Book: The Silent Witness
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Pub Day: Sept 24th 2021
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
About the Book:
It’s 4 a.m. when her mom shakes her awake. “Get up baby, we’re going to play hide and seek.” The little girl presses back into the dark space, holding her breath as she hears the shots ring out. She knows she’s next…
When the bodies of a local family are discovered on a quiet street in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia, Detective Amanda Steele takes charge of the case. Brett and Angela Parker were shot three times each, leaving no hope of survival, and their tidy suburban home has been ransacked. But there is no sign of their beloved six-year-old, Zoe.
Zoe is the same age as Amanda’s daughter was when she died, and Amanda can’t bear the thought of another little girl in danger. She’s organizing a search for the child, when she notices something strange about the ottoman at the foot of the Parkers’ bed. She opens it to find Zoe, mute and traumatized, but alive.
With Zoe completely uncommunicative, Amanda must find another way to untangle what destroyed this seemingly perfect family. It’s clear that the killer is searching for something the Parkers had, and until she has this monster behind bars, Amanda fears that he may return for Zoe. When she learns that Brett Parker cut short the family’s recent lakeside vacation, she wonders why. What happened at that lake house, and did it ultimately get them killed?
Amanda heads out to Lake Chesdin on the feeling it might be key to the case, and when she finds a cell phone in the murky waters next to the Parker cabin, she knows she’s made a breakthrough. But then terrible news reaches her from Dumfries; Zoe has been taken from her school playground.
Someone wants to silence the Parker family for good, can Amanda catch them before the little girl she’s desperate to protect pays the price?
A completely gripping and addictive crime thriller that will keep fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni entertained into the early hours.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Silent Witness' by Carolyn Arnold.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Carolyn Arnold, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 24th September 2021.
This is the third book I have read by this author. It is also the third book in the 'Detective Amanda Steele' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read 'Stolen Daughters' which I also highly recommend and is the second book in the 'Detective Amanda Steelw' series.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is '
A completely gripping and addictive crime thriller that will keep fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni entertained into the early hours.' I am a huge fan of Lisa Regan so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Carolyn and if this is half as good as 'Stolen Daughters' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 39 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Virginia, USA 🇺🇸
This book is written in third person perspective and the protagonist is Detective Amanda Steele. The benefits of third person perspective with are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
'The Silent Witness' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Carolyn discusses/includes child abduction and small mention of sex rings.
What an ending and yet another epic read from the very talented Carolyn Arnold!!! Congratulations Carolyn on yet another page turner!! This is an extremely well written book with vivid descriptions that will suck you straight into the storyline and captivated from beginning to end. The synopsis and cover worked perfectly with the storyline.
The storyline means that there is no problem with this being read as a standalone which is what I did. I was absolutely hooked throughout, a true page turner from beginning to end. The storyline was in depth and packed with suspense, twists, turns, shocks and was an edge of your seat, nail biting and heart racing psychological thriller. I was absolutely hooked. Carolyn has done lots of research into both police procedural and sex trafficking and this shines throughout. There's nothing worse that a book filled with minor errors as the author hasn't taken the time to do some research into the areas they have written about. I read this book in less than 24 hours and I'm looking forward to reading the previous book on this series as well as more to come. It certainly promises to be an epic series. It is one of the best books I have read this month and I really enjoyed. It was left on what I would definitely call a cliffhanger!!! It is filled with suspense, tension, mystery, shocks, love, sadness, crime and everything you could ever want in a crime novel. There were several bombshells that I was not suspecting and I am quite happy by the fate of certain people, I won't say more as not to spoil it for future readers. It is a true page turner that will leave you biting your nails on the edge of your seat with your heart racing. I loved the ending and I cannot wait to see what Amanda is going to do now!!!! Hope your busy typing the next one up Carolyn as I cannot wait!!!
Although this is the third book in the series you will have absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I loved meeting all the characters again who were all strong, well defined and unique. I became completely invested in Amanda, Trent and Zoe. Amanda is absolutely whoop a## and I love seeing strong female leads in books. She has a background but will not let it pull her down and she is definitely someone I would love to have on my side. It was so bitter sweet watching her bond with Zoe grow and develop and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. I personally hope she gets the happiness and family she deserves but then at the same time how will she work everything out?? One can only wait and see!! Trent is another fantastic team member and they work perfectly well together. Some of the characters were less likeable (horrid) such as Hill but at the same time it was interesting to see the relationships between them and Amanda. I loved Rideout's (medical examiner) character and personality with his morgue humour and I also quite like Malone and see him as a sort of fatherly figure to Amanda. I am definitely looking forward to meeting them all again!!!
I could not praise this book enough and highly recommend. Carolyn I cannot wait to read more of your very successful work!!! I would also love to see this book turned into a movie. An absolutely addictive, compelling and gripping true page turner!!! If you have not read any books by this epic authour then you are seriously missing out!!!
Some of my favourite quotes/sayings in this book include the following:
'“But can you imagine if the murders are connected to Brett’s work ? It would have the makings of the plot for a thriller novel.”'
Overall an absolutely captivating, engrossing page turner that is compelling and addictive!!!
Genres covered in this novel include Thriller, Mystery, Police Procedural, Suspense, Hardboiled, Romance Novel, Psychological Thriller, Noir Fiction, Psychological Fiction and Crime Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Carol Wyer, Lisa Regan, Angela Marsons and ANYONE looking for an epic page turner .
324 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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@CarolynArnold @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio
Carolyn Arnold was born in a small Canadian town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. As an international bestselling and award-winning author, she has several continuing fiction series, including her popular Detective Madison Knight series. She offers readers nearly three dozen published books in genres ranging from crime thrillers and hard-boiled mysteries to cozy mysteries and action adventures. She currently lives north of London, Ontario, with her husband and two beagles.
Social Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold
Website: https://carolynarnold.net/
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09236T3JFsocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/xODf50EmlNI
Kobo: http://ow.ly/ZPy050EmlFW Google: http://ow.ly/jl8S50EmlKE
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