Questions About The Rumour

by Lesley Kara (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (5)

Was this book originally set in the U.K.? I am reading an ARC of the North American version and I am confused!!! To me it read like this is a little British seaside town but they keep referring to Iowa!! Has the location been changed to suit the North American market?

Kim I was going to ask the same question! I really enjoyed the book, but it read like a British novel and I feel they should have kept it as originally wr…moreI was going to ask the same question! I really enjoyed the book, but it read like a British novel and I feel they should have kept it as originally written.(less)

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Leanne J

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What's the plot to this book? it didn't explain it well.

Helen The Rumour is set in a sleepy seaside town. The story focuses on Joey, a single mum and her son, Alfie who have moved from London to be closer to her …moreThe Rumour is set in a sleepy seaside town. The story focuses on Joey, a single mum and her son, Alfie who have moved from London to be closer to her Mum. Joey's partner (and father of Alfie) is an investigative journalist digging into the whereabouts of a renowned child killer who has been given a new identity and is thought to be living in the town. Joey is the new girl, trying to fit in and mentions this at her book club, starting a rumour which places a series of people under the spot light. This is an excellent observation of community "small town" life. The characters are likeable, relatable and well considered. As the story progresses, the plot twists and turns so the reader constantly changes their mind about who the child killer is. I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. Fabulous writing. The conversations are believable, the crime writing is graphic but not gratuitous and the psychological elements really test the reader's opinion on murderers. It's never black and white but this book shows many delicate shades of grey which educate the reader generating empathy for the perpetrator. Running alongside are stories about the characters' ongoing relationships: mother and daughter; "new girl and town residents"; the changing parameters of a romantic relationship and retrospective considerations of past relationships.

Impossible to put down, my house suffered last week. Surely the mark of a good book is that even though I finished it a few days ago I keep mulling things over. I hope Lesley's working on another, and I hope she's not going to make us wait too long.(less)

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