The Rumour
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  • Published: 10 December 2018
  • ISBN: 9781473559448
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 416

The Rumour

Formats & editions
Paperback
6 Aug 2019
EBook
10 Dec 2018
Audiobook
10 Dec 2018
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This fresh, exciting, twisty debut psychological thriller explores with terrifying credibility how rumours can wreck lives . . .

__________

When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there's no going back . . .

Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago - no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she's unleashed?
__________

'Everyone is going to be talking about The Rumour. An intriguing premise, a creeping sense of dread, and a twist you won't see coming!' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door.

Readers can't stop talking about The Rumour:

***** 'So good ... The twist is amazing and really caught me out.'
***** 'Downloaded it last night before bed and have stayed up all night reading it! Could not put it down.
***** 'I couldn't devour this book quickly enough ... The surprises didn't stop til the very last page.'

IF YOU'VE ALREADY DEVOURED THE RUMOUR THEN LOOK OUT FOR THE DARE, THE CAPTIVATING NEW THRILLER FROM LESLEY KARA. **OUT NOW!**
  • Published: 10 December 2018
  • ISBN: 9781473559448
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 416
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About the author

Lesley Kara

Lesley Kara is an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. She lives on the North Essex coast. She is the author of two published novels: The Rumour, a Sunday Times Top 10 and Kindle No. 1 bestseller, and the critically acclaimed Who Did You Tell?. Her third novel, The Dare, is coming soon.

portrait photo of Lesley Kara

Also by Lesley Kara

The Other Tenant
The Apartment Upstairs
The Dare
Who Did You Tell?
See all

Praise for The Rumour

In this chilling tale of paranoia, suspicion and accusation, Lesley Kara keeps you guessing until the final page.

Paula Hawkins, No.1 bestselling author of THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and INTO THE WATER

A great debut with a slyly clever premise and a rollercoaster ride to the very last sentence.

Fiona Barton, bestselling author of THE WIDOW and THE CHILD

An intriguing premise, a creeping sense of dread, and a twist you won't see coming! Everyone is going to be talking about The Rumour.

Shari Lapena, bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR

A brilliant premise with a killer twist. The Rumour depicts the prejudices and secrets that simmer in a small seaside town to devastating effect.

Colette McBeth, author of AN ACT OF SILENCE

Pssst, have you heard... #TheRumour is a cracking thriller about the damage that idle gossip can wreak in a small town. I thought I had the twist worked out. Boy was I wrong!

Tammy Cohen

A brilliantly addictive debut...with a reveal that caught me completely by surprise.

Good Housekeeping

Shocking and convincing.

Literary Review

Suspicion and lies, paranoia and anguish follow in this twisty psychological thriller.

Choice Magazine

Gripping...the evocation is beautifully done.

Observer

Whip-smart . . . every well-crafted page simmers with tension and menace.

Sunday Mirror

Tense and very twisty . . . will have you hooked.

Fabulous Magazine (Sun)

Captivating . . . a subtle examination of the damage that gossip can do.

Daily Mail

This is one of those novels that sweeps you away and doesn't let go until the final killer blow.

Heat

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My inspirations for writing The Rumour

I started writing this novel in August 2017, but the original idea came to me a few years before when someone I was working with passed on a rumour to me.

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