My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 3.82 with 13,149 ratings (as of 2/9/2020)

When a single mother hears a rumor outside her son’s school, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another. . . . And now there’s no going back.

Rumor has it that a notorious killer, a woman who has been released from prison years after her brutal crime, is living under a new identity in Joanna’s seaside town. So who is the supposedly reformed murderer now living in their neighborhood? Suspicion falls on everyone.

As Joanna becomes obsessed with the case, her curiosity will expose her son and his father to a heartless psychopath who has killed—and may kill again. And she will learn how dangerous one rumor can become . . . and just how far she must go to protect those she loves from harm. She is going to regret the day she ever said a word. . . .…Synopsis from Goodreads

200 Word Review

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

I try to write my review soon after reading each book. Because it took so long for me to finish reading The Rumor by Lesley Kara, I needed time to process my thoughts before writing this review.

In The Rumor, a mom hears a rumor outside her son’s school. Her casual comment repeating the rumor was not intended to be a big deal. However, once something is said, it is impossible to take it back. Words run faster than people ever could. Words travel faster than the speed of light.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book but reached a point where I kept having to put it down. I do not know why because I liked the writing style and the story. I think it might be because I felt the middle was too long.

I am glad I finished it because I did enjoy the last few chapters. Many reviews thoroughly liked the novel and I did not have to invoke the “50-page rule” so it is worth reading.

This was Lesley Kara’s debut novel. Her next one, Who Did You Tell, is due out in 2020 and I have added it to my “want to read” list.

This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/21/20. When available, the review will be published on Scribd.com and, using Overdrive, will be rated in 9 libraries.

Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Print Length: 325 pages
ISBN: 1984819348
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: July 19, 2019

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