The Rumor: A Novel
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The Rumor: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Lesley Kara (Author), Karissa Vacker (Narrator), Olivia Mackenzie-Smith (Narrator),
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 12,810 ratings
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“Keeps you guessing until the final page.” (Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train)

“A rollercoaster ride to the very last sentence.” (Fiona Barton, author of The Widow)

“Everyone will be talking about The Rumor.” (Shari Lapena, author of The Couple Next Door)

When a single mother hears a shocking 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, who committed a brutal crime as a child, has been living a new life under an assumed identity in Joanna’s seaside town. So who is the criminal hidden in their midst? Suspicion falls on everyone.

As Joanna becomes obsessed with the case, her curiosity will expose her son and his father to the supposedly reformed murderer - who may be ready to kill again. She will learn how dangerous one rumor can become...and just how far she must go to protect those she loves. She is going to regret the day she ever said a word.

Praise for The Rumor

“A brilliant premise with a killer twist. The Rumor depicts the prejudices and secrets that simmer in a small seaside town to devastating effect.” (Colette McBeth, author of An Act of Silence)

“This mystery has an unusual and resonant theme - how a single rumor can morph into a completely unmanageable, deadly force.... [There’s] psychological acuity throughout and [an] astonishing ending.” (Booklist)

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  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 22 minutes
  2. Author
    Lesley Kara
  3. Narrator
    Karissa Vacker, see all
  4. Audible release date
    June 18, 2019
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B07SJHFXYR
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 22 minutes
Author Lesley Kara
Narrator Karissa Vacker, Olivia Mackenzie-Smith
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 18, 2019
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07SJHFXYR
Best Sellers Rank #20,433 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#646 in Psychological Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals)
#927 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#1,779 in Suspense (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
12,810 global ratings
Lesley Kara's debut novel is a "heads up" that this is a writer to watch.
4 Stars
Lesley Kara's debut novel is a "heads up" that this is a writer to watch.
Jo is a single mom who relocates to the seaside town where she grew up to be near her mother. It's a great opportunity to have family support, and give her son Alfie a fresh start from the city where he struggled to fit in with the other kids. Jo's desire to see her son happy is a little obsessive, to the point that she starts joining groups and befriending people she normally wouldn't just to gain his acceptance.In order to get "in" with the other mothers, she shares a rumor about a child murderer who is living in their community under a hidden identity. Suddenly the ladies are intrigued and everyone is speculating who the murderess is. A local business woman is accused and her livelihood threatened. Jo and her son's safety is being threatened. The book takes off at a gallop and it had me repeatedly trying to guess who was fighting so desperately to hide their identity. I never saw it coming, that is for sure.There are a couple of things that were a little cliched. Like repeated comments about Jo's job in real estate and how she would describe the listing whenever she walked by a house; or rehashing about the race of her partner Michael who is also Alfie's father. One thing that confused me, at times I thought the setting was the UK and not the US.I received this book from Penguin Random House and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
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Top reviews from the United States

L. Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Debut Novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2019
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Originally written, set in the U.K. as "The Rumour" this "Americanized" version is a fun taut read. The plot centers on a single Mom who moves her child to a new town to get away from bullies. Plus it's close to where her Mom lives. Not welcomed by the somewhat standoffish female residents she shares a bit of gossip concerning a child killer in their midst to get some attention. It works - soon she is welcomed at gatherings with the other Mom's and the father of her child, a journalist is looking into the case that prompted it, even as Joey starts her own little investigation. Soon she's also getting creepy texts from someone claiming to be the killer and the tension in the book really ramps up. Where the town is located is never made clear. There's references to Michigan and Chicago made in multiple locations so I had assumed her town was located on Lake Superior or Lake Michigan, but with all the endless references to "the sea", that can't be it. It's not integral to the plot though, nor are all the many references to drinking pots of tea which is a rarity in the US. But the recraft was deft and the characters engaging, some disturbingly so. The ending will blow you away - I never saw that coming. A wonderful debut from a very talented writer.
3 people found this helpful
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Blue Eyes
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2019
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A 10 year old girl killed a 5 year old boy many years ago and is supposedly living in Joanne’s village. She inadvertently starts the rumor mill going and a local shop keeper is targeted. And then Joanne begins to get Tweets, and her sone is targeted....
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Alissa Brianne
3.0 out of 5 stars Little boring with a good twist
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2019
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I found this book as a recommended read for me. I thought the book was good. Not great, not amazing... just good. I felt little emotional connection to any of the characters other than the main character. Whenever one of the other characters were brought up, I had to stop & think about who they are & where they were previously brought up. It got a little confusing at times with all the names & characters. Even the relationship between Michael & Johanna did little for me. The book was almost corny. Predictable. I found myself just laughing about how ridiculous it got at some times. I left 3 stars as opposed to 2 because of the twist. I definitely was not expecting it & It brought some much needed entertainment to the story. After the twist, I finally felt invested. I got more interested & finished the rest of the story in a night. But, by the time I was interested, it was already almost over.
3 people found this helpful
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Keryn
5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing story that makes you ponder what you would do in the same situation
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2019
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This book was such an enjoyable, engrossing and thought provoking read. Great plot and well written and the twist really took me by surprise. But I think what I most enjoyed was how relatable the main character was. I could easily imagine myself in her shoes thinking and behaving in the same way given the same circumstances. Quite often in a novel I find myself thinking, well how foolish, why would they do or say that. But not so with this book. I feel all the characters and their actions and behaviours were totally plausible.
2 people found this helpful
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Ellijay, GA
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2021
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Interesting look at what rumors can cause with a cool twist ending.
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Aapciudas
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent psychological thriller
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2022
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Keeps you guessing, with clues pointing in all directions. Characters are well written, and the author has a story as well as a plot. So many thrillers are a lot of subpar writing hung on a plot structure, but this author really tells a story.
2 people found this helpful
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Gayle
3.0 out of 5 stars THREE⭐️⭐️⭐️ SAYS IT ALL!
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2020
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An enjoyable but predictable story!
I did find a few “Trump”barbs to be completely unnecessary.
2 people found this helpful
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Chew
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2020
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I was hesitant about this one, thought it was just going to be a dramatic mom's club book about how rumors spread. I was pleasantly surprised.
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Top reviews from other countries

Sprika Gaur
4.0 out of 5 stars A good thriller read, but a tad bit predictable.
Reviewed in India on June 15, 2019
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It is a good psychological thriller to read if anyone wishes to start reading the genre. For the ones who are familiar with it, they might find it a bit predictable, although, it does keep you hooked till the very end. It also leaves some things for the reader to linger on for sometime before turning the page. Overall it’s a good book to give your time to. Lesley Kara has done an impeccable job.
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Sandie
5.0 out of 5 stars Cautionary tale for the modern age
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2019
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Single mum Joanna Critchley has moved back to the sleepy coastal town of Flinstead from the hustle and bustle of London life. Her son Alfie had trouble with bullies at his primary school back in the capital and Jo feels he might fair better in her mum's home town where life moves at a slower pace. Keen to help Alfie fit in and find friends, Jo's mum suggests that she join the other school mums at the book club. Jo does so, but still feels like she's struggling to be noticed and in a split second of desperation she repeats a snippet of juicy gossip she's overheard in order to get noticed amongst the other women. Her ploy works but not in the way she wanted and little does she realise what a huge impact that one sentence will have on the rest of her life.

The gossip spreads among the women like wildfire and soon the local community are up in arms trying to identify the person at the centre of the rumour. Fingers are pointed and Jo begins to wish she'd kept her mouth shut as things start to look as if they could get out of hand.

This is a story I think we can all relate to as I'm sure most of us have passed on something we've been told which maybe we should have been more discreet about - luckily for the majority of us it doesn't have the same consequences as it does for Joanna. It is difficult to say too much without giving away vital parts of the storyline, but I think this book is a great cautionary tale for our time.

As a debut novel I found this to be a great concept and I liked that it made me think about how easily false information can spread, especially in these days of social media. It also made me think about the idea of revenge and grudges being held, and how the younger generation can be influenced by the resentments of their elders if they are brought up in a toxic environment. Just one strong voice of reason is all it needs to defuse all that bitterness and years of anger.

I felt this was a believable book with a whole host strong messages to it. The saying "if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing" very much applies to this book and is one which we can all do well to remember. Lesley Kara is a very promising new voice in the psychological thriller genre which is no mean feat these days as there are some strong contenders on the shelves at moment.
10 people found this helpful
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Jennifer Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected twist
Reviewed in Australia on November 21, 2020
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Started started rather slowly I thought, The usual he did she did gossip etc. But then things changed slowly and insidiously.
Not wanting to say too much, the people who think they are and always who they are! Ended up being a very enjoyable read if you like unexpected twists and dramas it covers that.
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KHK360
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in India on June 21, 2020
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A Good read. Too many names to remember... That's the only gripe! Otherwise yes, a tight plot and kept me engaged till the unravel of the "who"! Recommend.
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Gaby
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read! Suspense, thriller, domestic themes - did not see the twist coming!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2019
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So let's start with the fact that the writing for this book was so gripping, that I sat in my reading chair for three straight hours and didn't put my Kindle down once. This just goes to show how much the story captures you. The short snappy chapters make it extremely easy to fall into the 'Oh just one more, then I'll put it down' trick!

The setting of a quiet coastal town was perfect for the storyline, and really dramatised every detail of the rumour. The description enables the reader to really get a sense of the village like atmosphere in Flinstead-on-Sea. This setting also accentuates the snowball like effect that school-mum gossip can take.

I found the focus on gossip between mothers to be a little cliche at first, but as I read on it all began to make sense. Once all the loose ends had been tied, I was left with quite a chilling feel as to why 'mum gossip' was focused on so much. This made me love the connection even more!

I think Joanna is a really interesting character.. there is an air to her that she is fiercely independent but then also the perspective that she is petrified as to how vulnerable she is on her own. I must admit, I was left wondering if perhaps Joanna was Sally as we seem to know so little about her from the start.

I think the way in which the theme of high profile child killer was brought together with the small, innocent town of Flinstead was very very clever. It gave the book the drive an excitement it needed without becoming overcomplicated or unrealistic.

My only peeve was the characters of Michael. As he was the only constant male character throughout the book, I had expected him to have a much larger part to play. I could recognise the necessity of him and his connections as a journalist, but I would've loved to have seem him play a more significant role in the concluding chapters. I was hoping he would have some secrets too that would add to the mystery and shock me, so I was left feeling a little underwhelmed by him.

However, I absolutely did not see the twist coming, and I think this is because I hadn't really been keeping up with how old each of the characters are. Nonetheless, it still shocked me! The book very tactfully touches on child abuse and domestic violence which at times gave me that gut wrenching throb at the back of my throat. The language and writing used was very effective.

I think the fact I finished this book so quickly indicates that it deserves a very high rating, however the fact I was left trying to add more 'shock factor' into it, indicates that it didn't quite hit top marks for me. So I gave this book a four star review on Goodreads. This is Lesley's debut title so I would certainly be inclined to pick up her future titles!

I think it is also important to recognise that Lesley Kara lives in a small coastal town in Essex which I am very familiar with. Therefore throughout this read, I was able to recognise similarities between the fictional and real town. This helped me to create a picture in my mind of Flinstead, which also helped me to connect to the book on a more personal level.
3 people found this helpful
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