Deadly Silence

Jackson Hole #3

by Lindsay McKenna

Lieutenant Matt Sinclaire has always loved fighting fires—until the fateful day when the flames came for his family. Arson took his wife and has left him alone with an eight-year-old daughter too traumatized to speak—and the ruins of his life are proving difficult to rebuild.

When U.S. Forest Ranger Casey Cantrell is assigned to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the last thing she expects to find is a wounded firefighter and his damaged daughter. But after a chance encounter in the woods, she finds herself becoming almost a mother to the girl.

Now, two years after the fire, Matt feels on the verge of finally getting his little girl back, and even of finding love again. But can he protect them from the evil that stripped him of his life once before?

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin, Firefighters, Adult

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

I've lived six lives in one and it all shows up in the books I write, one way or another.

I was always a risk taker and broke mustangs at thirteen years old in Oregon. I learn to break them with love, not threat or pain.

At 17 years old, I picked night-crawlers (worms) out in our Oregon orchards from 9pm to midnight, every night. I earned enough money to buy my school clothes and book. I also plunked down $600 to a flight company at the Medford, Oregon airport and asked them to teach me...a girl...to fly. I soloed in 12 hours, which is average. From that time until I left for the US Navy at 18, I had accrued 39 hours of flight time in my Cessna 150 single engine airplane.

I was in the US military and was an AG3 (weather forecaster). There was no airplane club, so I couldn't fly when I was in the Navy. But I could look at the clouds in the sky ;-).

Later, I flew in a B-52 bomber for a day and night mission (18 hours total), a T-38 Talon jet, USAF, where I was riding in a "chase plane" on a test flight in a Dragonfly jet.

I was one of the first AFLA (American Fencing League of America) women fencers to fence with epee and sabre. These weapons were closed to women because they were too 'heavy' for a female to handle. I said baloney and fought the males and won half my bouts. I was part of a surge of women fencers on the East Coast in the 1970's to push for equality in the sport. Together, we changed the sport and changed the mind of the men. Today? In the Olympics? Women now fence in foil, epee and sabre, thanks to what we did as a vanguard showing the world it could be done.

I then became a volunteer firefighter when I was a civilian once more, the first woman in an all - male fire department in West Point, Ohio for three years. I became a local expert not only in firefighting, driving the engine and tanker trunks, but also had training in hazardous material (Reynoldsburg Fire Academy, Columbus, OH).

My books always reflect what I experienced. If you like edgy, gritty, deeply and emotionally intense love stories with sympathetic heroes and heroines, check out my newest series that will be available mid-Oct. 2015, and it incorporates much of what I have lived.

Reviews

[Crystal _ Reading Between the Wines Book Club]

DNF
I just could not get into this story or the characters.
The transition between character perspectives was rocky and changed from sentence to sentence making it hard to dip into the characters mind and fully connect with them. The writing was overly descriptive with too many comparisons and the same statements often repeated.
I also found the dialogue and relationships unbelievable with numerous characters having PTSD and opening up to each other without actually knowing them for any period of time. This made Matt and Casey's relationship feel rushed and their instant connection forced. As a reader I felt no connection between them and saw only surface emotions, nothing deep.
I think the plot would have been better if the identity of the villain in the novel was a mystery for a portion of the book, instead it was revealed in the first few chapters throwing suspense out the window.
Despite that it started out as a heart breaking story and I wanted to see Matt’s daughter have a happy ending but I just couldn’t get invested enough in the book to read on and find out.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story is about Casey a new forest ranger who meets a young traumatized girl named Megan. Megan takes an instant likely to Casey and bonds with her in a way no one has seen her do in two years. Megan's mother was murdered and her home was set on fire with her in it she escaped but hasn't spoken a word since, not even to her father Matt. Matt feels guilt for not being there when his wife was murdered and his house set a flame. He doesn't understand who would have done something like this and grieves over his mute daughter. Hope comes into his life in the form of Casey, when Casey is around Megan acts like a new person, and its not just Megan that forms a bond with Casey. But someone is still out there who doesn't want Matt to be happy and if Casey makes him happy Casey has got to go.

For me this book just didn't do it. It didn't really hold my attention at all. I found the characters thoughts to always be switching perspectives from the female lead Casey to the male lead Matt too often in a paragraph. I love having both perspectives but I like them to have their own sections with this story it would seem to randomly switch back and forth. I also felt that there were unnecessary adjectives to many of the things for example instead of just saying her eyes it was always her large steel gray eyes, thats not bad every once in awhile but I felt it was just used too much. Something else that was used too much were metaphors, for everything that happened in this story there was a metaphor to go along with it.

This story I think also would have been better if there was more suspense. Like if we didn't know who was out to get revenge on Matt and his family. The romance seemed forced and a little rushed, for me it was just too instant of a connection. While I think the idea behind this story is great and intriguing I just couldn't get into this story. The dialogue between the characters was just too open and I felt that the characters told everything about each other without actually getting to know people first. There were many characters who had PTSD and they all talked about it so non-chantly from people I know they don't really talk about their PTSD they aren't open about it because its a personal thing. I just found it strange how openly and non-emotionally they discussed things. While I am sure some will love this book it just wasn't for me.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bocah Megan menjadi bisu sejak bencana kebakaran rumahnya sekaligus merengut nyawa ibunya. Matt, sang ayah juga ikut menderita dan merasa bersalah atas malapetaka yg menimpa orang2 yg dicintainya. Hingga datanglah seorang ranger muda bak malaikat bernama Casey. Dunia Megan dan Matt langsung berubah 180 derajat. Tetapi ada pembunuh yg mengintai kebahagiaan mereka. Siapakah yg berniat merengut kebahagiaan yg baru bertunas di keluarga ini?

Saya agak bingung juga mau mengkategorikan genre apa novel ini. Kalau dari sisi contemporary, novel ini hambar dan nyaris separonya repetitif yg kalau diedit, mungkin yg relevan cuma setengah dari sekitar 400 hlm. Dari segi suspense, lebih hancur2an lagi. Very worst!!!! Ketegangannya nihil, penjahatnya gampang diidentifikasi dan ditangkap (alias gak ada tantangannya menghadapi penjahat kroco ky gini). Dan alasan pembunuhan terasa terlalu dibuat-buat dan kurang kuat dijadikan pemicu balas dendam. Kecewa? Jelas sekali. Novel ini tidak akan menjadi tipe favorit bacaan saya.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

On to the next

[Cristin Rydzewski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites of hers - didn't really like the characters.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Sinclaire loved his wife they were high school sweethearts, they had a 6 year old daughter when the child smelled smoke she knew the house was on fire, she kept trying to wake her mom but she didn't know that someone had shot and killed her mother (her dad was a fireman taking some classes out of town). The paramedics found Megan unconscious in a snowdrift and it had been 2 years since she had spoken. There's a new forest ranger, Casey, who has some issue's herself. She was badly beaten by 5 men who were high on drugs and they left her for dead.
It's a love story!

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an incredibly painful book to slog through. The "point of view" switches between characters literally from paragraph to paragraph without any sort of clear separation. Large parts of it felt like some kind of advertisement for homeopathic medicine. The writing was stilted and repetitive, and the characters' feelings and reactions just felt unrealistic. Just a really unpleasant book.

[Cruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy it but the story was overtaken by painful dialogue and medical advice. Irresponsible author to advocate stopping anti depressants in favor of unproven substitutes with apparently miracle results.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

going to have to re read the newer ones

[Robyn Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle

[Karielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Silence by Lindsay McKenna
Release Date: June 21st, 2011
Publisher: HQN (Harlequin)
Page Count: 378
Source: ARC from Carolyn at Romance Novel News

A FIERY PASSION ABOUT TO IGNITE...

Lieutenant Matt Sinclaire has always loved fighting fires— until the fateful day when the flames came for his family. Arson took his wife and has left him alone with an eight-year-old daughter too traumatized to speak—and the ruins of his life are proving difficult to rebuild.

When U.S. Forest Ranger Casey Cantrell is assigned to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the last thing she expects to find is a wounded firefighter and his damaged daughter. But after a chance encounter in the woods, she finds herself becoming almost a mother to the girl.

Now, two years after the fire, Matt feels on the verge of finally getting his little girl back, and even of finding love again. But can he protect them from the evil that stripped him of his life once before?

What Stephanie Thinks: For a romantic suspense novel, I don't think Deadly Silence is highly romantic or highly suspenseful. In fact, I'd rather classify it as women's fiction or friendship fiction (as Casey and Matt turn out to be great friends and eventually lovers, but there's hardly any sex or romance).

McKenna's writing style is fast-paced, but not very exciting. I expected this story to be one of those edge-of-my-seat thrillers, but it isn't at all. The mystery of who's haunting Matt and putting his crush, Casey, in danger, is predictable since the culprit is revealed within the first few chapters. The "romance" aspect of it isn't highly sensual or heated, either. There seem to be no sparks between Matt and Casey, aside from their sporadic thoughts of "How handsome he looks!" or "Her hair is very flattering to her face shape". They also fall for each other too quickly -- almost to the point that their love seems phony. I'm not saying I didn't get the feeling they don't care for one another, because their relationship is very deep. The characters are well-developed and troubled, which makes them seem realistic. The actual romance and (nonexistent) chemistry the author tries to develop however, is rather difficult to buy.

More on predictability: the protagonists are going to fall in love, and the reader knows it from the start (as so in most Harlequin romances). I feel the main conflict of this novel is Matt's eight-year-old daughter, Megan's, shock and how she gets over it, rather than his romance with Casey. Having dealt with great trauma two years ago (watching her mother die and house burn to the ground), she's gone mute, and is depressed. This is where the characters opened up to me, how intimately I got to know them. Casey, too, has a weight on her shoulders that keeps her from living life to the fullest. These imperfections in otherwise pure characters is both heartwarming and exceptionally emotional. That being said, it's the loudness of McKenna's message about human anguish and how one's world can fall apart in such a short period of time, that makes this novel powerful, NOT the romance. I definitely think this could have been a better book without the romance, personally. There's no love scene until the last few pages, and most of the time, there's no sexual tension either.

In the end, I felt my eyes water and throat tighten at the stirring personal dilemmas throughout the book, and rejoiced when I discovered things would work out okay. In terms of writing style, McKenna is very descriptive, but repetitive as well. Her writing doesn't haunt me or keep me holding tight -- I don't want to call it bland, but it isn't anything special either. But what she is amazing at, is fostering characters that are so relatable, that I want to love them like my own friends, my own acquaintances, my own children, and having me nearly in tears during the long, laboring journey of finding true acceptance and trust.

Stephanie Loves: "'And here we are -- both with major loss and trauma in our lives. We're both crippled. It's just to what extent, how we wrestle with it on a daily basis and how we try to get well even if we don't feel like we'll ever make it there.'"

Radical Rating: 7 hearts- A few flaws here and there, but wouldn’t mind rereading.

[Uthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casey Cantrell datang ke Jackson Hole, Wyoming untuk ditempatkan sebagai polisi penjaga hutan. Ia juga membawa misi pribadi yaitu untuk melupakan trauma akibat dipukuli hingga sekarat oleh lima orang laki-laki dan ditinggal begitu saja di tengah hutan sewaktu ia masih kuliah. Casey tidak pernah menyangka kalau mimpi buruk yang selalu menghantuinya setiap malam merupakan salah satu gejala PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorders) hingga Casey bertemu dengan Matt Sinclaire.

Matt bukanlah seorang penderita PTSD atau pun orang yang berkompeten dalam bidang PTSD. Tapi ia paham gejala-gejalanya karena putri tunggalnya, Megan mengalami gejala serupa. Megan sering mengalami mimpi buruk dan mendadak bisu pasca kematian Bev, ibu Megan sekaligus istri Matt akibat kebakaran yang menghanguskan rumah mereka. Saat kejadian itu berlangsung, Matt tidak berada di rumah atau di pos jaga pemadam kebakaran. Ia sedang berada di luar kota mengikuti pelatihan wajib untuk para pemadam yang dilakukan secara berkala.

Pasca kebakaran itu Megan sama sekali menolak berinteraksi dengan siapa saja meski ia telah dibawa Matt ke berbagai dokter spesialis dan terapis untuk mengobati PTSDnya. Sewaktu Casey dan timnya datang ke sekolah Megan dalam rangka memperkenalkan spesies hewan yang terdapat di hutan lindung di sekitar Jackson Hole, Megan langsung berinteraksi dengan Casey. Interaksi itu langsung membuat wali kelas Megan heboh dan mengabari Matt tentang keadaan Megan.

Interaksi awal Megan dengan Casey adalah Megan mengeluarkan suara-suara tidak jelas, bukan berbicara. Tapi itu merupakan kemajuan besar karena selama ini Megan benar-benar bisu, tidak mengeluarkan suara apa pun dari mulutnya. Kedekatan Megan dengan Casey otomatis mendekatkan Matt dengan Casey. dari perbincangan-perbincangan mereka lah Casey mengetahui jika ia mengalami PTSD sama seperti Megan.

Intensitas kedekatan Casey dan Matt serta perkembangan Megan ternyata menarik perhatian seseorang yang tak senang pada hal tersebut. Orang itu menyakini Matt punya andil besar dalam kebakaran hebat yang menghanguskan rumahnya beberapa tahun silam. Matt dan timnya terlambat tiba di tempat kejadian dengan alasan terhalang oleh badai salju yang menggempur Jackson Hole. Orang tersebut pun merancang rencana agar Casey dibunuh dengan cara tak wajar, agar Matt kembali merasakan kepedihan atas kehilangan orang yang dicintai seperti yang pernah dulu terjadi.

Oke!!! Dibanding dua seri sebelumnya saya jauh lebih menyukai buku ini. Mungkin karena faktor PTSD dan trauma yang dialami Megan dan Casey. Buku ini lebih emosional, dan membuat deg-degan dibanding pendahulunya.

Saya mengenal PTSD dari buku Almost karya Anne Elliot. PTSD itu sendiri adalah gangguan kecemasan yang terjadi setelah trauma psikologis, sering bersifat berkepanjangan (kronis). Salahsatu gejalanya adalah mengalami mimpi buruk atau kilasan ingatan tentang kejadian yang menyebabkan trauma secara berulang-ulang dan insomnia.

Review lengkap bisa dibaca di blog Read. Review. Romance.

[Reader's Lust · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey moves to Jackson Hole to start her life over with a traumatic incident that has changed her life forever. While on her first assignment for work she meets and connects with a little girl, Megan, who has not said a word for 2 years since her own traumatic incident. Matt Megan's father involves Casey in trying to get Megan to speak and sleep again. But little do all three know that something or someone has it out for all of them.


A romantic suspense read that is a lovely story of how a young woman heals a family and in the process heals herself and finds love. Lindsay McKenna continues the interweaving story with characters that are familiar and somehow finds a way to make these character like your new best friends.

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did anyone else notice all the inconsistencies? I think I read a few pages more than once to make sure I was reading everything correctly. I honestly was not a fan of this book. There was way too much repetition of the same thing over and over and over. I think we all got the whole PTSD thing but as a reader it seemed everyone in the whole town had it. I dunno maybe it was just me. The story/romance part was ok for me. There was a little action here and there. I guess the best part of the book was Meghan's part in it. I don't think that I would recommend this book. Sorry...

[Kerry sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much did I enjoy this book. The story was a slow burn romantic suspense that was well thought out and executed. The relationship between Casey and Matt was believable and Meggie was heart-rending. All three where damaged and in pain and their journey to a happy ending was not only a good read but had the feel good factor with it. I haven't read the first 2 books in this series but I shall be doing as soon as I can. Would I recommend this book... hell yeah!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who killed Beverly Sinclaire and set the house on fire to kill her daughter in Wyoming?? Two years later, firefighter Matt Sinclaire is still still traumatized especially since his daughter is mute as result trying to save her mother. Casey Cantrell is new to the area an U S. Forest Service. Casey's grandfather is Mirgan Trahern (Morgan's Mercenaries books). Now someone is stalking Matt and Casey.
Ive read all thse mercenaries books

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey Cantrell was a Forest Ranger in the Teton Mountains outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She had a past that she was having a hard time learning to forget when she met firefighter Matt Sinclaire. Matt and his daughter, Megan, had undergone quite a tragedy in their lives too. In fact, Megan, hadn't spoken a word since her mother had died in a suspicious fire. These three people found each other and they were exactly what the doctor ordered. Great reading.

[Sisilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's actually 3.5 stars. I really liked the story, but the ending left me with a bitter taste. Oh it's HEA, but methink it's too sudden, too abrupt. I can't see how a person with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) can change his/her mind that quick, even on medication. But, hey it's just me and my hope for a smooth-cum-logical-ending.

[Gemma]

I felt the author did too much telling instead of showing. There were a lot of info dumps. The constant point-of-view switches were jarring. I think this author's writing is just not for me.

If I'd had nothing else to read, I'd probably have finished it, but I have way too many books on my TBR shelf to spend time on one that I'm not enjoying. DNF.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book....it had a few twistes at the end that i hadn't expected,and I loved how the child bonded first,that was nice....and the tragedy of each Matt and Casey as well as his daughter,were the things that seemed to bring them all together.A very good read

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

you know, I hardly ever stop reading a book, but I had to with this one. I was expecting this great mystery and I got a book that had the tone of a teenage novel. This is the first book I have read by this author and I had such high hopes, but I did not care for this at all.

[Paige Blood · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a sad but beautiful book i cant wait to read the other books in this series..

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think i have found a new favorite author. this lady writes good tasteful romance and adds in some thriller and mystery elements, all in one nice package.

[Jill Twigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard for me to get past the senseless killing of animals. I know that there are people out there that are cruel, but I just didn't want to read about it.

[Tiny Shen 沈帝妮 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tergiur dan penasaran sama sinopsisnya, apalagi ini seri Jackson Hole cukup bagus sebenernya..
Cuman aku ga "klik" sama chemistry antara Matt dan Casey..

[Alyssa's BookShelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. Loved the mystery and romance.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beberapa bagian dibuku ini menarik untuk dibaca,sisanya membosankan.terlalu banyak tokoh yang dibahas masing2 kehidupannya,terlalu banyak kalimat yang diulang2,terlalu banyak konflik.sepertinya penulis suka banget dengan quilt,karena dibuku sebelumnya dari awal sampai akhir isinya membahas tentang quilt,nah dibuku ini pun juga,kalo dibahas sepintas aja mungkin masih bisa lah..tapi kalo terlalu banyak ngebahas quilt lagi...rasanya jadi eneg.buku ini terlalu berputar2 gak fokus,terlalu banyak yg ingin dijelaskan secara mendetail dibuku ini.cerita yg seharusnya menarik dan bikin penasaran jadi hilang gregetnya karena terlalu membosankan

[Sue Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out really suspenseful with the arson and murder but then wandered way off track with characters that were not part of this story. Appears you have to read the series.

[Ayu Wirdha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kebisuan Mematikan : Penjahat & motifnya sih sudah diketahui di 1/4 novel jadi agak kurang seru. Jadi tinggal romance antara Matt & Casey juga anak Matt, Megan yg mendadak bisu setelah kebakaran yg menghanguskan rumah & menewaskan ibu Megan. Seharusnya ada 1-2 kasus kebakaran yg ditangani Matt & tugas2 Casey sbg jagawana sehingga profesi mereka bukan hanya tempelan. Ini ngomongin PTSD, trauma - mbok ya cepet2 ke dokter cari solusi kalau hanya omdo yah ga sembuh2.

iKal - 2🌟