The Rumor - Lesley Kara

The Rumor - Lesley Kara

She read

In 1969, a young girl was imprisoned for stabbing a playmate of hers to death.  After serving her time, she is released, assumed a new identity,  and is now rumored to be living in the seaside town of Flinstead.  The rumor spreads and takes on a life of its own.

This psychological thriller with good character development is a very fast read.  The twists and red herrings keep you guessing

I liked this book, but there were two things that bothered me.  There seemed to be some geographical confusion about where it takes place.  Although it resembled a British story, the setting was definitely the US. The confusion over trying to guess where it was located distracted me a bit. Near the end of the book, it was revealed that it was set outside of Boston.  And, it turns out, that the original book was set in the UK.  I think I might have enjoyed the original as much or more than this retelling. The other thing that distracted me a bit was wondering why suddenly, years and years later, this rumor surfaces.

Despite those distractions, I had difficulty putting this novel down and read it in three sittings.