Splintered Silence (A Bone Gap Travellers Novel, #1) (Bone Gap Travellers Mystery, #1)

by Susan Furlong

Among the Irish Travellers living in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, no one forgets and no one forgives. And as former Marine MP Brynn Callahan finds out when she returns home, it's hard to bury the past when bodies keep turning up . . .
 
After an IED explosion abruptly ends her tour of duty, Brynn arrives stateside with PTSD and her canine partner, Wilco—both of them bearing the scars of battle. With a mix of affection, curiosity, and misgivings, she goes back to Bone Gap, Tennessee, and the insular culture she'd hoped to escape by enlisting in the Marine Corps.
 
Marginalized and wary of outsiders, the Irish Travellers keep to themselves in a secluded mountain community, maintaining an uneasy coexistence with the “settled” townspeople of McCreary. When Wilco’s training as a cadaver dog leads Brynn to discover a body in the woods, the two worlds collide. Soon it’s clear that Brynn and Wilco are in danger – and they’re not the only ones.
 
After the police identify the dead woman, Brynn is shocked to learn she has a personal connection—and everything she’s been told about her past is called into question.
Forming a reluctant alliance with local sheriff Frank Pusser, Brynn must dig up secrets that not only will rattle her close-knit clan to its core, but may forever change her perception of who she is . . . and put her back in the line of fire.

• ISBN10: 1496711661
• ISBN13: 9781496711663
• Publish Date: 26 December 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 25 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

I’ve never tried anything by Susan Furlong before, but when I saw a thriller read by Amy Landon, I decided to give it a try. I’m really glad I did, because I really enjoyed this new story by a new-to-me author.

Brynn is an Irish Traveller who grew up in the mountains of Tennessee. Irish Travellers are a group of people who some might call gypsies. They travel a lot, but will sometimes settle, but usually away from the more mainstream way of life (what they call settlers). They want to keep their culture separate and don’t trust the settlers (and they have good reasons not to). Brynn had a really bad experience as a child and left at eighteen to join the Marines.

Brynn is now out of the military, she has physical scars and mental scars after surviving an IED blast. Her canine partner, a cadaver dog named Wilco, is now retired with her. He lost his hearing and a hind leg in the explosion. They both suffer from PTSD.

Brynn finally comes back to her roots in Tennessee to help her Gran with her ailing Grandfather. When her dog runs off, he does what he does best. He found dead human remains. This takes Brynn down a great journey of learning about the past, healing from that past and in some ways, the PTSD.

I really like how the author talked about this group of people. I think showing them from Brynn’s point of view helps you to see both sides of these Travellers. Because she grew up in this group, she understands them. She also sees things more like the “settlers” see them. I think it gave great perspective to this group of people that many don’t understand. I also like the author’s note at the beginning which helps explain her association with Irish Travellers and how she tried her best to represent them in the best way she could. You can also go to the author’s website for more information.

I also really had a great time with the characters of this book. Brynn is a great character. She is a war hero trying to make it back in the civilian society. This isn’t easy for the best of us, when you add in that she is part of a sect of people who expect women to marry and have children, she didn’t really fit into either world. Only her dog is there for her every step of the way.

The second characters are really good too. Brynn’s grandmother and grandfather, who raised her since her mother was gone. There is Gran’s new neighbor who is searching for his missing sister. Brynn’s cousin. Also, the sheriff and his deputies who help with the search for identity of the dead woman that Wilco finds in the forest. They are all great characters that fit together really well.

If you like a good murder mystery, this is a fun story that includes a population of people that many in the US don’t know about. It is interesting to see things from their point of view, as the author tries to help break down the stereotypes that have plagued them since they arrived in America.

Narration
Like I said, I’m a fan of Amy Landon. She is the thing that caught my eye to get me to look harder at this book. She is a great narrator who adds a lot of personality to her characters. In this book, she had to do Irish accents for several people. There is also the cops that aren’t part of the Travellers. They have a more typical Southern accent. Anyway, I felt that Amy Landon nailed the narration of this book. She kept me on the edge of my seat and really helped me to connect with the characters.

**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.