Fiona Barton scores big with her latest mystery featuring journalist Kate Waters.

Kate’s wayward older son, Jake, relocated to Thailand two years ago after suddenly exiting university with the excuse that he needed to find his own way. The Waters rarely hear from him, and Kate worries that Jake’s life has derailed somehow. Meanwhile, two 18-year-old British girls, Alex and Rosie, go missing in Thailand. Kate tackles the story, meeting the families and traveling with them to Thailand, hoping to track down the teens while also finding Jake. Racing to uncover details about the case before her competitors do, Kate soon realizes that the girls’ disappearance is far more complicated and sinister than she imagined at first. Moreover, she quickly learns that she may be walking into a nightmare of her own as Alex and Rosie’s case progresses.

"Twists and turns abound, and while several are easy to anticipate, the story unfolds in a highly satisfying manner.... Fans of well-written and suspenseful tales will thoroughly enjoy this clever book."

Barton’s lyrical prose and expert pacing combine to create a fabulous read. The short chapters will keep readers turning the pages, hoping to fit in just one more chapter before putting the book down. Barton employs multiple character perspectives, which works particularly well for her tale, and she clearly delineates who is speaking and when. Twists and turns abound, and while several are easy to anticipate, the story unfolds in a highly satisfying manner.

The author addresses numerous important and thought-provoking topics in THE SUSPECT. In this era of 24-hour news and constant connectivity, today’s members of the media are always searching for the next story. Rushing to be the first to break a story or new details about a trending item frequently overrides the need to weigh the long-term impact on involved individuals of purposely slanted or misleading pieces. Moreover, these inflammatory stories can deceive the public, who are often not made privy to the ultimate truths.

The second issue at play here is examining the length to which parents will go to protect their children. Choices that seem straightforward and clear-cut when contemplating someone else’s decisions are suddenly muddied when a parent is faced with the impact on his or her own child. This is explored by Barton in an interesting and provocative manner.

The third and most intriguing topic is the ramifications of the use of social media to frame an experience --- whether a dinner, a party or even a vacation --- the way that an individual wishes it was happening while ignoring the reality. This downside to social media, in this case Facebook, is the ability to present an “alternate reality” that misleads family and friends. Barton amplifies this issue, allowing Alex’s posts to mask their initial disappearance and hinder the subsequent investigation until the police begin to unravel the various untruths.

Fans of well-written and suspenseful tales will thoroughly enjoy this clever book. THE SUSPECT will have parents rethinking their teenagers’ trips abroad and the methods by which they check in with their families when they do go away.