The Silent Listener Review

Deep red scars. Cold dark secrets . . .

In the cold, wet summer of 1960, 11-year-old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she is nothing but a filthy sinner destined for Hell . . .Yet, decades later, she returns to the family’s farm to nurse him on his death bed. To her surprise, her ‘perfect’ sister Ruth is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge.

Then the day after their father finally confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead – with a belt pulled tight around his neck . . .

For Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, investigating George’s murder revives memories of an unsolved case still haunting him since that strange summer of 1960: the disappearance of nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe.

As seemingly impossible facts surface about the Henderson’s – from the past and the present – Shepherd suspects that Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and that Wendy’s disappearance is the key to the bizarre truth.

The Silent Listener is the first novel by Australian editor and author, Lyn Yeowart. George Henderson, a respected member of the Blackhunt community, is dead. His daughter, Joy, called back after a seventeen-year absence to care for her dying father, might be expected to grieve, but does not. Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, summoned to the scene by George’s doctor, is suspicious: did Joy murder her father? If so, why?

In 1942, after a very short courtship, Gwen marries George Henderson and is brought to his newly-purchased dairy farm at Blackhunt in rural Victoria. From his detailed instructions, his rigid rules, his tight control of every aspect of her life, and his physical abuse, Gwen understands that this marriage will never be what she had expected.

Having no alternative, Gwen works hard to keep George happy and seeks refuge in her chooks and her flowers and the tiny room where she makes bouquets and wreaths to earn a few pounds. Within a decade, Gwen has given birth to a son, Mark, and two daughters, Ruth and Joy. She tries to protect them, but without a clear example of mothering in her own life, is less than successful.

Her children grow up learning to fear their father’s mercurial moods, which might deteriorate from the amount of rain that falls or the size of the butter factory cheque or the vet’s bill, or the perceived breaking of one of his countless arbitrary rules; they live in constant fear of the corporal punishment he seems to relish in dishing out to his “dirty, filthy sinners who are going to rot in Hell”.

George is a pillar of the community: An Elder of the Church, active in Rotary, a member of the High School PTA, the Fire Brigade, and the Shire Council committee, always helpful to neighbours, loved and lauded by all. When nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe goes missing two days after Christmas in 1960, no one in the town of Blackhunt could imagine he would have anything to do with it. But Wendy is never found, and Alex Shepherd is plagued by his failure to find her.

The story plays out over three time periods and is told from three perspectives. Readers are likely to wonder from the start about reliability of Joy’s narrative, and will feel vindicated about certain aspects as the facts are revealed, but there are still plenty of red herrings, distractions and twists to keep the pages turning.

The building tension in the story is sometimes relieved by neighbour Robert Larsen’s amusing word confusions (fire distinguisher, a quick trump call, obliviously, a fine lemming meringue pie), Joy’s insidious little acts of revenge, her musings about God, and the images and feelings that certain words convey to her. The easy acceptance of Gwen’s search of the Death Notices for “good ones” highlights the distortion of normality in this family.

Yeowart’s portrayal of setting and era are faultless, and the mindset of this small Australian rural community in each of the time periods is likely to strike a chord with many. Her character development is particularly skilful, and her depiction of coercive control is chilling. Her cop, if tenacious, is not terribly clever, but he does get there in the end. This is a slow burn thriller that richly rewards the reader’s patience.  4 stars.

Don’t You Want Me Review

London,1981. As race riots erupt, Prince Charles and Lady Diana prepare to marry & New Romantics dance, an identity-shifting serial killer is operating in plain sight. But no-one has realised except Detective Inspector Anna Leeding, who has secrets of her own…

Amid the cultural and social upheaval of 1981, D.I. Leeding suspects apparent accidents and suicides could be subtle acts of revenge, and strange blue charcoal messages may be the key to something bigger and deadlier. But in this cat-and-mouse story of vengeance, no-one is quite what they seem, and in 1981, when the New Romantics played with image, first appearances can be deceptive.

1981 was not so removed from today, with a highly divisive celebrity President, and race protests filling the streets. A time when gender and sexual identity were openly questioned, and the far right clashed with the far left. There was an existential threat; today, climate change and Covid-19, in 1981, we hoarded food and prepared for when either the U.S or Russian leader pushed the nuclear button.

So, to everyone who was there and those for whom this is their first time, “Don’t You Want Me?’ welcomes you to 1981. It was a hell of a year.

This story was a delight to read, it was steeped in 80s cultural references to films and music which I am old enough to remember. It portrays a different London to today’s London. It wasn’t fast paced but it was nevertheless a compelling read and I was glued to the virtual pages. Flashbacks to earlier years give an insight to the development of the killer’s psychopathy but it wasn’t gory at all. It was a kind of revenge theme taken to extremes.

My brain was doing somersaults trying to figure out the twist at the end and it was deliciously unpredictable. The characters were well written especially the two female police officers and I loved the slow reveal of their secrets. It is not a short book but I powered through it I couldn’t put it down. 4 stars.

The Final Chapter Review

David, Samuel, and Julie were childhood friends in the Summer of 1986. Until she disappeared.

Thirty years later, David is a famous author and Samuel is his Publisher. Each receives a Manila envelope with the first chapter of what will be twelve, of a manuscript exposing the TRUTH about what happened that Summer.

There will also be a third recipient.

Each is receiving the document because of his or own failure in the Past.

One failed to listen.

One failed to report what he saw.

One should have spoken out.

And, the sender wants the truth to finally be exposed. But who knows all of their secrets?

I was grabbed from the very start by this book due to the idea of a story within a story and it totally worked for me, I was hooked from the beginning. The narrative is carried out perfectly and the characters are relatable, likeable and well written with the use of childhood memories along with present day really allowing readers to get to know the characters as they develop through the story.

The plot is complexly created through the use of flashbacks and discussions intertwined with the three manuscripts, all of which are identical except for the last chapter which holds the clues to solving the mystery. I found this style unusual and really enjoyable.

The best part that was the ending was unpredictable right up to the last which is a rarity in crime fiction.  I cannot wait to read more of Jerome Loubry’s work. A solid 4 star novel.

The Lies We Tell Review

When son Freddy comes home and admits he has done something terrible, Sarah and husband Tom are in a difficult position. Do they tell the police or try to cover it up to protect their son? Faced with a dilemma that could not only threaten the happiness of the family but also their marriage.

The novel had a steady pace (as all of Jane Corry’s masterpieces do) and spanned several timelines which is an aspect I love in books, the intertwining of the back storyline and the current time thread was so cleverly done and linked together so masterfully it was a pleasure to read.

At the end of each chapter is a section in italics that could be attributed to any number of the characters suffering through these events, although slightly confusing as the reader doesn’t know who is having the thoughts it adds a clever sense of foreshadowing and serves as a reminder that there is something deeper to this story than just the memories of a couple that have hit hard times.

An interesting aspect of the novel is that all of characters were flawed and were slightly unlikeable but the one I disliked the most was Tom who had a hard and distant outlook towards his family. The character I found myself warming to the most was Sarah, although instances that occurred in the book also made her unlikeable in some respects.

The storyline wraps up in its own way, with a complete resolution to the traumas that each character goes through, but not without some sort of cost or consequence. As a reader it made me think and question how much someone would go to protect their child and the lengths that I myself would take. It was a stark reminder that the innocence of children doesn’t last forever and that one mistake can change the course of everything as well as the experiences that have shaped a human being will also shape them as a parent and their children as adults. It was particularly poignant to be able to reflect on this through Sarah’s eyes.

As always, the style of the writing made this a very easy and quick read. A definite 5 star rating from me.

The Deadening Review

I received an ARC of the deadening by Kerry Peresta in return for an honest review through NetGalley. Thank you so much to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to do so.

Olivia Callahan’s quiet, orderly life is shattered when she regains consciousness in a hospital and discovers she is paralyzed and cannot remember a thing. The fragmented voices she hears around her help her piece together that an apparent assault landed her in the hospital, but nobody knows who attacked her, or why. After a chilling struggle to survive, she awakens from a coma unable to remember what happened to her or anything at all, except she has been told she is an entirely different person. Or is she? 

Now, in spite of a brain injury that has rewired her personality, Olivia is on a mission to reclaim her life. As clarity surfaces and she starts to understand who she was, she is shocked. Had she really been that person? And if so, does she want her old life back?

This book intrigued me from the very first sentence of the blurb and it kept me engrossed from cover to cover.

In the Deadening, the first instalment in the Olivia Callahan Suspense Series, a suspenseful tale is told that follows the challenges that Olivia Callahan faces as she puts the pieces of her life back together after a traumatic assault.

Olivia is found with a serious head injury on the grounds of Mercy Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Comatose, blind, with a traumatic brain injury, and paralyzed, Olivia doesn’t have any identification on her, and is classified as a Jane Doe, until a nurse sees a missing person report on the television. Olivia is considered Mercy’s Miracle when she regains consciousness and begins the journey of recovering, but she doesn’t have any memory of her past. Olivia is determined to reclaim her life, but as her memories return via triggers that prompt flashbacks, Olivia is surprised by the way she had lived in the past, and with the help of Richmond Detective Hunter Faraday, they are determined to find the person behind the assault, and deal with the cryptic web of deceit from her past that surfaces along the way.

Told in the present time and intertwined with flashbacks of her past, the reader gets to know Olivia and see things through her eyes as her memories return via triggers. Olivia is no longer who she used to be, and with the help of Detective Faraday, she wants to find the culprit, and move on with her life.

The author created a fantastic mix of drama and suspense that keeps the reader guessing and on their toes throughout the whole novel. I couldn’t tear my eyes away through wanting to find out who had caused Olivia to lose herself and why. The reader goes on a journey with Olivia to untangle the cryptic web within her memory and the trials she faces along the way such as deceit, heartbreak, family issues and much more.

This is another 5 star read for me and I would highly recommend to readers who love a crime/mystery/ thriller genre and anyone wanting to try something new.

Porno Valley Review

I received an ARC of Porno Valley by Philip Elliott through Netgalley so extended thanks to the Author, Publishers and Netgalley for allowing me a copy in return for an honest review.

It’s the year 2000 and 78-year-old Mickey O’Rourke has been a Los Angeles PI for a very long time. He’d thought he’d seen it all until the disappearance of porn star Jeffrey Strokes sends him from the sex-filled studios of the San Fernando Valley to the desperate streets of Compton where Mickey’s final case becomes his biggest test.

Flash back to 1998 and struggling hair salon employee Jemeka Johnson, suspecting boyfriend Ray-Ray of infidelity, follows him one night from their East Compton home to what turns out to be a drug deal gone sour where a twist of fate finds Jemeka tossed onto a dark and dangerous path—one that offers huge reward for someone bold enough to seize it.

Meanwhile, in 1999, tired of robbing small-town diners and shooting bad dope in filthy motel rooms, newlyweds Richie and Alabama return to LA in search of the perfect score.

Path’s cross and past meets present as bad decisions hurtle toward worse consequences—and no one will ever be the same.

Porno Valley is the second instalment of his superb Angel City Private Investigation novels. It unfolds like an LA noir novel. It is packed to the brim with diverse characters ranging from the incredibly real portrayed gangsters that rule the cities darkest areas to the 18-year-old porn star who still has a sense of innocence about her. The characters are three dimensional and spend the span of the novel striving to obtain freedom, happiness and money, although not necessarily in that order.

The novel is a fast-paced and constantly changing novel and is superbly plotted. It allows the reader to cast their eye over an LA that is changing with a new century where the shiny surface masks a stagnant desperation, a cruel violence and addiction.

The author is an incredibly gifted storyteller and this is a must read for anyone who loves crime fiction, thrillers or wants to reading something out of their normal genre. A 5 star read for sure.