#Blogtour The Other Tenant by Lesley Kara

It's my turn on the Blogtour The Other Tenant by Lesley Kara, published by Bantam Press - 25th April 2024.

'From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a gripping new thriller that asks how well you really know the people you share a home with... After all, living with strangers can be murder...'

About the Author

Lesley Kara is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rumour, Who Did You Tell?, The Dare and The Apartment Upstairs. The Rumour was the highest selling crime fiction debut of 2019 in the UK, and a Kindle No.1 bestseller. Lesley is an alumna of the Faber Academy 'Writing a Novel' course. She lives in Kent.

You can follow Lesley on Twitter @LesleyKara or visit her website at lesleykara.com

About the book

The Queen of the killer twist is back in this gripping closed-circle thriller about an unusual home full of strangers, with a murderer in their midst… 

Marlow has always lived in unusual places. But when she accepts a position as a live-in property guardian, she finds herself moving somewhere she swore she’d never return to. Right from the start, she knows it’s a terrible mistake. The elegant Victorian school is due to be turned into luxury apartments, but its eerie, empty corridors are full of Marlow’s worst memories.

And now something sinister is happening on the site. One of the other tenants has disappeared without warning, and Marlow suspects that the nine other guardians know far more than they’re letting on. She’s determined to find out what happened to the missing woman – but which of these strangers can she trust? And can she uncover the truth before her own past catches up with her?

Review

From a plot scenario perspective I was in two minds about the concept of being a property guardian - by the way is this a thing? The idea of living in extraordinary spaces, unusual or perhaps those reserved for the more privileged, it's intriguing. A little bit like treasure hunting, urban exploring and the appreciation of spaces.

The flip-side includes the trauma inducing deserted places, the shabby and spooky ones, but the dealbreaker for me would probably be the having to share living space with complete strangers on the spur of a moment. Frequently changing people and no control over how many or how often it may happen. Unless we are talking desperate measures, the apocalypse or a zombie invasion, I'm not sure I would ever agree to the above.

I think it's the combination of enticing and trust your gut instinct that makes the concept such a great idea, because the reader kind of knows it has the potential to go really wrong for someone - is that someone Marlow?

Marlow finds herself right back at the core of her inner trauma when her role as property guardian takes her right back to her previous life, this time with a bunch of strangers who seem curiously disinterested in the disappearance of the person she is replacing.

It's very much an atmosphere and space/place driven story, the author uses the evoked visuals to create a constant current of danger, fear and suspicion. It's a great read.

Buy The Other Tenant at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bantam Press; pub date 25th April 2024 | Hardback | £14.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Rumour by Lesley Kara

Today it is my turn on the BlogTour The Rumour by Lesley Kara. Kara gives the reader a run for their money with this exceptionally well-plotted read.

About the Author
Lesley Kara is an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. She completed an English
degree and PGCE at Greenwich University, having previously worked as a nurse and a secretary,
and then became a lecturer and manager in Further Education. Lesley has relocated to a small town
on the North Essex coast, where she is currently working on her second novel.

Follow @LesleyKara @TransworldBooks on Twitter, on Instagram on Facebook
Visit lesleykara.com
Buy The Rumour

About the book
One casual remark. One whispered confidence.
That’s all it takes to set the wheels in motion and change the course of a life.
Imagine innocently passing on a rumour you’ve heard, a snippet of information, a story someone told you one morning … You don’t realise that this particular rumour isn’t just idle gossip – it is something far more dangerous. And once it’s out there, there’s no getting it back. You’re about to regret the day you ever said a word...

This is what happens to Joanna, single mother, part time estate agent when she hears a rumour that a
notorious child killer is living in a safe house in her home town. Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death 47 years ago. No photos of her exist since her release from prison as a young woman. Joanna passes this rumour on without realising the repercussions.

The Rumour shows how easily secrets and lies and whispers can poison a small community. Tongues wag in the street, at the school gates, in book clubs, at children’s birthday parties – and whilst some people realise it needs to be stopped, others are fanning the flames... everyone you meet sparks suspicion. This is not a ‘whodunnit’, more of a which of your neighbours is it?

Review
Joanna inadvertently becomes one of the first of a long domino wall when she repeats a rumour in an attempt to fit in with her peers and neighbours. She has no idea what ramifications her loose mouth will have, especially when it comes to her own safety and that of her child.

In a small village or town everyone knows everyone else's business and rumours can take on a life of their own. When Joanne overhears someone mentioning the fact that the notorious Sally McGowan, a ten-year-old who killed a child nearly 50 years ago, may be living in their town, she doesn't think twice about using the juicy gossip to ingratiate herself with her new acquaintances.

Looking at a horrific crime from the outside is easy, especially when it comes to making snap judgements and having an opinion. The media tends to gaslight and sensationalize in an attempt to get more readers. A few months ago I moved from the outside looking in to being in the midst of one of these situations, and now I see things a lot differently.

One of the points Kara is trying to make is that although in a small minority of cases a child who kills is also a psychopath, sociopath or too damaged by abuse or trauma to be helped, the majority can be rehabilitated.

What happens when the killers try to live a normal life after being released, when they are hunted by the media and overzealous vigilantes. Don't they have the right to try and live their lives after fulfilling their debt to society via the prison system? Does it depend on the crime, the intent during the crime or the age of the victim?

The other side of the coin is the way the victim's family feels about the crime. It isn't unusual to want revenge and be filled with a longing for vengeance. The fact that their child can never grow up, have children or build a life is seen in direct comparison to the perpetrator who will one day walk the streets again, and able to do all the aforementioned. Even a life sentence doesn't mean life. When a child kills they are kept in secure environments for under-aged criminals, and then usually released at the age of 21.

I really enjoyed this book, perhaps more so because it shines a light on so many underlying issues surrounding children who kill, the way the media influences our society and the danger of Chinese whispers. By putting all of these together with a captivating plot and intriguing characters the author creates the right recipe for a perfect story. Everyone is nearly always the right fit when it comes to being the suspect, and Kara gives the reader a run for their money with this exceptionally well-plotted read.

Buy The Rumour on Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Buy The Rumour at Amazon Com