The Absence of Screams

A Thriller

De: Ben Follows

Narrado por: Brian Callanan

From the author of Blind River comes a riveting thriller about love, loss, and the lengths we're willing to go for family.

Eleven years ago, Marcus lost everything. His daughter was kidnapped, and his wife was murdered. Now, he spends his days pretending to be paralyzed and touring the country, raising money for missing children. He hopes that if he helps enough people find their missing child, someday, he will find his own.

Just as he's about to give up hope, he finds one of the kidnappers. He attacks her, but she refuses to give him back his daughter. In his rage, he kills her, but not before she signals an accomplice. For the second time, Marcus watches his daughter disappear into the night.

With no one to trust and sinking in deepening quicksand of lies and deception, Marcus will need to risk everything if he's going to unravel the mystery of his daughter's disappearance. Even if that means losing his life.

With a riveting plot that will keep you guessing until the last moment, The Absence of Screams is a must-hear for thriller fans.

©2017 Ben Follows (P)2019 Ben Follows

WOW!!!

I had no idea what I was getting into when I listened to this book. This was fantastically written, illustrating just how far some folks will go to get what they want.

While in the military, Marcus Devereaux, comes home on temporary leave, to join his wife and daughter. One evening, the house was broken into and Marcus's daughter, Danielle is kidnapped and in the process of the kidnapping his wife, Cassandra, ends up killed. Marcus decides that he is going to do what it takes to get his daughter back, which means he tells folks that he was shot in the back and therefore cannot walk and is wheel chaired bound, in order to gain sympathy from other. He and his partner in crime, Angela, organize a "non-profit" to help find missing children. This of course is a sham, but it sounds like Marcus doesn't find out about shadiness of the organization until later on. Marcus and Angela from military base to military base speaking and trying to raise funds for the non profit organization, until at one base, he leaves the compounds and goes to Marino's Pub in Harper's Mill, where he finds Tatiana Shembly, the one woman who kidnapped his daughter. After he ends up killing her, Charles Shembly (the husband of Tatiana) leaves their farm and takes their twins and Charle's sister ends up taking Danielle into hiding. From there, the plot thickens and new characters come in to make their debut. I do not want to share all that has occurred, but let me tell you, you will not be disappointed.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom

Phenomenal

The Absence of Screams is a complex mystery thriller that will have you on the very edge of your seat. I went into this book expecting one thing and got something else, and I'm glad for it. The plot is rich, brimming with intensity, packed with many unexpected ups, downs, twists, and turns, it's impossible to predict the outcome. Ben Follows is an exceptional storyteller, cleverly concealing the truth as more and more clues are revealed through the characters.

The characters are real, far from perfect, flawed, and few are outright despicable. The intricacy of human behavior, desperation, betrayal, greed, and anger are all skillfully applied. Motives are buried in a tangled web of lies and deception. I'm amazed at the drive and the levels people can go to get what they covet the most.

One thing that I liked is as the story progresses, the characters evolve. Some turn out different than initially depicted. One of these characters is Marcus. He is an imperfect man and has made questionable choices. He is desperate to find his daughter Danial and is willing to risk everything. Despite his shortcomings, I genuinely felt for him as he paid for his mistakes tenfold.

Overall, this is a brilliantly-written story with a stellar performance by Brian Callanan. He is a talented voice actor, honing on the nuances of the various personalities and distinct temperaments of the cast, breathing life into each one. I strongly recommend the Absence of Screams to all Thriller fans.