Title: Talking to Strangers
Series: Elise King #2
Author: Fiona Barton
Publisher: Bantam
Synopsis:
Three women. One Killer.
Talking to strangers has never been more dangerous…When the body of forty-four-year-old Karen Simmons is found abandoned in remote woodland, journalist Kiki Nunn is determined this will be the big break she so desperately needs.
Because she has a head start on all the other reporters. Just a week before Karen was killed, Kiki interviewed her about the highs and lows of mid-life romance. Karen told her all about kissing strangers on the beach under the stars, expensive meals, roses. About the scammers, the creeps, the man who followed her home the other night…
While the police appear to be focusing on local suspects, Kiki sets out to write the definitive piece on one woman’s fatal search for love. But she will soon learn that the search for truth can be just as deadly…
My review:
Having read and enjoyed the first in this series, Local Gone Missing, I was excited to return to the world of Detective Elise King as she tackles another case. This time, the body of a local woman Karen is found by some early morning walkers.
As with Local Gone Missing, we follow various characters’ perspectives as we get an insight into their experiences in the aftermath of (and sometimes also in the run-up to) Karen’s death. I always enjoy reading different narratives and this book does it brilliantly. Elise’s perspective is always interesting as we get the Police investigation and the pressure on Elise and her colleagues. I think she’s a brilliant protagonist – sharp and quick-witted but currently battling some of her own problems too. We also follow Kiki as she follows the story and tries her hand at solving the mystery, and Annie, who has two sons, but still hugely misses Archie, her son who was killed a long time ago.
In this novel, we see Elise get back into the dating game as she tries to balance work and romance, as well as Kiki’s exploration of the darker side of online dating. The case is interesting and, despite some very dark themes, there are some humorous lines here too. I loved the twists thrown at the reader too (but I won’t say more than that – this is one to go into without knowing too much!).
Talking to Strangers is a satisfying, dark and twisty whodunnit. It’s a great follow-up to Local Gone Missing and has made this series one I’ll definitely be reading more of when they come!
My rating: 4.5/5
Many thanks to the publisher, Bantam, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.