Karen Simmons vanished following a Valentine's Day meet-up that she found online. Her murder shocked her small town, where she owned a well-known hair salon. Local journalist Kiki Nunn dives into the topic in the hopes that it will be the breaking news she needs to boost her stagnant career. Meanwhile, Elise King, the case's detective, is irritated by Kiki's aggressive newsgathering tactics. Kiki then decides to conduct her research to uncover Karen's killer and jumps into the world of online dating, unaware of the danger that lurks ahead. Kiki is in over her head and has nowhere to turn because the police aren't exactly willing to help.
This is the sixth book I have read by this author, so I knew what to expect. Her books move very slowly and are very detailed. However, this one moved exceptionally slowly, and it was a challenge not to lose focus. If you enjoy police procedural books, then I highly recommend this author’s books. As I said before, it wasn't the right time to read this one.

I'm sorry I missed the first one in this series, but it was great as a stand alone. This twisted and disturbing thriller plays with the safety net we have built around us. With predators, online dating apps and shaming from locals this suspenseful mystery kept me on edge. The horrors and the dangers women face are brought to light. Three women on different courses of life converge in the end. I could not tell where this was going to meet I just knew their stories would have to connect.
Karen, a single woman makes her living as a hair dresser. She turns to online dating apps to spice up her life before settling down. On Valentine's Day she arrives home from her date, but later found murdered in the woods.
Dt Elise King is recovering from cancer and feels her brain is cloudy from chemo and worry. Her competition and antagonist wants to be the first to solve the crime is Kiki. She is a reporter and puts her life in danger while investigating the crime. If she can get this story, it will boost her career. As a single mom, she could use the praise.
Then there is Annie grieving for her son that died in the same woods 16 years ago. All of their stories are brittle and will connect in a vortex that will leave you tense. I enjoyed this one and hope I can read the first one in this series.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an engaging mystery story, but if you're going to read it Do Not Read the Table of Contents The chapter headings give a MAJOR spoiler.

There are three main points of view that make up this tale: Elise, the police detective, Kiki, a reporter, and Annie, a mother whose young son was murdered many years before. They all come into contact with one another when a woman is found murdered in the same woods where Annie's son was found years before.

This is a slow burn story, and it is kind of predictable honestly. I saw the identity of the bad guy(s) from a mile away. I do continue to like Elise as a character and I will be interested to see how her character develops in the future.

Whew that took me a minute. I wanted to like this as much as Local Gone Missing, but it missed the mark for me. Still a good story, but a slow one. I guessed the "culprit" a little too soon and that may have slowed down the pace for me. I think there were just a couple too many characters with too much to say too. I'll pick up the third but most likely not as an ARC.

Imbued with emotion, Talking to Strangers was a well-written tale of suspense mixed heavily with crime fiction. From the richly layered character studies to the even pace and deftly obscured clues, I was 100% swept up by the finely plotted storyline as it twisted and turned. What I loved the most, however, were the three compelling POVs who illustrated a heartbreaking story in a way that kept me fully intrigued.

The characters behind those perspectives were easily the winning piece to this multi-pronged mystery. Centering around three skillfully drawn women—a detective, a reporter, and a mother seeming to be loosely attached to the case—I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how their individual stories were eventually going to interweave. Genuine and true, their experiences brought the plot to life in an immersive way as I flew through the pages.

The underlying premise hit all the right cords even if it was somewhat chocked full of triggers. With a sharp look at victim blaming as well as the many dangers that women often wade through in life and love, the plot especially touched on dating in our modern internet-focused world. So much so, in fact, that it would make me second guess adding my name to a site anytime soon.

The only piece to this winning plot that wasn’t quite a home run was the somewhat predictable nature of the twists and turns. Sadly for me, I managed to work out the biggest one of all. That’s not to say that I there weren’t plenty that totally missed my sleuthing, but I did figure out the who in this brilliant whodunnit. But then, I’m far from a newbie, so maybe it will happily evade your suspicions.

All in all, thanks to short chapters, raw storytelling, and palpable tension, I raced through novel from beginning to end. The second book in series, it worked just as well as a standalone for this uninitiated reader. I loved it so much, in fact, that I’m already planning on reading book one, Local Gone Missing, ASAP. A suspenseful, emotionally charged tale, I can’t recommend this one enough. So go on, grab a copy. You’ll definitely thank me. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Fiona Barton, Berkley Publishing, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

🎉Happy Pub Day 🎉

A HUGE thank you to Berkley Publishing for an advance copy of Talking to Strangers in exchange for my honest thoughts. Book two in the Elise King Series!!

This was such a unique book. It’s coming at you chapter after chapter from 3 women. Each ending on a cliffhanger that makes you continue reading because you just gotta know what happens next! I love that for me as a reader.

I don’t want to give too much away, go in blind and enjoy the ride!! Even though I found this to be somewhat predictable. The mystery kept giving!
4 mesmerizing stars!

Book Length: 400 pages

🖤Pub Day Book Review 🖤

With three narrators, this one didn't strike me as an entry in a series, which usually highlights a central figure. The book is, in fact, the second featuring Detective Elise King (I read the first one as well), but here, the other two got what seemed to be just as much page time. The other two are Kiki Nunn, a journalist looking for a story that will catapult her to fame and fortune, and Annie Curtis, whose young son was murdered 16 years ago.

Early on, Elise is called to a wooded area where the body of local hairdresser Karen Simmons is found leaning against a tree - clearly a murder victim. Kiki, of course, smells her big break, so she jumps in with both feet and a cell phone to annoy the heck out of Elise. Annie's perspective is important because the place where Karen is found is the exact same place where her son was murdered all those years ago - and she's still got unanswered questions.

As expected, the story follows the murder investigation - and the private lives of the three narrators - showing the impact on all of them. All have a vested interest in seeing the case through to the end, albeit for very different reasons (some of them surprising), winding through a dark world of online dating.

Admittedly, it was a bit of a struggle for me to keep the various characters straight, but in the end everything got resolved (well, almost everything - leaving a bit to make readers eager for the next installment. Count me in!

Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Karen Simmons is a vivacious 40-something hairdresser who’s a fixture in the local singles scene. When her dead body is found in the woods the morning after Valentine’s Day, detective Elise King and journalist Kiki Nunn are both invested in finding out what happened to Karen. And this isn’t the first time something tragic has happened in these woods…

I really enjoyed this slow burn murder mystery / police procedural! This is the second book in the Elise King series but it reads great as a standalone too. The multiple POV structure is perfect for telling this story, with Elise’s and Kiki’s POVs alternated with a third perspective from a grieving mother named Annie. All three characters are very well-developed with distinct personalities and emotional backstories. The pacing is great, with tidbits of information doled out gradually over short chapters that kept me turning the pages. Although I did guess one of the big reveals (occupational hazard of a thriller/mystery lover!), I didn’t guess the other, making the epilogue very satisfying!

I read this one as an immersive read, and the audio is a great listening experience! Gabrielle Glaister voices Elise and Annie, and Jayne Entwistle voices Kiki, with Steve West narrating a certain male character than I won’t identify (no spoilers here!). All three do a great job, and their authentically British accents are perfect for this novel.

Oh My Gosh! This book!! I could not put it down. I devoured every word, every sentence, every paragraph, and every chapter. I really liked that so many characters were strong women. They took on the roles men are usually put in, detective and journalist, and did the job very well and without any doubts.

The murder mystery had so many leads that I was not sure which way to go and if I would be heading in the correct direction. I like that I was kept guessing. There were many characters that could have been guilty and none of them were ever made to be innocent. The ending…well, I will not give it away, but I did not see it coming at all.

Talking to Strangers is a great mystery thriller. I recommend it.

Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton
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When a woman is killed on the night of Valentine’s day it sets a detective and a reporter on parallel journeys for the truth.
DI Elise King wants to find who killed Karen and put them away. Kiki is the reporter who recently interviewed Karen in a piece about online dating. As Kiki keeps inserting herself into the investigation, will it help her uncover the truth, or put her in the path of danger?
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This was my first time reading this author and I have to say that I completely understand the appeal. The mystery builds slowly at first, weaving in several characters across three POVs. The tension really starts building about halfway through. The second half of the book I couldn’t put down, I stayed up past my bedtime finishing the story. And the ending was not what I was expecting!
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I loved both Elise and Kiki’s characters. They were both hungry for the truth and justice, and were very brave in that pursuit. I loved how strong Kiki was as well in the way she told the truth and got her personal story put there.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An excellent, compulsive mystery.

This is the second in the Detective Elise King mysteries, and it is a good one. Police procedural more than mystery perhaps, but the who-done-it keeps you guessing. Hope there will be more in this series!

I have been reading Fiona Barton for a while now. I am always looking forward to her books. The novel centers around a high-profile journalist whose life unravels after a chance meeting with a stranger leads to catastrophic consequences. The characters are well-developed, and the narrative cleverly unravels, guessing until the final page. A bit slow for my taste but overall good!

Fiona Barton is back with a brand new book “Talking to Strangers”. I am a huge fan of her books so I was excited to be approved from NetGalley for her latest book. Karen Simmons is found dead in a remote area and this is just one week after journalist Kiki had interviewed her about the highs and lows of romance in her 40’s. The plot thickens and we get clues as to who might’ve done it. It’s pretty long at 368 pages so I think that’s why it took me so long to finish it. I enjoyed it and wanted to see how it ended. I did not read book #1 so I wonder if that would’ve helped at all?

Fiona Barton is a genius story teller. Her twists are well thought out! The layout of the story, multiple POVs per day is a great way to tell a detective story. Elsie, the primary detective has grown from the first book in this series, she still has the same problems and her health has improved, but she is still doubted by her colleagues. The journalist and the mother of the first victim propel the story. Although I did not guess the killer, the twists were sometimes shocking and at other times needed for dramatic effect. I cannot wait for the next novel staring Elsie!

Talking to Strangers is book two in the Elise King series by Fiona Barton.
I really enjoyed this book, it was fast paced, atnospheric and tense and kept me guessing right until the end. I loved the writing style and the character development and the way that the story seamlessly unfolded.
A very well executed murder mystery novel.
I loved Fiona Barton’s ability to write a compelling story that I was hard-pressed to put down.
She writes compulsively readable thrillers that never fail to keep me guessing.

Thank You NetGalley and Berkley for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

When Karen is murdered, a lot of the town victim blames due to her serial dating and use of dating apps. Detective Elise King wants to find out the truth, but journalist Kiki Nunn is getting in her way once again.

A great thriller that is filled with bad men, misogyny, and the perils of the internet. There are two main women in the book, a detective and journalist. I liked how they worked separately but still respected each others positions and collaborated. There were twists and events from the past ended up connecting to the present in unexpected ways. This was at times hard to read with the horrible men, but I loved the suspense and ending.

“For years, they’d let sleeping dogs lie. But this new killing had stirred them. Would make them howl.”

Talking to Strangers comes out 8/27.

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Berkeley for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below my own.

The story involves the murder of a woman in her middle age who is murdered after going on an online date. She has been on the singles scene for a while and is known for online dating, so there are many potential suspects, many of whom are not using their real identities. Her body was found in the forest near the small town, where another young boy was murdered years earlier. we get several points of view as the little town reels from the aftermath of murder, including the police detective, a plucky reporter who decides to start dating herself to help solve the crime and the mother of little boy who died years ago. Are these crimes connected or a coincidence?

This was a solid murder mystery, which I think had plenty of twists and red herrings to make the read enjoyable. I liked all of the characters which is pretty uncommon for a modern day thriller. I did figure out who the baddies were almost as soon as they were introduced, so I don’t know if I’m just a brilliant genius or if this was may be a little predictable. I enjoyed reading it, would make a great Netflix series.

Talking to Strangers had me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoy this author's books, especially this one because I couldn't stop thinking about it. DO yourself a favor and grab yourself a copy. You won't be disappointed!!

A forty-something singleton is found dead in the woods in Ebbing, and Detective Elise King is on the case. The murdered woman, Karen, owned a local hair salon and created a group for singles in the area to meet up and do various things together.

I do enjoy police procedurals, and Barton nails the tiny details that help the case feel real for readers as the investigation takes many twists and turns. I thought the multiple points of view did work in this book, but I found Kiki in particular a bit insufferable (perhaps this was the authors intent all along). I thought the impacts the current case had on Annie in both losing her son in the past and dealing with her husband in the present added intrigue to the storyline as well. The first half of the book was definitely a slow burn, and might lose the attention of some readers, but stick around for part two!

I am not a reader that needs trigger warnings, but I know many readers do, and I think this book could use some for the rape and pedophilia referenced within the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley, Fiona Barton, and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story proves that secrets can be so destructive, poisoning lives for years on end. The Curtis family lost their son years ago. Now there’s a murder that’s occurred in the same location, dredging up the past for many people. This book is filled with interesting characters who all play a role in ferreting out the truth once and for all.