Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the second book in the Elise King series. It could easily be read as a standalone book, but the first book was really good too. As Elise is getting back to work, a local woman named Karen is murdered and found in the woods; Karen was a regular on dating apps and even had a little singles club that met in local pubs. As Elise tries to solve the crime and find out who murdered Karen, she finds her old nemesis Kiki Nunn, a reporter, is in her way once again. Kiki had met with the singles group that Karen ran getting a story on online dating and now Kiki tries to go undercover to try to help solve the murder. As it turns out the woods where Karen’s body was found is where another murder had taken place years before of a young boy. Are these murders somehow related there were lots of twists in this book and I really enjoyed the epilogue.

This was a good read, I really enjoyed the way. The author told the story, the characters were well written and interesting. I will definitely read more books by this author

Fiona Barton is back with a bang! DI Elise king is back and is trying to solve the mystery of local hair dresser who was murdered.

The local reporter is also investigating. Elise is less than pleased. I fell for a few of the misleading clues and I thought I had it solved. Turns out I was wrong!

Pick up your copy today it's a solid read that flew by

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

I enjoyed this new book from Fiona Barton. Although I read the first book in the Elise King Series, I couldn’t recall all the details. This second book was well written so I didn’t feel I missed anything and read it easily. Although I found some twists not to be a huge surprise, there was still a satisfying ending. I look forward to Barton’s next book.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC!
3.5/5

Talking To Strangers is the second Barton book following Detective Elise King (I also read Local Gone Missing, the first installment, 3⭐️).

My favourite part was Elise’s friendship with her nosy neighbour, Ronnie.

There were a lot of characters, many with their own POVs. And then each of those POVs had many more characters. So many to keep up with!

Ultimately, some aspects were predictable and others incredibly far fetched. The story was there but it felt like it took too long to weave it together while still leaving loose ends.

3.5⭐️

Lots of twists and turns in this one. It is almost as if there are two stories, the one with Karen Simmons and online dating, and the one with the murder of Archie Curtis ten years previously. As the story progresses, you see some areas where these intersect, but it never feels like they will quite connect. I was hooked throughout trying to work out how these two came together. Very enjoyable read.

I loved the first book in the Elise King series, Local Gone Missing and was super excited to get an advance copy of this one!

Talking to Strangers was so good! I loved the multiple POVs, the multiple cases being tied together. The characters were well done and all played such specific roles.

The twist though!! I really thought I had it figured out but I didn't see that coming at all!

Huge thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for an advance copy!

Talking To Strangers by Fiona Barton is the second in FBI Agent Elise King series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Berkley Publishing and Penguin Random House Canada and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



Series Background: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DI Elise King is now living in Ebbing.  After almost ten years together, Hugh had left her for a younger woman. Elise is now back at work, but still feeling the effects of chemo after her mastectomy. She works with DS Caro Brennan.  The coroner is Aoife Mortimer.  Elise's friend and neighbour Ronnie, although nosy, seems to know everyone in town, so sometimes she's quite helpful. So is reporter Kiki Nunn.



My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
The body of 44-year-old Karen Simmons is found in Knapton Wood.

Kiki Nunn, a journalist, is trying to get her career back on track, and she is determined to make this story the one to do it.  Luckily, she had met Karen the week before when she was interviewing women for an article she was writing regarding romance and on-line dating.  So Kiki already knew about the dating apps Karen was using, and some of the creeps she had met.  That is what Kiki is going to write about, and she plans on delving into it herself.

Elise and her team are concentrating on the local men that Karen was dating.  Kiki's interference is messing with Elise's case.

Meanwhile, a 16 year old cold case comes into play.  Annie's son Archie was killed in the same woods where Karen was found.  The family has never been the same.


My Opinions:
I was thrilled when I heard about another Elise King book.  My wish from my last review came true!  Elise is a strong protagonist, and she has a great team behind her.

I liked how the chapters were outlined in consecutive days, since the last book used a back and forth timeline.  The story was mainly told by Elise and Kiki, as well as grieving mother Annie. That worked really well.

The book was about sexual predators, on-line dating, and victim-shaming.  It was also about loneliness and family.  The plot held my interest from start to finish, and although I correctly identified the killer, it wasn't until the end that I was proven right.

I found the pace fast, and the book was done in no time.

I can't wait for the next in this series!

British Murder Mystery set in 2020 follows reporter Kiki Nunn as she investigates the murder of a local hairdresser, Karen Simmons. This is the second in the Elise Knight series.

There are a collection of characters that provide POVs; Annie Curtis, Det. Inspector Elise King, Kiki Nunn. Sixteen years ago the body of young Archie Curtis was found in the same woods. That suspect committed suicide before the investigation was completed.

The unravelling of both murders were presented in chapters in a time line that is based on Karen's death. The characters were complex individuals and plot twists kept redirecting conclusions to other paths.

It’s a must read! Love how she writes- I was flying through the chapters.
Short, fast paced chapters written from various POVs make for a quick, ‘can’t put it down’ read. It’ll make you think twice about online dating/hookups. It was a fast 1 day read for me.
Thank You to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Fiona Barton for the opportunity to read and thoroughly enjoy this ARC.

👀 T H R I L L E R T H U R S D A Y review 👀 featuring “Talking to Strangers” by Fiona Barton!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤.5/5

Karen Simmons is 40 years, thriving in her single life and not afraid to put herself out there. She creates a singles group called “Free Spirits” as a way to round up fellow singles for nights out and group activities. Karen is known for using dating apps as well and has even recently shared her online dating trials and tribulations with a journalist.

But then Karen’s search for “the one” turns fatal when Karen is found dead in the isolated woods. Detective Elise King wonders if Karen was killed by one of the strangers she met online … and the manhunt begins before another woman falls into the dangers of online dating!

Thank you kindly to Fiona Barton @penguincanada @berkleypub @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This crime thriller releases on August 27, 2024!

This was not my first Fiona Barton read and it won't be my last! This book is dark, fast paced and gripping - just like my previous reads of Barton. This is a timely read as dating apps and dating violence continues to rise. There's lots of darkness in this book and Barton offers insight into the horrible challenges women face. I appreciated the different points of view and the short, intense chapters made for a captivating read. I must be a bit dark and twisty myself as I ultimately figured out "who dun it" and why early on.... That said - I was still thoroughly along for the ride!

Thrilling book! It’s about 2 murders, a decade apart and it collides into a whirl of twists and turns! Excellent read!

I have never read any of the other books from Fiona Barton. But I had read some great reviews. There are some trigger warnings in this novel. Pedophilia and Rape. So if you don’t want to read a story with these stay away from this one. This is told by a few different women. One Elise a cop who is just coming back for a cancer diagnosis. Kiki a reporter who really needs to make a name for herself. And Anne a mom who looses a child and years later must relive the pain when a lady is murdered in the same place. I did pick out the killer early on. But a bunch of twists and turns keeps you guessing. If you like a thriller that keeps you guessing this is one to try.