Review: Little Whispers by K. L. Slater

You shared a secret with the wrong person.

Janey Markham is thrilled to be moving with her family to Buckingham Crescent, the smartest address in a desirable suburban town.

Worried she’ll be excluded by the glossy local mothers, Janey is thrilled when she meets Tanya, the kind of woman she has always looked up to. Tanya takes Janey under her wing, and her teenage daughter Angel is amazing with Janey’s little boy. As Janey and Tanya grow closer, Janey feels she can finally leave her troubled past behind.

But then everything changes…

 

 

Review

K. L. Slater is one of my auto-request/purchase authors. I don’t even have to read the blurbs, I just grab each of her books that I come across. Little Whispers is her latest title. Whilst not one of my favorites, it was still a good read.

This suburbian mystery centers around Janey, a new resident in an affluent neighborhood. As soon as Janey moved into the neighborhood, I knew something was bound to go wrong although I couldn’t guess exactly what. I was wary of the cliquey mom group that she joined and silently screamed at her not to trust them but of course, she didn’t listen to me.

The secrets held my attention from the first to the last page. I couldn’t guess what Janey was hiding from her past. Italicized chapters mixed in with the main story had me scratching my head. In the end, the revealed secrets didn’t really wow me and actually had me puzzled about why it was such a huge deal for the MC. Maybe it is just me though. I might have been expecting something more especially after the buildup thus the reason I was underwhelmed.

Would I recommend this one? Most definitely! I didn’t love it like I thought I would but I certainly liked it. I can’t wait to see what else the author comes up with.

Review: Single by K. L. Slater

When single mother Darcy’s son falls from a rope bridge at a local playground, life stands still. She clutches his small, limp body, frozen, until a pair of strong hands push her aside, and she watches as George, a local doctor, saves her son’s life.

George is a single parent too, and with his twinkling hazel eyes, easy charm, and lack of wedding band is almost too good to be true, but coffee becomes lunch, lunch becomes dinner, and soon they can’t go an evening without seeing each other. When he invites her to move into his beautiful home with its sprawling garden for her boys, Darcy doesn’t hesitate.

But as Darcy is settling in, she receives a bunch of flowers with a chilling message. George says they’re from an obsessed ex-girlfriend, Opal, and days later Opal turns up at Darcy’s son’s football match. She claims to have shocking information that could threaten George’s custody of his daughter.

Review

Slater’s books just keep getting better with each new release. Single is definitely one of my favorite books by her.

Darcy is a widow with two sons. She is going through a very tough time of grief made worse by the fact that she found out about her husband’s deception after his death. It’s at this point that she meets the charming doctor, George. However, creepy things start happening around her and the tension elevates as her relationship with George grows.

I love Slater’s writing and I think she did a fab job with creating and building tension in this book. I couldn’t predict the twists and found myself so caught up with the narrative that I hardly had time to try and guess the ending. I was nervous for Darcy. At the same time, I really wanted to find out who was behind her misery and torment. There were so many suspects from her past and present life but it wasn’t easy to firmly guess who the villain (s).

Single by K. L. Slater was truly a captivating read for me. It had everything that I look for in a thriller. It had characters to root for, others to dislike, tension, secrets and twists and a jaw-dropping final reveal. Of late, I have been struggling to get through my books. It has been taking me a week or 2 to read a single book. However, I got through this in just a weekend. Definitely recommended to fans of this genre.

Review: The Silent Ones by K. L. Slater

When ten-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are arrested for a terrible crime, Maddy’s mother Juliet cannot believe it. How could her bright, joyful daughter be capable of such a thing?

As the small village community recoils in horror, the pressure of the tragedy blows Juliet and her sister’s lives apart. And things get even worse when their daughters retreat into a self-imposed silence. Can anyone reach Maddy and discover the truth before her fate is sealed?

Juliet is crushed. Nothing will ever be the same for her darling girl. But she knows that to find out what really happened that day, she and her sister must unlock the secrets of their own terrible past, a past they swore never to speak about again …

Review

K. L. Slater is an auto-buy/request author for me. I don’t even need to read the blurbs of her books to know that I will love them.

The story begins with 2 girls visiting an old lady. By the end of the visit, the old lady is seriously injured. Did the girls do it? Well, the community seems to think so and so do the police. Worse still, the little girls are not saying a word.  This was definitely an intriguing case, sadder because of the victim’s and the accused ages but so many questions.

I can’t imagine the nightmare that the moms had to go through. Can you imagine having your little daughter accused for a serious crime? I especially felt so bad for Juliet. She was caught up in such a terrible situation without much help or support from her family. I especially didn’t like her mom who openly picked sides and showed that she preferred one daughter to the other.

This was such a captivating read. I kept trying to guess what happened to the old lady. I suspected one girl first but kept changing my mind. My curiosity had me turning pages faster in search for answers. The community where the incident occurred added to the tension in the story. Those people were judgmental, harsh and did not hold back from showing their anger towards the girls and their families.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers then this is one title that you can’t afford to miss. Filled with lies, secrets and twists, this was quite an entertaining read.

Review: Finding Grace by K. L. Slater

The day after her ninth birthday, Lucie and Blake Sullivan agree, for the very first time, to let their daughter, Grace, make the four-minute walk back home alone from a friend’s house just down the street.

They joke with friends about hiding behind bushes to ensure she is safe. But the joke turns sour when Grace does not appear.

Despite the best efforts of the police and local community, Grace seems to have vanished into thin air. With hope fading fast, Lucie knows she can rely on her husband to support her through such dark times. That is until the day she makes a shocking discovery, hidden in Blake’s desk, and suddenly she begins to doubt everything she knew about the man she married.

But Lucie harbours a terrible secret of her own. One that she has never shared with anyone, even Blake …

Review

Parenting seems so nerve-wracking. I can’t imagine all the worrying that must go with it. I think I will be stalking my kids. Perhaps invest in a GPS tracker to be inserted under their skins like in Sci-Fi/Spy movies?

In this story, Lucie is facing every mom’s worst nightmare. Her little girl, Grace, is gone. What I loved most about this story is its unpredictability. The author had me doubting so many people. Who took Grace? Could it have been her dad? Her dodgy neighbor? Her parent’s best friends? Some random person? I just kept changing my mind.

Finding Grace had me hooked from the first page. Filled with secrets, lies and manipulation, this ended up being quite a twisty roller-coaster ride. I also enjoyed the dual timeline. I enjoyed digging into Lucie’s past and was pleasantly surprised by how the storylines connected in the end.

This is an enjoyable, twisty thriller with well developed characters and a memorable storyline. It certainly had me devouring every word.

Review: Closer by K. L. Slater

I know my daughter better than I know myself and if there’s one thing I know for sure at this moment: it’s that Maisie is not ok.

My ex-husband Shaun and I are still friends.
We would do anything for our beautiful little girl, Maisie.
But now Shaun has moved in with Joanne and suddenly, Maisie has a brand new family.
And there’s something not quite right about it…I know Joanne isn’t everything she says she is. Yet no-one will listen.
I need to discover what she’s hiding.
Because if I don’t, my daughter will be in terrible danger.

 

 

Review

K. L. Slater is one of my favorite authors. I have read all her books and I am glad to report that they are all fab reads. Closer is her latest title and Slater has done it again! What a twisty, compulsive read!

The story begins with Shaun and Emma at the end of their marriage. The two are separated but still good friends. They share the common goal of wanting to do what’s best for their little girl, Maisie. However, things start changing when Shaun meets Joanne.

Emma and Maisie were my favorite characters in the story. I was rooting for them and I hoped things would work out for them. I also enjoyed their narratives the most. Maisie’s development through the chapters really broke my heart though. I wanted to find out the identity of the person who was stealing her joy and punch or yell at them or something.

The author did a fantastic job in developing the characters and I also enjoyed the mystery bit of this story. I couldn’t really guess who the villain was.  In the beginning, I thought their identity was pretty obvious but boy was I wrong!

Although I enjoyed reading this title, I really didn’t like the ending. It wasn’t a bad ending, no far from it. It was quite twisty and unpredictable. However, it just didn’t bring me any joy. I like it when things are wrapped up neatly and the conflicts are resolved. In this case, I was left turning pages, trying to see whether there was an additional chapter.

As always, the author managed to create characters that got under my skin and a story that won’t be easy to forget!  I recommend this title to fans of psychological thrillers. As a matter of fact, just read all books by K. L. Slater.

Review: The Secret by K. L. Slater @bookouture @KimLSlater #BlogTour

You turn your back for a minute. And now your son is in terrible danger …

Louise is struggling to cope.  As a busy working mum, she often has to leave her eight-year-old son Archie at her sister Alice’s flat.

Alice and Louise used to be close.  But there’s a lot they don’t know about each other now – like the bottle of vodka Louise hides in her handbag, Alice’s handsome new friend and the odd behaviour of her next-door neighbour.

Archie is a curious little boy. He likes to play on his own at his auntie’s flat until one day when he sees something he shouldn’t. Now he has a secret of his own.  One he can’t tell his mum. One that could put him and his family in terrible danger.

Review

There is a Swahili phrase used by women when sharing secrets, ‘Vuta Stool Nikupe Udaku’.  This translates to, ‘pull your seat closer so that I can tell you a secret’.

This book reminded me of this phrase. It had so many juicy secrets that I couldn’t put it down. I felt like I was right there with the author, keenly listening as she revealed one jaw dropping secret after another.

This is a story about two sisters, Alice and Louise, who have a strained relationship. However, present circumstances require them to try and get along. Through the chapters, we get to know more about the two and their past. Layer by layer, more secrets are masterfully revealed. The author dropped hints that had me curious to unravel the mysteries. I had so many questions and equally a number of OMG moments.

Each of the characters had a secret and just when I thought that all was finally out in the open, the final chapter still managed to make my jaw drop. I just love the crazy ride that this story turned out to be.

The Secret by K. L Slater is a gripping, addictive, twisty, fast-paced psychological thriller. Like the Swahili women, I was completely immersed in the story that everything else ceased to exist. The milk might have spilled, the food could have burned and I’d still have kept reading. Lucky for me, I was able to read into late into the night without any distractions.  This is yet another excellent thriller by K. L Slater which I can’t recommend enough to all fans of this genre.

About the author: 

Kim is the bestselling author of psychological crime thrillers ‘Safe With Me,’ ‘Blink,’ ‘Liar,’ ‘The Mistake’ and ‘The Visitor.’ Her latest thriller, ‘The Secret’ will be published by Bookouture on 27th July 2018 and is now available for pre-order.

Kim’s titles are soon to be published in paperback by Sphere in the UK and Grand Central in the USA.

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents and collected an impressive stack of rejection slips. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing. Before graduating in 2012, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents and a book deal which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer, has one grown-up daughter, Francesca, and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.  She also writes award-winning YA fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books, writing as Kim Slater.

Author website: www.KLSlaterAuthor.com
Twitter: @KimLSlater
Facebook: KL Slater Author

 

Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the blog tour.

Follow these links to buy a copy of  The Secret by KL Slater, Amazon, iBookstore:  Kobo:

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Blog Tour: The Visitor by K. L. Slater @bookouture @KimLSlater

Holly returns to her home town after some time away – she has been through something terrible and now she needs a safe haven in which to recover, and to plan the rest of her life. She finds a room in a quiet and leafy suburban street, in the home of Cora Barrett.

David lives next door to Cora Barrett and he sees everything that happens on Baker Crescent. David stays at home, and he watches: he likes to feel safe and he doesn’t like to leave the house. He wants to keep his friends and neighbours safe too. So he observes them, and he records every tiny detail of their lives, just in case the information is ever needed.

Both lonely and vulnerable, Holly and David gradually begin to strike up a friendship. But Holly can’t shake the feeling that someone from her past might have tracked her down. And David is always watching… But uncovering the secret that could save his new friend and neighbour could be the one thing that destroys him.

Review

The Visitor is the fifth book that I have read by K.L. Slater. I enjoyed all her previous titles especially Blink and I am pleased to say that this one didn’t disappoint me either.

The Visitor is a character –driven thriller. It was a bit of a slow burner at first but it is still the kind of book that you pick up and can’t put down again until the last page. From the first chapter, it was clear that everyone was hiding a secret. I was especially intrigued by Holly because there were hints of something dark having happened in her past. I desperately wanted to find out exactly what it was. I also liked all the drama in her present life especially at work. David was another character with an intriguing secret that drove me insane trying to guess. What did David do and why is he the way that he is? This character had me screaming at the book seeking answers. Even the old lady Cora had a secret. I love books about secrets and so this was perfect for me.

I love how Slater narrated this story. She dropped hints that had me, as the reader, more intrigued. She would begin by subtly dropping a clue such as name without giving more details. This would get me turning the pages to find out more. I thought this narrative style was brilliant and it definitely helped in building the suspense. I also enjoyed the creepy, stalker vibe in the story. It felt like there was always someone  watching from the shadows. There were also creepy neighbors all around  adding to the tension.

There a number of twists and turns that made this a captivating read. The final chapters were so intense with a final twist that provided a brilliant ending. I thought I had figured out everyone and everything  but boy, was I wrong! This is the kind of book that you haunts you long after the last page. I still can’t stop thinking about the characters and their secrets.

The Visitor by K. L. Slater is an addictive, suspenseful character-driven thriller about lies, obsession, manipulation and a lot of secrets. This was without a doubt an entertaining, compelling read.

About the author: 

Kim is the bestselling author of psychological crime thrillers ‘Safe With Me,’ ‘Blink,’ ‘Liar’, ‘The Mistake’ and ‘The Visitor.’

For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents and collected a stack of rejection slips. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.Before graduating in 2012, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents and a book deal which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.
She also writes award-winning YA fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books, writing as Kim Slater.

Author website: www.KLSlaterAuthor.com
Twitter: @KimLSlater
Facebook: KL Slater Author

Don’t forget to check out more review on the tour.

Review: The Mistake by K. L Slater@bookouture

Eight-year-old Billy goes missing one day, out flying his kite with his sister Rose. Two days later, he is found dead.

Sixteen years on, Rose still blames herself for Billy’s death. How could she have failed to protect her little brother?

Rose has never fully recovered from the trauma, and one of the few people she trusts is her neighbour Ronnie, who she has known all her life. But one day Ronnie falls ill, and Rose goes next door to help him… and what she finds in his attic room turns her world upside down.

Rose thought she knew the truth about what happened to Billy. She thought she knew her neighbour. Now the only thing she knows is that she is in danger…

Review

Happy publication day!

I have read previous titles by K. L Slater that I really enjoyed.  Needless to say, I was elated to I find out that the author had written a new book.

The Mistake by K. L Slater is narrated through two timelines through Rose’s POV. In one of the timelines, we go back sixteen years to a time when her life drastically changed. In the second timeline,readers get to catch up with Rose in the present. In the sixteen years period, She has changed a lot. However, the past still haunts her.

Sixteen years ago, her kid brother, Billy, went missing before his body was later discovered. I was curious to know what happened back then. The past narrations were addictive and so tense. They began before Billy’s disappearance and so we get to see the tension build up. Knowing that something bad will happen to Billy filled me with apprehension. I needed to know the why, when and how. In the present narrations, the secrets from the past emerge as the truth is revealed.

The characters in this book had such strong personalities. The author crafted them in such a way that they get into your mind and occupy your thoughts even when you are not reading the book. I liked some of them like Cassie. I was torn about Rose. I loved Billy and really disliked some of the other characters. This book elicited different emotions  hence making me more invested in the unfolding drama.

The Mistake by K. L Slater is a fast-paced, addictive read. I was surprised by some of the themes that came up especially in the past narration. However, they were masterfully tackled and helped in making this book as suspenseful as it was. I couldn’t have predicted the final twist. I thought I had figured out the direction that the story was taking but I was pleasantly surprised by how wrong I was. This book Is the perfect whodunit. If you enjoy psychological thrillers then you should definitely check out K.L Slater books.