annieb123
Written on Jul 10, 2022
The Silent Witness is the third Amanda Steele procedural thriller by Carolyn Arnold. Released 24th Sept 2021, it's 294 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a tensely written, action driven procedural with loads of atmosphere and a feeling of real threat. The opening scene, almost a prologue, which sets up the entire plot arc was difficult to read with its brutality. The author has very good technical expertise with descriptive prose, and although the dialogue is a bit rough in places, it's never clunky and I never found myself yanked out of the story by overwrought descriptions or action.
This is definitely not a cozy mystery and much of the action, which includes home invasion, violent murder, and a traumatized child, may be potentially triggering to some readers. There are now 5 extant books in the series, with a 6th due out in late 2022, so for fans of procedural thrillers, this is a solid contender for binge reading. Despite being the third book in the series, all necessary back-story is provided in context, and the mystery is self contained in this volume, so it could be read as a standalone.
The author is adept and competent. Although it's not at all derivative, the vibe here felt a lot like Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme books, and fans of that series will likely enjoy this one as well.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
