Title: Not a Sound
Expected
publication: 1 June 2017
My
Rating:🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
Amelia Winn was a skilled and dedicated ER and sexual
assault nurse when a rogue driver slammed into her, almost killing her and
leaving her fighting for her life in ICU. Amelia survived, but was left
profoundly deaf. Depressed and drowning her sorrows in alcohol in the two years
following the hit and run, Amelia now lives on her own in a remote cabin in the
woods with only her service dog Stitch for company, trying her best to overcome
the addiction that has cost her her family and most of her friends. When the craving
for alcohol strikes these days, she takes her kayak to the vast system of
rivers and channels near her home and paddles until her muscles ache and the
calm of the water has seeped into her body. But her refuge is compromised when
on one of her morning paddles she finds the body of a woman in the shallows of
the muddy river banks. A nurse, who was once Amelia’s colleague and friend.
Deeply troubled and touched by the incident, Amelia seeks out the dead woman’s
husband and discovers that she had tried to contact Amelia shortly before her
death to discuss some concerns she had about an incident at work. Is it
possible that her work as a sexual assault nurse had put her in the path of a
killer?
My musings:
I really enjoyed Amelia Winn’s character in Not a Sound and,
seeing the impressive list of books written by the author, I am amazed that I
have not come across more novels by Heather Gudenkauf! This must definitely be
remedied (I can see my Himalayan TBR pile growing even higher). In the epilogue
to Not a Sound, Gudenkauf says that, like Amelia, she has first-hand experience
of being hearing impaired. Perhaps it is this deep personal understanding of
Amelia’s daily struggles that make her character so sympathetic and believable.
Throughout the story I was constantly reflecting on the implications of not
being able to hear even the slightest sound – no birdsong in the early morning
hours, not the voice of your loved ones, not the warning crunch of an intruder’s
footsteps in the snow outside your house. Even your own panicked voice, calling
911 after finding a dead body in the water, not sure if there is a person on
the other end of the line receiving your call.
I loved the inclusion of scarred service dog Stitch into the story, who
added an interesting and engaging element – and not in the corny, overacting
way that animal characters can sometimes appear in other books. Plucky, determined
and not easily scared, Amelia made for a perfect amateur sleuth, with Stitch by
her side.
Fast paced and full of action, Not a Sound is both a taut
and engaging thriller as well as a story of personal growth and overcoming challenges.
Being a nurse myself, I could easily put myself into Amelia’s position,
wondering how I would fare losing a job I love and that fulfils me due to a
freak accident (or was it?). I also take my hat off to the author for mastering
the art of including medical terminology and detail into the story in a way
that is easily understandable by a layperson but also rings true for medical
professionals – it may sound trite, but as with any specialty field, this
balance is not easily achieved. Gudenkauf not only brings her characters to
life, but also paints an atmospheric setting that made for some wonderful
armchair travel to rural Iowa. I just love thrillers set in wild and remote
locations, where the terrain, the weather and the somewhat reclusive
inhabitants create their own unique challenges. So whilst the actual mystery
underlying Gwen’s death may have been fairly straight forward to me (and
somewhat predictable), the action-packed cat-and-mouse game as Amelia tries to
outwit a killer more than made up for it!
Summary:
Not a Sound is a character driven, taut and action packed
thriller that kept my interest throughout. With its atmospheric setting and
sympathetic main protagonist, I enjoyed it immensely and would not be averse to
seeing Amelia and Stitch back for another amateur sleuth adventure.
Thank
you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Purchase this title or other books by the author here
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