4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this. It was suspenseful and engaging and the writing was great. I usually don’t get on with books with so many character POVs but the writing in each was so different it was easy to tell apart.

The voices in this book just felt too similar to me and the timeline wasn’t clear at all. I wanted “June 2003” and “present day” headings because I’d be 3 paragraphs into a chapter before realizing it was supposed to be the past. And there were random sections in 2nd person tense, which further confused me. All this to say, this book didn’t do it for me and it took me a long time to get through. I kept starting it and not even marking that I’d started cause I couldn’t get past the first chapter.
I wanted to like it. The scenery was great. A close-circle mystery is right up my ally. But there were just so many characters and I didn’t feel attached to anyone. And there’s super gruesome dog fighting (TW) that made my stomach legitimately turn.
The ending was good. The twists were real and unexpected. The way the characters spoke were a definitely learning curve for me. I dunno. I’d recommend it to someone looking for a unique setting and a good young-group-of-friends mystery, but be warned that it’s definitely not an easy read.

I gave this book my best shot, but was not able to finish it. It was far FAR too long and a little disjointed, and I felt myself not caring about any of it.

The book is told from the POV of three people in split timelines of adulthood and childhood. One of their friends disappeared mysteriously when they were children, and the body is found when they are adults. That is about as far as I got.

I felt that the writing was very choppy, and there was way too much detail about things that were unnecessary. I got about halfway through it and was shocked to find that I was only halfway. The book was just not moving along for me.

I could see this being a great read for someone else, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you to Doubleday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kala's finally been found but the news isn't good. This coming of age/mystery/thriller moves between three narrators- Mush, Helen, and Joe- and (broadly) two time frames- 2003 and the present to tell the story of a group of six teens in Kinlough, Ireland. Kala disappeared that summer after a searing event (no spoilers but be prepared for graphic and disturbing images). Mush, who has facial scars that aren't explained until late in the novel, loved her and he's never left town. Joe, who also loved her, did leave town and became a musician and now he's back for the summer, as is Helen, who moved to Canada. Helen's back because her father is getting married. Kala's bones are found but Helen's twin step sisters have gone missing right before the wedding. What's the mystery of Kinlough? Trust no one. There's a lot of family secrets and lies, corruption, bad behavior, and so on. This does take a minute to get going and sometimes feels overlong but then you'll realize that you have to have answers to the mysteries of Kala, which wrap themselves through everyone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An excellent read.

I am a fan of murder mystery/ thrillers and this was no exception. It started slowly, but that allowed us time to really get to know the characters. The mystery revolves around the death of teenage Kala. Years later her group of friends is back in town for a wedding and the discovery of Kala’s remains shocks the small community and brings back a lot of memories and questions. About halfway through the pace picks up and it’s nonstop until the end, with a shocking twist that I didn’t see coming. Good stuff!

This was okay. I loved the beggining paragraphs.. I think that I just picked it up at the wrong time. Like it was good but it wasn't what I was craving in the moment. That happens.
I can't wait to see what else the author come up with!

THE GOOD:
Lively and fun Irish vernacular. Told in rotating perspectives, each character has his or her very own, distinctive voice. The pull to keep reading and find out the secrets behind the mystery at the heart of the novel are solid.

THE BAD:
A couple of unpleasant themes are represented, but they do in fact lend to the overall story.

CONCLUSION:
Somewhat spooky, a lot of obsession, almost a coming-of-age tale, but not quite. Fantastic Irish immersion. Well worth a read for mystery and thriller fans.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Kala by Colin Walsh from Doubleday Books/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

While I started out being very engaged by this book, in the end I wished I hadn’t spent any time on it.

Was not a fan of some of the very particular kinds of violence that were depicted in it in specific detail, grew weary of what seemed to me to be inconsistent use of the local vernacular, and—worst of all—thought it turned off “all convoluted-y” in the end.

And y’all know how much I hate me some all convoluted-y.

Oh, well. Next, please.

DESCRIPTION
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR • A gripping literary page-turner from a rising Irish talent in which former friends, estranged for twenty years, reckon with the terrifying events of the summer that changed their lives.

"[A] gritty heartbreaker of a thriller…a spectacular read for Donna Tartt and Tana French fans."—Kirkus

"Exciting and cleverly structured…its great strength is the characters: they are terrific." —Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Life Without Children

In the seaside town of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends are thrown together for the first time in years. They—Helen, Joe, and Mush—were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group’s white-hot center. Soon after that summer’s peak, Kala disappeared without a trace.

Now it’s fifteen years later: Helen has reluctantly returned to Ireland for her father’s wedding; Joe is a world-famous musician, newly back in town; and Mush has never left, too scared to venture beyond the counter of his mother’s café.

But human remains have been discovered in the woods. Two more girls have gone missing. And as past and present begin to collide, the estranged friends are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala’s disappearance.

Against the backdrop of a town suffocating on its own secrets, in a story that builds from a smolder to a stunning climax, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption.

Kala, 1 of 6 inseparable teenagers, goes missing without a trace. Years later, 3 of the friends are drawn back together into their hometown. When more go missing, the 3 are drawn back to the past and have to face their secrets and maybe help with the new missing cases.

Not sure how to rate this one. Great story, heartbreaking at times. We meet 6 childhood friends, Joe Mush, Aidan, Aiofe, Helen and Kala. Kala disappears and is never seen again. Years later they return to Kinlough, where they grew up to attend a wedding. A skull and a note turn up around that same time too. Kala's? What follows are flashbacks to what happened in the past as the group tries to figure out what could have possibly happened to her. This of course stirs up a hornet's nest of trouble. The story is set in the small Irish village of Kinlough and the author did a fantastic job of creating the atmosphere. As Ireland is a bucket-list trip for me, I loved that feeling of actually being there! I also had fun googling all the Irish slang. So, what did I not like? This is a very SLOW burn. Maybe I was not in the right mood to take on something like this in the beginning, as it turns out to be an excellent story. I did find myself putting it down quite a few times at first, but the characters did get under my skin, and I wanted to know what happened to them, so I kept picking it back up. Glad I did. The story suddenly picks up and I raced to the finish. And what a great finish it was! I would read more from this author and could actually see a sequel of some sort to this one.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Colin Walsh and Doubleday Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I was intrigued by this plot (I read a lot of mystery/thrillers with a similar plot), and I also like the setting in a less well-known part of Ireland. The changes in character perspective were a bit hard to get into at first, and there were a lot of characters to keep track of. That said, once I got into the story I enjoyed it.

A gripping story, that will keep you interested in what happens. I love books like this and the mystery is well done. Very emotional.

This book has been getting some good buzz as a literary thriller. Slow to get into, I was hooked by the end and really enjoyed it. I will be recommending it to others.

I would not say this is “gripping” and the ending did not surprise me. Very Irish - resolved a bit more predictably than a Tana French - full of atmosphere. A band of high school friends struggle later in life when the body of one of their friends that disappeared in high school is found.

Kala has left me gutted. A story that revolves around the disappearance of one of 6 friends, Kala, is the glue that binds their memories and guilt. Joe, Aidan, and Mush are the boys. Helen, Aiofe, and Kala are the girls and combined they form a crew of sorts. Other than the budding romance between Joe and Kala, they are just a group of teens, fast friends. They also bear the burdens and consequences of their family histories. Their desire to know where they were from or how they fit into the world they were born into is heartbreaking. I was so connected to these teens and their attempts at wildness to relieve their lack of future. Character connection compelled me to read well into the night.
Years after Kala goes missing, the remaining friends reconnect back in the Village of Kinlough where it all started. The burning desire to determine what happened to Kala brings the wrath of the local crime lords down on the now grown up crew and relations left in the Village. We learn just what happened through chapters dedicated to Joe, Helen, and Mush. I soon became so attached to Mush and was willing Helen to figure it out.
The town, the shops, the buzz of the annual fair were so vividly described you could see it right on the pages. The risks the crew took, the recklessness, the ache to belong, to be seen were palpable. Though I figured out the who and why, I was more than willing to follow the crew to the ultimate conclusion and explosive ending.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for access to an early e-copy. All opinions are my own.

The premise to this novel sounded right up my alley, but I wasn't a fan at all of the writing style and the characters all felt the same.

Thanks very much to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The cover and premise of this book captivated me. I very much enjoy books set in Ireland/Great Britain. I found it to be very atmospheric--the author does a wonderful job bringing life to the setting and the voice was spot on. But subjectively, I didn't connect to the characters and found the plot a little slower burn than I was hoping or looking for right now. It was easy for me to lose interest and pick up other books in between reading; I was never invested enough to want to race through this like I can with other novels.

Kala by Colin Walsh was very much a slow burn mystery for me. I enjoyed the Irish setting, the writing, and the mystery. I had a harder time connecting to the characters. Overall, I think Kala is solid read and would recommend it for mystery lovers.

Thank You NetGalley and Doubleday for an eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Talk about cover love. Y’all know I dig houses, but winding roads and small bodies of water are quickly becoming a can’t resist situation for me too. And a story about a missing girl from years past, the discovery of a body and potentially two new missing girls??? Well, that amounts to had me at hello.

I wish I would have had an easier time with this one. If you know me you know I get through a book in about a day or day and a half. This took FIVE. There is an excellent story here - it just got buried in a super murky back and forth timeline and characters with very similar voices. If you are patient the payoff is definitely worth the wait, but I also would completely understand those who DNF doing so here.

3.5 and I’m rounding up even though my brain is trying to convince me to round down by reminding me how much I struggled to make progress despite reading whenever I had a free moment.

ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What is the truth about the disappearance of 15-year-old Kala in the west coast Ireland tourist town of Kinlough? It can be summed up by the legendary line delivered by Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men: “You can’t handle the truth!”

Fifteen years afterwards, her friends Aoife, Helen, Aiden, Mush, and one-time boyfriend Joe meet up for a wedding: Helen’s father to Mush’s aunt. Life has changed dramatically for some of them: Joe is a rock star, Helen is a Canadian journalist, and Mush works in his mother’s “caf”, keeping a low profile be because of a deforming facial injury. Aiden is dead. Some of this, we suspect, is the direct result of what happened years ago to Kala, a troubled girl who lives with her Mammy and has no knowledge of her parentage.

The reunion triggers two events: the discovery, after all these years, of Kala’s bones. and the disappearance of Mush’s two highly spirited twin cousins, who are about the same age as Kala when she went missing. It seems like more than a coincidence. Could there finally be answers this time around?

This debut novel starts slowly as the author immerses us into the characters, and then reaches a crescendo as pieces of the puzzle begin to come together and truths are finally revealed. Colin Walsh successfully integrates a literary Irish tale and a pulse-beating thriller to appeal to both reader audiences and concludes with an ending that I did not foresee. Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for enabling me to be an early reader in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars.