Dead Silence

By: Brenda Novak

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

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)

I liked the ending!

I thought this novel was a little slow moving, a little too sappy and, at times, couldn’t wait for it to end. A little boring....3 1/2 stars really. But, much to my surprise, the story ends on an intriguing note, and now I want to listen to the next book in the series to see what happens!

I found the narrator somewhat annoying. Some of her accents irritated me, and her voice for Teddy, one of the little boys in the story as well as probably my favorite character, was too high and strained, and left a lot to be desired.

However, I will probably go on to the next in the series although I wasn’t planning on it because, suddenly, as I mentioned above, the story ends on a very intriguing note.

One of the better series in the Romance Package

While the Romance Package seems like a good deal for those of us who are addicted to audiobooks, the truth is that the selection of books are, mostly, not the best available. It's a whole lot of misses before you get the hits. I think that most of them are a way for Audible to make some money off the least rented titles. This Brenda Novak series is pretty entertaining. Not the greatest I have read but nice entertainment, especially on a long road trip.

Great all the way around!

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

Hang ON tight

wow... masterfully written and just when you think you know what's gonna happen, BAMMMMMM... got ya!

Great story, awful narration.

I almost quit listening because the Southern accents and character voices got on my last nerve. Glad I persisted but also happy to hear that the next book in the series has a different narrator.

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

Dead Silence

Dead Silence by Brenda Novak is the first book in the Stillwater Trilogy. Although each book features a different couple, they need to be read in order as the books are connected.

Dead Silence introduces Grace Montgomery and Kennedy Archer. Grace did not have an easy childhood. She lost her innocence from the age of thirteen and since then everything went spiralling out of control. Her break came when she got the opportunity to leave Stillwater. She turned her life around. Several years still haunted by the tragic events that occurred when she was only thirteen years old, she returned to Stillwater hoping to exorcise the ghosts of her past. Up on her return she realized the residents unfavorable opinion of her had not changed and that they still blamed her family for the disappearance of their beloved Reverend Lee Barker who was her stepfather.

Kennedy Archer was the popular boy in school whom Grace had a crush, but he never gave her the time of day. Now eighteen years later, a widower and father to two adorable little boys, he found himself drawn to Grace. She wanted nothing to do with him, despite her attraction to him, as he was a reminder of her horrible past. However, when his son Teddy kept visiting and hanging out with her, she found herself caught up in her attraction for Kennedy. But will she be able to let go of the past and cease the happiness that she deserves?

I enjoyed the interaction between Grace and Kennedy, and I loved the bond she developed with his sons. The relationship between the main characters developed too fast for my liking given the circumstances. I admired how he stood by her, especially when she revealed the truth of what happened in her past.

I found the mystery intriguing. Readers know what happened to the reverend and why, but the location of his remains was an enigma. Only one person knows and he ain’t talking. There were moments when I feared for Grace as there was one person determined to see her pay for the reverend’s disappearance.

The supporting characters enhanced the story, and I enjoyed getting to know them, although there was one I didn’t particularly like. I especially loved Grace’s brother Clay, whose story we will be getting in book two and I cannot wait to see how that one will play out.

I enjoyed the narration. This was my first time listening to Suzanne Toren, and I thought she did a wonderful job capturing the characters. I loved how she brought across the emotions of the characters. I would definitely listen to her again.

Conclusion/Recommendation
I found this to be a splendid start to the series and I am looking forward to the next book.

awesome

I really loved it, couldn't put it down! Cant wait to start the second book

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.