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"Silent victim" by Caroline Mitchell – Book Review
Posted on March 11, 2018 by Fictionophile
I'm delighted to be participating in the official blog tour for Caroline Mitchell's latest novel. A psychological thriller that will keep you riveted from first page until last. This is the first novel I've read by this author and you can be sure that I will be seeking out her other work.
Blurb: Emma's darkest secrets are buried in the past. But the truth can't stay hidden for long.
Emma is a loving wife, a devoted mother…and an involuntary killer. For years she's been hiding the dead body of the teacher who seduced her as a teen.
It's a secret that might have stayed buried if only her life had been less perfect. A promotion for Emma's husband, Alex, means they can finally move to a bigger home with their young son. But with a buyer lined up for their old house, Emma can't leave without destroying every last trace of her final revenge…
Returning to the shallow grave in the garden, she finds it empty. The body is gone.
Panicked, Emma confesses to her husband. But this is only the beginning. Soon, Alex will discover things about her he'll wish he'd learned sooner. And others he'll long to forget.
"Silent victim" is told via the voices of three different people and includes flashbacks to 2002 when Emma was sixteen.
Emma (our 30 year-old protagonist) is a very damaged individual. To the casual observer she seems fine. Happily married, the mother of a darling young son, and the owner of a thriving business. But those who know her well are aware of the 'real' Emma. A woman with a very serious eating disorder, low self-esteem, myriad insecurities, and a huge secret.
Alex, Emma's husband, adores his wife and baby son. What he doesn't adore is where they live. A city boy, Alex is not fond of the isolated position of the house that Emma inherited after her father's death. Located on East Mersea, an island off the coast of Essex, it's accessibility is determined by the tides. When he is offered a new position in the Leeds office, he quickly accepts. Leeds is his hometown, his mother lives there, and he thinks it will be a healthy move for his wife and son. Little does he know that this decision will have profound effects on Emma, himself, and everything he holds dear. For Emma has a secret, and that secret is irrevocably tied to the Mersea house where she grew up…
Strood Causeway at high tide
"It didn't matter where I moved – I knew that this strange, haunting place would be a part of me forever."
Flash back now to 2002. Emma is turning sixteen. She and her ailing and withdrawn father live alone in an isolated cottage in East Mersea. Her elder sister has moved out, and her Mother abandoned the family when Emma was just thirteen. Psychologically damaged by her mother's treatment of her, Emma feels guilty that she was the cause of her mother's leaving.
"I felt abandoned by everyone, adrift and unloved."
Luke Priestwood is a school teacher at Emma's school. A manipulative sociopath, he grooms Emma to do his bidding. Vulnerable and naive, Emma falls into his trap…
Luke: "It was only a matter of time before Emma became attracted to me. Coaxing young women into my bed came as no trouble at all."
Emma: "In some masochistic way I had welcomed his contact. It was rough and unloving but the best someone like me could hope for."
Flash forward again to 2017. Emma's eating disorder is escalating and her mental health is precarious. She begins to doubt her own actions and memory of events. Alex feels shock and betrayal by Emma's lies and revelations. Will their marriage survive this?
This is a fast-paced thriller with well-developed characters in an atmospheric setting. Everything I require to make a suspense novel compelling. I was tickled to see the name of one of my favorite book bloggers included in the book. She was lucky to have the author name one of the minor characters after her. How cool is that?
If you love character-driven thrillers, tense situations, plot twists, and an ending that culminates in justice, then this is definitely the novel for you. Highly recommended!
"Silent Victim" was released by the publisher on March 1, 2018. It is available now for purchase at all the large booksellers.
I wish to thank Thomas Mercer via Charlotte Cooper for my digital copy of "Silent Victim". Check out the other stops on the blog tour! An international #1 and USA Today bestselling thriller author, Caroline Mitchell originates from Ireland and now lives with her family in a village on the coast of Essex. A former police detective, Caroline has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time, with over half a million copies of her books sold.
As well as her crime series, Caroline also writes stand-alone psychological thrillers. Her works have been translated into four different languages.
This entry was posted in Book Reviews, Favorite books, Page turners, Psychological thrillers, Suspense and tagged England, recommended reading, stand-alone novels, thrillers. Bookmark the permalink.
6 Responses to "Silent victim" by Caroline Mitchell – Book Review
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Bill Kupersmith says:
As a once upon member of the West Mersey Yacht Club, I must read this one.
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*flails* Oh my gosh, that blurb alone sounds fabulous! That's so neat that a book blogger got a minor character named after her! As book fans, I imagine that's one of the highest honors. This sounds great. I've added it to my TBR list. 🙂 Thanks for the review!
I'm so pleased that you might want to read it. I'm pretty sure that it will be included in my best of 2018 list.
skyecaitlin says:
This sounds wonderful!