This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Not for me, it got too bogged down in legal jargon and the author's personal political virtues. Sorry.

A good book based in USA worth reading
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review

The terrifying subject of abduction is explored here in a twisted and yet sensitive light. When Judge Scott Sampson receives a text from his wife, stating that his weekly swim with his six-year-old twins has to be postponed due to a doctor's appointment, he feels nothing but slight disappointment. When he arrived home, however, to find his wife has no knowledge of the text sent from her own phone and their twins nowhere in sight, disappointment morphs into agitation. This heightens into terror and grief when an anonymous phone caller reveals that his precious children are now being used as collateral. A preferred case outcome will see twins, Sam and Emma, released back to their parents. The caller has only one rule for them: say nothing.

The fast-pace of this novel had me tearing through the pages in my eagerness to know more. The multiple twists and red herrings made the outcome an unguessable one and the impact of it that much greater.

I found the initial fast-pace distanced me from the characters, however. I felt I wasn't given sufficient time to acclimatise to the plot or get to empathise with the characters before the abduction occurred and the terrain was altered. This initially distanced me from any emotion towards the events depicted but my reservations didn't last long before I was once again swept away by the terror and angst exuded from this novel.

The reader is given a simultaneous insight into the grief of parents without their children, the children themselves as they live their terrifying situation, the abductors perspectives, and the more legal aspects of this thriller due to the nature of Scott's line of work. These multiple viewpoints really fleshed out the story and made for a unique reading experience. The reader is invited into the mindset of all the characters, which really drove the subject matter home and gave the narrative added tension.

Parks has done a brilliant job of capturing the gravity of the situation discoursed and has created an unputdownable thriller in the process. I can't wait to read more from this skilled author.

Tense, gripping, fast paced, twists, turns....I could go on but you get the drift!!! Great book loved the plots and everything about this book including the lead characters Scott and Alison. What a heart breaking read at times and totally believable, excited to read more from Brad!

A tense psychological thriller with some gripping moments.

Say Nothing

Judge Scott Sampson's twins have been kidnapped and now he's being blackmailed to do exactly as he is told in a drug case he's about to rule on.

Say Nothing is a truly gripping psychological thriller with legal undertones. I thought it was a fab read and definitely recommend it!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, 4*!

This one just wasn't for me. The idea of the kidnapping to gain control of a judges decisions was a great one but I just got bogged down in all the legal description. DNF for me.

Be prepared! This Book features every parents worst nightmare with devastating & Shocking results! Say Nothing is an Addictive, Gripping read which at times leaves you literally gasping for breath. The situation just gets more disturbing with every page. I don't often say this with Books but this has MOVIE written all over it! It's an absolute Stunner of a Crime Thriller! One of my favourite reads so far this year!

Say Nothing is not a book that beats around the bush. Within eight pages we find out that Judge Scott Sampson’s children have been kidnapped, and he has to do exactly what the kidnappers say if he wants to see them safe.
He soon finds out that the case he is being blackmailed for is quite high profile, and with his already strange behaviour, the media are having a field day trying to figure out if he is fit to preside over the case.
But he knows he has to, or else the kidnappers will have no use for him, and no reason to keep his children alive.
This is a tense thriller that will have you gripping the edges of the book waiting to find out what happens. You’ll be hooked from the very beginning until the last word of the last page.
In saying that, I did find that the book lulled a little bit in the middle. But that may be because I’m not a fan of courtroom stories, and because of the topic of the high-profile case, it all gets a bit too scientific for my liking. But if you’re interested in those topics then I’m sure the pacing will be perfect for you.
By the last third of the book, I was hooked again, staying up until 2am to finish it, and blubbering like a baby when I did. That’s one piece of advice I will give you, make sure you have tissues handy, because you will cry.

Original, captivating and breathlessly exciting, this is a book that packs a massive punch.

The premise is simple but powerful. What would you do to save your children? How far would you go? Would you keep their disappearance secret? How would you and your wife cope? Would you pervert the course of justice to protect them?

All this and more is covered in this book which deals with the fate of a federal judge who has been placed in a near impossible position when his children have been kidnapped, and how he deals with the moral and practical dilemma and indeed with the help of his wife, sets out this horrendous situation.

Deceptively simple in its prose, the book packs a powerful punch and is deeply affecting.

Highly recommended.

Tense from beginning to end.........................and what an end !!!!! WOW !!!!

Enjoyable book, easy to read and finished it quickly.

A judge faces his worst nightmare

Judge Scott Sampson has an enviable life; when he leaves the Courthouse he returns to his rural home which he shares with wife Alison and their six year old twins, Emma and Sam. Plus, Alison's mother, two sisters and their families live close by so they have a great support system. Little do they know this support system is about to be vital to Scott and Alison.

Following some confusion over who collected the twins from school they are plunged into every parent's nightmare; the children have been taken. A text message confirms this, together with a warning to 'say nothing' to the police or the children will suffer, and informing Scott that they will be in touch with instructions regarding future sentencing decisions.

What follows is a tense and emotional thriller where the surprises just keep on coming. The plot becomes more and more convoluted and suspicion is the name of the game and no one escapes scrutiny.

The characters are multidimensional, and the reader feels every moment of their torment right up to the shocking conclusion.

I couldn't put this down – a very satisfying read!


Pashtpaws

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Well this was a real tension filled thriller with lots of twists and turns along the way to its exciting conclusion.
Scott is a judge in Virginia and he has a happy family life with his wife Alison and his twin 6 year olds' Sam and Emma. One day his wife texts him to say she is picking up the kids so he doesn't need to go to the school. When he gets home he discovers that Alison does not have them and they've been kidnapped. There follows a rollercoaster of a read as Scott tries to find them but can't tell police or FBI as he is told by the kidnappers to "say nothing". He is forced to deliver verdicts the kidnapper wants in certain trials if he wishes to see his children alive again.
The author builds up the tension as the novel progresses and I really had to hold my breath at some points as the story unravelled. There were numerous red herrings and false trails and I truly did not expect the ending nor the perpetrators of the crime.
The characters were well drawn and the author portrayed their stress in their dire situation brilliantly.
The kidnappers were slightly two dimensional but this did not detract from the plot.
I had not ready any other books by Brad Parks but I shall certainly look at his back catalogue and watch out for any new novels in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Judge Scott Sampson is ready for his usual Wednesday routine of taking his twin son and daughter swimming when his wife, Alison texts him they have a doctor's appointment and she'll be picking them up. But then later she arrives home without them. An anonymous phone call informs him if he wants his children back in one piece he has to follow the kidnappers instructions to the letter.....the first one is 'say nothing.' This begins a deadly game of cat and mouse where Scott can't trust anyone, not even those closest to him.

This novel is tense from beginning to climax. Most of the story is told from Scotts point of view and his pain and frustration pour from the pages. His sense of dread is palpable. The only reason I gave this 4 rather than 5 stars is I guessed who was behind it quite early on. But it was still a great read which I found hard to put down. The ending.....oh the ending. Well it's hard to explain why the ending is so affecting without spoiling it but I have to say wow.....just wow. One of the best conclusions I've read in awhile. It's honest, brutal and totally uncompromising.



I received this from Netgalley for an honest review.

Although it took me a while to get into , I really couldn't put it down and really enjoyed it . The story was original with lots of twists and a lot of suspense . When Scott who is a judge gets a text from his wife to say she is picking up the kids as she is taking them to the Dr so he doesn't need too , he is a little affronted that he doesn't get to spend the afternoon with his twins . That is just the start of an horrendous event as his wife returns home having sent no such text . The kidnappers need Scott to rule a certain way on a case and he must tell no one , unfortunately even though he does as he is told it is nowhere near the end of their ordeal ..... Brilliant , I will certainly look out for more by Brad Parks . Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ..

I read this book in two sittings, the story was very compelling and did draw me in instantly. From the first chapter I was caught up in a lot of drama and it certainly doesn't stop until the very end. It kept me guessing and the writer is clever in keeping the tempo at such a pace that I could not take my eyes from the pages.

Overall Say Nothing is a great read and I would highly recommend it. With so many similar books in this genre and style, this doesn't quite push to a five-star rating for me, but it kept me turning the pages.

Thank you!

This was a legal thriller that reminded me of The Firm (except better!) - absolutely unputdownable, and none of the nonsense some thrillers toss in to keep the pace up, where ordinary people develop superhuman powers. I stayed up WAY too late reading this one. A peach of a book which will have you GLUED to it - I guarantee it!

This thriller didn't let up at all.I liked the judge and thought the story line was brilliant.I liked how the stress that the family were under showed cracks in their relationship, it was very well written and very believable it was for me a real page turner and I honestly had no idea how it would end.Well worth a read.thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.