what a great book hooked Ulley into plot great character lots of twist i did not a couple of character but seem to hooke me more easy to read good book

When single mum Jo 'up sticks' from London to sleepy Flinstead on the Essex coast, it's in hope of a fresh start.  Closer to her mum and a better place for her young son to grow up she is keen for them both to make new friends.

When she hears some gossip at the school gates she initially doesn't think too much about it.  However the rumour is that there is a convicted child killer, now living in the town and as gossip can get a little carried away, Jo begins to join in and helps spreads the rumour.  What harm can it do? Plus it is a way to get talking to people, to make new friends.

Micheal, a journalist, and Jo's ex hears of this spreading gossip and talks to Jo about it.  He is keen to follow it up in the hope of a story.  After the rumour starts to become talked of over town, Jo gets carried away and mentions a piece of information she has obtained from Micheal.  This leads to Jo becoming more involved than she would ever think possible.

As a local woman becomes a target and as Jo's guilt and fear increases, the tension both in the town and within the book builds and Micheal and Jo are dangerously drawn into events.

Full of twists and turns and a well described set of small town characters, this book had me gripped, leading me this way and that, trying to unravel the mystery of who this child killer could be.  The thriller ramps up as the book moves along and whether or not not figure some of it out, there is a great twist at the end.

A wonderful portrayal of a small seaside town, The Rumour is a pacy, addictive read.

This thriller is a real page-turner which I thoroughly enjoyed and is sure to appeal to lovers of psychological fiction.
Single mum Jo decides to up sticks and leave London in order to be closer to her own mum after discovering that her son was being bullied.
She is keen to give her son a new start, and to ensure that they both fit it. In an attempt to make friends with others, she passes on a rumour she has heard: that a famous child killer has been living in the area. This news unwittingly releases a chain of events that sees Jo eventually fighting for everything she holds dear.
I did figure a some of the twists in the first third of the book, but I didn't have it all worked out, and raced through the novel to see how it all came together.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Good.. not great if you know what i mean. The Rumour was perfectly adequate, just not really thrilling, in my opinion. I had a fair idea of where the ending was going unfortunately.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Lesley Kara and this book doesn’t disappoint

The twist at the end is really good and I didn’t see it coming

Highly recommended

I found this book an easy read, it just goes to show what happens when you say the wrong thing and everything goes wrong. Gossip and rumours are so dangerous! Jo hears a rumour at the school gates and passes it on. Her partner wants to write a story about the child murderer living amongst them. Its quite a gentle slow start but soon picks up the pace, especially the last quarter of the book. Jo realises she doesn't know everyone close to her as well as she thinks. A few twists and turns. A good book

Joanna lives with her son in a small seaside town where she's recently returned to be closer to her mother. At the school gates she picks up a piece of gossip - there is a rumour that a woman, a notorious child-killer who was only ten year's old herself when she killed a little boy, is living in the town.

You know that moment where you've been told something in confidence but your mouth just runs away with you? The sinking feeling when you say something which you know you shouldn't? Well Joanna has that. The father of her son, Michael, is a journalist whose interest is piqued by the idea of this killer being hidden away in the town and begins to investigate the background of the case. However, in an effort to help her son make friends Joanna shares some information she heard from Michael, she soon learns how a wrong word can lead to suspicion in a small town.

As the rumour spreads a local woman becomes the target of the suspicions, adding to Joanna's feelings of guilt - and then she starts to suspect she and her son are being targeted by the murderer, which ramps up the tension.

This was an unusual premise and, unusually for this genre, the lead character was quite likeable, although she does have  some flaws as well as an unbelievably perfect boyfriend. Towards the end it was best just to get carried along with the story and not examine the detail too much (you know that feeling where you want to go back to the beginning and see what you read?). Nevertheless it kept me reading and guessing until the end

A well written story about the rumour that a long-ago child killer is living in a sleepy seaside town. The rumour is stirring up the imagination of the locals some taking things into their own hands and starting to point fingers at various local residents. Well depicted how easy it is for rumours to get well out of hand.
An estate agent is raising her son on her own, she is in love with the father of her boy who she keeps at arms length. She is also getting pulled into the rumour and tells her ex who in turn plans to interview the killer.
As the story unfolds you get sucked into all the goings on in this sleepy town, and even though it was meant to be a shocking discovery I have had my suspicions about who the killer was before the big reveal.
Overall an easy read though a bit predictable in places.

Really easy to get into and kept me hooked the whole way through, a great read, can't wait for more from this author!

A good decent mystery read. Keeps you guessing throughout as to who Sally McGowan is?

Is the little old woman or the quiet friend. It’s never who you expect it to be.

A very good twist at the end. Kept me hooked all the way through. Excellent read and would definitely recommend.

When Joanna hears a rumour at the school gate, she never really intends to pass it on, its more a passing comment but when she finds it harder to fit in and her son is struggling, these passing comments become a bit of gossip to fit in with others.

The rumour? That a child killer could have been relocated to their sleepy little town, that they may have the same initials and surely the community should know? So, what follows is a change in the community and almost a witch hunt. Joanna becomes obsessed with finding out who Sally McGowan is. But Joanna starts to realise how dangerous rumours can be.

There is a lot of characters to this novel, all the mums and a busy community - its important you pay attention to who is who, i found sometimes i had to revisit parts to be reminded of who people are and who they are known to, but once i got my head around that - it made alot more sense to me. The rumour really does rely on you remembering who is who.

It was gripping, i find myself reading it at any given change, i mean i read for the less than 5 minutes in the petrol station whilst i waited for my mum..so you get the point i am making about this.

I really like Joanna, i felt she wasn't all as confident and independent as she seemed, there was an edge to her, one that wasnt so secure, that worried deeply about her son and her safety. I think that is why she was so obsessed with finding out about Sally McGowan, because she wanted to feel safe.

The rumour was full of drastic twists and turns, it leads you to different assumptions but boy i didnt actually see the outcome coming and even then, when i had finally got my head around it - the last page throws another curve ball at the reader.

A good premise, but found the narrative predictable and spotted the killer within a very short space of time. The story spends a lot of time meandering round with daily lives of people in the village, and really never changes gear till late on.

This book, wow! I was addicted from the very beginning right through to the end. Just a few words is all it takes… and those words quickly spread like wildfire throughout the small town! What started off as a seemingly casual comment, full of innocence, turns into the biggest rumour the town has seen for a long time – Sally McGowan is back in town and living hidden from everyone under a new name and new identity. She could literally be anyone. No one has seen her for years, and the town is trying to determine who it could be. Is it true, or just a silly rumour?

Everyone is on high alert and determined to find out the truth. They want answers, and are on a mission to uncover the mystery of who Sally McGowan truly is.

I enjoyed how fast paced this novel was. It takes you on a wild ride and you will not be able to put this book down. I was flipping through the pages wanting to know more. The twists and turns are gripping and entertaining, and there are many shocking revelations that will rock you and that you won’t see coming!

I only got around to reading this brilliant debut novel, recently ,I have read several reviews of this book, and finally picked it up. This was really a fantastic read, and considering that this is a debut novel, I can not imagine the heights she will still achieve with her writing.
From the beginning I wanted to know if the rumour was true, i followed the story closely but didi not see the conclusion coming. An excellent book and I cannot wait for the authors next .

A decent thriller. Not entirely enthralling but a good experience and keeps you guessing throughout. Is predictable for thriller readers.

We've all done it....had a gossip, shared a secret or rumour. Joanna does it to ingratiate herself with the school gate mums but this rumour is about a killer who could be in their midst. A careless word may have put her whole life at stake.

I did enjoy this but I called the ending within a few chapters which for me is really disappointing. On the whole it's a good read but should have been a lot more implicit with the "twist".

The description intrigued me so I got stuck in. I'm not going to give you a synopsis coz that's just a waste of everyone's time. I was intrigued, I got drawn in, and then the heat turned down, and there was peripheral info that was pointless, and it started to drag. It felt like one of those movies where you start looking at your watch. And then came the twist...and I was hooked again! And then thoroughly disappointed. As psychological thrillers go, I'd put it in the mediocre, too parochial column.

A very good read and I was gripped from the beginning. The pace was brisk and the storyline felt original. I enjoyed the twists and turns and the various red herrings that kept you guessing. I sympathised with Joanna in the main and was riveted by the denouement. I particularly liked the final kicker at the end of the book. I would definitely read more by Lesley Kara.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of The Rumour.

This was a very good psychological thriller which I really enjoyed . I will admit it took me a few chapters to get into it as found the beginning a bit tedious . Then the story started to come together and it was a terrific read .

Loved this book, couldn't put it down. Clever, twisty plot, characters to root for, and an expertly thought out ending. Highly recommended.