Friday 19 May 2017

Review: Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf

New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf has been described as "masterful" and "intelligent" and compared to Lisa Scottoline and Jodi Picoult. Introducing her most compelling heroine yet, she delivers a taut and emotional thriller that proves she's at the top of her class.

When a tragic accident leaves nurse Amelia Winn deaf, she spirals into a depression that ultimately causes her to lose everything that matters her job, her husband, David, and her stepdaughter, Nora. Now, two years later and with the help of her hearing dog, Stitch, she is finally getting back on her feet. But when she discovers the body of a fellow nurse in the dense bush by the river, deep in the woods near her cabin, she is plunged into a disturbing mystery that could shatter the carefully reconstructed pieces of her life all over again.

As clues begin to surface, Amelia finds herself swept into an investigation that hits all too close to home. But how much is she willing to risk in order to uncover the truth and bring a killer to justice?


Kindle Edition, 288 pages
Expected publication: May 30th 2017 by Park Row Books 
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Kristine's Thoughts:

** I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

This book hit the ground running, grabbing my attention from the very beginning. Amelia was in a hit and run accident while walking a patient to her car and lost her hearing in the process. Fast forward two years and the reader got to know the Amelia that was picking up the pieces after losing herself to alcohol. She lost her husband and step daughter, friends and her job because of her substance abuse. Amelia, with her trusty side kick Stitch, learnt how to manage the world without sound and she was in the process of finding a new job and proving to her ex that she was responsible enough to spend time with her step daughter.

Just as things were starting to look up, Amelia and Stitch discovered a dead body while out on her beloved river. Not only was it a dead body but it was someone she knew from before her accident when she was a nurse at the hospital. Questions immediately started forming in her head. Who did it? Why? Could it be connected to her unsolved hit and run?

This was a typical story of a mystery where someone inserts themselves where they don't belong. Amelia started poking her head into things, asking questions, and doing things that would obviously make her a target for the killer. Things started happening to her that were meant to scare her but only made her more curious. What made it unique though, was the fact that she couldn't hear. It added an extra element to the story that kept me turning the pages.

As far as mysteries go, it wasn't very hard to figure out. Not a lot of guess work was needed to know who the killer was. It was more the why that needed answering for me. I have to admit that Amelia got on my nerves quite a bit too. This is usually the case for me when people insert themselves where they shouldn't so I wasn't very surprised. I found myself silently yelling at her to not be so stupid which again is usually the case in these stories for me.

Without giving anything away I have to say that when it was at its climax near the end, I was on the edge of my seat. Although I had easily figured out who the killer was, the events that occurred at Amelia's house had me captivated. I kept imagining what it would be like to go through what she was experiencing with no hearing. It added an element of suspense that was a real page turner.

Oh and before I forget, I have to say that Stitch was one of my favourite things about this book. I can almost guarantee that a furry four legged dog in a book is going to be loved by me. He wasn't a typical service dog and he stole the show.

Not A Sound was a fast paced and easy book to read. What it lacked in mystery it made up for in suspense with Amelia's lack of hearing and her service dog Stitch. The beautifully described setting made you feel like you were right there beside them as they fought for their lives. If this were a movie I would have been hiding my head on a few occasions. It was truly entertaining!

  


About the Author
Heather is the NYT and USA Today Bestselling author of THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE and MISSING PIECES.


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