Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Mystery Book Review: A Stain on the Silence by Andrew Taylor

Mysterious Reviews: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller and Crime Novel Reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books


by
Non-series

Hyperion (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-4013-0284-X (140130284X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4013-0284-9 (9781401302849)
Publication Date: February 2010
List Price: $15.99

— ◊ —

A Stain on the Silence by Andrew Taylor
Buy A Stain on the Silence by Andrew Taylor

Review: The past becomes the present when long-hidden secrets come to light in A Stain on the Silence, a stand-alone mystery by Andrew Taylor.

James is a man in his 40s and happily married. One day he receives a phone call from St. Margaret's Hospice informing him that a patient there, Mrs. Lily Murthington, wants to see him. Lily is the mother of Carlo, a childhood friend ... and she was also James' first lover, when he was 15. James hasn't seen Lily or Carlo since she ended their affair some 24 years ago. With a flood of youthful -- and painful -- memories coming back to him, James visits Lily where he receives shocking news: their relationship produced a daughter, who Lily named Kate. But Kate is in trouble. The police think she has killed her live-in lover and are looking for her. She has no money and no place to stay. James suggests that she contact a lawyer, but Lily insists Kate needs her father ... a man she knows nothing about.

A Stain on the Silence is told in a series of flashbacks that help set the stage for the current situation. There is a sense that James may be remembering events somewhat differently than they actually happened -- for better or worse -- and the consequences of these memories may be relevant to the present. More plot-driven than character-driven, the story unfolds in a way that captures the reader's imagination. Though likely shelved as a mystery, which arguably it is, A Stain on the Silence should also appeal to those readers who appreciate a touching and captivating story, regardless of genre.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of A Stain on the Silence and to Hyperion for providing a copy of the book for this review.

Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

— ◊ —

Synopsis (from the publisher): What if a childless man in his forties discovers that he has a daughter, the result of an affair twenty-five years earlier? What if the daughter is pregnant? And what if she’s on the run for murder?

— ◊ —

Mysterious Reviews is your source for the latest mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime novel reviews, edited by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Return to Mystery Books News ...

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Omnimystery Blog Archive

Total Pageviews (last 30 days)

Omnimystery News
Original Content Copyright © 2022 — Omnimystery, a Family of Mystery Websites — All Rights Reserved
Guest Post Content (if present) Copyright © 2022 — Contributing Author — All Rights Reserved