My book club read Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks during the summer, but I am just now writing a review — yes that is how my year is going. Although I love Parks’ novels, this one was not my favorite. However, it was a hit with my group. One member liked it so much she bought a bunch of books on Parks’ backlist. You can read my impressions below.
A powerful family with dark secrets.
After personal tragedy, Piper Boone retreats to her childhood home—a secluded mansion for the wealthy Boone family, who are practically American royalty. When catastrophe strikes, her family is put in the spotlight, and the line between victim and suspect gets blurred.
A forensic artist with his own haunting past.
Tucker Landry is drawn to Piper in the midst of the trauma, but the connections being made to her family might prove to be their undoing. With a hurricane beating down on the private island, there isn’t much time to find answers.
The truth will determine whether she lives or dies.
Carrie Stuart Parks is an award winning artist, writer, speaker, and law enforcement instructor. A Certified Forensic Artist, she met her husband, Rick, in the romantic hallways of the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Together they formed a dynamic and successful team in their fine and forensic art, working on major national and international cases and creating exquisite watercolors and stone carvings. They travel internationally, teaching forensic art to a variety of participants: from the Secret Service to the FBI, from large law enforcement agencies to the smallest two-man departments in their one-week classes. They are the largest instructors of forensic art in the world. Carrie has won numerous awards for her innovative teaching methods and general career excellence and is a signature member of the Idaho Watercolor Society.
Parks began her fiction writing career while battling breast cancer. Mentored by NY Times bestselling author, Frank Peretti, Carrie’s debut novel, along with her subsequent novels, have been met with critical acclaim.
My Impressions:
While Carrie Stuart Parks is a favorite author of mine, I was not a big fan of her novel Relative Silence. It really should have checked all the boxes for me — fast-paced suspense set on the Georgia coast (Georgia is my home state), with a twisting plot. Instead it fell a bit flat. I never really clicked with the characters and I found the plot somewhat predictable, even with its many twists and turns. It was almost like I could see them coming. I am definitely in the minority — members of my book club loved it and it won the 2021 Christy Award for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller. This only goes to show that the reading experience is very subjective and can be influenced by mood and circumstances. I urge you to check out other reviewers’ thoughts on this book. Parks is a great author and my experience with this book in no way will influence my reading other books by her.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
I have not read this one yet either and I also enjoy her works. I will be curious to see what I think. Great review.
I have read some of Carrie’s books but it’s been a LONG time. Sorry this one was a miss for you. That’s a too-frequent issue in my reading too. Sometimes the books EVERYONE else loves is a big miss for me. Sad but it happens. 🙂