The Evidence – ARC Book Review

I can see her through the glass door. She’s smaller in real life than I expected. She looks the exact opposite of the type of woman that might murder her husband.

Everyone’s heard of Simone Fischer. The young mother accused of killing her husband in cold blood, one sunny afternoon, while their son played in the room next door.

So when journalist Esme secures an exclusive interview with her it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. Simone has remained silent since her husband’s death but after a decade in prison, she is willing to talk to Esme. And Esme, recently freed from her own toxic marriage, is confident she can get Simone to open up.

At their first meeting, when Esme sees Simone sitting across the table from her in jeans and a lemon tunic top, she is stuck by her ordinariness. Then Simone begins to tell her story of an abusive relationship where she was a prisoner in her own home, and Esme decides that the truth needs to come out.

But not everyone is pleased that Esme is telling Simone’s story. And when Esme’s beloved sister is left for dead in a nearby wood, Esme’s life begins to unravel. Forced to question what Simone has told her, she can’t help but wonder if murder was the only way out of Simone’s marriage. Why has it taken Simone so long to tell the world the truth? And will the consequences be devastating for Esme?

No. of pages:- 370 pages

Publisher:- Bookouture

Date published:- will be published on 1st July 2021

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:- 3.5 stars

This is the third book of KL Slater I have read and so since I was satisfied with the two previous books I have read from this author, I didn’t hesitate when I requested a copy of her new novel, The Evidence.

Though the plot line was good, I must say, this book gave me mixed feelings–a bit of disappointment coupled with it was OK mood.

Esme Fox is covering a podcast based on Simone Fischer who killed her husband Grant some fifteen years ago. She wanted to air Simone’s version of what really happened and also know that Simone was a victim of domestic abuse. While busy working with her podcast, she was having relationship problems with Owen who refuses to move out of their house, and dealing with after math of her son’s Zachary’s accident. At the same time, many people didn’t want her to do the podcast based on Simone Fischer. So when her sister, Michelle was found nearly beaten to death in the woods, Esme’s life began to change.

Personally, I think the plot was good. However, I didn’t find it appealing and intriguing like I did in her previous books nor I found it that fast paced. I found it a bit boring, a bit predictable as I know what is going to happen next and honestly it was a bit boring to me as well. However, there were some twists and turns and by the middle of the book, the plot thickened and got interesting making the reader hooked into the story. The characters were OK, and I am not sure why the author included Justine as a different chapter (won’t tell much in the review but by the end, I thought it was unnecessary for the author to use Justine)

Overall, this was an OK thriller–worth three stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Kim is the number one bestselling author of fifteen psychological crime thrillers. She has sold over two million copies of her books worldwide. She has also written four Carnegie-nominated Young Adult novels as Kim Slater for Macmillan Children’s Books. Kim has an MA in Creative Writing and lives with her husband in Nottingham, England.