No More Words

A Novel (No More, Book 1)

By: Kerry Lonsdale

Narrated by: Susannah Jones

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

From the Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author comes the first book in a trilogy about love, betrayal, and the secrets families keep.

Forced to choose between abortion or adoption, Olivia Carson’s younger sister, Lily, runs away from home. Sixteen and pregnant, she never returns. But she writes. Once a year, Lily mails a picture of her son, Josh, to Olivia until his thirteenth year. Then it’s Josh himself who arrives at Olivia’s house, alone, terrified, and in possession of a notarized declaration from Lily. It begins, “In the event I go missing...”

Josh has difficulty talking. He can’t read or write, but he’s a prolific artist, exhibiting skill beyond his age. His drawings are as detailed as they are horrific. Olivia soon realizes Josh’s artwork tells a story. There’s more to his arrival and to Lily’s untimely disappearance than it seems. Using the drawings as a road map, Olivia traces Josh’s path back to his mom. Each drawing sheds light on Lily’s past and reveals a darkness that forces Olivia to question everything she thought she knew about her family.

©2021 by Kerry Lonsdale Inc. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Lonsdale is at her best with this multilayered story about three dysfunctional siblings and the secrets they keep. What a ride. I’m still a little breathless. This one was an addictive page-turner - impossible to put down. Fans of domestic suspense will eat this up.” (Sally Hepworth, best-selling author of The Good Sister and The Mother-in-Law)

“Kerry Lonsdale is back and better than ever with this multilayered tale about three siblings torn apart by a series of tragic events. Nuanced and smart, filled with characters with real emotion and depth, No More Words is everything you’ve come to love from the master of domestic drama. A mesmerizing beginning to a new trilogy that will have you one-clicking the next in the series.” (Kimberly Belle, internationally best-selling author of Stranger in the Lake)

“Full of suspense, romance, and drama, No More Words is a powerful story about what it means to be a family. Emotional and honest, it tells the story of three siblings each dealing with demons from the past. I fell in love with all three Carson children and look forward to the second and third installments of this series. Kerry Lonsdale is a master storyteller of family drama, and this is Lonsdale at her best.” (Suzanne Redfearn, number one Amazon best-selling author of In an Instant)

Really terrible.

This book was so bad I could only get through it at 1.4 speed. I was curious to know how it played out, but hated almost every minute. The characters were flat and lacked depth. The story was predictable from the beginning. The writing made me roll my eyes or get annoyed: histrionic heroine, over use of similes, it was truly terrible. In the end, I was just relieved it was over.

More”show,” less “tell.”

The paragraphs and paragraphs of explaining and mining Olivia’s avoidance were irritating and unnecessary. A confident author would demonstrate the trait and leave the interpretation to the reader.

I know this is the first of a three book series, so loose ends are to be expected. BUT-after a character says she’s being followed and stalked, having caused enough panic to cause her to abruptly move, the next chapter has everyone planning to spend a holiday at the place where she was in danger. That’s not a loose end. It’s a glaring omission.

The romance between Olivia and Blaze is overwrought. I’ve read others of her books and I don’t feel she is growing as an author. I doubt I’ll read the next two books.

Entertaining

Good but somewhat predictable storyline. Would have been much better without the overuse of complex similies. So many similies and metaphors but especially similies.

Amazing!!!

I wasn't sure what to expect bc it's not my typical go-to genre, Thriller/Suspense, but wow!!
There were moments I thought I had it figured out and then it just switched up on me (in a good way tho). I ended up figuring it out before it was revealed but still... Really really really good.
Hopefully Audible gets their crap together and gets the second and third books. They love to release the first one and then wait like a year before the release of the others (see any Tijan series)
Definitely going to have to check out this author's other books.

3 stars

No More Words by Kerry Lonsdale is an interesting read. I enjoy the aspect of aphasia and how it made the unknown more believable. However, my biggest pet peeve is that Olivia is adamant against some things for decades and then, with the flip of a page, she changes her stance with no real explanation, other than she "knew deep down". Why hold on to things for so long if you know they aren't true? Also, it is never explained as to why Olivia and Lucas call their parents by their first names, which struck me as forceful and odd, especially given how much of a Daddy's Girl Olivia is.

Susannah Jones is a pretty great narrator. She uses a pretty good range for the characters.

I rate No More Words 3 stars and will read the rest of the series. (As a side note, knowing it was a trilogy took away from [part of] the mystery of Lily.)

Read in one sitting

I could not put this down. And I'm so ready to jump into the next book.
Because I still have so many questions!

Many years ago, Olivia's younger sister left home, pregnant and sixteen. Every year since Olivia receives a letter with a picture of her nephew. There's never been a return address on the letters or any contact information, so she's never had a way to get a hold of her sister. But the betrayal she felt might have kept her from reaching out away.

When her young nephew shows up on her doorstep unexpectedly, she knows something has happened to her sister. But her nephew has trouble communicating making the task harder.

When she speaks to her doctor friend he mentions that drawing could be another way for her nephew to communicate and he happens to be a great artist.

His drawings offer clues to where they live, what might have happened and where she could have gone to.

Loved it!

This was a great story. I enjoyed listening to all of it. There wasn’t a part I didn’t like. I will be sure to read or listen to more by this author. The narrator was easy to listen to and I would definitely listen to her read another book.

Good Book

Enjoyable read suspenseful book. Good story written well. Kept you guessing until the end what happens.

Loved Every Minute

I remembered why I loved Kerry Lonsdale’s books as I started this one. I enjoyed the story and characters. The story kept me guessing all the way through the end.

I enjoyed the narrator as well but did have to speed it up a bit to about 1.4.

I recommend this book to any fan of mystery, family drama, or even a Mary Higgins Clark fan.

what an awesome read

I very much enjoyed the twist and turns of this book, kept me wanting more, and I couldn't stopped listening. The best and what an awesome read this was, WOW, very much enjoyed it.