For fans of complex mysteries, quirky characters and small town settings
Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks gives readers quite the experience. The story centers around the Boone family and their lives on the private and exclusive Curlew Island. The location is mysterious, but the skeletons in the family’s closet make this story a page-turner. Piper still reals from her own tragedy as she lost her child fifteen years prior. But the Curlew Curse strikes again as Piper is the target of an attack. She decides to rehash the past as things don’t add up. A missing sister, the robbery that lead to her child drowning, and her neighbor’s strange disappearance all lead Piper on a dangerous quest for the truth. Even if the truth means that someone in her family is a murder.
This story is full of complex plot twists and the off-beat characters enhance the overall drama. Quirky isn’t even the best adjective to describe some of the characters. Piper has so many internal issues stemming from her overbearing family. Tucker Landry saves Piper’s life, but he has so many struggles from his past that he can barely function. Mandy is with the Coast Guard and her southern accent gives off a weird vibe as it mixes with her Asian roots. Piper’s family lives super elitist lives, but their shallowness can barely mask their eccentric ways. The characters are broken and hidden secrets can’t be contained any longer. Plus, a hurricane is bearing down on the island, threatening to decimate the family estate. So much is going on in this story, but it all adds to the mystery and suspense that kept me flipping pages. Towards the end, some of the action seemed a little unbelievable, but I was so sucked into the story and characters that it didn’t seem to matter. I kept thinking, what else could happen? and then the next page would throw out yet another over the top twist. I couldn’t even guess the culprit – everyone was a suspect with the amount of baggage all of the characters carried.
I recommend suspense fans checking out this novel. It gives readers a fast-paced novel full of plot twists and outlandish characters. This kind of reminds me of some of the Agatha Christie novels like And Then There were None, where you have a cast of characters all in one place and any of them can be a suspect in the murder. This story definitely has an old-school mystery vibe to it.
Overall: 5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down
Suspense: 5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)
I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.