The Suspect - February book club

Gransey

My question for Fiona is ... Did I imagine more than a spark between Kate and Bob? Any chance of their relationship developing in future books. I have just realised as I was typing this that it would involve “spoilers” so maybe the question is inappropriate?
I’m going to read “The Child” next and look forward to following Fiona on Amazon for future books.

I love this question – it is one that has been asked since The Widow came out - but I’m not telling. I will leave it to your wonderfully powerful imaginations…

Maggiemaybe

Could I just ask what sort of crime she has in mind for Kate and Sparkes in the next book?

Plot under construction…

Sar53

Did Fiona go to Thailand herself, maybe on a gap year ?
My eldest daughter went in the year 2000 as part of a year away and had a wonderful time. I'm not sure I would want to see her go now.
Thank you once again for my copy of the book.

My gap year was spent in Paris as an au-pair for an adorable little girl.

Greenfinch

This is not a book I would have chosen but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it though I agree with Jishere that there were one or two mistakes. The storyline gripped me from the beginning because I could imagine being in the parents' position.I liked the short chapters which helped the story to be fast moving and I liked the constant change from Thailand to England and the variety of characters ,professions and ages. I didn't particularly feel drawn to any of the characters so my questions to Fiona are who did she enjoy writing about most and which character she found most complex.I would like to read her other books now.

Thank you very much for reading. I love writing Kate and being back in the newsroom – it feels like coming home.

Jishere

I would like to know how long it takes to write her novels?

Thank you for allowing me to review this book

libra10

I would like to ask the author how long (approximately!) it takes to research and write her books.

About eighteen months from first idea to publication.

emmasnan

I'd like to know if Fiona visited Thailand before writing this and what made her choose this subject for her book.

I chose this subject because I wanted to turn the tables on Kate, make her the story instead of the reporter to get a different perspective on the media and I knew that involving her family would be the perfect hook. I chose to set much of it in Thailand because my son went travelling to south east Asia on his gap year more than fifteen years ago and was terrible at keeping in touch. There were stories in the newspapers about gap year kids going missing, being mugged or murdered and I remember lying in bed at night, catastrophizing about what was happening to my child. I used that fear to infect Kate who admits for both of us in The Suspect: ‘Being a reporter means I know that these things happen to people like us.’

Julie9

Fiona where do you get your ideas for your novels from?
Please continue to write more. Thank you Gransnet for my copy.

I get most of my ideas from my career as a journalist – I spent 30 years as a reporter watching and listening to people caught up in dramas, tragedies and conflicts and when I came to write thrillers, I had a wonderful cast of characters to call on.

gillyknits

Another good choice by GN for us book club reviewers. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of gap year students and their families. The fact that the story went back and forth between the characters took a bit of getting used to, as did the diary like format of the chapter headings.
I think the main premise of the book was parental love and also how well parents actually know their grown up children.
There was a great feeling of a build up of suspense and although the characters weren’t drawn in great detail I empathised with their plight.
Thankyou Gransnet for another great read.
My question for Fiona Barton would be; what influenced her to write about Thailand?

It is where thousands of backpackers go to start their travels; a great hub for young people from all over the world who want somewhere exotic, hot, beautiful and incredibly cheap to stay. And a long way from home and parents’ eyes.

rocketstop

Fiona, did you have to kind of shut yourself off from what parents of prospective gap year kids might think if they read this book? All the time I was reading it I thought 'My God, if I still had teenage kids and they were going away I think I would have freaked out and chained them to me'!!

Sandrajoy

I absolutely loved this book. My question to Fiona is did she have children that went travelling? I will be looking out for more books from Fiona.

Ha! Parents of gap year children (myself included) have always been terrified of waving them off on their first solo adventures. I hope I haven’t caused too many nightmares…

GrannyBear

The ending raises interesting, and important, moral questions and I would be interested to see how the outcomes affect Kate Waters in the longer term. Hence, one of my questions for Fiona is whether indeed she has plans for another novel featuring Kate and/or DI Sparkes? I have not read either of the earlier books (‘The Child’; ‘The Widow’) but I would be interested in finding out more of the backstory to these characters, so I will try and read them sometime in the near future!

annsixty

Is another book in the pipeline?
Will it tell more about Kate and the detective?

Elizabeth180

I would like to ask Fiona if her characters will continue to be portrayed in any future books. e.g. Will Kate be featured in another investigative story relating to another character. As I've not reached the end of the book I'm still unsure which of her characters it will be feasible to feature again. For me the book was also a brief insight into journalists and their efforts to be first with a story.

Mapleleaf

I’d like to ask the author if she plans more stories using the reporter and her sidekick, Joe, and the detective, and if so, does she intend revealing more of their back stories to give them a little more depth?

I decided to rest Kate after The Suspect – both of us needed a lie down in a darkened room after the rollercoaster of emotions and ethical challenges. So book four has a new cast of characters and I’ve really enjoyed writing it. However, I am just sketching out book five and Kate and Bob Sparkes are back. I am interested to see how the moral decisions made in the Suspect infect and affect Kate as a journalist and as a mother. It is very early days in the plotting but I feel like I am coming home when I write her.

Jishere

I would like to know if the author has been to Thailand and is this anyway based on actual events?

Grannyjacq1

Have you actually spent much time in Thailand?

blueberry1

I would like to ask Fiona if she has first-hand experience of Thailand

milli

I would love to know if the author has had personal experience of Thai life and Police procedures, or is she just very good at research?
A very enjoyable book.

Yes, I travelled there as part of the research for the book. I know people use Google maps and their imagination but I had to sniff the air – my years as a journalist mean I have to see, hear and smell things for myself…

I spent four days in Bangkok. It was my first proper visit (although I have travelled in south east Asia before) and sat in Khao San Road among the backpackers, listening, chatting but mainly watching. I’d decided to stay in a cheap backpacker hostel while I was there and found a suitably appalling guesthouse for the two girls. It cost $3 a night (they were overcharging) and was filthy. I stood in the room, took it all in and decided you can go too far for your art…

While there I talked to journalists based in Thailand, travellers and locals about the risky behaviour of backpackers and those who take advantage of it. And, most importantly, I found the character, Mama. She was sweeping up cigarette ends outside her guesthouse wearing a billowing white kaftan and scarlet lipstick.

By way of a PS....Yes Mapleleaf, I was disappointed too at the lack of response from the author.
However, I've just finished reading The Child , which I would highly recommend.
A real page turner with a twist at the end.
I mention it here because this was a Richard and Judy 2018 Book Club choice and there's a very interesting section at the end: an interview with Fiona Barton. This is followed by a few pages by the author about "the irresistible lure of a secret".....
For me, these sections made up for her lack of response here.
Off now to read The Widow

Yes, it’s a shame that the author is unable/doesn’t want to give feed back.
Thank you to all those who do.

No feedback yet from the author?

Thank you for my free copy! Such a surprise when it arrived!
Really enjoyed the book and although the writing was simplistic I found each character drew me into the story. I just didn't know where it would end up! Very scary as so many young people head off to explore the world! I remember the fear when no contact!
Thankyou to the author

I enjoyed this story, which was passed on to me by grannybear. I liked the style of writing and the short chapters appeal to me. I thought it was quite realistic, bringing back memories of a real-life situation that was in the news a few years ago. Will definitely look out for more books by this author. I believe The Widow is soon to be shown on TV.

On reflection I realised I had enjoyed this book more than I originally thought. Thought provoking. I have since gone on to read “The Widow” and enjoyed that one even more. One of the best things about Gransnet book clubs is being introduced to authors that you may not have heard of.
My question for Fiona is ... Did I imagine more than a spark between Kate and Bob? Any chance of their relationship developing in future books. I have just realised as I was typing this that it would involve “spoilers” so maybe the question is inappropriate?
I’m going to read “The Child” next and look forward to following Fiona on Amazon for future books.

I absolutely loved this book. My question to Fiona is did she have children that went travelling?
I think what I liked is the way the story gradually unraveled in front of you and you did not have all the answers until the end. As a mother I think you can relate to this story with dread. What Kate went through was awful with Jake, but at least he came home.
I will be looking out for more books from Fiona.

Finally finished reading after a very busy month! The story switches between characters in a diary style format that I think people will love or loathe,it is quite predictable and you feel you know the direction the story is heading in and then a twist comes in from the side and leaves you wondering about your ideas.It is thought provoking and if my eldest 3 children had not already been travelling the world on their great adventures I would certainly have worried about them a little more!

Thank you Cari, I will look out for them.

I enjoyed this book, once I got going with it, and although I’d guessed who the main culprit was quite early on, there was a bit of a twist towards the conclusion of the story, which made me a bit unsure about the rather neat ending for one of the main characters, but it did leave me wondering just how innocent he was!
I’d like to ask the author if she plans more stories using the reporter and her sidekick, Joe, and the detective, and if so, does she intend revealing more of their back stories to give them a little more depth?

I did quite enjoy the book although in parts it was quite slow and sometimes predictable. It didn’t completely grab me so it took me a few sittings to finish it.