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Past Reason
Wenn der Albtraum zur Wirklichkeit wird ... Der abgründige psychologische Spannungsroman »Das stumme Kind« von Margaret Murphy als eBook bei dotbooks.
Als auf den Straßen Liverpools ein kleiner Junge gefunden wird, bittet die Polizei die Kinderpsychologin Jenny Campbell um Hilfe. Das Kind spricht kein einziges Wort, malt nur immer wieder ein Bild: ein Haus, alle Fenster vergittert, alle Türen verriegelt. Handelt es sich dabei nur um die Fantasie eines vernachlässigten Kindes – oder verbirgt sich etwas viel Schlimmeres dahinter? Jenny nimmt den Jungen mit zu sich nach Hause, um ihm Sicherheit zu geben. Doch Jennys Ehemann reagiert plötzlich abweisend und rätselhaft – gibt es womöglich eine Verbindung zu seiner eigenen dunklen Vergangenheit? Mehr und mehr beschleicht Jenny der Verdacht, dass ein Ende des Schweigens auch das Ende aller Unschuld in ihrem Leben bedeuten könnte ...
»Eine äußerst talentierte Autorin – Margaret Murphy erzeugt höchste psychologische Spannung.« The Times
Jetzt als eBook kaufen und genießen: Der Psycho-Thriller »Das stumme Kind« von Margaret Murphy bietet Hochspannung aus England für alle Fans von Val McDermid und Elizabeth George. Wer liest, hat mehr vom Leben: dotbooks – der eBook-Verlag.
Als auf den Straßen Liverpools ein kleiner Junge gefunden wird, bittet die Polizei die Kinderpsychologin Jenny Campbell um Hilfe. Das Kind spricht kein einziges Wort, malt nur immer wieder ein Bild: ein Haus, alle Fenster vergittert, alle Türen verriegelt. Handelt es sich dabei nur um die Fantasie eines vernachlässigten Kindes – oder verbirgt sich etwas viel Schlimmeres dahinter? Jenny nimmt den Jungen mit zu sich nach Hause, um ihm Sicherheit zu geben. Doch Jennys Ehemann reagiert plötzlich abweisend und rätselhaft – gibt es womöglich eine Verbindung zu seiner eigenen dunklen Vergangenheit? Mehr und mehr beschleicht Jenny der Verdacht, dass ein Ende des Schweigens auch das Ende aller Unschuld in ihrem Leben bedeuten könnte ...
»Eine äußerst talentierte Autorin – Margaret Murphy erzeugt höchste psychologische Spannung.« The Times
Jetzt als eBook kaufen und genießen: Der Psycho-Thriller »Das stumme Kind« von Margaret Murphy bietet Hochspannung aus England für alle Fans von Val McDermid und Elizabeth George. Wer liest, hat mehr vom Leben: dotbooks – der eBook-Verlag.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 1999
283 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Murphy
67 books89 followersMargaret Murphy writes internationally acclaimed and bestselling psychological thrillers under her own name, and in September 2023, she will publish the first of a new series, Dead Man Walking as M. K. Murphy.
She has also published forensic thrillers as Ashley Dyer and AD Garrett. She is a past Chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), founder of Murder Squad, and a former RLF Writing Fellow and Reading Round Lector. A Short Story Dagger, HRF Keating, and CWA Red Herring award winner, she has also been shortlisted for the ‘First Blood’ critics award and CWA Dagger in the Library.
www.margaret-murphy.co.uk
(Pseudonym: A.D. Garrett)
(Pseudonym: Ashley Dyer https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)
She has also published forensic thrillers as Ashley Dyer and AD Garrett. She is a past Chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), founder of Murder Squad, and a former RLF Writing Fellow and Reading Round Lector. A Short Story Dagger, HRF Keating, and CWA Red Herring award winner, she has also been shortlisted for the ‘First Blood’ critics award and CWA Dagger in the Library.
www.margaret-murphy.co.uk
(Pseudonym: A.D. Garrett)
(Pseudonym: Ashley Dyer https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 28, 2020
Never get into a strange car but to this boy its not a stranger. Liverpool D C Lisa Calcot is called in a boy is missing Connor Harvey, his mum Vi stating he has been gone hours from the house, Lisa reassuring her he's wandered off, the kidnapper has tried a week ago from the school. Weston and Calcot start the investigation to find Connor. What an almighty story full on and lots of twists that you don't see ahead that give you goosebumps. Outstanding writing from the author worthy star's this book will go far with book fans
January 25, 2021
A small boy is found wandering the streets in his pyjamas. Nobody has reported him missing and the boy is obviously traumatised and mute. Max persuades Jenny, an experienced foster carer to take him but the reaction when her husband, Fraser meets him is just the start of the problems.
Nearby another boy is reported missing. What is going on?
As Mike and his team start investigating they realise they have their work cut out as everyone appears to have secrets they don't want uncovered. Then a woman's body is found having been brutally murdered but who is she?
This is a very intriguing book that had me hooked from the beginning several stories all intermingled at some point along the way. It pulls on the heart strings as we pray for the poor little lad to learn to trust again.
It is almost at the end before everything comes together and we learn what traumatised the little lad so much
An absolutely brilliant read. Another 5 star read from the brilliant Margaret Murphy.
Nearby another boy is reported missing. What is going on?
As Mike and his team start investigating they realise they have their work cut out as everyone appears to have secrets they don't want uncovered. Then a woman's body is found having been brutally murdered but who is she?
This is a very intriguing book that had me hooked from the beginning several stories all intermingled at some point along the way. It pulls on the heart strings as we pray for the poor little lad to learn to trust again.
It is almost at the end before everything comes together and we learn what traumatised the little lad so much
An absolutely brilliant read. Another 5 star read from the brilliant Margaret Murphy.
January 26, 2021
Calling a book "unputdownable" is a questionable marketing ploy in my opinion. I tend to treat the word as a warning. Putting it in the title seems doubly questionable. It looks naff, but most of this author's list has "unputdownable" or "gripping" in her titles. I also read the book with Kindle Unlimited - another warning.
But on the plus side, this book was published by an actual independent book publisher (not self published). It had a good cover, and competent writing. The premise had potential. One boy goes missing, and another one is found, but is unable to speak. Perhaps a little harrowing, but definitely a mystery worth exploring and the opening chapters were quite good.
The book, however, suffers from an overly complicated plot, which nevertheless failed to really surprise, and an enormous and confusing cast of characters.
It was a nice try by the author, but one to miss. It is unputdownable in the sense that you cannot put down what you never picked up.
But on the plus side, this book was published by an actual independent book publisher (not self published). It had a good cover, and competent writing. The premise had potential. One boy goes missing, and another one is found, but is unable to speak. Perhaps a little harrowing, but definitely a mystery worth exploring and the opening chapters were quite good.
The book, however, suffers from an overly complicated plot, which nevertheless failed to really surprise, and an enormous and confusing cast of characters.
It was a nice try by the author, but one to miss. It is unputdownable in the sense that you cannot put down what you never picked up.
April 2, 2021
I certainly did not find this an "unputdownable psychological thriller". Not sure how to categorize it really. I found the writing was solid enough but the storytelling, and the plot I found too meandering. The "sub-plots" I found didn't really merge with the main plot of the story. What was the purpose of some of the characters?? Certain ones certainly didn't work as red herrings. And really, what excatly was the "main" storyline?? There was a lack of cohesion. Everything felt flat. The reveal of the killer was a huge let down and I felt cheated . The paragraphs and chapters that are inserted throughout of Alain's past, left zero impact on me because they were so shallow and were inserted so randomly. This reminds me of a story that is part of a series; where the main characters will be further developed in either past or future installments. Overall though, I'd not recommend this.
May 9, 2021
Slow Burner
By the end I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what happened. But I nearly gave up half way through. I didn't like the jumping about at the beginning and had no real feel for what was happening and was beginning not to care. I don't mind filling in the gaps myself but this was too much this the four. Even at the end several issues were left hanging - definitely worth a read though!
By the end I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what happened. But I nearly gave up half way through. I didn't like the jumping about at the beginning and had no real feel for what was happening and was beginning not to care. I don't mind filling in the gaps myself but this was too much this the four. Even at the end several issues were left hanging - definitely worth a read though!
April 5, 2021
A long book with a rather dull ending
I struggled at times with this book as there was a lot of fill in sub-story lines that at times just didn't make sense and wasn't sure why they were in the book. Far too long and didn't capture my attention enough.
I struggled at times with this book as there was a lot of fill in sub-story lines that at times just didn't make sense and wasn't sure why they were in the book. Far too long and didn't capture my attention enough.
November 21, 2021
I got this book for free..very glad I didn't pay for it. There were a lot of confusing parts and another of extra characters that really had no place in the book...the boys story was interesting but I could have skipped the other stuff and read only that part.
January 29, 2021
Another excellent book by Margaret Murphy
I've given all her books five stars. I can't put her books down until I've finished them. She's a terrific author!
I've given all her books five stars. I can't put her books down until I've finished them. She's a terrific author!
January 31, 2021
Review
Very good book but a lot going on with it.Little hard to keep up with at times.
Still all in all,very good book!
Very good book but a lot going on with it.Little hard to keep up with at times.
Still all in all,very good book!
Read
March 10, 2021Did not finish.
February 19, 2025
dramatic and suspenseful
I really enjoyed the story. Kept my interest throughout . It was a very good drama. Relevant for the time
I really enjoyed the story. Kept my interest throughout . It was a very good drama. Relevant for the time
June 22, 2009
Margaret Murphy's books are virtually as good as those of Lynda la Plante. She creates the suspense, three-dimensional characters and keeps you reading until you've sussed out what's going on.
One of the drawbacks about her approach to crime stories is that she throws the reader into the thought processes of a character at the beginning of a chapter, only to change perspective in the next. If I hadn't have read one of her books before and known that this is her style, I would've stopped reading ¼ of the way into the book because it became so frustrating! The one moment there was the victim, writhing on the kitchen floor, the next two thieves are enjoying the spoils of a theft, from where you move to a psychiatrist in conversation with a nurse followed by the traumatized child ... and you think this book is past reason!
Eight-year old Alain Fournier has experienced such deep trauma that he's unable to speak. He's discovered wandering through the streets in his pyjamas, pale, his eyes mere pupils and terrified of men (in particular). The description of him is almost identical to Karoline in Eleanor Baker's Die nes . Instead of creating a nest around himself, the way Karoline did, Alain keeps drawing pictures of a house barred at the windows with locks on every door, too terrified to look out in case he might get hurt again. He wets his bed at night along with terrifying dreams that don't make sense to the reader until right at the end.
Fortunately he ends up in good hands - a foster mother, Jenny, and her husband, Fraser. They foster him hoping the police will discover what happened as well as the identity of his mother. A week goes by without any results, and they're still calling him "Paul" because of his muteness. During this time the reader is introduced to a troubled self-cutter, Shona, and her psychiatrist, Max (who offers a lot of support to Jenny while she's looking after "Paul"). Ostensibly Fraser and Jenny can't have children, something that Fraser is unable to accept. This leads him on a wild goose chase after another boy, Connor, who's also gone missing (kidnapped?) and the reader discovers Fraser had an affair ±8 years ago - was the child aborted or is this his missing son?
Clearly by this stage it all seems so confusing, it might as well be school algebra! (not to mention the number of policemen that appear, I got completely confused as to who's investigating what) But if you sit down and make your way through the book bit by bit, all is revealed. It's done in such a way that your heart races almost as fast as Fraser's heart monitor at the end! Luckily nurse Murphy is there to round off the edges and you can sit and ponder at the events.
Murhpy's used 356 pages to tell the tale, but with all its twists and turns, one realizes that she needed them! I do find her occasional long descriptions of buildings and gardens rather tedious. But maybe it's a tactical trick, allowing you to "smell the roses" and slow down.
One of the drawbacks about her approach to crime stories is that she throws the reader into the thought processes of a character at the beginning of a chapter, only to change perspective in the next. If I hadn't have read one of her books before and known that this is her style, I would've stopped reading ¼ of the way into the book because it became so frustrating! The one moment there was the victim, writhing on the kitchen floor, the next two thieves are enjoying the spoils of a theft, from where you move to a psychiatrist in conversation with a nurse followed by the traumatized child ... and you think this book is past reason!
Eight-year old Alain Fournier has experienced such deep trauma that he's unable to speak. He's discovered wandering through the streets in his pyjamas, pale, his eyes mere pupils and terrified of men (in particular). The description of him is almost identical to Karoline in Eleanor Baker's Die nes . Instead of creating a nest around himself, the way Karoline did, Alain keeps drawing pictures of a house barred at the windows with locks on every door, too terrified to look out in case he might get hurt again. He wets his bed at night along with terrifying dreams that don't make sense to the reader until right at the end.
Fortunately he ends up in good hands - a foster mother, Jenny, and her husband, Fraser. They foster him hoping the police will discover what happened as well as the identity of his mother. A week goes by without any results, and they're still calling him "Paul" because of his muteness. During this time the reader is introduced to a troubled self-cutter, Shona, and her psychiatrist, Max (who offers a lot of support to Jenny while she's looking after "Paul"). Ostensibly Fraser and Jenny can't have children, something that Fraser is unable to accept. This leads him on a wild goose chase after another boy, Connor, who's also gone missing (kidnapped?) and the reader discovers Fraser had an affair ±8 years ago - was the child aborted or is this his missing son?
Clearly by this stage it all seems so confusing, it might as well be school algebra! (not to mention the number of policemen that appear, I got completely confused as to who's investigating what) But if you sit down and make your way through the book bit by bit, all is revealed. It's done in such a way that your heart races almost as fast as Fraser's heart monitor at the end! Luckily nurse Murphy is there to round off the edges and you can sit and ponder at the events.
Murhpy's used 356 pages to tell the tale, but with all its twists and turns, one realizes that she needed them! I do find her occasional long descriptions of buildings and gardens rather tedious. But maybe it's a tactical trick, allowing you to "smell the roses" and slow down.
March 6, 2021
Lost in his own mind
Story of a boy who "wakes" up wandering in a street he does not know. Alain is his name but he does not want the hospital staff to know who he is as he is frightened the person looking for him will find him. Jenny a nurse and foster carerer and her partner Fraser take the boy home to see if she can find out what has frightened him. The book develops the story with Alain, Jenny and Fraser all telling their own story. Well written but for me to many conflicting stories with additional characters coming into play with stories of their own. Did not add to the book in my opinion.
Story of a boy who "wakes" up wandering in a street he does not know. Alain is his name but he does not want the hospital staff to know who he is as he is frightened the person looking for him will find him. Jenny a nurse and foster carerer and her partner Fraser take the boy home to see if she can find out what has frightened him. The book develops the story with Alain, Jenny and Fraser all telling their own story. Well written but for me to many conflicting stories with additional characters coming into play with stories of their own. Did not add to the book in my opinion.
August 6, 2016
This dark tale of crime, violence, secrets and lies has the reader drawn into the murky backgrounds of its various characters that leaves one guessing, then guessing again as to who's doing what to who and why. Why two eight-year olds go missing and what the connection is between them, and just who is keeping tracks on those that search for the answers? A thriller that had me convinced only total disaster for all could possibly be an end.
October 5, 2014
I like Margaret Murphy.... but this book I couldn't even finish... I have read hundreds and hundreds of books and this is perhaps one of only a singe hand flu that I could not finish. Life is too short. The disjointed and choppy focalisations, the abrupt shifts in settings, the numerous characters who just appear on the page with no warning...and some torturous sentence construction... it left me beat. Do yourself a favour. Pass this one by
January 16, 2021
One boy goes missing,
One boy is found,
But they weren't the same boy
The one found would not talk and is looked after by Jenny and her husband, then a search goes out for his parents and the twists begin.
There is so many storylines and going in different directions that I got confused what was happening.
One boy is found,
But they weren't the same boy
The one found would not talk and is looked after by Jenny and her husband, then a search goes out for his parents and the twists begin.
There is so many storylines and going in different directions that I got confused what was happening.
October 5, 2014
"An impressive, serious and involving novel" - Sherlock Holmes Magazine
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews