'No one had an alibi and everyone had a motive.'

There's an old saying that every family has skeletons in the closet. Well, welcome to the closet. Piper Boone suffered a great loss fifteen years ago when her only child, two year old Dove, was killed in a boating accident. She returns to her childhood home on Curlew Island, South Carolina, after a divorce and determines to live as secluded life as the home is secluded. Her family is practically American royalty but she wants no part of all that. Her longing for a quiet life is suddenly destroyed when a mass shooter opens fire and kills three women at a café where she is having lunch, one woman at her table. It's not long before the press is bringing up the old Curlew Island Curse that hovers over the Boone family.

Tucker Landry, forensic artist is also a survivor of the shooting and also saves Piper's life. He is given the job of sketching the shooter because Piper remembers how he looked. They have a bit of a bond between them but soon the police make new discoveries and Piper's own family is suspect.

Carrie Stuart Parks, an internationally known forensic artist herself, is in fine form here. Her skills as a forensic artist absolutely make her books come alive. She deftly crafts a puzzle which is gripping and she has a great eye for detail. This is a compelling read, and as the action draws to a conclusion, with a hurricane bearing down on the island, no one seems to be safe and everyone looks like a suspect. A riveting conclusion that I absolutely did not expect! Bravo! Highly recommended.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

WOW what a great romantic suspense. Love Ms. Parks' books and Relative Silence was no exception. Great edge of your seat plot. Loved the low country setting and cast of characters. I did not see the ending coming. My thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC. This is my unbiased review.

I enjoyed this book, and found it quite exciting. “The perfect family who lives in the perfect house on the perfect island....” is how the wealthy Boone family describes itself, but things are far from perfect. Piper has returned to the island after the loss of her daughter 15 years ago; she is considered the poor relation. An attempt is made on her life, killing several others in the process. A forensic artist helps to draw the suspect and her daughter as she would look in the present, and they become friends. It’s quite a mash-up of suspicious characters, many of them family members or friends. Redemption, deceit, and betrayal play large parts in this story, and the lengths family members will go to in order to protect themselves and/or their assets. Without giving too much away, the last 20% of the book explains much of the mystery during a wild hurricane. I did not guess the ending, or who the murderer was. This book held my attention, and I found the characters well-developed; there were just a lot of them to sort out. I didn’t notice any overt Christianity to offend anyone, and I found the book both suspenseful and tasteful. A very good read that was hard to put down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The book deals with loss, but the plot and characters left me sorry for the loss of time I spent in reading this book which just didn’t grab me and keep moving.

I loved Parks's Gwen Marcey series, but this stand-alone didn't live up to that quality. I think it could be better with more editing, but the characters weren't very well-developed (talk about insta-love!), the POV shifts were confusing, and the plot was pretty far-fetched. Disappointing.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Carrie Stuart Parks has a knack for grabbing hold of you from the very beginning of a book and not letting go until the very end. This one was no different. I had a very hard time putting this one down! Piper Boone is part of the rich and famous Boone family - the perfect family who lives in the perfect house on the perfect island..... and also the family that is seemingly under a curse. When she survives a random shooting at a local cafe, she begins to take a look at the elements of the family's "curse" to see it for what it really is. And there's an ages-old mystery tied up in it all.

This book has plenty of intensity, gripping emotions, lots of action and suspense. I didn't know "whodunnit" until it was actually revealed. Tlhere was a minor romance as part of the story, but it was not pertinent enought that I would even classify it as a romantic suspense. But it is there. The faith thread is a bit subtle as well, but it's also definitely present. Piper seems to find herself surrounded by "religious" people, which frustrates her at first, but she seems to "get it" more as the book progresses. There's a great cast of characters - some that you love and some that you hate, but they're all well fleshed-out and relatable.

This book was a wild ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. I would strongly recommend to fans of suspense novels.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an advanced E-copy of this book. I was not obligated to write a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." I have read all the five star reviews of this novel. I cannot disagree more with these ratings. I will say the book initially kept my interest, amidst all the twists and turns. I found so much to be unbelievable and quite far fetched. The secrets and intricacies of the family members are convoluted and a bit preposterous. I will not write any more details, as it would contain spoilers. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Sandpiper Boone finds herself in the center of a family mystery as she begins to come out of her cloud of grief after losing her young daughter 15 years earlier. Parks did a great job of showing just how it is when you start to realize you haven't been seeing everything clearly because you've just been trying to survive.

Edge of your seat, stay up way past your bedtime, suspense ... just when you think you might have it all figured out Parks sends in a new twist. I did not see this ending coming.

Thank you Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book! Thank you, Carrie Stuart Parks, for keeping me engaged and guessing. Great read!

Relative Silence is an intense suspense book that will keep you interested and on the edge of your seat thru its many unexpected twists and turns. The story includes mystery, murder, family dynamics, and sweet unexpected romance in the mix. Great read!

Well written, fast pace very enjoyable book. The main character experiences loss and redemption as she learns more about the Boone family. To know more you have to read it.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher through net galley and this is my own opinion.

Kept me awake past my bedtime. Piper Boone experiences every parents worst nightmare when her daughter drowns 15 years earlier. I don't want to be a spoiler, so you would have to read for yourself.


I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley for an honest review.

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 4
Plot development: 4
Characters: 5
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Relative Silence is a book about betrayal and redemption. Piper Boone was devastated by the death of her daughter Dove fifteen years ago in a boating accident. She lives on an island off the coast of South Carolina with her wealthy family. One day, when she is having lunch with her friend a shooter takes aim at the cafe, killing her friend and barely missing her. She is saved by a man named Tucker. The shooting kicks off a series of events which change Piper’s life forever. The book was well written, weaving an intricate web around the Boone family. I also appreciated how it showed the power of redemption and second chances. I enjoyed the Gwen Marcey books and I would recommend this book as well.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The story begins when Piper Boone’s only child is taken and killed in a boating accident. Her perfect life and also marriage comes to an end. Fast forward fifteen years later. She now lives like a recluse at her childhood home, in a secluded mansion on Curlew Island. When tragedy strikes again, Piper has many questions about her family and the past. But will she survive long enough to find all the answers, plus there is a hurricane heading straight toward the island. The author kept the story moving at a fast pace and this was a quick read. I really enjoyed this book.

The Boone family is a well known and rich family, with a lot of tragedy surrounding them. Piper seems like the lost cause of the family, after a shooting at a restaurant where she was having lunch she meets Tucker. He saved herderinnetje the shooting and he turns out to be more than just the hero of the day. Piper starts to look into the family’s past and the recent disappearance of their island neighbour Joyce and the appearance of Joyce’s granddaughter. What she unravels together with Tucker and marine patrol officer Mandy is a truly intense story of deception and greed.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I never saw the ending coming, some part of it yes, but the big twist, I had no clue! The characters are balanced and well written, the storyline develops in a good way and takes twists and turns when you expect, but also when you least expect them. Really well written and enjoyable mystery.

RELATIVE SILENCE by CARRIE STUART PARKS has all the elements of a really good suspense novel and I feel sure it will keep you up late, as it did me. It is very cleverly written and will really keep you guessing until the end.
I like the way Piper and Tucker use dialogue from old movies in their conversations. I also like the strong Christian message in this book, based largely on overcoming fear. As Tucker said, quoting Corrie Ten Boom, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
To Caroline Boone, keeping up the appearance of a perfect family is extremely important, especially as her son, Tern, is an illustrious senator. The family owns Curlew Island, excepting for a piece that is owned by a bird watching friend called Joyce Mueller. Caroline and Tern run the family business and family affairs with a rod of iron, determined that nothing should sully the family name.There is a great deal of mystery surrounding the place and the family, and there are rumours that the island is cursed.
When Piper is shot at, saved by Tucker Landry, the two of them are drawn together in trying to solve the case in which Piper's friend Ami is killed in the shootout. Tucker, who was formerly in law enforcement, is a qualified forensic artist and investigator. When Piper asks him to do an age projection picture of her daughter, Dove, who was drowned at the age of three, and to investigate what really went on at the time, things really heat up.
Add to this family secrets that are being protected at all cost, a couple more murders and a hurricane, and you have a fast paced and exciting page turner.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.