The Rumour by Lesley Kara

NB Magazine
I had high hopes for this book. I’ve been hearing about it since the summer and I think it’s been one of the most highly anticipated books of the year.
So, did it meet my high expectations? Oh yes, and it went way beyond them.
Anyone who has school-aged children will know that cliquey feeling amongst the parents at the school gate.
In a desperate attempt to fit in when she moves to the little town of Flinstead, Joanna repeats a rumour that then grows legs of its own.
The rumour relates to a convicted child killer who is believed to live in the town.
As you can imagine, Joanna then starts to think that every woman of the right sort of age could be the killer, Sally McGowan. She becomes paranoid, she feels threatened, she worries for her six-year-old son, Alfie.
This description doesn’t even touch the surface of the story but I’m not going to say anything else because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.
What I will say is that The Rumour is an outstanding psychological tale which wowed me.
It hooked me in the first part where the scene is set, only to throw me a massive curveball in the second.
In fact, that curveball had me putting my hand over my mouth and just trying desperately to process all that I had read, before I flicked back through the pages over and over trying to take it all in.
It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. The level of plotting and suspense is spectacular – to be able to deliver the kind of twist that Kara does without giving anything away is quite something.
There are some fantastic characters in this book. I particularly liked Joanna and her on/off partner, Michael. Many of the other characters are ones that may or may not be Sally McGowan and I became like Joanna, looking for little clues everywhere amongst the school mums and the people from the book club that Joanna attends.
Don’t keep this rumour to yourself. This is one that needs to be passed on. This book is clever, full of twists and turns, a domestic drama which turns into a full-on nightmare. There’s so much intrigue, so much drama, so much tension. I found it completely and utterly compelling.