I like how parts of the story were told from the mothers perspective. It was definitely a good read with many twists and turns. Some of the characters I thought would be guilty were surprisingly not. I loved the creepy professor and controlling boyfriend thrown into the list of suspects. The ending was great, and very unexpected. #NetGalley

**advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
This was a very readable page-turner of a thriller, and I enjoyed the style which flipped between the main character’s point of view, the documentary around her missing daughter, and the daughter’s point of view on the day she went missing.
However, for me, the final plot conclusion - particularly the way it was written - felt jarring and meant the book ended somewhat flatly.
Without putting too much detail for fear of spoilers, I’d gone on a journey with the main character that - due to the stylistic choice of how the final part of the story was presented - I felt I didn’t get to finish with that character.
The book itself was compelling and I wanted to finish it, but the final pay off fell short for me - there’s a mystery within the plot but compared to similar books in the genre it didn’t seem to have quite enough details throughout the book to really round out that mystery.
The final reveal as a result - whilst it did tie up the loose ends and nothing was left unexplained - felt a little like an information dump rather than a narrative conclusion.

Grace’s daughter Katy went missing ten years ago. She was an aspiring journalist with the world ahead of her and she just vanished after work one day.
Now a TV company want to make a programme on her disappearance. They’ve lined up all the main players in Katy’s life to talk on camera. Her mother. Her best friend. Her college professor and her ex boyfriend. Even a man claiming to be her father. They hope that by discussing the case new information will come to light to find out what happened.
I loved the character of Grace. A mother who doesn’t want to give up on her child. This book would be perfect made into a drama series.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC

True Crime cases and reviews have never been more popular so I thought the title of this book and the blurb certainly did attract my attention especially as I’ve enjoyed previous books by this author. Grace has tried to rebuild her life after the disappearance of her daughter Katy 10 years previously but when a true crime podcaster wants to look into Katys case it send Grace on a mission to find out the truth about what happened to her.
This was a real page turner using 3 points of view to keep the reader guessing. Grace was a sympathetic and strong character creation and I really enjoyed following her journey as she leaves no stone unturned. I do have to say that I really didn’t like the last third of the book though as I thought the conclusion came out of nowhere and there was one plot point that I absolutely hated!! But this is obviously a personal preference and others may love that part!!
So a 3 star read for me because of that.

A big thank you to HarperCollins UK for the ARC!

While this book was a fun read, it didn’t live up to my expectations. Rather than delving into the profound impacts of true crime on victims and their families, it opts for a conventional mystery plot, leaving me disappointed and feeling slightly mislead.

The narrative's sudden point-of-view shifts, lacking clear chapter indicators, contribute to confusion and an incoherent story. The book left me with a lot of questions, but if you see it as a standard mystery story, it can be a good read. Characters were well-written, but the ending felt rushed and sloppy.

A well paced use of the documentary trope in a mystery. Grace has been mourning the disappearance of her bright wonderful daughter Katy for 10 years and now she's hoping a documentary about the case might turn up answers. This switches between Grace and episodes of the documentary. There are multiple suspects and Lees does a good job of keeping you guessing. No spoilers from me!

This book was gripping. What happened to Katy Harper? It’s been ten years since she disappeared and a new documentary is finally raising questions.

I did quickly identify the real culprit but it was nice to have it confirmed. I found the writing a little clunky in places but it was well paced and delivered each bit of information in a timely manner. It would have been nice to have a few more chapters from Katy herself, but I liked how the narrative was split between Grace and the documentary episodes.

The characters were mostly well rounded and realistic. They could have been a little more fleshed out, but there are a lot of them!

All told, I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

True crime is pretty much everywhere these days. In podcasts, in tv documentaries and in fiction. So it's hard to make something featuring this topic stand out, to do things differently. I must admit that 'True Crime' felt very much "been there, done that".

Ten years ago, Katy disappeared. She left work and was never seen again. Her case was never closed, but neither is it an active investigation anymore. But now, a tv company wants to make a true crime documentary about Katie. Katie's mother, Grace, reluctantly agrees, hoping the broadcast might lead to new leads, the truth of what happened that day, but mostly shine a light on the dangers of being a woman. However, things don't go at all like she expected.

The story switches between episodes from the documentary, Grace dealing with open wounds and her grief, and the reader even hears Katy as she explains what happened the day she went missing. It is mostly the true crime parts that feel like you've read or seen them before. I get that it's hard to put a twist on it but the "stage directions", for instance, have become rather tiresome. I found the effect this documentary has on Grace much more fascinating. In fact, her story interested me a lot more than whatever else was happening. The way she exists, rather than lives. How alone she is, how she's pushed almost everyone away, and how her only connections are forum members who are still trying to figure out what happened to Katy.

There were three suspects back in the day. All three get their say. Is one of them responsible for Katy's disappearance? Do they know more than what they're saying? Could there be someone else the police never even considered? It wasn't easy to figure out because none of the potential suspects came across as particularly likeable or trustworthy. But someone is most definitely making sure that certain things will not see the light of day.

This is also where I, personally, thought things went a little off the rails. I never could have predicted where this story was heading, which is always a bonus, but I had a tough time with plausibility. I couldn't help but wonder that Katy put herself in danger by making a slew of stupid decisions. Ultimately causing heartache for those around her. Honestly, my heart broke multiple times for her poor mum, Grace. Not only did she lose her daughter but the documentary also slowly forces her to come to terms with the fact that maybe she didn't know her daughter as well as she thought she did. Will Grace ever find out the truth of what happened to her Katy?

With a cast of suspicious characters, a determined mother, secrets that must be unearthed, and a decade old case to solve 'True Crime' has a lot going for it. It's a compelling and tense read, and once I started I had to keep going to find out what happened ten years ago. It definitely also has that true crime vibe from the tv documentaries, but I was never quite able to shake that feeling that I've read something exactly like this before. A good and enjoyable read but, despite the odd twist here and there, ultimately a fairly standard mystery.

This was a page-turner. There were some unexpected twists, and I enjoyed the format — switching back and forth between the forum, the past, telling the story in the present, and the documentary. It was quite engaging, and also a good commentary on how we engage in true crime.

Thank you One More Chapter for the gifted ARC copy for review considerations. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Last year, I was invited by HarperCollins UK to participate in a read-along for the upcoming new release of "The Lost Wife" by Georgina Lees. I was amazed at how suspenseful her writing was. When we all reached the end of the book, we were blown away by the twist at the end, the big reveal.

Fast forward to the beginning of last month, when I received an email from HarperCollins UK inviting me to be one of the first to read an ARC (advanced reader's copy) of Georgina Lees' upcoming book "True Crime." I was so excited to see what story Lee had crafted this time.

Overall, "True Crime" was an entertaining story, although slightly slow in the beginning. The overall theme and suspicions drawn about a woman's college-aged child not returning home from work are terrifying. The possibilities of why, how, and the involvement of a true crime documentary potentially stalling and diverting the investigation are also terrifying.

This was an entertaining read, and Georgina Lees did not disappoint me with the jaw-dropping ending that is typical of her writing. With that being said, the only complaint I have is the mother's rapidly declining mental health throughout the story and her erratic behavior. I don't want to seem insensitive, as this is not an experience I have gone through myself, but her behavior was over the top and obviously hindered the task of finding her daughter. It was frustrating to me, considering I just wanted to find out what happened to her daughter.

To wrap things up, I ultimately decided to rate this book three stars. It was certainly entertaining, and the ending reveal truly made the book.

𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘚 𝘐𝘍 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌...
- dual POV
- true crime documentaries
- amateur sleuths
- mysteries
- slow burn developing story

𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘔𝘌𝘚 𝘈𝘛 𝘗𝘓𝘈𝘠...
- mother trying to find missing daughter.
- erratic behavior from mother due to decline of mental health throughout story.
- true crime documentary TV series gone wrong.
- everyone is hiding something.

Ahh who doesn't love true crime? I was immediately wanting to read this book just based on the description and title alone, great job and reeling us true crime junkies in. True Crime is definitively more mystery then docu- fiction, I enjoyed the twists and turns and mystery of it all and had a great ending. 3 stars!

Explosive and addictive. You will find yourself flying through the pages, hooked on wanting to know what happened to Katy. I did feel like it started to get a bit lengthy and repetitive in the middle, but I also powered through because I was invested in the story.

The ending was powerful and emotional. While one of my theories partially panned out, the twists were still unexpected. This was a proper psychological thriller.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of, True Crime, by Georgina Lees, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Katy went missing ten years ago, her mother Grace is still looking for her. What a story, the twists and turns through the book are amazing. Sad story but a good one.

Ten years after Katy Harper’s disappearance, a new documentary connects Grace, her mom, with the people surrounding Katy at the time she went missing. Grace follows these new leads, pulling at threads until the whole thing unravels. A few of the clues were easy to pick up on, and I guessed the villain upon their introduction, but I still enjoyed the story, as unrealistic as it turned out to be. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy.

This could have been a poignant critique of true crime documentaries and the people who consume this content, but instead, it veers towards a predictable mystery.

Katy has been missing for 10 years and her mother, Grace hasn't stopped looking for her. Now there is a documentary that interviews key suspects in the case, unlocking new information as Grace continues her search.

Based on the title, this is not what I expected. I expected more of a deep dive into true crime and its impacts on the victims and their families, however, that is not what this book is. This book is a standard mystery and any avid mystery reader will be able to see the resolution coming by a mile. Switching POV randomly with no indication in the chapter title adds confusion as well.

Rating two stars because despite my criticisms, the characters were well written and their motives and rationale behind their actions were mostly always clear.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

An excellent read with an interesting storyline which I couldn't stop reading, just drew me in from the very first page.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins (OMC) for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

Another novel around a missing person netflix true crime documentary style. The perspective of a desperate mother facing the media machine years after the disappearance of her daughter is a novel one and sets this book apart from the rest. This story does pull some heart strings and does keep up your interest throughout but i found the ending a bit underwhelming in comparison to the body of the book. Still a really good read.

Good Evening, my name is Kori, and I’m a NetGalley addict.

I have 12 bookshelves full of books, a kindle account that surpasses 500 unread books, a tbr that exceeds an average lifespan, yet, when I receive a NetGalley approval, that’s instantly what I pick up to read.

True Crime

You got me. I couldn’t resist. Nothing else mattered except this new little stunner, I white knuckled in my hands.

I mean…. At least I can say it was worth it!

The only thing I love as much as books is true crime documentaries. When you combine the two, you have one happy little camper.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I zipped right through and devoured every last word.

True Crime needs to be pre-ordered by all true crime/thriller lovers!

Check out this teaser :

A missing girl. An angry mother. A true crime documentary.

Ten years ago, Katy, a promising young journalist, left her desk and was never seen again.

Someone knows what happened to her…

The controlling boyfriend? The inappropriate professor? The clingy colleague?

When Katy went missing, it wasn’t just her devastated mother, Grace, whose life was ruined. Now, a new documentary delving into the missing person case threatens to open old wounds.

As Grace gets closer to the truth, she discovers just how far people are willing to go to keep the past hidden.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the copy of True Crime by Georgina Lees. I loved this story of Grace's search for her daughter, who has been missing for ten years. I liked seeing both Grace and Katy’s POV, culminating in a surprising reveal. The writing drew me right in and I could really feel Grace’s anguish. If you’re looking for a book full of secrets and suspicious characters, don’t miss this one.

An excellent read - I enjoyed the pace of the story and it certainly accelerated in the second half to a very unexpected ending. I really felt for Katy’s mum Grace and her persistent search for the truth. Highly recommended.