The Rumor

In 1999, single mother Joanna Critchley, the narrator of Kara’s suspenseful debut, and her six-year-old son, Alfie, move from an unnamed city to her hometown of Flinstead, which appears to be on the coast of New England. Anxious to be accepted by the other parents, Joanna thoughtlessly repeats a rumor that Sally McGowan, who at age 10 stabbed a six-year-old playmate to death in Dearborn, Mich., in 1969 and was released from a juvenile detention center in 1981, lives in the town under a new name and that the convicted child killer could easily be anyone’s neighbor. When the rumor mill starts to run rampant, a noose of suspicion begins to tighten around Flinstead, where the residents’ idyllic lives soon begin to crumble amid a firestorm of conjecture. Joanna, despite receiving warning messages from a well-meaning friend, is determined to find out whether the rumor is true. Meanwhile, a kidnapper targets Alfie. Well-developed characters and a twisty plot will keep readers turning the pages. Those who stay to the very last sentence will be doubly surprised. Kara is off to a promising start. Agent: Amanda Preston, LBA Books (U.K.). (June)