner that will appeal to fans of crime fiction and psychological thrillers. It’s atmospheric and thought-provoking, leaving readers questioning the nature of truth and the shadows lurking in the human mind.

A suicide that wasn't a suicide starts an investigation that spans 19 years prior. Young minds easily influenced by half-truths and myths causes the death of a foreign exchange student. But there is no rest for the wicked and plenty of suspects which causes more killings. A well written crime mystery. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

This was just okay for me. I did not expect this to be a police procedural and found myself struggling to get invested in the characters. Why do we need Detective backstory all the time? I don't need to know about his marriage. I was hoping for more of a magical realism take and that wasn't this but it still wasn't bad. I would suggest it to some readers looking for a police mystery novel.

The plethora of suspects in this murder mystery was wonderful and kept you guessing up until the end.

The book itself had horrific grammatical errors etc which I’m hoping will be fixed.

The story wasn’t at all what I thought it would be and I think the accolade that it is “perfect for Stephen King fans..” is quite a stretch.

Not sure if I will read more from this author in future.

Favorite Quote: “When you’re in grade school, you’re sharing growing-up intensely, so everything is exaggerated including belief that things are forever. Like friendships.”

A really great read with thrilling twists and turns. I never knew what to expect and it kept me Interested until the very end.

Our flawed protagonist, Detective Kirk Lucian, is mentoring his new partner, Mandy Wing. Both have family issues and Lucian is headed for a divorce after he and his wife had lost a child. Fate has him investigating an old case - the death of a teenage exchange student that was thought a suicide, 19 years ago. Now, a hanging (also thought a suicide) happens to a person who, with her friends, had witnessed that first death - a treehouse that was torched with the victim inside. The detectives realize that these old and new deaths could be murders and may be connected.

With careful plotting and logic, author Braver takes us back and forth over the 19 years. His new partner, Wing, is headstrong and lacks finesse, as Lucien tries to teach her, but he too, is puzzled by continuing developments. More murders occur and as a reader you wonder how this will end. I picked wrong several times, and it is the author's skill that prevails at the finish I didn't see coming.

If you are looking for a mystery-police procedural that is gripping and unforgettable, with a plot that will keep you guessing, then Rumor of Evil is for you.

Sadly, this just didn't work for me. I liked the mystery, but it felt like too much attention was paid to the detective's personal life.

Rumor of Evil by Gary Braver is a police procedural that wanders from probable sad suicide to double and triple homicide. There is heart-breaking ignorance-based xenophobia and malicious slander. There are sexual predators. Nearly every character is a potential killer. Then throw in the struggling humanity of police officers and you have a mystery you’ll be glad you read.

Detectives Kirk Lucian and Mandy Wing investigate the apparent suicide of a woman and realize her hanging was staged. This death is connected to the death of Vadima Lubescu, a Romany exchange student accused of witchcraft almost twenty years ago. She died when the treehouse she was sleeping in caught fire. There was a cover-up and the rumor of curses she placed on people prior to her death. Kirk and Mandy investigate the rumors, uncovering more secrets and deaths. Can they determine the true cause of it?

There's the main thread of the murder investigation, and we see chapters from nineteen years before when Vadima arrived. Soon we see the tie between Vadima and the murder victim, but not why; the chapters about Vadima are told from the POV of the host family's daughter Morgan, and the victim had been one of Morgan's best friends. We know that long before the investigators do, but not the importance of it. The hysteria that the teens worked themselves into, as well as the racism against the Romani, was heartbreaking to read. The people were persecuted throughout history, and privileged teens looking up things online and wanting to see a conspiracy to justify their hatred escalated quickly.

Following the investigators, we see as they dig into the victim's life, trying to find suspects and motive. We also see a subplot for Kirk's personal life and grief, a counterpoint to the grief and life of the murdered woman. We dive into the past as well as through the present, leading us closer to the actual culprit. The story really picked up once the police had the connection to Vadima, and they were essentially circling the people who had been present at the time. There were several people who had motive, but only one killer, and the detectives close in and figure out who it is at the end, right after we do. Even Kirk's subplot gets solved by the end of the novel, making it especially satisfying.

This good story kept me engaged and glued to the book. I sensed who did it, but all the twists and turns made the story unpredictable and exciting. It is my first book by this author and it won't be my last.

First- the cover. It grabbed attention and puts the focus on crimes against two women.
This police procedural starts with the investigation of a homicide staged as a suicide. The investigators find clues that lead them to unsolved homicide. They must work both cases to find their killer. As the stories move between the two time lines, it becomes clear that these crimes were connected in too many ways to be ignored. The clues lead to more clues that lead to a twist that's surprising. 5 easy stars for Gary Braver.

At first blush, Rumor of Evil didn’t appeal to me. The cover really didn’t do the novel any justice. But I was more than pleasantly surprised by how good the novel turned out to be.

The novel is a police procedural and the story unfolds over dual timelines and dual points of view. While I’m usually wary of police procedural novels, Rumor of Evil didn’t have all of the acronyms generally found in a lot of police/crime novels. The novel really focused on the plot which contained a number of twists that made for an engaging read. Although the who in the whodunit was pretty predictable, Rumor of Evil was still an enjoyable and suspenseful read.

The characters were somewhat developed and fleshed out. But I got a sense that more could have been done for the main characters and for the secondary narrator to add depth to their personalities.

Overall, I found Rumor of Evil to be an excellent novel worthy of four solid stars. And I look forward to reading more novel from author, Gary Braver.

I received a DRC from Oceanview Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Rumor of Evil by Gary Braver (2023) is a classic police procedural with two crimes in different time periods. Cambridge Detectives investigate the unexpected death of a woman in her backyard. Mandy Wing was a popular pillar of her community and had no known enemies. Then a connection is discovered to a cold case death of an exchange student sleeping in a treehouse that caught fire nineteen years ago. Switching back and forth in the narratives, we learn the circumstances of both women’s deaths and how the past can impact the present. A truly enjoyable crime tale with interesting characters and the impact of rumours that make for a four stars read rating. With thanks to Oceanview Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

I did not care for this one and found some of the themes to be quite problematic.

Overall, I will say that I liked the idea for the story. It opens with the apparent suicide of a woman named Sylvie, which turns into a homicide investigation as it becomes clear that this case is tied to another suicide in Sylvie's past.

The plot twist was not shocking, given the way the characters were written.

The book is told in two timelines. Morgan, one of Sylvie's childhood besties, is hosting Vadima, a Romany girl for the school year. When Morgan and her friends decide that Vadima is a witch, they bully her to the point of an apparent suicide. Nineteen years later, Sylvie is dead because she knows the truth.

My problem came with the fact that the author tried to include a lot of topics that are relevant today, but it didn't work. He did the backflip but didn't stick the landing. Morgan's demeanor towards Vadima from the get-go was bullying. I get that she didn't like her, but it seemed far too juvenile for the age the girls were. There was also blatant racism, with no real resolution. I would have liked to see the girls learn their lesson, but it wasn't entirely addressed, but was present.

There were several plot holes, and weird bits of things in there. At one-point the detective lists all the names connected to Sylvie's death, and he lists Vadima apparently before he finds out about her, but I may have missed something there.

The second detective was a lesbian, whose only personality trait was hating men, which just felt so forced and cliche. Overall, the idea was there, but it felt like the author was trying to jam in as many "relevant" topics as he could, and missed the mark on all of them, making it borderline insulting.

Although perhaps not one of my favourite books of the year, this was still an enjoyable read. I liked the characters and the way they were written made them feel very real and relatable. The mystery of the murder(s) was nicely added to by the spooky aspect and there were many twists and turns before the big reveal.

I really liked the story line surrounding Lulu and wish that the author would have expanded more on that storyline and Lulu's perspective. I found the storyline surrounding Kirk & Olivia's relationship to be boring and unnecessary. I felt that including that storyline in the book really dropped the quality of the book and would have rather seen an expansion of the high school storyline. I believe that expanding on that storyline would have made this a better book and overall a better book.

"Rumor of Evil" by Gary Braver promises to be a gripping and suspenseful thriller that weaves together a mysterious suicide, a brutal murder, and a dark web of secrets. This novel appears to be a riveting exploration of the complexities of human behavior, prejudice, and the consequences of dark rumors.

The story's premise, involving a suicide that turns out to be a staged murder, immediately grabs the reader's attention. The involvement of Detectives Kirk Lucian and Mandy Wing in unraveling the truth adds an element of intrigue and suspense. The fact that the victim was considered a respected member of her community adds layers to the mystery, as it suggests that anyone could be harboring dark secrets.

The connection between the recent murder and a decades-old death of a Romany exchange student, Vadima Lupescu, is a compelling twist. The rumors surrounding Vadima's supposed "gypsy powers" and curses create an atmosphere of superstition and fear, making the investigation all the more intriguing. The cover-up of Vadima's death hints at a pervasive darkness that Kirk and Mandy must confront.

The comparison to authors like Stephen King and Tess Gerritsen suggests that "Rumor of Evil" will be a chilling and psychologically intense read. Fans of these authors will likely find this book appealing, as it delves into the darker aspects of human nature and the impact of rumors and prejudice on individuals and communities.

Overall, "Rumor of Evil" seems like a promising thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Kirk and Mandy's journey to uncover the truth behind the mysterious deaths and the web of secrets that binds them.

RUMOR OF EVIL introduces Detectives Kirk Lucian and Mandy Wing as they investigate the supposed suicide of a Cambridge woman who was a pillar of her community. This investigation leads to a death nineteen years earlier of a foreign exchange student named Vadima Lupescu.

As Lucian and Wing investigate, they find connections to what had been written off as a tragic accident that happened one Halloween night nineteen years earlier. The hanging victim, Sylvie Cox Thornton, was one of a group of friends present at the party that ended with the tragic death of Vadima. The more they look at the earlier death, the more they become certain that it was a murder and that someone is worried about that fact coming out.

I enjoyed this story. I especially liked that the character of Kirk Lucian was so well developed. He is a man pushing fifty who is dealing with the hit-and-run death of his fourteen-year-old daughter and the possible dissolution of his marriage because neither he nor his wife can deal with their loss. Lucian is sometimes depressed and suicidal but uses his work to keep himself grounded. He is also fighting to reconcile with his wife while she is off exploring new possibilities with the contractor who recently completed a reno project at their home.

I had a pretty good, and correct, idea of who the murderer was based on the flashbacks to the events of nineteen years earlier, but I still enjoyed the journey of Kirk and Mandy figuring out the crime.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of "Rumor of Evil" by Gary Braver. This was my first introduction to this author and I really enjoyed their writing style. A crime procedural with glipses into the past is always a pleasing read for me. I loved the chemistry of the invetigative team and I am hopeful for additional books involving them. There are so many crime procedural books out there it is difficult for a book to stand out. A bit of magical touches made it a little outsid the box and I appreciate that.