Silent Thunder

Hannah Bryson #1

by Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen

Number-one bestselling author Iris Johansen teams up with Edgar Award winner Roy Johansen and the result is an explosive, tour-de-force thriller. . . . It was the assignment of a lifetime. . . . Brilliant marine architect Hannah Bryson has been given the job of a lifetime. A U.S. maritime museum has just acquired the decommissioned Soviet submarine Silent Thunder for public exhibition. It’s Hannah’s job to make sure that every single inch of the legendary nuclear attack sub is safe for the thousands of visitors anticipated. Enlisting the aid of her brother, Connor, they examine the enormous vessel and delve into its long---and lethal---history. But is it really a trap? In the course of their investigation, Connor discovers a mysterious message behind one of the ship’s panels. But before he can figure out what it means, there’s a deadly assault on Silent Thunder. . . . Though the U.S. government tries to warn Hannah away, she’ll stop at nothing to find the ruthless mastermind behind her brother’s death. Even if it means joining forces with a mysterious man who may be even more dangerous than the enemy she has sworn to bring down. As Hannah finds herself in the crossfire of an epic standoff, her only hope for survival is to unravel the sub’s explosive secret. But someone’s willing to kill to make sure Silent Thunder stays silent. . . . Brisk, exhilarating, and filled with authentic details, Silent Thunder is what you get when you team the biggest name in suspense with the stunning plot twists of an Edgar Award--winning author. Get ready for a page-turning thrill ride!

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Romantic Suspense

403 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.

She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn't Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing The Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora's Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On The Run, and more. And with her son, Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Night Watch, The Naked Eye, Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.

http://www.irisjohansen.com

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet piece of thriller brain candy!

Brilliant marine architect Hannah Bryson has been hired by a US maritime museum to sweep a recently decommissioned Soviet submarine, Silent Thunder, and to confirm its safety for public exhibition. But when she and her brother, Conner, discover a cryptic symbolic message behind a control room panel, Conner is brutally murdered and Hannah sets herself, despite attempts by the CIA to stop her, on a relentless path to revenge and the discovery of the meaning behind the hidden message.

SILENT THUNDER isn’t about to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature. But, as thrillers go, SILENT THUNDER does everything right. It hits the spot and pushes all the right buttons! It’s fast-paced, it’s compelling, it stays within the bounds of reasonable credibility, it’s heartwarming, it’s got romance, it’s got international intrigue, and it’s got twists and turns galore. It's even got character development. And, unlike many other entries in that grossly overcrowded thriller marketplace, while the twists and turns are frequent and sharp, they’re reasonably linear. They’re not so convoluted or so contrived that you need a computer and a GPS to keep track of a multi-layered byzantine plot.

One specific tidbit that’s worthy of special mention! The conversation between Hannah and her nephew after his father’s murder is positively gut-wrenching. It’s only a couple of pages long but it’s beautiful and it’s worth the price of the book all by itself.

Enjoy! Highly recommended!

Paul Weiss

[Lolly's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, basic synopsis: Marine architect (one who designs underwater vehicles and the like) Hannah Bryson has been contracted to inspect and overhaul a decommissioned Russian nuclear sub, the Silent Thunder, for the U.S. Maritime Museum. Working with her brother, Connor, she begins the routine check of the sub's systems. During this process, an enigmatic set of metallic plates, inscribed with seemingly nonsensical symbols, is found. Tragedy strikes, however, and a mystery unfolds. Hannah, though warned by the U.S. government against involving herself any further in the situation, stubbornly searches out the truth behind Silent Thunder's history and how it pertains to the ruthless man masterminding all the recent death and destruction surrounding the sub. With the help of a enigmatic and charismatic mercenary, their search becomes a race to find the prize Silent Thunder's secrets leads to before anyone else dies.

Like any Iris Johansen book, this one is fast-paced, thrilling, and tautly told. The added bonus is NO SEX! Yes, that's right, no throbbing loins or hanky-panky between the sheets. Lots of sexual tension and hints of a budding romance, with some smoldering looks and innocent yet electrifying skin contact, but that's it. It was quite refreshing. Of course, the lack of sex may have been due to Iris's collaboration with her son, Roy; mother and son may be close, but not enough to write sex scenes with each other. Yuck! But I digress. Is this deep and lasting literature? No. Is it a quick and thrilling read, something to while away the hours with? For sure. Although, and it may only be me and my dirty mind, but does anyone else get the giggles when they read the title? Silent Thunder. *snicker* Sorry.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Silent Thunder is categorized as adult fiction but it reads as young adult fiction. Hannah, the main character is both protagonist and antagonist, the author never decided which role the Hannah character fit so she made her both.

Hannah uses her friends to get what she wants and never mind that it could cost them their jobs because they wouldn’t have those jobs if it hadn’t been for her.

I didn’t finish reading Silent Thunder because I stopped caring about the story and there wasn’t one character I cared enough about to stick with the story.

Iris Johansen does a better job with her Eve Duncan character.

[Nani Mercado · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Spoiler Alert*
Never in my life have I found a more satisfying book to read. Silent thunder is such an mind-blowing book. Everything about it I loved. The people, the places, the plot and etc. Everything had me eating the pages while I read the book. The stories plot was so completely and magnificently written out that I can say if you read this book you will not be able to stop reading it.
Iris & Roy Johansen created an outstanding book. The characters Hannah and Kirov were who I fell in love with. Everywhere you turned something was happening. This book was about a woman and her brother fixing up a submarine named Silent Thunder that would be put in a museum.
Little did she know that there was much more involved than just checking to see if it was stable. After having her brother die Hannah was determined to find his killer. Thus came in Kirov, he is mentioned in the book as an observer at first watching the woman study the sub. Then he became a main character. To tell you the turth I am in love with Kirov, the sexy russian man with the personality of an seemingly annoying man who knows how to push your buttons. I find him slightly arrogant yet humble.

[Stormie ~ Book Dragon ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I could not put it down!!!! I did not want it to end and I wanted to see if Hannah and Kirov would become a couple at the end of the book. This book is numbered one in a series so I am going to find the next one and read that!

[Regan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. MC is talented genius hounded by her employee/brother for making him work too hard, being too independent, cold, sensitive, not having a baby to replace a baby who died, and generally making her feel guilty for existing. He is basically a stand-in for an entire family of asshole nags. Oh, and his wife and kids are mentioned approximately 2,000,000 times. Then he is murdered on a shady job she took so that she can feel extra guilty plus (bonus!) motivated. Supporting male MCS are simultaneously using her skills and lusting after her. If it had been a touch worse, it might have been a little entertaining.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Corny, predictable and horrible, horrible dialogue...

The Protagonist is a split personality: self-sufficient, top of her field, knowledgeable and successful. She is also whiney, irritating, demanding, insulting and sarcastic. It's like watching a narcissist go off her bipolar meds. Nasty!

Not for me, I'm afraid.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to dig in the book bag as we didn't do a library trip this week. Wasn't up for a Patricia Cornwell so took this one. It passed the time. Ho Hum

[Myra Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book, it was not as good as I anticipated. I found the storyline to be somewhat erratic and at times difficult to follow. I enjoyed the relationship that developed between the protagonist, Hannah, and the supporting charachter, Kirov. Some of the other characters felt undeveloped, though.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So so book. Not up to Iris Johansen's usual style. The main female character had terrible dialogue - always mad, never wanting to take anyone else's advice. Not her best writing.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

good distraction. We need distraction.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 star. Not that great. I liked Hannah when she was an unparalleled professional in her field of marine salvage and marine architect, but as a snotty, stubborn, sarcastic damsel in distress, she left some to be desired. Kirov was an intriguing sexy foreign deadly man, but his accent sounded too much like dracula.

I don't generally like political intrigue, so that part didn't thrill me, but neither did the characters, romance or dialogue. Meh.

Likes:
* Sibling banter
* Hannah is an expert in her field
* Hannah's photographic memory

* Connor's gray sweater that his wife made and hates
* Special navigation method/symbols
* Hidden code
* Niler, explosives expert
* Eugenia, lethal information whiz
* Taking turns being support team
* Lots of flirting and romantic tension, but no sex, not even a kiss


Dislikes:
* Russian accents sound like dracula "I vant to kill you"

* Submarine experts not warned of danger
* Multiple attempts on her life
* CIA Bradforth not protecting them
* Children in danger


With-reservations:
language, violence, murder

[Cranky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't read much of Iris Johansen, and that may have been my problem with my approach to it. From my perspective, Johansen's mistake was trying to condense and dilute an potentially interesting global political intrigue. I used to read a lot of those kinds of books, and in my opinion they are best tackled in a thick meaty book of 500+ pages. To do it in less, Johansen was forced to do a lot of exposition via dialogue, and I found it so unrealistic it continually pulled me out of the story.

I gave up on the thing half-way through--I just couldn't care enough of the ending to get past the irritation.

A co-worker of mine loved it and recommended it highly to me, so perhaps someone who is used to Johansen's style would be more forgiving.

[Kw · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty good story, but told with lots of inane dialogue, consistent profanity, crude conversation. Hard to believe a professional marine architect, tops in her field, would resort to so much patronizing sarcasm, or that her devoted brother would nag her about having IVF (she is single). I just can't really recommend this one and am surprised to see that it received good reviews from others. No accounting for taste, is there??

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The overall mystery plot was interesting and engaging, but the characters fell flat for me. Too much info dump that told Hannah's backstory in the first 25 pages through incredibly awkward and unrealistic conversations with her brother, rather than letting me get to know Hannah as the story unfolded. Hannah's work drove the story well, but I found that I didn't really care about what happened to her.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am half way through this book and it sucks. It is the worst dialogue I've come across since I had to write dialogue in 4th grade English class. And, unfortunately, it's dialogue driven. I'm going to finish it because I'm stubborn like that but wow, this is horrible. Yep, stayed horrible, thankfully, it's over.

[M.D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Silent Thunder is one of the worst written books I've read in a long time, and greatly disappointing. The dialogue is trite and flat ("Son of a bitch. Bradworth was staring after him. "Bastard."), the characters are unidimensional (the Russians are the bad guys), the story murky and at best cliche.

After 135 pages, I gave it up.

[Renee Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, especially the ending :)

[Brenda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Bryson is a marine architect who is hired to decommission a Russian nuclear sub called the Silent Thunder. Her job is to make sure that when the U.S. Maritime Museum opens up the sub for visitors it is safe. Her brother, Connor, helps her on all her jobs. During this job, they uncover 3 mysterious plates with symbols they cannot read. Tragedy hits. Hannah is a strong character with a powerful personality and has the gift to remember everything she sees. Is this going to help her or put everyone she knows in danger. She is stubborn, wants to avenge a murder, save the sub, keep herself alive and find the treasure before it falls into the ruthless killers hands. She is in the middle of a war now, one she didn’t know was happening. She is between the United States government and the Russians. Both want those plates. Those that aren’t in possession of the plates, want Hannah to tell them what she saw on them. They lead to a magical treasure. Who can she trust? Who is really trying to help save her and who is lying with promises of protection. Who are her friends and who are her enemies? Can one person be both? Bradworth works for the US government and Kirov is a Russian. Both playing mind games with her. All the while, enemy Russian spies also want the plates and will crush anyone that is in their way. Does she catch the killer? Does she find the treasure first? I enjoyed the book but I had to go back and read the previous page again to figure out who was speaking. The dialogue was hard to follow. I learned after reading this that I should have read Shadow Zone to learn the background of the characters mentioned in this book.

[Kees van Duyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hannah Bryson en haar broer Conner hebben de opdracht gekregen de Russische onderzeeër 'Bliksemflits' te onderzoeken op veiligheid. Daarna wil het scheepvaart de duikboot inrichten als museum. Tijdens het onderzoek stuiten ze op een aantal metalen platen die dusdanig belangrijk blijken te zijn dat Conner om het leven wordt gebracht en Hannah bijna. Al snel daarna heeft Hannah besloten om jacht te maken op de moordenaar van haar broer. Dit doet ze samen met de geheimzinnige Rus Kirov.

De eerste paar hoofdstukken van het boek vond ik nog niet zo spectaculair. Ik moest even in het verhaal en het boek komen. Maar dat duurde gelukkig niet lang, want na die paar hoofdstukken begon de vaart er goed in te komen en werd de spanning opgevoerd.

Die spanning bleef tot het einde van het verhaal intact. En niet alleen de gebruikelijke thrillerspanning, maar er was ook een overduidelijke spanning tussen de twee belangrijkste karakters, Hannah en Kirov, te bespeuren: wederzijdse aantrekkingskracht.

De Opdracht is heel anders dan het andere werk dat ik van Iris Johansen ken (van Roy Johansen heb ik nooit wat gelezen), maar het is me prima bevallen. Ik heb het boek dan ook in een 'razend' tempo uitgelezen en kan het zeker aanraden.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out that being in bed with the flu is a perfect time to work on whittling down that TBR pile, since my brain is 90% functioning, while my body is at 20% functioning.

This was a perfect read for this specific situation. Iris Johansen is a favorite anyway, but I’ve only read her Eve Duncan series. I liked Hannah Bryson just as much and I’m glad I grabbed the next book in the series from the library as well. I do so love a fierce female protag! This was also suspenseful enough for help me forget the gallons of phlegm and snot that I’ve been expelling as well as the muscle aches & pains (& headache) from my asthmatic lungs working overtime... so that alone is enough for me to rate a book a 4/5.

Anyway. I’m not being super coherent but TL;DR...

* any book that can transport me away from being sick deserves a 4/5 star rating or higher.
* I love Iris Johansen and again, she did not disappoint.

[Handcrafted Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hired to assess and evaluate a Russian submarine for a maritime museum, Hannah Bryson didn't know what she was getting herself into. An expert in designing and evaluating underwater crafts, Hannah never expects to find herself in the middle of a CIA operation with the goal of obtaining a former Russian naval fleet leader. And she never expected the sudden violence that kills her brother on a filler job before their next exciting underwater research expedition.

Now, determined to find out why her brother was killed, Hannah finds her way to Kirov, a former Russian naval officer and member of the Silent Thunders original crew. Together they work towards punishing the man responsible for the death of the crew of the Silent Thunder and Hannah's brother.

An excellent and interesting read! I'll definitely be looking for the next books in the series.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story. Decent thriller.
My problem is that this author writes the same story over and over with the only real difference being the professions of the heroines.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy reading these books, as I love me a strong, female protagonist. I love the snarky repartee between the main characters. I love that the villains are terrible people who we all can root for to be destroyed. I love that the women in these books are intelligent, good looking, good hearted, interesting women. I love that they can usually take care of themselves and wind up saving the men.
But it is always the same basic story. So once you've read a few of her books, you have read them all. I know it sounds like I didn't like this book, when I really did like it. I just remembered why I don't read this author all that much anymore.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More intrigue and less on the romance for this collaboration. The story is action packed from the start with a horrible death that helped pave the course for the female lead, Hannah. The story has a questionable character helping Hannah who is not what he seems and has multiple names. His truth comes out and is fitting and perfectly delivered. There is international angst with a Russian and American component, a mystical component with tales of golden lore, and then of course the government agency component of trying to get the bad guy but not liking all the steps taken by our two main characters. The secondary characters such as Hannah’s sister, nephew, and the Senator were brilliant. Overall this was an easy and quick read!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book that I had sitting around the house and finally decided to pick it. Within the first chapter is seemed really, really familiar. Turns out, I've read it before or at least started it.

Hannah and Conner Bryson (sister and brother) are hired to develop schematics for an old Oscar II sub that will be part of an American museum. Of course there is something on the sub that the Russians still want. Double agents, not so scrupulous State Department liaisons and a bomb maker kept me guessing.

I didn't realize there was a Hannah Bryson series. I will most likely pick up the next one.

[Pamela Benyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth it.

Once you get past the inane and unnecessary dialogue between the brother, Conner, and his sister, Hannah, the book is a page turner. I could have believed in the bond between them if was more loving and compassionate. They weren’t believable as a team.
The book is a true adventure and you will love the intricacies about submarines described in the plot.
The supporting characters are well drawn out. There are twists and turns as the book and reader race to the finish line. I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day.

[Arissa Utemark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great dialogue, and an extremely grounded storytelling style, but this plot is pretty lofty and doesn’t really lend itself to either one. I had high hopes, but it was a bit too much of a downer to be exciting the way I wanted it to.

The beat shifts were very difficult to navigate and it also has a curious way of telling exposition through dialogue that turned out to be a bit of a slog. The ending was satisfying, the plot was fairly interesting and the characters had pretty good chemistry. Overall, not bad, but I’ll need a bit of a break before I continue the series.

[Liz Clappin · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the good excitement, explosions and espionage that you would expect from a spy thriller. A bit derivative but I think even the authors admitted that with their tongue and cheek references to Hunt for Red October. Kirov (or whichever of his 17 names you like best) was an unexpectedly fun character (I was terrified the dull Bradford was the love interest) but Hannah I never really warmed to, she had some exceptional moments but overall was inconsistent.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read mystery/spy novels, but this one definitely kept my interest. I really like the relationship between Hannah & Kirov. Barely met, but in dangerous situations together, they work well as partners and I see a budding romance. I also like the protectiveness Kirov feels about Hanbah and her family, almost like they're his family, too.
I'd really like to know if they end up together, but I'm not sure if I'll read the rest of the series to find out.