Missing girl...believed kidnapped...

My first book I ever read by Elisabeth Carpenter was her debut, also about a missing girl called "99 Red Balloons" . That book was phenomenal! I somehow missed her next few but since she has signed with Bookouture I was lucky enough to read "The Family on Smith Street" , also five stars. This book is no different. Three out of three five start reads, I think I'm going to have to find some time to devour her earlier ones. I think Carpenter was one of the first authors I read with multiple narratives and timelines, and this has since become one of my favourite formats, with just enough information being drip-fed to the reader with each unfolding chapter.

Rosie McShane is a name that is synonomous with child killers when at 12 years old she was convicted of murdering her best friend Lauren Jones. Rosie had always pleaded her innocence but the police, the jury and everyone involved thought her to be unremorseful, cold and calculating. She was sentenced to seven years in a secure unit for very young offenders, and upon her release was given a whole new identity. But the people of Clayton of Greater Manchester have never forgotten.

For all intents and purposes, Jessie Donovan has the perfect life. The perfect husband, the cute little daughter and a beautiful home. But no one knows the trauma she has suffered or what it has taken to get her where she is today. When her mother calls babbling about news reports online saying that her 4 year old daughter Mia has been kidnapped, Jessie is beside herself with worry. Who would post such allegations that were clearly untrue? Nevertheless, Jessie is determined not to let Mia out of her sight.

When her husband Mark reveals his business is in trouble and he has taken out a dodgy loan to cover expenses of which they are now demanding payment, Jessie is furious with him for being so careless as to put their lives in danger. She decides then that the best thing for her is to spend a few days with her mum but surely returning to the area in which she grew up is tempting fate.

Almost from the moment she arrives, Jessie finds herself jumping at shadows. Her mother is acting strangely and her friend back home is sending her weird texts that she dismisses as annoying. But when Liza tells her that she is at her place and hasn't been able to raise Mark's attention, Jessie begins to worry. Where is Mark and why is not answering the door, her text messages or phone calls?

Things get even stranger when faces from the past threaten to throw Jessie's life into turmoil with even more social media posts about her daughter being missing.

And then Mia really does goes missing.

What is going on and why has Mia been taken? Is someone seeking retribution for a past crime? Or are they just trying to even the odds? Jessie is going out of her mind with worry when she still can't raise Mark on the phone. But is she prepared for what's about to come?

This was a quick and easy read that I started in the wee hours of the night and picked up again as soon as I woke to finish. The suspense kept me turning the pages throughout from start to finish. My only complaint was that the ending was a little ambiguous. Who was the real guilty party? I do prefer my endings to be a little more cut and dried rather than ambiguous, leaving me guessing a little.

One part I did find a little unbelievable was the fact that after Rosie was given a new identity, no one thought it strange that she continued to associate with faces from her past such as a childhood friend and her family. In these cases, the person is given a new identity and a new life away from the old one so as to protect their new identity. Aren't they? And there is the fact that Rosie was convicted on such little evidence when there was clear evidence refuting that which they convicted her on. Why did they ignore it?

Either way, this is still an absorbing, thrilling and entertaining read as you turn the pages looking for the clues from the past in the interviews transcribed and actions in the present. Who took Mia Donovan? And why did they take her?

Despite my misgivings, they weren't enough to overshadow my enjoyment of this addictive read...although one does have to suspend belief at times, as one is wont to do in the case of an entertaining and addictive story such as this one.

I would like to thank #ElisabethCarpenter, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlOnTheNews in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

"The Girl on the News" by Elisabeth Carpenter is an expertly crafted psychological thriller that seamlessly weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives, forming a complex tapestry of intertwined lives. The strength of the story lies in its diverse passages from different characters, which enhance the reading experience.
The main character, Jessie (formerly known as Rosie), was convicted at the age of 12 for the murder of her best friend. Thirty years later, her daughter Mia is falsely reported missing on social media. This is a story about the power of truth and the inability to escape one's past. I appreciated the many different perspectives.

One aspect that took away from the experience for me was the lack of realism. I find it doubtful that Rosie's conviction would have been secured with such little evidence, and it is hard to believe that the similarities with other cases went unnoticed or ignored. Additionally, I would have liked the character of the killer to have been more central, as we didn't have much opportunity to get to know them before the truth was revealed.

Although the initial pace of the novel was slow, it gradually gained momentum and became more captivating as the story unfolded. The ending was somewhat predictable, but the overall story line was still enjoyable. This novel is recommended for those who appreciate a slow-burn mystery.

I will definitely read more novels by this author. Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Very interesting. I was hooked right from. The start and I enjoyed reading it and trying to guess the twists and turns

Wow what a crazy rollercoaster. This had a great story to it and the subplot tied on beautifully. There was not a dull moment in this one with all the twists. A page turner that will keep you reading after dark. The story flowed wonderfully and it grabbed me from page one. This was a great read

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Girl On The News’ written by Elizabeth Carpenter in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

A message is put on social media that Mia the four-year-old daughter of Jessie and Mark Donovan has been snatched. The message is false as Mia is safe at home with Jessie but it brings back memories of events that happened in 1994 when Jessie was accused of the murder of her best friend Lauren.

‘The Girl On The News’ is an intricately woven psychological thriller of what happened on 13th March 1994 and the years following. The story is told through the perspectives of Lauren’s mum Heather and Rosie who was given a new identity and name of Jessie. The story is fleshed out with interviews conducted by junior reporter Sadie Harrison who has her own doubts as to Rosie’s guilt. There are so many characters, particularly female, that I had to write a list of them to avoid getting confused, but with the abundance of drama, intrigue and twists and turns I was kept involved from start to finish. Throughout the book I’ve had absolutely no idea how the plot was going to progress so I’ve had to keep reading just one more chapter until I reached the conclusion and was left open-mouthed with surprise at the outcome. This is an excellent thriller, well-written and entertaining that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Wow!
I was hooked into this from the very first chapter. I loved the different POV’s and how it gave the story so much dimension and kept me feeling engaged and excited for what was to come next. My ONLY complaint Is that the ending felt very unfinished. I need more information of how/why!

Very good fast read!

I love a book where the layers gradually peel away and then it all makes sense - this story definitely ticked the box there ✅

When Jess sees a Facebook post claiming her daughter is missing, I could literally feel her fear spreading into me as she raced to school to make sure Mia was safe. Terrifying!

The book switches across multiple timelines and we start to read the transcripts of 12 year old Rose’s interviews with a journalist after she was convicted of killing her best friend.

As those layers are revealed, I was gripped! The characters were relatable abs well developed and I couldn’t wait to find out the truth. And when I did… OMG! I would NOT have called that one 😮

I did feel the ending was rushed, which was a little bit disappointing after that mega twist, however, it’s still a recommended read from me.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Elisabeth Carpenter and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Nice quick book to read, found it a bit slow to start and hard to keep up with all the characters at the start but quickly got stuck into it. Enjoyable read

Wow! What a ride! This was so easy to flow through. It kept me engaged and flipping through the pages so I could see who the real killer was.

The story was well thought out and I enjoyed all of the characters. I did feel like the ending wrapped up incredibly fast and I wish it had been a little longer with some more details. Still, a gripping story.

If you’re looking for a quick and suspenseful read, order this one or download it on Kindle unlimited January 29th!

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This book was great! I hadn't read a thriller in a while and this reminded me why I love them so much. The fast pace, the suspense and the questions made me read it quickly. I was trying to figure out what had happened alongside the characters and the ending threw me a curveball.

Elisabeth Carpenter’s "The Girl on the News" is a psychological thriller that skillfully weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives, creating a mosaic of interconnected lives. The story's strength lies in its varied passages from different characters, which enhance’s the reading experience.

However, while the narrative structure proves engaging, some readers might find the plot predictable (or maybe that’s just me because I have the mind of a detective🕵️), which can detract from the overall shock factor… & we all love the shock factor right?

Main character Jessie (formerly known as Rosie) was sentenced at 12 years old for the murder of her best friend. 30 years later, her daughter Mia is posted missing on social media whilst she’s not actually missing… until she is.

Overall, "The Girl on the News" offers an intriguing narrative style and compelling character insights, earning it a respectable 3.5-star rating from me 💝

Thank you to Net Galley & Elisabeth Carpenter for allowing me to review this book 💫

I struggled at first knowing who is who - 90% of the characters are women, so who is which girl? which mother is that again? I was really a little bit lost - but after a couple of chapters you get it and the story started. There where different storylines which all made sense in the end except of the murderer - somehow that wasn't believable.

All in all a good story with enough "mystery" to keep a reader going.

So the first 2 chapters were ok. Then I got to the 3rd and the book took a turn I didn’t understand. I nearly gave it up at that point. I’m so so glad I didn’t, because quickly I understood and then I couldn’t put it down. I didn’t preempt the ending correctly either which I usually do. Anyway, the characters were really well rounded, in full 3d and I found myself another favourite author. Lesser characters were explored less in depth but it didn’t matter to the drama. Nearly forgot to write this review as I’ve been busy downloading and reading her other books, which are equally good, if not better.

Rosie is only 12 years old when she is convicted of murdering her best friend. Sadie, an investigative journalist, is the only one who believes her innocence. But is Sadie right?

This was a quick and easy read, and the suspense kept me turning the pages. It’s a real “can’t trust anyone” book and there’s enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged.

The characters were well developed and I could vividly image a “Shameless” style housing estate with kids running amock, parents smoking on their doorsteps and giving other peoples kids a clip around the ear!

Where it dropped a star for me is that I’m not sure it’s completely realistic. I’m doubtful Rosie’s conviction would have been secured with so little evidence, nor would the similarities with the other cases have gone so unnoticed or ignored. I also would’ve liked the killers character to have been a little more central as I don’t feel we had much of a chance to get to know them before the truth was uncovered.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy.

Living with secrets...red herrings...family and friend...love and romance...missing child...murder...these ingredients make up a cannot put down novel. Written by a talented author, this story is mystifying at times. Do not try to guess the ending too soon. It is a surprise. Although I thought about the person early on, I really did not see what was coming. A woman has reinvented herself; she keeps secrets from those around her. Is she innocent? Guilty? Did she kill her best friend? Although the truth will come out, in the end, there is a journey to get there. Thanks Netgalley.

This story really had me gripped - I love stories that have timelines telling stories from the past and present as secrets unlock. So this was definitely my kind of book.

I spent alot of the book being uncertain who the killer actually was - I was kept guessing and questioning the behaviour of many of the characters.

I was initially pulled in by the concept of seeing a girl missing in the news who is your own daughter, not missing at all. This is not the premise of the whole book and something that happens within the story, but the story works very well. It really was full of stories that unravelled as I went on, which is just how I like it!

I felt the ending had a degree of satisfaction and closure, but I did find myself feeling that the killer's identity didn't make 100% sense because it easily could have been another person. No spoilers though from me, so I shall put that down to my own perception of one of them!

A good story, with closure for those that needed it and plenty of unravelling of secrets, which I love!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy.

This book really intrigued me and it kept me hooked with the twists and turns, I really enjoyed it overall and would recommend it.

Not read this author before but I soon became engaged in the storyline with well described characters.

For me, personally, it wasn't an 'edge of seater' but a thoroughly good read which I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I haven’t read much from this author before but omg this was such a fantastic read I can’t wait to read more of her books. This was such a gripping psychological thriller which had me hooked. There are lots of twists and turns Which made it such a rollercoaster of a book. Told from different perspectives which helped build the suspense. Don’t want to give to much away but what a ending it was I really wasn’t expecting that. Highly recommended thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

A psychological drama that I was truly shocked when the ending came!
Everyone in the story is guilty of being a murderer, and yet...
One person has been assigned the blame and is living now in fear and under an alias!

This is an intense, heart-wrenching, twisted, novel, full of fear that was well done and read quickly!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Bookouture for this ARC and for allowing me to read and provide my own review. Well done!