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Part of the Silence
From the international bestselling author of The Bones of You comes a haunting and heartbreaking new psychological thriller about the distorted nature of reality, the unreliability of memory, and the enduring power of a mother's love.
A blighted memory. A child who seems never to have existed. A watcher in the shadows.
When they find Evie Sherman, battered and left for dead in a maize field, the young woman has no recollection of who she is. After three days in a hospital bed, the fog in her head begins to lift, and she remembers two names: her own, and that of her three-year-old daughter, Angel. Evie is convinced that Angel is in grave danger. But the police can find no evidence of the girl's existence.
It's clear that Evie is having some kind of mental breakdown--or is it? Even in the depths of her amnesiac darkness, Evie knows her daughter's voice, her chameleon eyes, every precious hair on her head. So how can she be losing her mind?
As Evie's grasp on reality slips away, she finds herself haunted by the same three-word warning, which she hears over and over: Trust no one. But whom is she being warned against? The police? The doctors and nurses? Or the mysterious figure who's been watching her, who knows all her secrets, has a hidden agenda--and perhaps their own twisted version of reality.
Praise for the novels of Debbie Howells
"A terrific new talent." --New York Times bestselling author Peter James
"An intriguing dark psychological thriller--truly brilliant!" --Lisa Jackson
"Has been compared to Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. Unusual and haunting." --Library Journal
"Creepy-delicious...a super-quick read, good domestic suspense with a bit of woo-woo.
The English village setting was an extra perk!" --Liz French, Senior Editor, LJ Reviews <
"Heartbreaking yet utterly compelling...a memorable debut." --Sam Hayes, author of Blood Ties
"A brilliantly twisty read that delves deep into the dark heart of the seemingly perfect family." --Tammy Cohen, author of First One Missing
"A combination of lyrical writing and smart mystery. It's a winner." --Sandra Block, author of The Girl Without a Name
"An intelligent thriller.... Written with heart and real depth, and with some real hand-over-mouth moments." --Rachael Lucas, author of Coming Up Roses
"Compelling...Howells has a knack for conveying authentic emotion." --Publishers Weekly
A blighted memory. A child who seems never to have existed. A watcher in the shadows.
When they find Evie Sherman, battered and left for dead in a maize field, the young woman has no recollection of who she is. After three days in a hospital bed, the fog in her head begins to lift, and she remembers two names: her own, and that of her three-year-old daughter, Angel. Evie is convinced that Angel is in grave danger. But the police can find no evidence of the girl's existence.
It's clear that Evie is having some kind of mental breakdown--or is it? Even in the depths of her amnesiac darkness, Evie knows her daughter's voice, her chameleon eyes, every precious hair on her head. So how can she be losing her mind?
As Evie's grasp on reality slips away, she finds herself haunted by the same three-word warning, which she hears over and over: Trust no one. But whom is she being warned against? The police? The doctors and nurses? Or the mysterious figure who's been watching her, who knows all her secrets, has a hidden agenda--and perhaps their own twisted version of reality.
Praise for the novels of Debbie Howells
"A terrific new talent." --New York Times bestselling author Peter James
"An intriguing dark psychological thriller--truly brilliant!" --Lisa Jackson
"Has been compared to Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. Unusual and haunting." --Library Journal
"Creepy-delicious...a super-quick read, good domestic suspense with a bit of woo-woo.
The English village setting was an extra perk!" --Liz French, Senior Editor, LJ Reviews <
"Heartbreaking yet utterly compelling...a memorable debut." --Sam Hayes, author of Blood Ties
"A brilliantly twisty read that delves deep into the dark heart of the seemingly perfect family." --Tammy Cohen, author of First One Missing
"A combination of lyrical writing and smart mystery. It's a winner." --Sandra Block, author of The Girl Without a Name
"An intelligent thriller.... Written with heart and real depth, and with some real hand-over-mouth moments." --Rachael Lucas, author of Coming Up Roses
"Compelling...Howells has a knack for conveying authentic emotion." --Publishers Weekly
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2017
27 people are currently reading
1328 people want to read
About the author
Debbie Howells
42 books747 followersDebbie self-published three women's fiction novels before writing The Bones of You, her first psychological thriller. It was a Sunday Times bestseller and selected for the Richard and Judy book club.
Since, she was written The Beauty of the End, The Death of Her, Her Sister's Lie, the e-book bestseller The Vow, and her latest, The Secret.
Her women's fiction novel, The Life You Left Behind will be published on 23rd February.
Follow her on Facebook at Debbie Howells writer and on Instagram @_debbiehowells.
Since, she was written The Beauty of the End, The Death of Her, Her Sister's Lie, the e-book bestseller The Vow, and her latest, The Secret.
Her women's fiction novel, The Life You Left Behind will be published on 23rd February.
Follow her on Facebook at Debbie Howells writer and on Instagram @_debbiehowells.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
June 20, 2017
I’m a massive fan of Debbie Howells; her previous two novels The Bones of You and The Beauty of the End really gripped me from beginning to end. These stories had a compulsive mystery with emotional connections to further the plot simultaneously; the author’s ability to invest my attention in every aspect is what has caused me to keep coming back for more and flail my grabby hands all about when she has a new book set to publish. While I had a few issues with Part of the Silence, I felt overall the quality of language and writing style was still on par with her previous works which greatly pleased me as a reader.
This was quite a twisty book, and if you’re wanting to go in blind as to not risk spotting any clues or mild spoilers, I’d recommend stopping right here and coming back after you’ve finished the book. Sometimes when I pick up a psychological thriller I can tell immediately where it is going, which was the case here. I knew from the first chapter that information was deliberately being left out to form the readers’ opinions early on, and while the formatting was intoxicating, it did make it difficult to keep the whodunnit a surprise. I have read hundreds upon hundreds of thrillers of all kinds, a good number of them domestic, psychological thrillers, so I take full responsibility that I may have just read so many of them that it’s difficult to find a set up that I haven’t come across yet. This book was clearly excellent in many ways, and for the reader who may not be as seasoned or experienced in the genre, this will be wholly exciting and enjoyable.
I want to emphasize how, even though I had the who and why(ish) figured out within the first 50 pages, this was STILL a gripping and encompassing read for me. I feel like this says a lot about the writing and the author; if you can take what is typically the draw factor to reading books in the mystery genre out of the equation and still grip your reader, you know that writer has talent. Also, that gorgeous red cover will be one I remember on throughout 2017. Googly eyes and cover love yall. This book was all-around tempting and delicious; if you can look past the potential of early deduction due to lack of red herrings and maybe a few obvious clues, I think this will please a great number of readers. It was a fairly short read and one that is perfect for your summer travels. I’ll be interested to compare notes with other readers once reviews start pouring in on their thoughts as well; I’m excited to see what Howells decides to produce for us next and will be eagerly anticipating what direction she decides to point us in!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here.
This was quite a twisty book, and if you’re wanting to go in blind as to not risk spotting any clues or mild spoilers, I’d recommend stopping right here and coming back after you’ve finished the book. Sometimes when I pick up a psychological thriller I can tell immediately where it is going, which was the case here. I knew from the first chapter that information was deliberately being left out to form the readers’ opinions early on, and while the formatting was intoxicating, it did make it difficult to keep the whodunnit a surprise. I have read hundreds upon hundreds of thrillers of all kinds, a good number of them domestic, psychological thrillers, so I take full responsibility that I may have just read so many of them that it’s difficult to find a set up that I haven’t come across yet. This book was clearly excellent in many ways, and for the reader who may not be as seasoned or experienced in the genre, this will be wholly exciting and enjoyable.
I want to emphasize how, even though I had the who and why(ish) figured out within the first 50 pages, this was STILL a gripping and encompassing read for me. I feel like this says a lot about the writing and the author; if you can take what is typically the draw factor to reading books in the mystery genre out of the equation and still grip your reader, you know that writer has talent. Also, that gorgeous red cover will be one I remember on throughout 2017. Googly eyes and cover love yall. This book was all-around tempting and delicious; if you can look past the potential of early deduction due to lack of red herrings and maybe a few obvious clues, I think this will please a great number of readers. It was a fairly short read and one that is perfect for your summer travels. I’ll be interested to compare notes with other readers once reviews start pouring in on their thoughts as well; I’m excited to see what Howells decides to produce for us next and will be eagerly anticipating what direction she decides to point us in!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here.
June 7, 2017
I really wanted to love this psychological thriller, but it was rather messy and just fell flat.
Jen “Evie” Russell is found badly beaten in a field in Cornwall. Jen made the news 15 years ago when three year old Leah Danning went missing while she was babysitting. When Jen wakes up in the hospital, she has no recollection of the past. All that she can remember is that young daughter, Angel, but there is no sign that Angel ever existed. Jen’s inability to remember the past makes those around her question her sanity. Did Angel exist or is Jen confusing Leah’s disappearance with her imaginary daughter? All events lead back to Leah, whose disappearance was never resolved.
The narrative switches between the POV’s of Charlotte Harrison, an old high school acquaintance, and Jack Bentley, a police officer who recently lost his son. Charlotte is cold and clearly hiding something, whereas Jack is one of the few people who believes Jen. The reader also gets Casey, Leah’s sister’s, perspective.
Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with Part of the Silence. Having read The Bones of You and The Beauty of the End, I had high expectations for Part of the Silence. One thing that really threw me off was Jack doesn’t make an appearance until well into the narrative, switching to his POV was rather jarring. In addition to the pacing being uneven, there were many plot holes that left me with a lot of questions. Adding to the problem was that the police officers didn’t feel like they had every worked a case before--their investigative skills were seriously lacking. Honestly, I think that I could have solved a big chunk of the mystery using Google! And that ending?!
Overall, I like the idea of this book, but what I read just didn’t work for me.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Jen “Evie” Russell is found badly beaten in a field in Cornwall. Jen made the news 15 years ago when three year old Leah Danning went missing while she was babysitting. When Jen wakes up in the hospital, she has no recollection of the past. All that she can remember is that young daughter, Angel, but there is no sign that Angel ever existed. Jen’s inability to remember the past makes those around her question her sanity. Did Angel exist or is Jen confusing Leah’s disappearance with her imaginary daughter? All events lead back to Leah, whose disappearance was never resolved.
The narrative switches between the POV’s of Charlotte Harrison, an old high school acquaintance, and Jack Bentley, a police officer who recently lost his son. Charlotte is cold and clearly hiding something, whereas Jack is one of the few people who believes Jen. The reader also gets Casey, Leah’s sister’s, perspective.
Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with Part of the Silence. Having read The Bones of You and The Beauty of the End, I had high expectations for Part of the Silence. One thing that really threw me off was Jack doesn’t make an appearance until well into the narrative, switching to his POV was rather jarring. In addition to the pacing being uneven, there were many plot holes that left me with a lot of questions. Adding to the problem was that the police officers didn’t feel like they had every worked a case before--their investigative skills were seriously lacking. Honestly, I think that I could have solved a big chunk of the mystery using Google! And that ending?!
Overall, I like the idea of this book, but what I read just didn’t work for me.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 2, 2017
When Evie Sherman is found beaten and left for dead in the small town of Cornwall where crime just doesn't happen the police are doing everything in their power to find out what happened. News reports are ran looking for anyone who may have known Evie because when she awoke in the hospital the only thing Evie could remember was her own name and that her daughter was missing.
A local woman named Charlotte hears of Evie's attack and thinks that she recognizes her from her younger days but not as Evie, as Jen. They hadn't been close friends but Charlotte remembers Jen because she had made headlines when a child in her care had disappeared never to be found again. Charlotte contacts the police and becomes a link to Jen's past to try to regain her memories.
Part of the Silence was another completely engaging thriller from author Debbie Howells. Within pages of this story I found myself hooked in and wanting to know more. Was there a missing girl or was Evie/Jen confused with her memory loss? The story is told in multiple POVs and a few flashback scenes added in here and there but never once found it confusing, on the contrary it was very easy to follow and become engrossed in the story.
My only reason for rating this one at four stars is due to my ability to guess early on who to be aware of in the book. I'd truly hoped I'd be wrong but even without an extra twisty ending to shock me I still enjoyed reading the story and know that I'll still be a fan of Debbie Howells and look forward to reading her next thriller.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
A local woman named Charlotte hears of Evie's attack and thinks that she recognizes her from her younger days but not as Evie, as Jen. They hadn't been close friends but Charlotte remembers Jen because she had made headlines when a child in her care had disappeared never to be found again. Charlotte contacts the police and becomes a link to Jen's past to try to regain her memories.
Part of the Silence was another completely engaging thriller from author Debbie Howells. Within pages of this story I found myself hooked in and wanting to know more. Was there a missing girl or was Evie/Jen confused with her memory loss? The story is told in multiple POVs and a few flashback scenes added in here and there but never once found it confusing, on the contrary it was very easy to follow and become engrossed in the story.
My only reason for rating this one at four stars is due to my ability to guess early on who to be aware of in the book. I'd truly hoped I'd be wrong but even without an extra twisty ending to shock me I still enjoyed reading the story and know that I'll still be a fan of Debbie Howells and look forward to reading her next thriller.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
June 29, 2017
I had never read a novel by Debbie Howells before, so, when #cjsreads decided to add this novel to our June line up, I was excited to dive into the work of an unfamiliar author. Part of the Silence had a beautiful cover and an intriguing synopsis involving a woman (Evie Sherman), with no recollection of whom she is, left for dead in a field and a daughter that she insists she has; however, there is no evidence of the girl’s existence. As Evie goes deeper into her own mind and her obsession with “a daughter” intensifies, she must figure out whom she can trust and how she can protect the child she knows exists.
In the first few chapters, I was really interested to see who these characters were and how the plot would develop; it opens so vaguely that I was grabbed instantly. Though, as I continued reading, one of the things I struggled with about this novel was the predictability and the actual characterization.
The novel is told through multiple perspectives; for the most part, the plot is described through the eyes of Charlotte (a local woman who knows Evie Sherman) from her high school years. Jack, the police detective on the case, and, finally, a few chapters by Evie, narrates the remaining chapters. There are also random entries from a diary of a girl named Casey. I did like the multi-perspective narration; I am always a fan of different character views. However, I didn’t really care about what any of these characters had to say. I found the Evie (sometimes known as Jen) character a little whiney, I found Jack to be randomly placed in the plot and I found Charlotte to be obviously off base. These characters one-dimensional attitude gave a lot of predictability to the plot and I found myself easily able to figure this one out within the first 50 pages.
For someone who is new to the thriller genre, this would be an entertaining read. However, for someone more familiar with the genre, this one plays out like the same song and dance.
In the first few chapters, I was really interested to see who these characters were and how the plot would develop; it opens so vaguely that I was grabbed instantly. Though, as I continued reading, one of the things I struggled with about this novel was the predictability and the actual characterization.
The novel is told through multiple perspectives; for the most part, the plot is described through the eyes of Charlotte (a local woman who knows Evie Sherman) from her high school years. Jack, the police detective on the case, and, finally, a few chapters by Evie, narrates the remaining chapters. There are also random entries from a diary of a girl named Casey. I did like the multi-perspective narration; I am always a fan of different character views. However, I didn’t really care about what any of these characters had to say. I found the Evie (sometimes known as Jen) character a little whiney, I found Jack to be randomly placed in the plot and I found Charlotte to be obviously off base. These characters one-dimensional attitude gave a lot of predictability to the plot and I found myself easily able to figure this one out within the first 50 pages.
For someone who is new to the thriller genre, this would be an entertaining read. However, for someone more familiar with the genre, this one plays out like the same song and dance.
June 20, 2017
Charlotte Harrison is shocked when a woman in her local town of Cornwall is found badly beaten. Things like that don't typically happen in this quiet town. The beating has left the woman with little memory of who she is or her life: she insists her name is Evie and that her three-year-old daughter, Angel, is missing. But as the investigation continues, the police can find no evidence that Angel even exists. Charlotte recognizes Evie as Jen Russell, a former classmate. She goes to the police and finds herself sucked into the case, as it seems as if Evie has no friends or family able to help. Charlotte and the police know that, as a teen, Jen Russell was babysitting a local girl, three-year-old Leah, when she disappeared and was never found again. Is Jen/Evie simply transposing these memories into that of "Angel"? Or is her daughter really missing? And, if so, is Evie still in danger?
This novel was a page-turner for me, despite a cast of fairly odd and unsympathetic characters, led by Charlotte. She comes across as callous from the beginning--unfeeling, harsh toward her boyfriend, Rick, and getting involved in helping Evie only to show Rick she has a heart. While you feel sorry for Evie, you don't get to know her very well, thanks to her memory loss. The POV also shifts to Jack, who is a police officer, and flashbacks from Leah's older sister, Casey, who hated her perfect little sister and the ruin her disappearance wrought on her family.
The novel is captivating early on as details unfurl slowly about Evie's past. As it continues, the book certainly kept me confused about Evie/Jen's state of mind. Is she simply confused, or did someone truly steal her daughter? It grabs you, for sure, but after a while, you get a little tired of the "poor Jen trapped in her house, wondering what happened to her daughter." Things do move along eventually, though there's never any frantic action. Just a slow, suspenseful buildup to the final reveal.
Some things are a tad frustrating. For instance, Jack doesn't always seem to act like a police officer, and I'm never quite sure of his role or why Howells decided to insert him partway through, though I liked him as a character. And, personally, I'm not sure I would want the police force in Cornwall to assist in any crime related to me -- they seemed a bit inept. Small town police, perhaps?
Still, overall, I enjoyed this one. I was able to figure out bits and pieces, but it kept me guessing and engaged throughout. If you've never read any of Debbie Howells books before (which would be a shame), I'd point you to The Bones of You first. This is still a solid thriller and rates 3.5 - 3.75 stars. I will definitely continue to be eager to read anything Howells writes.
You can read my reviews of two of Howells' previous novels here: THE BONES OF YOU and THE BEAUTY OF THE END.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available (in the U.S.) everywhere as of 06/27/2017.
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This novel was a page-turner for me, despite a cast of fairly odd and unsympathetic characters, led by Charlotte. She comes across as callous from the beginning--unfeeling, harsh toward her boyfriend, Rick, and getting involved in helping Evie only to show Rick she has a heart. While you feel sorry for Evie, you don't get to know her very well, thanks to her memory loss. The POV also shifts to Jack, who is a police officer, and flashbacks from Leah's older sister, Casey, who hated her perfect little sister and the ruin her disappearance wrought on her family.
The novel is captivating early on as details unfurl slowly about Evie's past. As it continues, the book certainly kept me confused about Evie/Jen's state of mind. Is she simply confused, or did someone truly steal her daughter? It grabs you, for sure, but after a while, you get a little tired of the "poor Jen trapped in her house, wondering what happened to her daughter." Things do move along eventually, though there's never any frantic action. Just a slow, suspenseful buildup to the final reveal.
Some things are a tad frustrating. For instance, Jack doesn't always seem to act like a police officer, and I'm never quite sure of his role or why Howells decided to insert him partway through, though I liked him as a character. And, personally, I'm not sure I would want the police force in Cornwall to assist in any crime related to me -- they seemed a bit inept. Small town police, perhaps?
Still, overall, I enjoyed this one. I was able to figure out bits and pieces, but it kept me guessing and engaged throughout. If you've never read any of Debbie Howells books before (which would be a shame), I'd point you to The Bones of You first. This is still a solid thriller and rates 3.5 - 3.75 stars. I will definitely continue to be eager to read anything Howells writes.
You can read my reviews of two of Howells' previous novels here: THE BONES OF YOU and THE BEAUTY OF THE END.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available (in the U.S.) everywhere as of 06/27/2017.
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June 25, 2017
The blurb says
A blighted memory. A child who seems never to have existed. A watcher in the shadows.
This book blurb made the book sound so much more exciting than it really was, it even starts that way. Evie is attacked, she has a head injury, she was in coma for 3 days and has lost her memory but she remembers her own name and her daughter, Angel. But there is no proof that the child existed, other than Evie's sketchy memory. So the police investigation begins with Abbey Rose at the helm and Jack Bentley assisting. There is a voice inside Evie which says not to trust anyone. She is recognised by her school friend Charlotte Harrison as Jen Russell. And it leaves the police confused as to why did Jen become Evie? So far so good.. There is a bit of suspense, a bit of a mystery. My mind starts racing with what could be...
Some days later, there is a 12 year old found dead in the fields by Charlotte and the police start linking crimes. During the investigation, it does come out that fifteen year ago, there was a child Leah Deming who disappeared when Jen was babysitting. My mind is still racing...
Leah also had an elder sister Casey, who later, committed suicide by falling into the ocean. My mind races faster...
But then it stops...
This is the barebones of the story... Sounds exciting right?? But it isn't. The book which should have caused my blood racing, was extremely placid, where it should have been stormy, it was calm.
What I didn't like
The story is told in the voices of Charlotte and Jack and occasionally Casey from the past.. The chapters don't exactly flow smoothly.
The last few pages should have caused increased adrenaline flow but there are so many gaps in the explanation. If there is murder and missing children, I want it to be explained clearly how it was done, wrapped nicely with a bow on the top.
It is described as a dark psychological thriller, but making a character have mental health problems with no help sought, does not make it a dark thriller but a sorry figure of that character.
I was left more confused and discouraged by the way everything was described. There were long descriptions about the woods to the point I stopped reading because I didn't know why the characters were going into the woods, because they were not actively searching for Angel
Forensics could not a find a single trace of the child in the house. Not a single cell in the drain pipes?? Impossible, no criminal is that thorough and certainly not the guilty in this book, they are pretty dumb. Forensics took the house apart, yet missed a child's drawing, fallen behind the refrigerator. Even the police investigators feel disorganised.
The characters were not etched properly, I couldn't connect with any, the description of the past school life is like mean girls of high school.
Where is the suspense and thrill in this book, everything is told to me rather than described.. Am I supposed to surmise and imagine how the crimes could have taken place??
What I did like
Debbie Howells writes well, long descriptions of the sea and the woods.
There is a bit of fantastical supernatural which gives little hope.
She does try to make Evie strong. Her beginning of the book was fast and filled with mystery. Her debut the bones of her was pretty good, but this falls short, wayyy short. It needs good editing.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Kensington and this is my honest and unbiased opinion
A blighted memory. A child who seems never to have existed. A watcher in the shadows.
This book blurb made the book sound so much more exciting than it really was, it even starts that way. Evie is attacked, she has a head injury, she was in coma for 3 days and has lost her memory but she remembers her own name and her daughter, Angel. But there is no proof that the child existed, other than Evie's sketchy memory. So the police investigation begins with Abbey Rose at the helm and Jack Bentley assisting. There is a voice inside Evie which says not to trust anyone. She is recognised by her school friend Charlotte Harrison as Jen Russell. And it leaves the police confused as to why did Jen become Evie? So far so good.. There is a bit of suspense, a bit of a mystery. My mind starts racing with what could be...
Some days later, there is a 12 year old found dead in the fields by Charlotte and the police start linking crimes. During the investigation, it does come out that fifteen year ago, there was a child Leah Deming who disappeared when Jen was babysitting. My mind is still racing...
Leah also had an elder sister Casey, who later, committed suicide by falling into the ocean. My mind races faster...
But then it stops...
This is the barebones of the story... Sounds exciting right?? But it isn't. The book which should have caused my blood racing, was extremely placid, where it should have been stormy, it was calm.
What I didn't like
The story is told in the voices of Charlotte and Jack and occasionally Casey from the past.. The chapters don't exactly flow smoothly.
The last few pages should have caused increased adrenaline flow but there are so many gaps in the explanation. If there is murder and missing children, I want it to be explained clearly how it was done, wrapped nicely with a bow on the top.
It is described as a dark psychological thriller, but making a character have mental health problems with no help sought, does not make it a dark thriller but a sorry figure of that character.
I was left more confused and discouraged by the way everything was described. There were long descriptions about the woods to the point I stopped reading because I didn't know why the characters were going into the woods, because they were not actively searching for Angel
Forensics could not a find a single trace of the child in the house. Not a single cell in the drain pipes?? Impossible, no criminal is that thorough and certainly not the guilty in this book, they are pretty dumb. Forensics took the house apart, yet missed a child's drawing, fallen behind the refrigerator. Even the police investigators feel disorganised.
The characters were not etched properly, I couldn't connect with any, the description of the past school life is like mean girls of high school.
Where is the suspense and thrill in this book, everything is told to me rather than described.. Am I supposed to surmise and imagine how the crimes could have taken place??
What I did like
Debbie Howells writes well, long descriptions of the sea and the woods.
There is a bit of fantastical supernatural which gives little hope.
She does try to make Evie strong. Her beginning of the book was fast and filled with mystery. Her debut the bones of her was pretty good, but this falls short, wayyy short. It needs good editing.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Kensington and this is my honest and unbiased opinion
May 28, 2017
Part of the silence is the first book by Debbie Howells I have read and what a delight this was.
This was a book that flowed from the very beginning, It was so easy to immerse and lose yourself in this engrossing storyline.
I found this tale so addictive, And I was totally baffled as to who was real and who was wearing a mask to conceal themselves behind.
It kept me guessing right to the final moment and I was so shocked as I hadn't quite managed to figure out what the truth was till the very end. In my opinion, this is the sign of an excellently written piece of fiction, and if the reader is still somewhat in the dark and floundering around for answers, Well Job well done I say.
Part Of The Silence is a psychological Mystery where our main character, Evie/Jen is attacked and left for dead.
Upon waking her memory is in tatters but she does recall that she has a three-year-old daughter Angel, who she claims is missing, But there is no evidence of the child and to further complicate matters Evie/Jen was the babysitter to a little girl years ago that went missing and was never found.
The story also centres around Charlotte a girl who went to school with Jen, she recognises her from the paper and befriends her trying to help while still dealing with some issues in her own life.
There are loads of great characters in this novel and this further muddies the water when it comes to guilt and I was constantly analysing everyone's actions.
I especially loved Jack the Policeman he was such a warm empathic individual and he really had a great affinity towards Evie and what she was going through.
The only criticism I have for this book is I would have liked a more structured ending, I found the conclusion of this book quite abrupt like it just stopped mid sentence, I must admit I found this a trifle strange like the story wasn't quite finished, but this is just a personal gripe and it may not bother you at all.
So in conclusion Part Of The Silence was a gripping atmospheric thriller that kept the mystery and intrigue to the very last second, I actually rated this as Four and a half stars as I knocked half off as the ending flummoxed me a bit, despite this criticism I thought the author did an excellent job crafting this tale and this was a fabulous read that I would highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Part Of The Silence by Debbie Howells.
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This was a book that flowed from the very beginning, It was so easy to immerse and lose yourself in this engrossing storyline.
I found this tale so addictive, And I was totally baffled as to who was real and who was wearing a mask to conceal themselves behind.
It kept me guessing right to the final moment and I was so shocked as I hadn't quite managed to figure out what the truth was till the very end. In my opinion, this is the sign of an excellently written piece of fiction, and if the reader is still somewhat in the dark and floundering around for answers, Well Job well done I say.
Part Of The Silence is a psychological Mystery where our main character, Evie/Jen is attacked and left for dead.
Upon waking her memory is in tatters but she does recall that she has a three-year-old daughter Angel, who she claims is missing, But there is no evidence of the child and to further complicate matters Evie/Jen was the babysitter to a little girl years ago that went missing and was never found.
The story also centres around Charlotte a girl who went to school with Jen, she recognises her from the paper and befriends her trying to help while still dealing with some issues in her own life.
There are loads of great characters in this novel and this further muddies the water when it comes to guilt and I was constantly analysing everyone's actions.
I especially loved Jack the Policeman he was such a warm empathic individual and he really had a great affinity towards Evie and what she was going through.
The only criticism I have for this book is I would have liked a more structured ending, I found the conclusion of this book quite abrupt like it just stopped mid sentence, I must admit I found this a trifle strange like the story wasn't quite finished, but this is just a personal gripe and it may not bother you at all.
So in conclusion Part Of The Silence was a gripping atmospheric thriller that kept the mystery and intrigue to the very last second, I actually rated this as Four and a half stars as I knocked half off as the ending flummoxed me a bit, despite this criticism I thought the author did an excellent job crafting this tale and this was a fabulous read that I would highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Part Of The Silence by Debbie Howells.
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June 26, 2017
Review to follow.
June 29, 2017
Charlotte is just ho-humming throughout her life - in between jobs, she's trying to figure out what she wants to do next. In a transient relationship with Nick, she drinks her way through her days just waiting for the next ball to drop. There's news of an attack and she doesn't give it much thought until she recognizes the girl... though for some reason, she knows her by a different name. From this point on, she puts herself into the investigation. Why is the girl who was attacked going by Evie, when her name is really Jen? Where is her daughter, Angel, and does she really exist? Evie/Jen doesn't remember anything and feels like she's losing her mind. Can Charlotte help figure out this mystery?
This was a bit slow for me at the beginning and quite frankly, I never could relate to Charlotte in any way. She quite annoyed me to be honest. And Evie/Jen with her woe-is-me attitude was a bit daunting as I felt this got quite repetitive throughout the book. This has that slow build up to get you to the final reveal. I was definitely intrigued as to whether or not Evie/Jen was just crazy or if she was being manipulated in some way... but I did find my mind wandering off quite a bit and not fully into the story - especially as I felt it was quite predictable and there was no shock value. Granted, I read a LOT of thrillers so maybe the obviousness of this one just didn't quite cut if for me. I've read one of Debbie's other books, The Beauty of the End, and liked that one a bit better. She clearly knows how to write a good thriller, but I had a few issues with this particular one. Notably, the actions of law enforcement - not a whole lot seemed very plausible and it took away from the story for me.
Would I read more of her work, absolutely! If you're reading Howells for the first time, I would suggest you start with The Beauty of the End. Her style of subtle, slow burning thrillers will be good for those of you who prefer that over the slap you in the ass, fast paced ones that I tend to veer toward.
This was a bit slow for me at the beginning and quite frankly, I never could relate to Charlotte in any way. She quite annoyed me to be honest. And Evie/Jen with her woe-is-me attitude was a bit daunting as I felt this got quite repetitive throughout the book. This has that slow build up to get you to the final reveal. I was definitely intrigued as to whether or not Evie/Jen was just crazy or if she was being manipulated in some way... but I did find my mind wandering off quite a bit and not fully into the story - especially as I felt it was quite predictable and there was no shock value. Granted, I read a LOT of thrillers so maybe the obviousness of this one just didn't quite cut if for me. I've read one of Debbie's other books, The Beauty of the End, and liked that one a bit better. She clearly knows how to write a good thriller, but I had a few issues with this particular one. Notably, the actions of law enforcement - not a whole lot seemed very plausible and it took away from the story for me.
Would I read more of her work, absolutely! If you're reading Howells for the first time, I would suggest you start with The Beauty of the End. Her style of subtle, slow burning thrillers will be good for those of you who prefer that over the slap you in the ass, fast paced ones that I tend to veer toward.
September 22, 2023
Not good! The only reason I gave it two stars and not just one was because of the writing which wasn't great but good enough for that kind of book. The plot was full of non sense and very predictable. The characters, again, didn't make much sense, were dumb and full of clichés. I wouldn"t recommend reading it and I won't read more from that author.
May 24, 2017
This book was ok but nothing stood out for me. Set in Cornwall a woman loses her memory although she does remember a child. I felt a bit frustrated with this book it was slow all the way through till the last half hour then everything was tied up.
May 12, 2017
Being hit on the head and loosing your memory is bad enough,but when you're key witness to the attack and the possibly abduction of a child,it becomes a real bother.
I felt slightly frustrated by the whole is Angel real or not storyline.... how can there not be a single trace of a child? An item of clothing,a hair,a photo on a phone?
Hints were dropped well enough during the story for it to be no surprise who did it....I think I just felt a bit deflated by why.
Only an ok for me unfortunately.
I felt slightly frustrated by the whole is Angel real or not storyline.... how can there not be a single trace of a child? An item of clothing,a hair,a photo on a phone?
Hints were dropped well enough during the story for it to be no surprise who did it....I think I just felt a bit deflated by why.
Only an ok for me unfortunately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2017
The book seemed to be going nowhere for pages on end, I finally gave up and started skipping pages. It didn't get any better.
June 20, 2017
Evie wakes up from a coma asking for her daughter. She was attacked and doesn’t remember much apart from the fact that she had a little girl. However, nobody else has seen the girl. In addition, Evie’s home is devoid of any proof that a girl ever lived there. Nonetheless, detectives cannot ignore her claims and so they start investigating and looking for the girl. Soon, the case becomes even more complicated when they discover details about Evie’s real identity and life before the attack. It gets more complex when another murder occurs.
The story is told through alternating POVs. Charlotte is the only one who recognizes Evie and so she comes in to help with the investigation. I can’t say much about her without spoiling the book but I kept wondering whether she was genuine or not. Jack is one of the detective working on the case. His character is simply endearing and I enjoyed reading his narrations. I also liked Evie and sympathized with her. She was an unreliable narrator due to her amnesia and sometimes her memories seemed all jumbled up but it was hard not to feel sorry for her. There was another narration that started from the past all the way to the present. This narrator provided details that helped connect the dots especially about the relationships between characters and their backgrounds.
Throughout the book, I had doubts about Evie. How was it possible that she had a daughter that nobody knew about? There was no evidence of the little girl at all. I kept wondering about her attack. I couldn’t wait to find out what her memory would eventually reveal. At the same time, there were other things happening around the story, a second murder and suspicious people all around heightened the tension in the story.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. I liked it but I didn’t love it. I can’t really pinpoint why. Something just didn’t quite fit. I don’t know if it is because some sections felt slower than I would have liked them to be. Perhaps it was because I was able to guess the villain quite early in the book. At the end of the book, I just fell like a connection was missing hence my uncertainty about the book. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the author’s previous book Beauty at the End (which I reviewed here). So I will definitely look out for her next title.
The story is told through alternating POVs. Charlotte is the only one who recognizes Evie and so she comes in to help with the investigation. I can’t say much about her without spoiling the book but I kept wondering whether she was genuine or not. Jack is one of the detective working on the case. His character is simply endearing and I enjoyed reading his narrations. I also liked Evie and sympathized with her. She was an unreliable narrator due to her amnesia and sometimes her memories seemed all jumbled up but it was hard not to feel sorry for her. There was another narration that started from the past all the way to the present. This narrator provided details that helped connect the dots especially about the relationships between characters and their backgrounds.
Throughout the book, I had doubts about Evie. How was it possible that she had a daughter that nobody knew about? There was no evidence of the little girl at all. I kept wondering about her attack. I couldn’t wait to find out what her memory would eventually reveal. At the same time, there were other things happening around the story, a second murder and suspicious people all around heightened the tension in the story.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. I liked it but I didn’t love it. I can’t really pinpoint why. Something just didn’t quite fit. I don’t know if it is because some sections felt slower than I would have liked them to be. Perhaps it was because I was able to guess the villain quite early in the book. At the end of the book, I just fell like a connection was missing hence my uncertainty about the book. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the author’s previous book Beauty at the End (which I reviewed here). So I will definitely look out for her next title.
April 1, 2019
What can I say? I have very mixed feelings about this novel. I wanted to like it, I really did. But as I continued reading the more I realised that it was probably not the book for me. At the end of it all I decided to continue because I wanted to know the mystery that I was growing more and more aware would not present itself until the very end (wasn't wrong.)
I wasn't sympathetic to the characters. The only person I found myself truly enjoying was Jack. Casey's story was filled with delusions. Her deep seated hate was nothing more than something she conjured up in her own mind. And she decided to take out her hatred and frustrations on a girl whose only crime was being liked by others.
The thing that I enjoyed was the way the mystery was revealed. The whole mistaken identity was an interesting idea. But it seemed more like it was set in place as a "wow" factor when it could've possibly been mentioned earlier on.
I wasn't sympathetic to the characters. The only person I found myself truly enjoying was Jack. Casey's story was filled with delusions. Her deep seated hate was nothing more than something she conjured up in her own mind. And she decided to take out her hatred and frustrations on a girl whose only crime was being liked by others.
The thing that I enjoyed was the way the mystery was revealed. The whole mistaken identity was an interesting idea. But it seemed more like it was set in place as a "wow" factor when it could've possibly been mentioned earlier on.
July 9, 2017
What. A. Disappointment. For a novel in the suspense thriller genre, there was very little suspense, let alone any “thrills”. What does it say when my favorite character, and the most deserving of empathy was Jack, who wasn’t even really one of the main characters?
Although the plot was mildly intriguing, it was hampered by a boring narrative and too slow pace, the worst being the “Casey” chapters. Instead of feeling sympathy for her, I felt those parts of the book were one ginormous pity party. Oh boo fricking hoo. So her parents weren’t ideal. Instead of striving to become a better person (or at least better than her parents) she just came across as a major whiner (or, in the British spelling, whinger). Seriously, the Casey chapters were far too many, and went on far too long to my mind. Bollocks to that, I say. Further, speaking of the Casey narration, shame on the author! The final Casey chapter was pure exposition! As I read on, I was gobsmacked that Debbie Howells was so audaciously and lazily writing in a purely expository manner! Well, that put a neat little bow on the hows and whys of Leah and Angel. All I need is a handheld bell as I echo the nun in the Game of Thrones episode chanting shame, shame, shame.
My review included Britishisms here and there. This was deliberate for two reasons: one – the novel takes place in Britain. And two, it jumps out at me when a novel takes place in Britain but British vocabulary is replaced with American idiom (such as cell phone or real estate agent). When this happens, I just wonder if it was a deliberate decision by the publisher or those word were inserted by the author.
Anyway, that was mild curiosity more than anything else. It’s just too bad the novel wasn’t engrossing enough to make my mind wander to other things. My final verdict: skip this one.
Although the plot was mildly intriguing, it was hampered by a boring narrative and too slow pace, the worst being the “Casey” chapters. Instead of feeling sympathy for her, I felt those parts of the book were one ginormous pity party. Oh boo fricking hoo. So her parents weren’t ideal. Instead of striving to become a better person (or at least better than her parents) she just came across as a major whiner (or, in the British spelling, whinger). Seriously, the Casey chapters were far too many, and went on far too long to my mind. Bollocks to that, I say. Further, speaking of the Casey narration, shame on the author! The final Casey chapter was pure exposition! As I read on, I was gobsmacked that Debbie Howells was so audaciously and lazily writing in a purely expository manner! Well, that put a neat little bow on the hows and whys of Leah and Angel. All I need is a handheld bell as I echo the nun in the Game of Thrones episode chanting shame, shame, shame.
My review included Britishisms here and there. This was deliberate for two reasons: one – the novel takes place in Britain. And two, it jumps out at me when a novel takes place in Britain but British vocabulary is replaced with American idiom (such as cell phone or real estate agent). When this happens, I just wonder if it was a deliberate decision by the publisher or those word were inserted by the author.
Anyway, that was mild curiosity more than anything else. It’s just too bad the novel wasn’t engrossing enough to make my mind wander to other things. My final verdict: skip this one.
July 22, 2017
While there were things I liked about this book, I felt that it was scattered, and I was thrown a few times by certain aspects.
First off, I liked the concept of a woman attacked with no memory of anything but her name and her child's, only the child may not be real, but rather a surrogate for a child that had gone missing earlier in Evie's past. I also enjoyed the character Charlotte at first, although I was surprised that Evie's story was told by her instead of Evie. Like most people, I read the synopsis first, so I expected Evie to be the main character, since she was the only one mentioned, and for the focus to be on her. Instead, it seemed that Charlotte and Jack were the prime characters, and although the plot centered around Evie, she was more background. While Charlotte and Jack's stories were compelling, I would have preferred to know more about Evie and her background from her perspective rather than from others. I would have liked to know how she grappled with her amnesia, what was real and what wasn't. That would have made the story more compelling in my opinion.
The storyline was interesting and easy to follow in the beginning, buts eventually became scattered, around the time they switched from Charlotte to Casey, and then Jack's perspective. Jack felt like he came out of the blue, as there was no previous mention of him and he had no real connection to any of the characters we had been introduced to through Charlotte. It would have made more sense to go from Charlotte's point of view to Abbie Rose, since Abbie Rose was more involved in Evie's case and we knew about her from the beginning. I felt like Jack should have been background. I know that since he dealt with the loss of a child, he was supposed to connect with Evie who was trying to find her daughter, but I saw no reason for that to make him a core character. I found Abbie Rose more compelling than Jack; I feel like a lot of what happened with Jack could have been told from her pov (she knew about his son and impending divorce, Jack told her about the group slaughtering something/one in the woods, her take on PC Miller not saying anything about finding Jack in the woods,etc).
Speaking of PC Miller, it didn't take long for me to realize he was shady which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as I have done that before with characters in other novels. It was possible he was the villian, but since there was too little information on him (Jack's suspicion of PC Miller should have been fleshed out more), I knew he was likely working with the villian. However, it wasn't clear what the connection to the villian and/or Evie was. It just jumped from Jack's suspicion of PC Miller not reporting the woods incident to Abbie Rose, then to a gut feeling that Miller wasn't leading him to the gravesite. Afterwards, Miller meets with Xander Pascoe (villian), but we don't know what is said between them, so their connection to each other remains unknown. It didn't help that we hardly knew anything about Xander to understand why he was the villian in this story. Abbie Rose mentioned that he was a suspect in the abduction case of the child that Evie (then Jen) used to babysit, but not why. Charlotte told Abbie Rose that that Casey (Leah's sister) used to date him and that he ran his own little mafia, but didn't elaborate. Casey mentioned him as a guy her mom didn't want her around, someone who was a bad influence, but in the little she mentioned about him, the only bad influence was that he probably did drugs and disliked authority. Between Casey's descriptions of her relationships with Xander and Anthony, Anthony seemed to have more of an impact in Casey's life, especially as an evil person, while Xander was some random guy with a bad boy vibe. So when it was discovered that he was the one who had attacked Evie and likely kidnapped/harmed her daughter (and Leah all those years ago), I thought to myself, Okay but why? Even when it was discovered that Casey was alive and pretending to be Charlotte, therefore Xander did those thing for her, the why still didn't make sense because I didn't see a strong past relationship with Casey to warrant him doing that for her. The character Rick was pointless in my opinion. He added nothing to the story other than finding Casey after her suicide attempt, and giving her a place to stay. He supposedly kept some secret for her, which I think we're supposed to believe was her real identity, yet from Casey's pov we learned she introduced herself to him as Charlotte, so what the 'secret' was we don't really know.
Finally, there's the Charlotte is really Casey reveal. I figured out that Charlotte was really Casey not long before it was officially revealed. This was a bit of an interesting twist, but some questions were nagging at me. Originally I thought maybe Casey had some sort of multiple personality or dissociative identity disorder and Charlotte was never a real person, but then I remembered that Evie remembered Charlotte and Casey and friends, so Charlotte had to have been a real person. However, Charlotte (Casey) told the police that Evie was really Jen, a girl who she used to go to school with, which made no sense since she was the one who had her attacked. I know sometimes perpetrators like to involve themselves in police investigations, but willingly giving them information that links Evie to Charlotte (Casey) is playing with fire. She also seemed to genuinely show concern for Evie when it came to grappling with the memory loss, not knowing where her daughter was, and the situation with Evie's ex Nick. Obviously she could have faked it with Evie, Jack, and Abbie, but the times when it was just the reader knowing what was happening in her mind, it seemed genuine. I barely saw any signs of Casey's resentment toward Jen, no hints of anger, or hints of satisfaction at what Jen (now Evie) had been reduced to. It was almost as if when Casey took on the identity of Charlotte, she dissociated all things Casey from herself, which might have fit with my theory of a personality disorder. Unfortunately, it was not made clear whether this was the case for Casey. If she did have a personality disorder, it should have been better shown or hinted at. If she didn't, there are a lot of holes in Charlotte (Casey's) story/ pov.
Based on my review, my rating is probably surprising. My reason for giving 3 stars instead of a lower rating is that despite my issues with the novel, I feel the plot and some characters had great potential. Unfortunately, it just fell flat.
First off, I liked the concept of a woman attacked with no memory of anything but her name and her child's, only the child may not be real, but rather a surrogate for a child that had gone missing earlier in Evie's past. I also enjoyed the character Charlotte at first, although I was surprised that Evie's story was told by her instead of Evie. Like most people, I read the synopsis first, so I expected Evie to be the main character, since she was the only one mentioned, and for the focus to be on her. Instead, it seemed that Charlotte and Jack were the prime characters, and although the plot centered around Evie, she was more background. While Charlotte and Jack's stories were compelling, I would have preferred to know more about Evie and her background from her perspective rather than from others. I would have liked to know how she grappled with her amnesia, what was real and what wasn't. That would have made the story more compelling in my opinion.
The storyline was interesting and easy to follow in the beginning, buts eventually became scattered, around the time they switched from Charlotte to Casey, and then Jack's perspective. Jack felt like he came out of the blue, as there was no previous mention of him and he had no real connection to any of the characters we had been introduced to through Charlotte. It would have made more sense to go from Charlotte's point of view to Abbie Rose, since Abbie Rose was more involved in Evie's case and we knew about her from the beginning. I felt like Jack should have been background. I know that since he dealt with the loss of a child, he was supposed to connect with Evie who was trying to find her daughter, but I saw no reason for that to make him a core character. I found Abbie Rose more compelling than Jack; I feel like a lot of what happened with Jack could have been told from her pov (she knew about his son and impending divorce, Jack told her about the group slaughtering something/one in the woods, her take on PC Miller not saying anything about finding Jack in the woods,etc).
Speaking of PC Miller, it didn't take long for me to realize he was shady which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as I have done that before with characters in other novels. It was possible he was the villian, but since there was too little information on him (Jack's suspicion of PC Miller should have been fleshed out more), I knew he was likely working with the villian. However, it wasn't clear what the connection to the villian and/or Evie was. It just jumped from Jack's suspicion of PC Miller not reporting the woods incident to Abbie Rose, then to a gut feeling that Miller wasn't leading him to the gravesite. Afterwards, Miller meets with Xander Pascoe (villian), but we don't know what is said between them, so their connection to each other remains unknown. It didn't help that we hardly knew anything about Xander to understand why he was the villian in this story. Abbie Rose mentioned that he was a suspect in the abduction case of the child that Evie (then Jen) used to babysit, but not why. Charlotte told Abbie Rose that that Casey (Leah's sister) used to date him and that he ran his own little mafia, but didn't elaborate. Casey mentioned him as a guy her mom didn't want her around, someone who was a bad influence, but in the little she mentioned about him, the only bad influence was that he probably did drugs and disliked authority. Between Casey's descriptions of her relationships with Xander and Anthony, Anthony seemed to have more of an impact in Casey's life, especially as an evil person, while Xander was some random guy with a bad boy vibe. So when it was discovered that he was the one who had attacked Evie and likely kidnapped/harmed her daughter (and Leah all those years ago), I thought to myself, Okay but why? Even when it was discovered that Casey was alive and pretending to be Charlotte, therefore Xander did those thing for her, the why still didn't make sense because I didn't see a strong past relationship with Casey to warrant him doing that for her. The character Rick was pointless in my opinion. He added nothing to the story other than finding Casey after her suicide attempt, and giving her a place to stay. He supposedly kept some secret for her, which I think we're supposed to believe was her real identity, yet from Casey's pov we learned she introduced herself to him as Charlotte, so what the 'secret' was we don't really know.
Finally, there's the Charlotte is really Casey reveal. I figured out that Charlotte was really Casey not long before it was officially revealed. This was a bit of an interesting twist, but some questions were nagging at me. Originally I thought maybe Casey had some sort of multiple personality or dissociative identity disorder and Charlotte was never a real person, but then I remembered that Evie remembered Charlotte and Casey and friends, so Charlotte had to have been a real person. However, Charlotte (Casey) told the police that Evie was really Jen, a girl who she used to go to school with, which made no sense since she was the one who had her attacked. I know sometimes perpetrators like to involve themselves in police investigations, but willingly giving them information that links Evie to Charlotte (Casey) is playing with fire. She also seemed to genuinely show concern for Evie when it came to grappling with the memory loss, not knowing where her daughter was, and the situation with Evie's ex Nick. Obviously she could have faked it with Evie, Jack, and Abbie, but the times when it was just the reader knowing what was happening in her mind, it seemed genuine. I barely saw any signs of Casey's resentment toward Jen, no hints of anger, or hints of satisfaction at what Jen (now Evie) had been reduced to. It was almost as if when Casey took on the identity of Charlotte, she dissociated all things Casey from herself, which might have fit with my theory of a personality disorder. Unfortunately, it was not made clear whether this was the case for Casey. If she did have a personality disorder, it should have been better shown or hinted at. If she didn't, there are a lot of holes in Charlotte (Casey's) story/ pov.
Based on my review, my rating is probably surprising. My reason for giving 3 stars instead of a lower rating is that despite my issues with the novel, I feel the plot and some characters had great potential. Unfortunately, it just fell flat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2017
Part of the Silence by Debbie Howells is a highly recommended psychological thriller.
Evie Sherman was found beaten and left for dead in a field. Now that she has come out of her coma, she is frantic because her three-year-old daughter, Angel, is missing and Evie knows she is in danger. When Charlotte Harrison sees the picture of Evie, she is sure she knows her, but by a different name, Jen Russell, from years ago when they were in school together. Charlotte contacts the police and, after identifying Evie as Jen, she begins working with DC Abbie Rose to try to help Evie/Jen. No other friends have come forth to identify her or confirm the existence of Angel.
To complicate things further, Evie's memory is gone with the exception of her daughter. The problem is that the police can't find any trace of her daughter existence. Because Evie has memory loss, the mystery unfolds through the point of view of Charlotte and Jack, an older police officer who enters the story later, along with diary-like entries from a girl named Casey. You get the impression almost immediately that Charlotte is likely an unreliable narrator, but she does seem to be helping in her own selfish way and Abbie Rose continues to call her for help or to visit Evie. There was a previous child who mysteriously disappeared fifteen years ago when Evie/Jen was watching her.
Excellent writing combined with unreliable characters and mysteries from the present and the past combined together to make this a compelling thriller. It's hard to figure out who is telling the truth. Although I had my suspicions early on, I thought the plot and the twists in the narrative were very well done. It's always exciting to read a well-written mystery that keeps you guessing and flows smoothly along, even when switching narrators.
The characters are well-developed in the context of the mystery and make the final twist even more surprising, but completely logical. Evie/Jen seems so muddled and fragile. Jack is a great character. Abbey Rose isn't as well developed, but you get the strong impression that there is a whole lot more she's thinking about than she reveals. Charlotte is an enigma. She seems so self-centered and a bit aimless, but she does help Evie/Jen. And why does no one else seem to know Evie/Jen or Angel?
Debbie Howells gives us another wonderful thriller with Part of the Silence. This is a great choice for a summer vacation read; it is engaging and well-written.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington Publishing.
Evie Sherman was found beaten and left for dead in a field. Now that she has come out of her coma, she is frantic because her three-year-old daughter, Angel, is missing and Evie knows she is in danger. When Charlotte Harrison sees the picture of Evie, she is sure she knows her, but by a different name, Jen Russell, from years ago when they were in school together. Charlotte contacts the police and, after identifying Evie as Jen, she begins working with DC Abbie Rose to try to help Evie/Jen. No other friends have come forth to identify her or confirm the existence of Angel.
To complicate things further, Evie's memory is gone with the exception of her daughter. The problem is that the police can't find any trace of her daughter existence. Because Evie has memory loss, the mystery unfolds through the point of view of Charlotte and Jack, an older police officer who enters the story later, along with diary-like entries from a girl named Casey. You get the impression almost immediately that Charlotte is likely an unreliable narrator, but she does seem to be helping in her own selfish way and Abbie Rose continues to call her for help or to visit Evie. There was a previous child who mysteriously disappeared fifteen years ago when Evie/Jen was watching her.
Excellent writing combined with unreliable characters and mysteries from the present and the past combined together to make this a compelling thriller. It's hard to figure out who is telling the truth. Although I had my suspicions early on, I thought the plot and the twists in the narrative were very well done. It's always exciting to read a well-written mystery that keeps you guessing and flows smoothly along, even when switching narrators.
The characters are well-developed in the context of the mystery and make the final twist even more surprising, but completely logical. Evie/Jen seems so muddled and fragile. Jack is a great character. Abbey Rose isn't as well developed, but you get the strong impression that there is a whole lot more she's thinking about than she reveals. Charlotte is an enigma. She seems so self-centered and a bit aimless, but she does help Evie/Jen. And why does no one else seem to know Evie/Jen or Angel?
Debbie Howells gives us another wonderful thriller with Part of the Silence. This is a great choice for a summer vacation read; it is engaging and well-written.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington Publishing.
June 25, 2017
I have read and enjoyed a couple of books by this author, so I had high hopes when I started this one. Although a good read, for me it wasn't quite the great read the other two were.
So, a young woman, Evie, is found beaten and left for dead in a cornfield. When she eventually comes round, all she can talk about is her daughter. Sadly, the police can find no trace of her ever having a daughter and it soon transpires that there is something in her past that could mean that she could be mistaken. Evie however is adamant and when Charlotte comes forward, saying that she knew Evie from school albeit under a different name to the one she has given the police, they then try and get her to help Evie try to remember her past, to piece together what really happened to her. And then another girl goes missing. Are the two connected? And if so, how?
Well, this had me running round in circles chasing my tail. Mostly cos I saw things a bit earlier than the police and had to wait for them to catch up a bit. I had to bite my tongue a few times too cos I found myself shouting at them to do this or that. Boy I think I could have got to the truth a wee bit quicker than them if I was on the case. I think if I hadn't got the end early, if the later twists actually caught me, then I think I would have enjoyed the book a whole lot more but, I have to call it as I see it and that's what happened.
All that said, it was an easy book to read. The words pretty much flew off the pages to me and, despite my frustrations, kept my attention nicely the whole way through. Apart from wanting to bang several of the characters' heads together I though they were, within context, well described. I did think Jack was a bit wet at times I thought his heart was in the right place. Didn't really like Charlotte to be honest, but I don't have to like a character, just connect to them in some way and I managed that quite well with her.
Pacing was on the whole good although for me, it did drag at times. Probably due to me guessing some stuff early and having to wait. Patience is not my friend! Similar reasoning could also be behind me not being left completely satisfied at the end either. I also found the final few chapters to be a tad rushed.
On the whole, a good read, again not as good as her others but it definitely hasn't put me off reading more from this author in the future.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
So, a young woman, Evie, is found beaten and left for dead in a cornfield. When she eventually comes round, all she can talk about is her daughter. Sadly, the police can find no trace of her ever having a daughter and it soon transpires that there is something in her past that could mean that she could be mistaken. Evie however is adamant and when Charlotte comes forward, saying that she knew Evie from school albeit under a different name to the one she has given the police, they then try and get her to help Evie try to remember her past, to piece together what really happened to her. And then another girl goes missing. Are the two connected? And if so, how?
Well, this had me running round in circles chasing my tail. Mostly cos I saw things a bit earlier than the police and had to wait for them to catch up a bit. I had to bite my tongue a few times too cos I found myself shouting at them to do this or that. Boy I think I could have got to the truth a wee bit quicker than them if I was on the case. I think if I hadn't got the end early, if the later twists actually caught me, then I think I would have enjoyed the book a whole lot more but, I have to call it as I see it and that's what happened.
All that said, it was an easy book to read. The words pretty much flew off the pages to me and, despite my frustrations, kept my attention nicely the whole way through. Apart from wanting to bang several of the characters' heads together I though they were, within context, well described. I did think Jack was a bit wet at times I thought his heart was in the right place. Didn't really like Charlotte to be honest, but I don't have to like a character, just connect to them in some way and I managed that quite well with her.
Pacing was on the whole good although for me, it did drag at times. Probably due to me guessing some stuff early and having to wait. Patience is not my friend! Similar reasoning could also be behind me not being left completely satisfied at the end either. I also found the final few chapters to be a tad rushed.
On the whole, a good read, again not as good as her others but it definitely hasn't put me off reading more from this author in the future.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
June 29, 2017
Rick told Charlotte a woman had been brutally attacked and left for dead. The woman had been in a coma when she awoke all she could remember was her name was Evie and she had a three year old daughter named Angel. Evie was left in the middle of a field. Rick was Charolette’ lover when he was around. Rick was a surfer and came and went as he wanted. Charolette could surf but not as well as Rick. Rick told Charlotte everyday she spent in the house not really doing anything. Charlotte recognizes the woman who said her name was Evie. But Charlotte knows her as Jen from college. Charlotte and Jen had not been friends but she knew her from the the girl who was babysitting three year old Leah who disappeared and never was found. Evie said her three year old was missing. Then Charolette calls the police and talks to Detective Abbey Rose and tells her she recognized Evie but as Jen. Detective Rose asks Charlotte to go to the hospital the next day and she agrees. Then the police check and can find no proof that Jen ever had a daughter named Angel. The police and even Jen herself is starting to believe that she is loosing her grip on reality but she hears angel’s voice in her mind and another voice telling her not to trust anyone. The police also wonder if Jen is confusing Leah with an imaginary daughter named Angel. One police officer named Jack who had lost his own son was one of the few who believed Jen.
I liked this story it had a good plot. This was fairly short but a good read. But it did drag for me at times. I don’t think the cops were very good at all i wouldn’t want them for anything I might need a cop for. like why didn’t they find the kids picture behind the refrigerator if the checked the whole house where Jen had been living? I felt bad for Jen especially when she questions her own sanity. This kept my attention all through the book. I wanted to know how things were going to turn out especially for Jen. I thought Charlotte was cold other than when she stuck up for Jen against Abbey. And I felt she was holding something back. L loved the twists and turns of this story and felt this was well written. I loved the ins and outs and twists of this story and I recommend.
I liked this story it had a good plot. This was fairly short but a good read. But it did drag for me at times. I don’t think the cops were very good at all i wouldn’t want them for anything I might need a cop for. like why didn’t they find the kids picture behind the refrigerator if the checked the whole house where Jen had been living? I felt bad for Jen especially when she questions her own sanity. This kept my attention all through the book. I wanted to know how things were going to turn out especially for Jen. I thought Charlotte was cold other than when she stuck up for Jen against Abbey. And I felt she was holding something back. L loved the twists and turns of this story and felt this was well written. I loved the ins and outs and twists of this story and I recommend.
June 27, 2017
This was my first novel by Debbie Howells and I really enjoyed her writing style. PART OF THE SILENCE was described as, "haunting and heartbreaking new psychological thriller about the distorted nature of reality, the unreliability of memory, and the enduring power of a mother's love."
When Evie Sherman was found in a field, battered and left for dead, authorities soon discover that she has absolutely no memory of who she is. The only thing she does remember? Her daughter, Angel, and that she believes she is in grave danger. To her horror, the police can find no evidence of her daughter's existence.
A local woman, Charlotte, hears of Evie's attack and thinks that she recognizes her from her childhood but not as Evie, as Jen. By no means were they close friends, but Charlotte remembered Jen being involved in a high profile kidnapping. One night, the child under Jen's care had disappeared and was never found again. Charlotte decides to contact the police and becomes a link to Jen's past to try to regain her memories.
Even though early on in the book I was able to figure out the who/why, but that doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy the entire read. Howells does an incredible job weaving the story and bringing the reader on a journey. Is Evie losing her mind? Why is she constantly hearing "Trust no one" going through her head daily? Who is she warning herself about?
While I figured it out early, there were still great twists and it kept me tense the whole time reading! If you want a well-written, twisty, and suspenseful domestic thriller, then this is the one you'll want to pick up!
I give this a solid 4/5 stars!
A big thanks to Kensington Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
When Evie Sherman was found in a field, battered and left for dead, authorities soon discover that she has absolutely no memory of who she is. The only thing she does remember? Her daughter, Angel, and that she believes she is in grave danger. To her horror, the police can find no evidence of her daughter's existence.
A local woman, Charlotte, hears of Evie's attack and thinks that she recognizes her from her childhood but not as Evie, as Jen. By no means were they close friends, but Charlotte remembered Jen being involved in a high profile kidnapping. One night, the child under Jen's care had disappeared and was never found again. Charlotte decides to contact the police and becomes a link to Jen's past to try to regain her memories.
Even though early on in the book I was able to figure out the who/why, but that doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy the entire read. Howells does an incredible job weaving the story and bringing the reader on a journey. Is Evie losing her mind? Why is she constantly hearing "Trust no one" going through her head daily? Who is she warning herself about?
While I figured it out early, there were still great twists and it kept me tense the whole time reading! If you want a well-written, twisty, and suspenseful domestic thriller, then this is the one you'll want to pick up!
I give this a solid 4/5 stars!
A big thanks to Kensington Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 15, 2017
This is the third of Debbie Howells’ books I’ve read and I was particularly blown away by her first, The Bones of You. I also enjoyed The Beauty of the End, and now the author, based in West Sussex, does it again with her third novel, Part of the Silence.
There’s something very engaging about her characters; and her plots generally offer up something a little different. I must confess to being a little disappointed in the ending of this book… though I know that won’t surprise regular readers of my reviews who know I’m kinda hard to please.
(As usual) Howells offers us some great characters here – particularly in Jen / Evie and Charlotte – they’re all pretty complex (and some slightly twisted). Charlotte in particular is a bit of an enigma, with a complex family history and tendency to drink her problems away. There are a few clues here and there and I note I tagged parts of the book with questions like: multiple personality disorder? What / whose artwork?
As it happened I kinda guessed the who but over-complicated things a little in my own mind (MPD/DID anyone?!). For some reason there was something a little unsatisfactory about the end of this book and I can’t really explain why. Perhaps I was disappointed with the ‘who’ in the whodunnit. Or perhaps I was obsessed with things I’d missed.
Either way (and that aside) I’m enjoying Howells’ books and she’s been quite consistent with her development of complex and interesting characters and twisty and slightly unusual plots. I look forward to whatever comes next.
3.5 stars
Read the full review on my site: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
There’s something very engaging about her characters; and her plots generally offer up something a little different. I must confess to being a little disappointed in the ending of this book… though I know that won’t surprise regular readers of my reviews who know I’m kinda hard to please.
(As usual) Howells offers us some great characters here – particularly in Jen / Evie and Charlotte – they’re all pretty complex (and some slightly twisted). Charlotte in particular is a bit of an enigma, with a complex family history and tendency to drink her problems away. There are a few clues here and there and I note I tagged parts of the book with questions like: multiple personality disorder? What / whose artwork?
As it happened I kinda guessed the who but over-complicated things a little in my own mind (MPD/DID anyone?!). For some reason there was something a little unsatisfactory about the end of this book and I can’t really explain why. Perhaps I was disappointed with the ‘who’ in the whodunnit. Or perhaps I was obsessed with things I’d missed.
Either way (and that aside) I’m enjoying Howells’ books and she’s been quite consistent with her development of complex and interesting characters and twisty and slightly unusual plots. I look forward to whatever comes next.
3.5 stars
Read the full review on my site: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
June 27, 2017
A woman with amnesia and her three year old missing daughter are at the center of Debbie Howells’ latest mystery, Part of the Silence.
Badly beaten and left for dead in the middle of a maize field, Evie Sherman has very few memories beyond her name and her daughter, Angel. The only problem? Police cannot find any sign of the young girl and when Charlotte Harrison recognizes Evie as Jen Russell, the case becomes even more confusing. Why would Jen change her name to Evie? Why is there no record of Angel? Who attacked Evie and left her for dead? Is there any connection between Angel’s disappearance and the still unsolved case of another 3 year old girl who went missing fifteen years ago? Local police have very few leads but DC Abbie Rose and DI Jack Bentley are working hard to find answers to these very perplexing questions.
Charlotte is dealing with her own issues when she recognizes Evie as her old classmate Jen. Feeling obligated to contact the police with this information, she very reluctantly agrees to DC Abbie Rose’s requests to keep the very disoriented victim company while the police try to uncover information about Evie. Charlotte is quite compassionate and caring during her visits with Evie and she continues to stay by her side during her recovery. While everyone else doubts that Evie’s daughter Angel exists, Charlotte remains extremely supportive and always believes Evie is telling the truth.
About midway through the investigation, DI Jack Bentley returns from holiday and he becomes involved in the case. He is extremely compassionate during his interactions with Evie and unlike his fellow detectives, he completely believes her story about her missing daughter. Jack is certain there is a link between the fifteen year old cold case and Angel’s disappearance but will he find the connection? Another body is discovered on the same property where Evie was attacked but does this murder have anything to do with her case?
Interspersed with the unfolding events in the present are flashbacks from Casey Danning, whose sister is the girl who vanished fifteen years earlier. These passages offer an unsettling portrait of a very troubled teenager who eventually matures into a rather disturbed woman. These contemplative entries become somewhat dark and twisted with Casey leaving a swath of destruction in her wake. Where exactly Casey fits into the current situation is unknown but her narration is quite chilling.
While Part of the Silence is rather atmospheric, the pacing is bit slow for the first half of the novel. The premise is certainly intriguing and Evie is a compelling, if somewhat unreliable, character. The storyline is engaging but it takes a while for the various story arcs to come together. Although astute readers will most likely figure out the major plot twist fairly early this does not lessen the overall enjoyment of the novel. Debbie Howells brings the novel to an abrupt yet satisfying conclusion.
Badly beaten and left for dead in the middle of a maize field, Evie Sherman has very few memories beyond her name and her daughter, Angel. The only problem? Police cannot find any sign of the young girl and when Charlotte Harrison recognizes Evie as Jen Russell, the case becomes even more confusing. Why would Jen change her name to Evie? Why is there no record of Angel? Who attacked Evie and left her for dead? Is there any connection between Angel’s disappearance and the still unsolved case of another 3 year old girl who went missing fifteen years ago? Local police have very few leads but DC Abbie Rose and DI Jack Bentley are working hard to find answers to these very perplexing questions.
Charlotte is dealing with her own issues when she recognizes Evie as her old classmate Jen. Feeling obligated to contact the police with this information, she very reluctantly agrees to DC Abbie Rose’s requests to keep the very disoriented victim company while the police try to uncover information about Evie. Charlotte is quite compassionate and caring during her visits with Evie and she continues to stay by her side during her recovery. While everyone else doubts that Evie’s daughter Angel exists, Charlotte remains extremely supportive and always believes Evie is telling the truth.
About midway through the investigation, DI Jack Bentley returns from holiday and he becomes involved in the case. He is extremely compassionate during his interactions with Evie and unlike his fellow detectives, he completely believes her story about her missing daughter. Jack is certain there is a link between the fifteen year old cold case and Angel’s disappearance but will he find the connection? Another body is discovered on the same property where Evie was attacked but does this murder have anything to do with her case?
Interspersed with the unfolding events in the present are flashbacks from Casey Danning, whose sister is the girl who vanished fifteen years earlier. These passages offer an unsettling portrait of a very troubled teenager who eventually matures into a rather disturbed woman. These contemplative entries become somewhat dark and twisted with Casey leaving a swath of destruction in her wake. Where exactly Casey fits into the current situation is unknown but her narration is quite chilling.
While Part of the Silence is rather atmospheric, the pacing is bit slow for the first half of the novel. The premise is certainly intriguing and Evie is a compelling, if somewhat unreliable, character. The storyline is engaging but it takes a while for the various story arcs to come together. Although astute readers will most likely figure out the major plot twist fairly early this does not lessen the overall enjoyment of the novel. Debbie Howells brings the novel to an abrupt yet satisfying conclusion.
June 16, 2017
Evie Sherman wakes up in a Cornwall hospital after being severely beaten. Evie doesn't remember anything about the attach or her life, with the exception of her name and her daughter. Authorities are concerned because nobody has seen Evie's daughter. Charlotte Harrison, a high school friend of Evie's, comes forward to help, but it seems she has secrets of her own. Is Evie's daughter in danger or does she even exist?
"Part of the Silence" is by the author "The Bones of You" and "The Beauty of the End". Like those psychological thrillers is told from multiple points of view and flashbacks and is full of red herrings and twists. The theme of the book is loss and many of characters have experienced more than their share. Once I started the book, I didn't want to put it down until I knew the truth about Evie. Although I had my suspicions about one of the characters confirmed, I was still shocked by the final twists. I will leave it at that so I don't spoil any of the suspense, but I was thoroughly entertained by this solid thriller by Debbie Howells.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Kensington. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
"Part of the Silence" is by the author "The Bones of You" and "The Beauty of the End". Like those psychological thrillers is told from multiple points of view and flashbacks and is full of red herrings and twists. The theme of the book is loss and many of characters have experienced more than their share. Once I started the book, I didn't want to put it down until I knew the truth about Evie. Although I had my suspicions about one of the characters confirmed, I was still shocked by the final twists. I will leave it at that so I don't spoil any of the suspense, but I was thoroughly entertained by this solid thriller by Debbie Howells.
I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Kensington. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
June 20, 2017
The Cornwall coast is a quiet place of haunting beauty. Not much happens there. Evie Sherman is found battered and almost dead in a field, with no memory of who she is. When flickers of her memory return, the community comes together to search for her missing daughter, Angel. The only thing Evie knows for sure is that Angel is in terrible danger.
But the police can find no trace that Angel exists and soon start to wonder if Evie’s having a mental breakdown as scenes from the past exert their pull on the present. And as the darkness around Evie deepens, her internal warning—Trust no one—grows stronger, as she searches for the daughter she remembers when no one else believes.
The setting in Part of the Silence is as much a character as Evie is, and now I really want to visit Cornwall. Not by myself, since the novel is a bit creepy, though. I enjoyed the mystery of the novel, both the present-day one, and the linked one in the past, although I did not feel a connection to the characters—possibly because Evie did not trust any of them.
(Galley provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
More reviews at Tomorrow is Another Day
But the police can find no trace that Angel exists and soon start to wonder if Evie’s having a mental breakdown as scenes from the past exert their pull on the present. And as the darkness around Evie deepens, her internal warning—Trust no one—grows stronger, as she searches for the daughter she remembers when no one else believes.
The setting in Part of the Silence is as much a character as Evie is, and now I really want to visit Cornwall. Not by myself, since the novel is a bit creepy, though. I enjoyed the mystery of the novel, both the present-day one, and the linked one in the past, although I did not feel a connection to the characters—possibly because Evie did not trust any of them.
(Galley provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
More reviews at Tomorrow is Another Day
June 12, 2017
An atmospheric mystery with excellent and unexpected twists and complex characters. Evie Sherman is found at the verge of death after an attack. She survives, but her memories are hazy. She claims that her daughter Angel is missing but there is zero evidence of a child. The Police believe she is not lying but, considering her condition, maybe she is confused: when she was a teenager, she was babysitting a 3-year old girl who disappeared. Maybe she is confusing both events. But what if she isn't. Charlotte, an acquaintance from Evie's past, seems to be the only person who knows her so she starts getting more and more involved in the case. And here is what I didn't like about this otherwise excellent book: the changes in narrators and points of view. Some are first person accounts and others are in third person. It's a personal pet peeve. Also, one of the characters is lying, so the book is cheating. I can't say any more, but it was a little disappointing. Other than that, the writing is solid and this is an interesting story.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Kensington Books!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Kensington Books!
August 29, 2017
Left for dead in a maize field, Evie Sherman has no recollection of who she is or what has happened to her. When she remembers that she has a daughter, will the police be able to find evidence of the little girl and track her disappearance? When a former classmate helps the police to fill in some of the missing details of the woman's past, will the truth finally be revealed?
I cannot quite put my finger on why I was not blown away by Part of the Silence. The elements were there for a great thriller: a mystery to be solved, a group of suspects, and a missing child. Yet, I found the story to be just ok and the resolution to be too easy. Perhaps it is because I have read many mystery/thrillers, but I thought that the author telegraphed the ending too much. I finished the book mainly because of its relatively short length, taking no pleasure in the final reveal. I would hesitate to recommend this book to other readers, as it was just an average read.
I cannot quite put my finger on why I was not blown away by Part of the Silence. The elements were there for a great thriller: a mystery to be solved, a group of suspects, and a missing child. Yet, I found the story to be just ok and the resolution to be too easy. Perhaps it is because I have read many mystery/thrillers, but I thought that the author telegraphed the ending too much. I finished the book mainly because of its relatively short length, taking no pleasure in the final reveal. I would hesitate to recommend this book to other readers, as it was just an average read.
February 7, 2025
This book is SO terrible. Everyone in it is super whiny and the plot doesn’t really go anywhere. Nothing happens. Then the “big reveal” which is massively obvious happens and it just abruptly ends when we finally have an idea of what happened.
Now for the spoiler part: the reveal doesn’t make ANY sense! So Casey is crazy and wants revenge for her sister’s death? When she’s actually the one who conspired to kill her? And then she decides to get revenge by having X kill Jen and take the kid? Or she wanted her to feel crazy but she also kept the kid alive after she killed her own sister? She could have killed Jen a million times when she was staying with her and taking care of her! We never learned why the cop was involved or what the whole animal sacrifice shit was about. It’s just like oh this guy is a bad guy and this chick is crazy and yet nothing really happened. Such lazy and cliched writing! Do NOT waste your time!
Now for the spoiler part: the reveal doesn’t make ANY sense! So Casey is crazy and wants revenge for her sister’s death? When she’s actually the one who conspired to kill her? And then she decides to get revenge by having X kill Jen and take the kid? Or she wanted her to feel crazy but she also kept the kid alive after she killed her own sister? She could have killed Jen a million times when she was staying with her and taking care of her! We never learned why the cop was involved or what the whole animal sacrifice shit was about. It’s just like oh this guy is a bad guy and this chick is crazy and yet nothing really happened. Such lazy and cliched writing! Do NOT waste your time!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway (thank-you, Goodreads!) and boy, I'm glad I did! This has psychological suspense from the beginning to the end. Well-written, the story is told from multiple points-of-view, in both the past and the present, yet never is confusing. Rather, this serves to enthrall the reader even more.
Evie has been beaten and left for dead. When she wakes in the hospital, she knows only her name, and the name of her young daughter, Angel. Yet even these facts seem to be in dispute as someone comes forth and tells the police that they know her by another name, and there is no evidence, forensic or otherwise, that Angel ever existed. Is Evie going mad, or is someone trying to make it seem as though she is?
The suspense continues throughout, making it easy for this reader to keep flipping the pages to find out what happened. A good read!
Evie has been beaten and left for dead. When she wakes in the hospital, she knows only her name, and the name of her young daughter, Angel. Yet even these facts seem to be in dispute as someone comes forth and tells the police that they know her by another name, and there is no evidence, forensic or otherwise, that Angel ever existed. Is Evie going mad, or is someone trying to make it seem as though she is?
The suspense continues throughout, making it easy for this reader to keep flipping the pages to find out what happened. A good read!
July 1, 2017
I received a free advance uncorrected edition of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and am grateful to everyone who had a hand in making that happen.
This one started out great but ultimately there was just too much going on and it didn't all come together nicely at the end like I had hoped. The pacing of this one was a little off - good at first but then it got bogged down in the middle with a lot of repetition only to race to the finale too quickly to adequately wrap everything up. The big reveal at the end felt inconsistent with the rest of the narrative and there were a lot of loose ends and things that didn't seem to fit that I was left wondering about. Overall I'm left feeling a bit lukewarm about this one. It has promise but it needs to be cleaned up a bit.
This one started out great but ultimately there was just too much going on and it didn't all come together nicely at the end like I had hoped. The pacing of this one was a little off - good at first but then it got bogged down in the middle with a lot of repetition only to race to the finale too quickly to adequately wrap everything up. The big reveal at the end felt inconsistent with the rest of the narrative and there were a lot of loose ends and things that didn't seem to fit that I was left wondering about. Overall I'm left feeling a bit lukewarm about this one. It has promise but it needs to be cleaned up a bit.
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