Dead Silence

By: Brenda Novak

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

There's a body buried behind a Mississippi farmhouse. Grace Montgomery knows who it is, and she knows why it happened. She was only 13 the night it all went wrong. And now, like then, she has no choice but to keep her mouth shut.

Grace left the town of Stillwater 13 years ago, trying to forget, trying to make good. As an assistant D.A. in Jackson, she's finally achieved the success that was supposed to change her life. But it hasn't, so she's come back to confront her own history. Which means returning to the farmhouse now owned by her brother and facing the people of Stillwater, a number of whom suspect the truth.

Widower Kennedy Archer is one of those people. He's running for mayor and needs to stay as far away from Grace as possible. And yet, she's an enigma he can't resist. Even though her enemies are close to finding out what really happened...and that could ruin them both.

©2006 Brenda Novak (P)2006 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Compelling...Novak expertly mixes her usual superior characterization with a chilling sense of evil as she pairs up a complicated heroine with a dark past with a caring, honorable man who gives her hope for the future." (Booklist)

Five Stars for this Thriller!

I loved this audiobook and am thrilled that this author has another book I can download and listen to immediately but wish she had a lot more. Hopefully some more will appear soon. This book is about Grace, a woman who moves back to her home town where she is remembered as high school's "bad girl". Her stepfather's disappearance when she was 13 is a mystery that was never solved and keeps the townspeople talking about her "white trash" family and what they might have done to him. One man, Kennedy Archer, remembers Grace from high school and cringes with memories of how she was treated, regretting how his friends treated Gracie in high school and how he himself just plain ignored her. He finds the adult Grace, now a successful assistant district attorney to be very attractive and the feeling is mutual. Romance ensues along with great consternation among the townspeople, and Archer's mother and friends. This book is a fast read which doesn't lose your interest. A good mystery! Loved it.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

worse than dull

I bought the first two books in this series because they were highly rated and we were terribly disappointed. The plot is weak, the characters are shallow and inconsistant and we didn't bother finishing either of them.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Dead Silence

I wish I had read the reviews before purchasing this book. Turns out the publisher's summary is the most interesting part. This is a story for the hopelessly romantic gal who wants to simply disengage her brain and escape reality and logic. All I can say about the main character, Grace Montgomery, is that for a smart woman she sure is dumb.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Suspending Disbelief

There were a few interesting aspects of this book if the reader or listener is looking for escapist junk but it is grating to find a character, who is smart enough to put herself through college and law school and is supposedly an officer of the court, stupid enough to commit the act of breaking and entering. I wanted to scream at her for being such an idiot and for allowing another character to harass her without this dumb bunny getting a restraining order against him. The reader was simply awful, especially when she was doing a male character.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Disappointing

I was very disappointed with this book. I expected a mystery and instead got a peculiar Southern romance novel with not very mysterious mystery elements thrown in. Additionally, the Southern accent of the narrator was over the top. However, if you are a lover of the Harlequin Romance genre, I'm sure you'll love this book.

6 of 8 people found this review helpful

Great all the way around!

Enjoyed the story and the performance! Kept me listening! I love when I find a good author!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Barely made it through

Every element of this story lacked any credibility. Was this also a romance? Just too painful to read.

Dont waste your time with this one.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was a hard book to listen to. The narrated made me think the setting was in England.
I can even tell you if the book was any good, the narration was so bad that I just could finish it.

Has Dead Silence turned you off from other books in this genre?

No because in error I read the second and the third book and they were great. So I order the first book and I couldnt make it past the three chapter

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She was the wrong one for this book.

Enjoyed It

Would you consider the audio edition of Dead Silence to be better than the print version?

Probably not, only because I did not enjoy the narrator--she had to work too hard for the southern accents, the men character versus the ladies versus the kids as well. I wish she had just read the book, noting who said .... She should not try to do southern accents, read because I think she has a good voice.I say I would sit and read it, but then the majority of the time, I don't have the time to sit down and read at all, so listening on the go works very well for me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clay and then Grace. I just knew somehow he as going to save the day. His book is next and I can't wait.

What didn’t you like about Suzanne Toren’s performance?

Probably not, only because I did not enjoy the narrator--she had to work too hard for the southern accents, the men character versus the ladies versus the kids as well. I wish she had just read the book, noting who said .... She should not try to do southern accents,just read because I think she has a good voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, needed a break from the narrator--no more southern accents for her.

Any additional comments?

I like Brenda Novak books and will mostly read them all--loved the

1 of 3 people found this review helpful

Glad I didn't buy the rest

This definitely did not meet its publisher reviews. If this is supposed to be a Mystery/Thriller, I don't understand the genre. It is in fact a not well written romance.

I'm glad I didn't buy the rest of the series.

The narrator contributes to the weakness of this book. If this narrator has ever been to Mississippi, she slept through it.

Don't waste a credit, your dollars, or your time.

2 of 6 people found this review helpful