Book Club,  Book Review,  Mystery,  Suspense

Book Review: The Suspect | Fiona Barton

January 17, 2019 /

Fiona Barton’s The Suspect has a ripped-from-the-headlines premise that takes a surprising turn with a suspenseful twist, making this a fantastic development in the Kate Waters series. With short chapters and alternating narrators, the pace of this book was quick and lively. I particularly loved the back story from Alex and the contrast to the search and investigation. A fascinating case with a unique plot twist that is sure to be a hit!

About the Book

The police belonged to another world – the world they saw on the television or in the papers. Not theirs.

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry.

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left home to go traveling. This time it’s personal.

And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think…

Reflection

I’ve read all three Kate Waters books, and I love how each iteration continues to develop Kate’s character, while still working as standalone reads. In the first book, The Widow, Kate is a less prominent (but important) character, and the focus is largely on the titular character herself. What does the widow know? What will she reveal?

In The Suspect, Kate is truly the central character and voice in the story. I really enjoyed hearing more from her in this book. Her storyline in The Suspect is particularly interesting, because she ends up having a personal tie to the case. I really can’t elaborate, but there is a wonderful, heart-pounding moment she has part way through the first half, and I get chills thinking about that line in the book!

Let’s talk about the central case, shall we? The book starts and we learn Kate’s son is off in Thailand, taking a two year hiatus from college to live and work in Phuket. Next we switch perspectives and learn about two girls who are spending the summer traveling in Thailand, only their parents stopped hearing from them about a week prior. So already you can see where the intersection between Kate’s personal and professional lives might occur.

As Kate picks up the case of the missing girls, she can’t help but wonder why she hasn’t heard from her son in so long. The case brings up some painful truths from Kate’s own life. The case reminds me so much of the famous case of the two Dutch girls who went missing in Panama. They did eventually find their bodies, but it wasn’t clear at first what the cause of death was. The stories are clearly not identical, but I remember finding that case incredibly haunting. In particular with the finding of the backpack, the emergency calls from their cell phones, and the cameras. I won’t go into that case here (though maybe I should do a true crime post sometime??), but you should look it up. Chilling!

I loved Alex in particular. The contrast between what Alex is actually experiencing with her friend Rosie and what her parents hear and friends see on facebook is such an important story for our time. The pressure, especially on young people, to showcase an enviable life can have detrimental effects. In this case, it contributed to the disappearance of two girls without their parent’s realizing what was wrong.

Enter Kate Waters, whose dogged determination to find the story (and the truth) uncovers a myriad of clues that help lead the detectives closer to the truth. Add to that Kate’s own maternal worries and connection, and truly this is a captivating story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

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