Dead Silence (Stillwater Trilogy, #1)

by Brenda Novak

There's a body buried behind a Mississippi farmhouse.

Grace Montgomery knows who it is, and she knows why it happened. She was only thirteen 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 thirteen 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.

• ISBN13: 9781408955697
• Publish Date: 1 November 2011 (first published 1 August 2006)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Mira Books
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 260
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

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.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading