Karen Simmons uses an online dating app. Karen Simmons is murdered on Valentine's Day. Enter detective Elise King and wanna be detective, reporter Kiki Nunn who had a semi personal relationship with Karen.

The story is told through these two perspectives along with a third person, Annie. Annie has her own story as her son was murdered and found in the same woods Karen was found in.

It takes a moment to get going with this, but once you do it goes at a quick pace. The chapters are short which allows the switch of the narrators to go seamlessly. The ending is predictable about midway through but the story is interesting enough to keep you reading to the end.

Another great read by Fiona Barton and I look forward to reading her next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing group for the advanced copy of this book

This was my first book by Fiona Barton and will not be my last, i’m ready to read her entire backlog after this book!

Fiona Barton weaves together a strong story that (nearly) kept me guessing. I enjoy her writing and her characters, some of which are challenging to sympathize with but I think that adds to their depth. Talking to Strangers explores important contemporary themes in a way that is considerate to the challenges women face. Thanks, NetGally, for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton, it was a cozy little British mystery. However, it's been awhile since I read it and while reading Talking to Strangers, the books were connected by characters that I didn't remember well so it gave the sense of reading a second book when you didn't remember what happened in the first. The feeling persisted throughout the book and ended up making it feel unsatisfying of a read. I wish I had read the two books back to back.

Elise King is an investigative journalist and reporter who is on a mission to solve the murder of Karen Simmons, a local woman. Little does she know that this case has been connected to multiple crimes in the present and past. As the investigation progresses, she and her partner, Kiki, become increasingly perplexed by missing information and questions. After some difficult detective work and a sting operation, more questions begin to surface. The story eventually concludes with the closure of a cold case and a new...

There were times while I was reading this book where I was super engrossed in the story, but then my interest would wane a bit, but overall I did enjoy it. I wasn’t certain at first how the characters were going to be connected, so I did like that there was some mystery there. I will say that I did not enjoy it as much as The Widow and The Child.

I really enjoyed this book think it was on par with many of the authors other books. The multiple perspectives are interesting as always, but some of the twists were predictable. I found myself having a hard time putting the book down, but at the same time it almost felt a little too long and drawn out. All in all I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGallery for an advanced copy of this book.

While this book did not initially grasp me, it definitely got better and kept my interest. Some nice twists along the way and a surprising end.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

Talking To Strangers By Fiona Barton
Publication Date: August 27, 2024
Publisher: Berkley Publishing

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

What an entertaining and fun read this was!! Thrillers aren't always "fun," but this was one really was. Online dating - and dating in your forties-ish - were themes running through these plotlines, with relatable characters and skeezy serial daters with which people who've done the whole online dating thing are (unfortunately) probably all-too-familiar.

This book is one part murder mystery, one part domestic thriller, one part British police episode. This book features short chapters of multiple POVs, with numerous storylines to follow, and I was so intrigued to see how everything was going to ultimately intersect. This book kept me guessing the entire time, and most importantly, it held my attention and captivated my interest.

I thought I'd rate this a 4.5⭐ read... Until I finished it. And WOW. I did NOT see this twist coming. This is my favorite kind of book - a whodunnit that leaves you guessing...right up until the very last words. There is no way this book could be anything less than a 5⭐ rating for me.

I saw that this book is rated below 4⭐ on GoodReads, and to be honest, I'm not sure if we all read the same book. In my opinion, this book was brilliant! Maybe somebody figured out the ending before they got there, but I sure didn't. I just love books like this, the ones that leave you reeling as you savor their last words.

Fiona Barton has gained a new fan and I'm excited to read her other books -- if these twists are indicative of her writing style, I am here for it.

A huge thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! Add this one to your TBR list - and request it on NetGalley if you can!

#TalkingToStrangers #FionaBarton #NetGalley #ARC #fivestarreads #thrillerreads #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #bookcommunity #booklover #thrilleraddict #booknerd

Investigator Elise King and reporter Kiki Nunn are working to solve the present day murder of a local woman, Karen Simmons. Little do they know, this case is wrapped up quite a few crimes presently and the past.
As the investigation continues, Kiki and Elise become bogged down by missing pieces and things are not quite adding up. After some harrowing detective work and an uncover sting, more and more questions crop up. In the end the story wraps up closing the cold case and the new... maybe.


This was a great read and I really enjoyed the read. The multi-pov was easy to follow and I appreciated having the dates to understand the timing of certain conversations.

Not my favorite by this author but it was pretty good.

Thank you to netgalley for the prerelease ebook

Fiona Barton's compelling novel "Talking to Strangers" delves into the complicated interpersonal relationships, internet dating, and the social concerns surrounding violence against women. It is a must-read.
Fiona Barton combines a variety of viewpoints, emphasizing the complex nature of interpersonal relationships and the risks associated with assuming anything about strangers. "Talking to Strangers" made me consider the kind of society we live in and left me wanting more with its thought-provoking issues and gripping story.

Thank you netgalley and Berkeley publishing group for the ARC

Talking To Strangers was a pretty good book. My only complaint is how the ending was tied up from the killer’s POV in the epilogue and it seemed so rushed as this person confessed to everything. It’s my least favorite way that authors choose to wrap up the ending of a good book. There was also another story line that was going on for one of the main characters that I don’t believe was addressed before the end of the book. Other than that, I did find the book to be really good. I like Fiona Barton books, I’ve read them all and consider her a “must read” author. She has strong characters, and the plot was well done, and subject matter was really something to think about especially with online dating apps being a big part of how we meet people nowadays.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC**

On Valentines day Karen Simmons is murdered and her new internet date looks like the likely suspect. Detective Elise King is investigating her death. Kiki Nunn is a reporter who is determined to crack the case regardless of who's toes she steps on or what Detective King says. The story intertwines four women lives with twists and turns that make it hard to put down.

Wow. Just wow. Fiona Barton knocks it out of the park with this one. I didn't think she could top herself after "The Widow", but this one had so many twists and turns I nearly got whiplash....in a good way. This one kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. I won't go into the plot because that can be read online, but suffice to say this is her best one yet.

When Karen Simmons is murdered on Valentine’s Day, Detective Elise King suspects her online date might be the culprit. Karen’s dating app activity divides the town—some blame her, while others protest violence against women. Enter Kiki Nunn, a journalist determined to crack the case and advance her career, even if it means facing off against Elise and the killer.

One of the things I really liked about this book is how it dives into some real-world issues. Barton doesn't shy away from exploring the divide in society over Karen's murder. On one side, you've got people blaming her for what happened, while others are standing up against violence towards women. And then there's Kiki Nunn, this fierce journalist who adds a whole new layer of drama to the mix.

Now, I'll be real with you—it did take me a little bit to really get into the story. But once I did, I was hooked! The way Barton flips between Elise, Kiki, and Annie's perspectives keeps things fresh and exciting. Although, I gotta admit, sometimes I found it a bit tricky to tell Elise and Kiki's voices apart.

"Talking to Strangers" is an entertaining mystery with plenty of characters and motives to keep you guessing. Sure, the ending might be a bit predictable, but it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment. It's the perfect book for a cozy weekend read, with relatable and realistic characters that draw you into their world. Definitely worth picking up if you're in the mood for a good mystery!

Four women. Four lives intertwined by the actions of the men around them. TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION/DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT; MENTION OF CHILD DEATH.
Kiki Nunn, a journalist and mother, is attempting to get her groove back by becoming a “real writer” again, undertaking the responsibility of covering the murder of Karen Simmons, a local hairstylist. Karen has spent the last several months combing the dating apps and websites, setting up a singles group for others in the area to meet and mingle, called the Free Spirits. But, when she turns up dead the day after Valentine’s Day, it opens up a web of questions that have been left unanswered for years. For Annie, she has spent the last 16 years going through the motions after the death of her young son, Archie, believed to have been murdered by a convicted sexual predator. Her older son, Xander, has lived with secrets since he was a child that has been eating away at him all of these years, but the actions of six men bring everything to light. For Elise, a police officer working the case on Karen’s murder, and working through her recent diagnosis of breast cancer, leaves her questioning her own sanity sometimes.
For all of these women, things have taken a deadly turn because of the men in their lives. Kiki’s ex-husband and father of her teenage daughter, left for a young woman, leaving her lonely and wondering what went wrong. But, when she begins investigating the apps that Karen was using during her dating trysts, she gets taken up with a man who ultimately sexually assaults her, and she goes on a rampage in order to get her revenge, but not in the angry, murderous way that happens in these kinds of cases. Kiki works diligently along with the police, including Elise, to bring her attacker down and he is none other than the man that Elise has been seeing, her neighbor, who went by the name of Mal, but used several aliases during his time on the websites.
Unfortunately, for Annie, Karen’s murder brings up a string of questions regarding her son Archie’s death that was she never sure she wanted answered. But after Karen’s untimely death, it began nagging at her due to the proximity to the location of where Archie had been found. Her marriage with her husband has been slowly deteriorating for the last 16 years, especially after his confession that he had been in a relationship with the murder victim, intending to leave his wife and children to start up a new life with her. But, when it is confirmed that Karen’s DNA was all over a jacket that had been found within their home, Annie isn’t sure what to think, until he is charged with her murder, and Xander, her older son, confesses to accidentally killing his younger brother after he himself had been sexually assaulted, Archie wanting to tell their mother what happened and Xander wanting to protect her from the truth.
In the end, every single women gets the answers they had been looking for, but through his own confession, Xander comes forward to the reader stating that he was responsible for the death of Karen, having swiped on her profile. When Karen realized that she was with the son of the man she had once loved, she tried to leave but Xander ended up killing her in the exact area where he killed his younger brother. He also accepts responsibility for the deaths of a local man named Ash, who was also in the woods when Archie had been killed all those years ago and knew the truth and was going to confess, as well as the death of the man who had assaulted him in the woods on that fateful day, though not directly. That man killed himself while in police custody when he had been coerced into lying about Archie’s death.
In truth, this story took me a WHILE to get into. After having read Fiona Barton’s trilogy, The Widow, The Child and the Suspect, I became a HUGE fan of this author. Each of those three stories had me hooked from the very beginning. This one, however, took me quite a bit. I found it to be a bit slow going to start, but it really did start picking up around the time that the character, Kiki, began identifying members of the group that called themselves the Band of Brothers. Each women’s story within this book is INCREDIBLY tragic. For Kiki and Elise, they’re just older woman, who are lonely and are wanting to get rid of that loneliness with a little male companionship. For Annie, the death of her son, the eventual birth of another son and then dealing with her older son and husband’s infidelity is something that no woman or mother should have to deal with.
Fiona really got down deep into the trials and tribulations that a lot of women face in the dating culture, especially when there is sexual assault involved. The constant victim blaming is something that happens every single day, though it is never the fault of the victim…EVER, and this is something that Fiona herself says multiple times throughout the story. I truly hope that any one who reads this book who has been through similar situations understands that it is never their fault…myself included.
Overall, 4/5 stars from me! I’d recommend this story to anyone, though I do leave the trigger warnings in place for those who are sensitive to the topics mentioned. Thank you to NetGalley, Fiona Barton and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC.

"Talking to Strangers" was a good murder mystery. At first, I was not sure how the author was going to link the three main characters together. Detective Elise and Reporter Kiki are both searching for answers as to who killed Karen, the local hairdresser, and why she was targeted. Karen's efforts to find love online and her singles group seem to be prime factors. The story also indicates that Elise and Kiki have had professional interactions in the past given the nature of their jobs. However, Annie's connection to the story seems more tenuous. Karen's body is found in Knapton Wood, the same location where fifteen years earlier, Annie's young son Archie was found dead. Yet, Archie's killer was quickly caught and committed suicide in jail, so there would not seem to be any connection between current and past events. The author creates clever ways to link the characters and events. There are lots of secrets to be revealed, and some twists the reader will probably not see coming.

This is a great read. I love all of Fiona’s books. She is a fantastic writer. Her stories and characters are on point. This story is unique and it hooked me from page one. This is definitely one I am going to recommend to all readers.

Detective Elise King’s investigation into a woman’s murder is getting derailed by a reporter who insists on doing her own investigation in Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton. I read this book quickly, it kept my attention and was well written.

The pacing was good, and the short chapters allowed the switch between multiple character perspectives.
An enjoyable and easy weekend read to immerse yourself in a good mystery.

I would recommend this book.