Heather’s Bookshelf: Every Silent Thing
Author: Alan Brenham
Released: 09/21/23
Genre: Adult Thriller/Mystery
“The sun had set by the time they strolled up Rue de Marche Saint-Honoré. Few people were out now. Instead of going up to her apartment, Claire led Megan up the street to Pierre’s Patisserie. When they walked out, Claire thought she saw the killer or one who looked like him in the bistro across the street."
“Every Silent Thing” is the first in a trilogy of mystery books but was reviewed as a standalone. The book introduces Claire Deveraux, a deaf young woman, one of three triplets. Claire is 23, has her dream job at the US Embassy, and is living in Paris. She’s doing great and loving her life, until a picture-taking expedition at the Louvre turns bad.
Claire finds a woman dying on the restroom floor. Before she stops breathing, the woman whispers three words and places something in Claire’s pocket. The killer gets away, but doesn’t stay gone as he’s determined that Claire must have been passed the information he seeks.
Meanwhile back in the USA, one of the other triplets, Megan, is dragged into a dangerous situation featuring her boyfriend, a robbery, and some really poor decisions. Megan runs away to meet her sister in Paris with a killer trail all of her own. Megan goes on the run, while Claire devises a plan to stay put and get out of the trouble she’s in. Boyd arrives in Europe to help his sisters, but will it be too late? Will any of them make it out alive or will life as they know it be done forever?
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, attempted rape, murder, reference to drug use, cancer
Overall, I enjoyed this story. Told through multiple POVs, including Claire’s, she’s a likable, intelligent, and emotionally complex main protagonist. She’s caring, but guarded. Her character’s complicated by her complex relationship with her family and her underlying deafness. Her sister, Megan, is not so likable. Finding herself in a terrible situation, I really wanted to be on her side. Unfortunately, she makes increasingly poor and selfish decisions leading to devastating consequences for those around her. Boyd is somewhere in between, with Claire’s good heart and Megan’s poor decision-making, but there’s a little bit of a “big-brother” quality that makes him endearing. Their relationships with their adopted parents is messy and supplies even more angst to an emotionally-laden tale. The pacing of this story is well-done with the changing POVs and action sequences pushing it forward. However, some of the transitions were a little clunky and chopped up the potential suspense that could have been there. I loved the idea of a majority of the story taking place in Europe, especially Paris. I actually read a majority of the story while in Paris. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that the intrigue and interesting aspects of the cities came through. It felt like a missed opportunity. The ending felt very complete and satisfying, clearly setting the stage for stories to come.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A mystery/thriller with a likable main protagonist and good pacing, set in an unrealized location. A lack of suspense took away from an otherwise enjoyable read.
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