An Act of Silence by Colette McBeth Book Review

BLURB

A powerful psychological thriller about a mother faced with an impossible choice, and the consequences of her decision for years to come. Perfect for fans of APPLE TREE YARD, DISCLAIMER, and television dramas STATE OF PLAY and NATIONAL TREASURE.

These are the facts I collect.

My son Gabriel met a woman called Mariela in a bar. She went home with him. The next morning she was found in an allotment. 

Mariela is dead.

Gabriel has been asked to report to Camden Police Station in six hours for questioning. 

Linda Moscow loves her son; it's her biological instinct to keep him safe. But if she's not sure of his innocence, how can she stand by him? Should she go against everything she believes in to protect him?

She's done it before, and the guilt nearly killed her.

Now, the past is catching up with them. As old secrets resurface, Linda is faced with another impossible choice. Only this time, it's her life on the line...


MY THOUGHTS

I read a sample of An Act of Silence by Colette McBeth when I attended the Killer Women Festival in London last October. After reading the first few pages I couldn’t wait to read the rest of the book and I was thrilled when my Netgalley request was approved.

In the novel we meet Linda Moscow, a former politician who was once the home secretary. When her son Gabriel returns home to ask for her help she is put in a difficult situation. Gabriel is a suspect in the murder of a girl who he slept with the night before her body was found in an allotment which backs onto his house. The police are building a strong case against him and Linda must decide if whether or not she believes her son. Is he really capable of something as heinous as this?

The direction that the novel took after the shocking opening really surprised me and added real depth to the story. An Act of Silence is an intricately plotted piece of work with great characters that were really well developed. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and at different points in time. There were times when I did find this a little confusing but it didn’t take me long to work out what was going on. Colette really made me feel for her characters, especially for Linda who is at the heart of this novel and her quest to get to the truth in this book was inspiring.

I loved the ending of this book. I thought it was a great way to wrap up the story and it left me feeling very satisfied. Colette McBeth is a very talented writer and I can’t wait to read more from her. I’ll be reading her previous novels very soon.

An Act of Silence is a powerful, emotional story. It is crime fiction at its very best. Thank you to Netgalley and Wildfire for providing me with a copy to read.

Publisher: Wildfire

Publication date: 29th June 2017

Print length: 352 pages

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