Silent Scream

South Shores #5

by Karen Harper

The New York Times–bestselling author delivers “another classic . . . that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the truth is revealed” (Suspense Magazine).A violent past leads to a present danger . . .When an old college roommate invites Claire Britten to join her on an archaeological dig at a Florida peat bog, it’s an offer the renowned forensic psychologist can’t refuse. Claire’s husband, criminal lawyer Nick Markwood, is comforted to see Claire working on a prehistoric burial site instead of an open grave for once. But Claire’s investigative instincts kick in when some of The Black Bog’s perfectly preserved corpses show signs of a grisly fate. What really happened to these people?What started as an exploration of the past soon escalates into an all-too-current danger. Someone is watching—someone who really doesn’t want Claire digging into the past or Nick making connections to a current, violent murder case he’s investigating. The bog’s corpses may be long dead, but if Claire and Nick don’t figure out who’s gunning for a fresh kill, the next bodies to be discovered will be their own.

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

333 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 27, 2018

About the author

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Karen Harper is a former college English instructor (The Ohio State University) and high school literature and writing teacher. A lifelong Ohioan, Karen and her husband Don divide their time between the midwest and the southeast, both locations she has used in her books. Besides her American settings, Karen loves the British Isles, where her Scottish and English roots run deep, and where she has set many of her historical Tudor-era mysteries and her historical novels about real and dynamic British women. Karen's books have been published in many foreign languages and she won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for 2005. Karen has given numerous talks to readers and writers across the county. Her most recent books include THE SOUTH SHORES TRILOGY (CHASING SHADOWS, DROWNING TIDES and FALLING DARKNESS.) Her latest historical is THE ROYAL NANNY. Please visit her website at www.KarenHarperAuthor and her fb page at www.facebook.com/KarenHarperAuthor

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book because my book club said it was about murder at an archaeological dig. The dig was only slightly touched upon and the book read like a Harlequin novel. Very dull, very boring. The author's comments at the end of the book were much better than the book. Not recommended.

[Deb Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this one, but what I found to be wooden characters didn't appeal to me in the least. Everything was just too pat for me; relationships between certain characters didn't feel anything like true-to-life. I'm afraid this book and the series of which it is a part isn't for me.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read in an exciting series.

[Tracy Hipp · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book with a lot of varied plots I found it incredibly dull and flat. The characters, the storylines, the entirety....dull

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Harper's books but found this one had too many characters and too much jumping around in settings and scenes to engage me past page 100.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this fifth book in the South Shores series, Claire Britton, a former forensic psychologist, has a chance to join in on an archaeological dig in a Florida bog. Claire has worked some very tough cases. Previously, her life had been in danger. In fact, Nick Markwood, her husband, her ex-husband and even her daughter, have all faced dangerous life-threatening situations. Nick is rather relieved that Claire will get away for awhile and do something she will enjoy.

Things to not go well, however, because the dig literally begins to unearth things someone would rather not be found. If this means that Claire should end up dead, so be it. Therefore, danger has come full force for Claire and Nick yet again.

I have loved Claire's character throughout this series. She has fought a condition of narcolepsy for years, yet she is a true champion. While working along with her friend, Kristen, another character dealing with something serious, prosopognosia, facial blindness. It was very interesting to see and her and Claire work along together.

This was a delightful read and a very nice addition to the series. The mystery started right away, had a few surprising twists and a banger of an ending.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift and didn't realize it was part of a series. I had a hard time getting through it and after 6 chapters, realized it just wasn't my cup of tea. Maybe if I had read the complete series, I would've stuck it out, but unfortunately the characters didn't grab me and the story wasn't very interesting.

[Susanne Leist · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish the book. The writing was poor. I had to read sentences more than once to figure out what a character or the author was trying to say. The author explained too much, the story's pacing was slow, and the characters acted like wooden puppets. I don't understand how this author is a New York Times Best Selling Author.

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I generally like Karen Harper and her series, but this book I could just not get into. I think I'm done with the South Shores series :(

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a 3.5 for me. She is a good writer. Claire, and her husband work in areas of death. She in a bog with a friend exploring the dead. He is. helping to follow a serial killer. It was enjoyable like all her books. I love how Nick helps her. Claire is a new mom in this one. It was suspenseful. Lots of information about the process. I have read about bog searches before. They are also a cemetery for the dead. Some by accident, some by Murder. What starts out as a interesting project, after such a frightening few cases in a row, then a new baby, but Claire seems to find murder, wherever she looks, and not from the far past. She ,and Nick are up to their necks ,in trying to keep people safe, including themselves, and find a serial killer. It was a good read.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: South Shores

[Lj · Rating 1 out of 5]

infinitely stupid book lol
supposed to be about a dig of bodies found in a bog but then plot twist! some friends are relatives of Hitler! And the dialogue was laughably poorly written not sure this author has ever spoken to a human person
#adventcalendarbook

[samantha vogel-Hespos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Very suspenseful. This story is about murder. and how deep someone can make another innocent persons life hell. Another theme in this book is love. And what it really means between a husband and wife when it comes to live and death.

[Mrs A. J. Turbfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting read, very suspenseful and flowing. My favourite so far

Looking forward to next and also the expansion of other major players in this series. Such an opportunity for a spin-off.

[Kathleen Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was glad to revisit these characters, there were a lot of story lines and an interesting twist on history.

[Yvonne Speece · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a fabulous series by karen harper. Highly recommend it and start with book 1.

[~Defender of the Shire~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a lot to say about this one—will write a thorough review later. Best summary I can offer for now is:

What I liked:
*good pacing
*efficient suspense
*satisfying end
*morbid puns involving “dead” that were inappropriately timed (e.g. “rest in peat” LOL)

What I wasn’t as fond of:
*the characters. I couldn’t connect
*domestic thriller. Not my kind of subgenre, but if you like that kind of thing you may like this book more
*the plot twists were kind of obvious to me—like I knew who the mastermind was from the very beginning
*I kind of expected more emphasis on the historical aspect of the parts with the bog bodies, but the only role they really served was self-reflection for the protagonist, which was very marriage-centric and, again, not of any interest to me personally

All in all, 3.5–3.75 stars.

Edit: returning to reviews at last. Huzzah!
When I read over this again, I found I don't really have much more to add to it. It's been a while, of course, since I read the book, so that probably has a lot to do with it, but I feel like this brief version sums up how I feel pretty well. I think my biggest complaint stems from the fact that, again, it isn't the subgenre for me--the constant focus on marriage was a bit frustrating for me due to the seemingly bad timing of certain concerns or thought patterns. For example, there could be a major discovery in the dig (say, finding bog bodies positioned in a specific, and very deliberate, way), and instead of marveling at the historical aspect of it (who were these people? What were their relationships, beyond what Claire felt she related to? What tribes could they have belonged to, what traditions could there have been, why were they left here? Maybe it doesn't all have to do with love and related in any way to your awkward marital situation, Claire), Claire immediately makes a connection between them and her marriage and almost love triangle. If you're interested in these types of emotional struggles with the dig merely serving as a set up for them, then you will likely enjoy this book a lot.

I don't mean to say I disliked it at all--even though I figured out who the bad guy was early on, it was still an exciting and fast read at times, and I'm glad I read it. In the end, though, I would still say this literary category isn't my cup of tea. (Important note: this is the fifth book in a series, which I absolutely *did not* know as I had randomly picked it off the shelf at my library. It's possible that this is why I couldn't connect as well--characters felt like they were introduced rapidly and not given a lot of time to be "settled in." Perhaps if I read the other books first I would have developed deeper connections with them, but by the end of the book I still didn't really feel anything.)

[Dolly Sickles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been curious about the newest book in Karen Harper’s South Shores series, SILENT SCREAM. With a quartet of preceding suspenseful cliffhangers, I’m happy to refer to this one as “lucky No. 5,” because the resolution is so gratifying.

“The dead still talk if you know how to listen.”

Poor Claire Britten is in the cross hairs again, this time as she assists an old college friend, Kristen Kane, on an archaeological dig at The Black Bog in Florida. So far in the series, her daughter’s been kidnapped, they were all in a plane crash, they’ve been in witness protection, a whole lot of animals were slain, and now she’s wrestling with what appears to be fresh victims in an ancient peat bog. Who knew life as a forensic psychologist could be so exciting? Her life, like the series, is not for the faint of heart. Fortunately, she’s a capable, believable, relatable character.

Her husband, Nick Markwood, is a great character, too. He’s a criminal attorney and, way back in book one, recognized her value as an investigator. He’s got a side project that helps people “determine whether the deaths of their loved ones were murders or suicides,” so it’s no surprise that that forensic psychology aspect of her mind grabbed him by the heart. Over the course of the series, his story arc has shown him to be an adventurous, unflappable, silver fox.

The suspense kicks in early, though not with the bog, as expected. A body has been found in the freezer of a house recently owned by Dale Braun, a junior partner in his law firm, that’s being purchased by the security guard at Nick’s law firm. The plot thickens when it turns out the body isn’t that of a stranger, but the ex-fiancée of the junior partner. And now that Nick is distracted, Claire heads off for her safe part-time consulting gig. Right.

SILENT SCREAM has an interesting twist, in that Kris has prosopagnosia. Their shared health struggles — Claire’s narcolepsy and Kris’ face blindness — bonded them quickly at Florida State University, forging a lifelong friendship and playing prominently in the approaches both women have in life and in their professions. Dale’s fiancée isn’t the only new dead body discovered in this story, and it soon becomes evident on the dig that some of the bodies are too staged, “so perfect a lure.” Turns out, peaty mud can hide a lot of crimes. The ending packs a real wallop that’ll get your blood really moving.

*Originally published with USA Today's Happy Ever After: https://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2...

[Kate Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another South Shores novel, in which forensic psychologist Claire Britten is asked to consult on an archeological dig in a bog. Her husband, criminal lawyer Nick Markwood, is glad she's working with dead people rather than live ones, but as this story proceeds, the finding of a contemporary woman frozen in a freezer and then another found after firemen put out a house fire implies that he will be dealing with finding their killer even as she attempts to understand why the bog people unearthed were killed.

Soon the trail to finding answers by Claire and Nick begin to intersect when she suspects fraud in the copying of ancient artifacts and the person who killed the two modern women are linked. But will that sudden realization prevent Claire from being pushed into the bog, too? Read it and hold your breath as you sink deeper into the story.

[Hazel Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author- notes at the back about her relevant label /genres of 'Domestic suspense' or 'Domestic thriller' were interesting. The high profile criminal lawyer husband did sound like a romantic lead.
And there were many thrilling dramatic scenes; fires, helicopter crash, and bog death.

Too much backstory , too quickly about the highly qualified women, and their unusual'disabilities' seemed contrived.
Strengths were the forensic details, but over- use of coincidence to pull two plots together was annoying. Didactic in places to get across drone facts or Nazi history . Seemed unlikely that the mother of a 3 month old baby would spend so little time or priority with the offspring and the 6 year old talked like an adult. Many professionally qualified females juggle highly skilled roles, but this stretched credulity when racing around in choppers to check on possible fraud of archeological findings and parallels across centuries in relationship positioning of males and females in bog skeletons.

Switches of viewpoint were disconcerting. And the need for various characters to keep questioning clues in case the reader had missed the connections. Over- explaining became annoying.

The test of a good book for me is if I'm not conscious of the devices, but once I become conscious of the author inserting facts, and over-explaining , the enjoyment goes.But inbetween , there were some good storytelling scenes .

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, the main characters are involved with several different problems including two murders. The main character, Claire Britten, is hired by a group that is digging up Bog People in southwestern Florida. Her contract includes a secrecy clause which will hamper what Claire can tell her husband. Meanwhile Nick Markwood, Claire's husband, is involved with the murders as is Claire since she discovered one of the bodies. By the end of the book all is tied together including a Nazi connection. The book was a quick easy read.

[Rena DeBerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most books that are part of a series reference past events a few times in the book to fill in plotlines. Karen Harper kept alluding to events from previous novels without filling me in as a reading so I felt left-out. Like an outsider intruding. I also struggled with connecting Senator Vance as the killer because the connection between characters was loose at best. I felt too much time was spent on I Love You; Stay Home to Stay Safe; and You Are My Rock. I wish more had been spent on developing the Bog People and Eva Braum plotlines. The Eva Braum plotline is why I continued reading the book. It was intriguing and well placed. The Bog People plotline was too skimpy for me to believe the history or conclusions drawn. Since this book was free, I give it an average rating. Plus, it was a quick read.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 5 in the South Shores Series, Silent Scream is a double plotted thriller. Claire is hired to consult at an archaeological dig in a Bog in Florida. She focuses her forensic psychology expertise on the three persons found buried together. At the same time, her husband Nick investigates the dead body found in a freezer. Was the girl murdered by the junior partner in Nick's firm?

As the plots wind their way forward, there are more clues that there's more going on than is on the surface.

Karen Harper's writing is at its peak and the action is taut. Readers who've read the other books in the series will fall in love with Nick and Claire all over again.

For a different review see the Ohioana Library Quarterly http://www.ohioana.org

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dissatisfied...is the word that accurately describes my experience with this book. The multiple plots grew less engaging as the story progressed. The dialogue between characters seemed forced and almost unrealistic because the characters were one dimensional!
The author evidently tried to weave her multiple plots together; but, some of the connections were hanging by a thread. I was underwhelmed by the discovery of the bog bodies and looking forward to more of the storyline being consistent with what the author promised in the book summary.
This novel felt like a book cranked out for a rushed deadline. The quality just wasn't there.

[Cheryl Karkoff]

Didn’t finish boring.

[Judith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly, I bought this book for escape reading. It provided that.

Even when I am looking for escape, however, I like it to be good stuff. Good characters, good plot, good research when applicable. This one leaves a lot of holes.

Claire is a forensic psychologist. As this is part of a series, we learn a bit about a previous novel. She had a bad time and both she and her second husband, Nick, want her to avoid dangerous situations. When she is asked by a longtime friend to come on board a project involving long-dead humans, she figures she is safe. She can analyze these "bog people" til the cows come home and they won't seek revenge.

The bog is in Florida, on private property owned by a former senator and his wife. The couple are keeping the discovery of human remains private "for now", promising that they will share it with the world when they have uncovered its essence. To that end, bodies are dug from the bog by the small staff, photographed, then removed and taken to a room for preservation. Artifacts found with the bodies are removed immediately, cleaned and moved to a locked room, where only the ex-senator can see them.

Claire sees the reason for all the secrecy. If news of the find gets out, the press will be all over it and damage can result. She doesn't understand, however, why the artifacts are kept in a secret location and only photographs of them are available for viewing.

Meanwhile, a body is found in a freezer. Turns out the body is the ex-fiance of a young lawyer who works in Nick's office. The young man, Dale, is immediately under suspicion. Nick, of course, tells him the firm will represent him. At times Dale seems like he may be guilty, and this causes Nick some pain.

Claire is at the center of the book, and she is involved in both cases, even if peripherally. She keeps the bog secret but quietly investigates as she observes odd behavior there.

I had difficulty with the plot from the beginning. This bog is on private property but it contains human remains. According to Florida law, all human remains must be reported to authorities. In this case, a state archaeologist would have been assigned to evaluate the find. The author apparently assumes that because it is on private property the remains belong to the property owners. This is simply not the case and it seems odd that she would think it is.

Then Claire. Claire might be called on to evaluate a criminal or help in profiling. But looking at bog bodies and trying to suss out what was going on in their lives from the position of the bodies??? Seriously! And she writes a little fan fiction about a trio found buried together. First, I can't take this job seriously. In archeological digs, many different disciplines are involved, and one thing they do not do is take off on flights of fancy. Every determination made about a find is based on what they have learned about the era, not on instinct. Second, if this couple is trying to keep this deeply secret, what is the point of bringing someone in who can make up a story about the finds? Even if her suppositions about the bodies' position in society are correct, why bring her in now? Why not wait until it is time to go public? The whole scene struck me as ridiculous.

And now on to the body in the freezer. When a body is discovered, the area is declared a crime scene and crime scene experts are brought in. We might presume in this case that fingerprints were taken (although that is not stated) but the freezer is left in place for weeks before a hauling company paid by the police come to haul it to the station. Are you kidding again? Some movers are responsible for maintaining the chain of custody? Have you watched Forensic Files??

The characters are all right, typical, the usual. I found it funny when Nick jokes about Claire's references to Alice in Wonderland and other well-known works as if they were deep references that only hardcore readers would know. I felt these scenes displayed the lack of depth of both Claire and Nick.

Oh, and one more thing. The face of the body in the freezer is frozen in a "silent scream". Again, forensics? Faces relax after death. I believe there are some poisons that can cause a distortion in the face, but that didn't happen here.

My advice to Ms. Harper is to do deeper research. I'm surprised that some of her prepublishing readers did not raise any questions about the probability or even possibility of any of these things. On the other hand, I know many people who do not care about accuracy. "It's just a book," they say. I'll leave this to one of them. I am sure there are many who will enjoy this book more than I did.

[CherylB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in this series. It features Claire Markwood. Who is a forensic psychologist. And her husband Nick Markwood. He is a criminal defense lawyer. This mystery starts with Claire signing on to work an archeological excavation of a local bog. But the people running the dig swears her to complete secrecy. She and Nick are glad that she can work part time and there shouldn’t be any danger with long dead people. But Claire finds the behavior at the dig suspicious. Also their good friends Bronco and Nina find a dead women in the freezer of their new house. To complicate things more it is the ex-fiancé of Brad, one of Nick’s junior lawyer. He sold the house to Bronco and Nina for a discounted price. See it belonged to his mother who had become a hoarder in her last years. But this puts him as prime suspect. The more that they find out about his ex the more guilty he looks. Then the ex’s crazy comes to town ready to kill Brad. Then add in that Claire’s ex, Jason seems to be targeted by cartels trying to stop his secret job photographing the local are by plane.

Needless to say this story has lots of red herrings. And so many twists and turns that will keep you guessing and reading. Karen Harper writes such engaging characters and she is devious with her plots. I highly recommend this book.

The audiobook is narrated by Courtney Patterson. She does a great job creating a different voice for each character. I was sure that it was an ensemble cast. Then I looked it up for this review and was blown away.

[Brit · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is fine, I guess. I felt disappointed in the characters— I don’t want to root for any of them, really. The book focuses primarily on Claire, a psychologist always obsessed with “psyching out” (yes, she uses that term) people, situations, etc. (and she makes the most mundane observations, only when related to her own life). She’s on an ancient dig in a bog and can only theorize about these ancient peoples (she knows nothing of their culture, isn’t a historian or archaeologist.. so why is she there?) in relation to her own life. She puts modern concepts on them. As a historian, this *kills* me to read.

They constantly mentions a character’s experience with face blindness, and then makes it the only thing about her worth noting.

Claire’s ex husband is getting remarried his new partner (Brit) seems to be emotionally 15 years old.

The dialogue. Ugh, the dialogue. It’s horrible. Is this how rich people from Florida talk? I cannot imagine anybody speaking this way. It’s cringe.

In short: I hate Claire. I don’t like this book. It kinda made me want to visit Florida again.

One day I’ll find a series worth sticking with.

[Patsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

When an old college roommate invites Claire Britten to join her on an archaeological dig at a Florida peat bog, it’s an offer the renowned forensic psychologist can’t refuse. Claire’s husband, criminal lawyer Nick Markwood, is comforted to see Claire working on a prehistoric burial site instead of an open grave for once. But Claire’s investigative instincts kick in when some of The Black Bog’s perfectly preserved corpses show signs of a grisly fate. What really happened to these people?

What started as an exploration of the past soon escalates into an all-too-current danger. Someone is watching—someone who really doesn’t want Claire digging into the past or Nick making connections to a current, violent murder case he’s investigating. The bog’s corpses may be long dead, but if Claire and Nick don’t figure out who’s gunning for a fresh kill, the next bodies to be discovered will be their own.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot more mystery than romance in this Karen Harper novel (which I always appreciate in a romantic suspense). Forensic psychologist Claire Britten signs a confidentiality agreement to work at an ancient burial site in a peat bog. A well-preserved woman is found buried with 2 men amidst old artifacts. One of the men is missing his heart. Also, a body is found in the freezer of a house recently lived in by a hoarder. Plus, a diary written in German seems to indicate Eva Braun lived here secretly to avoid execution. All of this is tied together when deadly mischief stars occurring around Claire.
No need to read any of the previous books in this series first.