Title: Silent Victim
Author: Caroline Mitchell
Narrator: Elizabeth Knowelden, Steve West
Published: March 2018, Brilliance Audio
Length: 9 hours 44 minutes
Source: Publisher
Summary:
Emma’s darkest secrets are buried in the past. But the truth can’t stay hidden for long.Emma
is a loving wife, a devoted mother…and an involuntary killer. For years
she’s been hiding the dead body of the teacher who seduced her as a
teen.
It’s a secret that might have stayed buried if only her
life had been less perfect. A promotion for Emma’s husband, Alex, means
they can finally move to a bigger home with their young son. But with a
buyer lined up for their old house, Emma can’t leave without destroying
every last trace of her final revenge…
Returning to the shallow grave in the garden, she finds it empty. The body is gone.
Panicked,
Emma confesses to her husband. But this is only the beginning. Soon,
Alex will discover things about her he’ll wish he’d learned sooner. And
others he’ll long to forget.
My thoughts: I was already a fan of Caroline Mitchell’s books before picking this one up, but now I am even more in love with her work…this was one heck of a twisted, crazy ride! It’s the type of book that gets under your skin as you desperately try to figure out what is going on and doesn’t let up until you reach the end.
This book is full of characters that leave you questioning them at every turn. They are devious and manipulative and therefore it’s hard to work out if they are trust worthy or not. Their behaviors can easily be construed one way or the other, depending on how you look at it and depending on who is explaining away the actions. It showcases just how easily someone’s behavior can be used against them.
This book is so cleverly plotted and crafted, it keeps you on edge from start to finish. There were so many times I thought I had everything worked out, only to have something happen that would throw a wrench in that theory. To add to the tension and suspense, the story is told from multiple points of view and moves back and forth between the present and the past. This just adds an extra dynamic to the story as we learn about the relationships between all the players involved, their histories and what is going on today.
I was totally engaged in this book from the get-go. It’s got some great twists and is creepy and addicting all at once. Caroline Mitchell has definitely become one of my favorite authors and this is a solid example of why!
Audio thoughts: This was a creepy, exciting book to listen to and I think both Elizabeth Knowelden and Steve West did great jobs with their parts. They kept their tones and pacing just right for the story and even added the right amount of tension and emotion into their voices as needed. These two narrated Caroline’s last stand-alone, Witness, and really seem to understand the nuances she puts into the writing. And just like last time, having both a female and male narrator worked – it helped bring the story alive.
On edge is putting it mildly. I feel for the husband.