Conspiracy of Silence

by Glede Browne Kabongo

[violetpeanut]

This was a compelling story that I found very hard to put down. I read it in all of 2 days. The book focuses on Nina Kasai, a very strong woman who has worked very hard to build the perfect life in spite of the abuse she suffered as a child. Her past comes back to haunt her, though, and her carefully constructed walls start to tumble down around her. The secrets she has kept from her closest friends and husband threaten to ruin her perfect life.

The first half of the book is more of a psychological thriller. The reader is left wondering what Nina's big secret is and how it could be big enough to ruin her marriage if it were revealed. How does Phillip tie into everything? What the heck is going on? Once it's revealed who Phillip really is the reader really gets to see the manipulation involved. There are some very dramatic scenes between Nina and her best friend and Nina and her husband.

I loved that Nina was a strong woman and made something of herself despite her past. There were certain points where I wanted to just bang my head against the wall in frustration because she was being so stubborn - especially in not revealing the truth to her husband. I wanted to just shake her and tell her to "just tell him already!" That's what makes a well-written character; they evoke emotion from the reader and you become emotionally invested in what happens to them. I definitely cared what happened to Nina.

I also thought Phillip was very well written. He is manipulative and a liar and definitely a sociopath. There are a few scenes written more from his point of view and they are fascinating. They actually had me wondering if there was going to be a big twist where Nina was making the whole thing up.

The second half of the book is more of a legal thriller. There are scenes between Nina and her psychiatrist as she comes to terms with her abuse that are honest and poignant. The courtroom scenes were also well done. They were exciting and authentic without becoming boring.

All in all, this was an exciting and compelling read and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.