Wall of Silence by Tracy Buchanan keeps the reader guessing, "What did the children do, and why?" The story is written from Melissa's perspective with another character adding her narrative about what she has done. From the beginning you know one of the girls has stabbed her dad, and while falling he sustains a severe head injury. Melissa comes home from work and finds her husband Patrick on the floor bleeding and unconscious. Her three children are acting strange and she withholds information from the police in order to protect them. Even when Melissa demands the children tell her what has happened, they refuse to tell her the truth of what happened and why.
Most of the story is Melissa remembering scenes from her past and dealing with the children. There are also transcripts of conversations from the village on social media. I don't want to post spoilers, but all will be revealed at the ending of the book. Fear can be a great manipulator for the actions of children.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Byatt family appear to have it all. They live in an idyllic village on the edge of a forest. But when Melissa returns home she finds Patrick, her husband, lying on the kitchen floor with stab wounds and a head injury. Her three children are calmly stood there looking on. It seems apparent to Melissa that one of them must be responsible for these injuries. She tries to protect them from the police but as she questions them she is a met by a ‘wall of silence’. We then find that they are not the perfect family we thought. Why are the children keeping silent? Who are they covering up for and what are the secrets that the family and whole village are keeping? Some of the chapters contain Facebook posts from the resident gossips of the village and gave us an insight into the village community. This book kept me intrigued with plenty of drama and twists and turns. An excellent read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Melissa Byatt’s life in Forest Grove seems as perfect as can be: a doting husband, three loving children and a beautiful house in a close-knit community. But appearances can be deceiving. One evening, Melissa arrives home to the unimaginable: her husband lies stabbed on the kitchen floor, their children standing calmly around him. With horror, she realises that one of them is to blame. But which one? And why would they attack their own father? Her loyalties torn, in a split second she decides to protect her children at all costs—even if that means lying to the police. But when someone in the neighbourhood claims to know more than they should, Melissa discovers that some secrets are beyond her control. Can she find out the truth of what happened before the rumours spread? And can the family unite to escape the spotlight of scandal—or are none of them as innocent as Melissa insists?

I adored this latest read from Buchanan! Firstly the setting, what a beautiful yet eerie place the woods are. Both peaceful and offering a hint of the danger that lies within. I found the idea of this village living amongst the woods a stunning and claustrophobic idea and it created the perfect atmosphere for the read.

Then the horror begins as Melissa realises one of her children is guilty but who and why? Clearly this family are hiding a lot of secrets and it was a real thrill to follow them, get to know them and learn about the secrets they have been keeping. I will say the overall culprit is fairly obvious and I had it worked out early on however this was fine as it made perfect sense for the plot. Do not go thinking Buchanan does not throw twists into the plot as there are twists aplenty! Even when you think everything has been laid before you Buchanan throws in another twist, even down to the final page, it made for thrilling reading.

Then we have the characters, being set in a small village where everyone knows each other means we have the full range of characters and busy bodies. Nothing stays secret for long that is for sure! All the characters bring something to the plot, whether that be a secret or an opinion, they all had their moments of making me laugh and ensuring I despair. This book needed them and they certainly provided entertainment.

'Wall of Silence' is a gripping thriller that had me hooked. This was so exhilarating to read but also difficult at times. Buchanan tackles some sensitive subjects and does so with aplomb. Everything is included because it needs to be and is not just there for shock value. I loved this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy.

Melissa returns home to a nightmare. Her husband has been stabbed and one of her children is the culprit. When the paramedics arrive, the murder weapon disappears at the scene. None of her children will tell her what has happened and she must figure it out before the police do to keep her family safe.. I love the forest scenery in this book and the history that Melissa has in the area. The Forest Grove community takes care of their own, but she is now an outsider. This book kept me guessing until the very end and was not at all what I thought. I will be recommending this book to others and want to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I normally love this authors book and while I did enjoy Wall of Silence I found it hard to believe at times. The story was powerful, a mother who comes home to find her 3 young children standing over her stabbed husband. A story full of lies, deceit and murder in a small town had all the ingredients to make a brilliant novel, yet it did not gel with me at times. What mother would not demand the truth from their children in this situation. The story had some high points with twists I did not foresee. I look forward to her next book

Another really good read by Tracy Buchanan. There are so many lies and secrets in this story. Everything is revealed piece by piece. I thought that the characters were believable. I could imagine a village of busybodies and members of a community with secrets. I thought that the group chat was very well written and humorous in places.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

2 STARS

Her children have a deadly secret. Can she uncover it before the police do?

Melissa Byatt’s life in Forest Grove seems as perfect as can be: a doting husband, three loving children and a beautiful house in a close-knit community. But appearances can be deceiving. One evening, Melissa arrives home to the unimaginable: her husband lies stabbed on the kitchen floor, their children standing calmly around him…With horror, she realizes that one of them is to blame. But which one? And why would they attack their own father?

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Okay, this book (unfortunately) did absolutely nothing for me. I'm actually surprised that I managed to finish this one, to be honest (which is why this is a 2 star instead of a one.) Sorry, not sorry?

WALL OF SILENCE is a slow burn mystery told through multiple view points. It is revealed fairly early on (like...in the description) that the culprit of this mystery is one of Melissa's children. We do experience some of the story through the eyes of the attacker, but the identity of the child isn't exposed until near the end. I figured out the vast majority of the twists beforehand and the ones that I didn't weren't shocking or mind blowing. I also didn't really like or connect to any of the characters and many of them had ulterior motives (revealed throughout the novel) that made me dislike them even more.

The current Goodreads rating for this book is fairly high, so maybe this is just an "unpopular opinion" review. Who knows. Regardless, I recommend skipping this one if you're looking for a fast paced, shocking thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC. Publish date: April 15/2020.

I started this book so intrigued. A murder in a small town? Children standing over their own father's body? Sounds like it will be a page turner. More like a page flipper. So much of this was overwritten. Every time a character passed another on the street we had pages of the one time they talked to each other in the past. Some of it added to the story. Most of it was just an excuse to pretend small towns are these horrible little places in which everyone is trying to bring down the wife of the guy who just got stabbed.

Ok, maybe if everyone had thought the guys was perfect...maybe trying to attack the wife and kids would make a tiny bit of sense. But this whole town knew everything about this guy. How do we know? The author took time to tell us what every single person thought.

The story itself was OK. After reading the first part, I thought it was pretty clear who had stabbed Patrick. I was never even a little in doubt. It seemed like the author was throwing red herrings at the wife, not at the reader. After about half, I was pretty sure I knew why. I mean, meet the parents and you get a pretty good idea.

But the story alone might have gotten this one a higher rating. The pacing was not in keeping with the kind of story this was.

I think this book is great! The characters are really likable and relatable, and others not so much. There is a lot to keep up with throughout the story and everyone has a different.perception of what is happening.No use going into what the story is about, the blurb will do that for you, but there are lots of twists and turns and lots of surprises. The ending ties it up well so it is a really good read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. Melissa comes into her house after a morning run and finds her husband lying on the floor, stabbed, while her three kids are standing around him. I can understand shock but why wouldn't one of them be smart enough to call 911. It was just to far fetched, especially when her kids didn't want to talk about it so she gave them space lol, really?

***ARC received in exchange for an honest review.***

The story begins with a flashback from the killer and you move on to the present when Melissa discovers her husband is murdered, probably by one of her children.
The whole concept sounded very interesting from the start.
A small town, a murder mystery, with the wild nature in the background.
The premise of the story already made me very excited to read it.
And it was an interesting read. The characters were well-developed and you really get to know the setting, the town and our protagonist.

Melissa, our protagonist, knows that one of her children has killed her husband, but the why is lacking and her mother instincts make her react in a different way. She wants to protect her children as well as finding out why they did what they did. This gives us a clear insight in the family secrets and all the family drama that unravels.

What bothered me during this story was the length of it. It was too descriptive and a lot of information could have been skipped. For example the Facebook reactions from some unimportant people. The writing style was more literature than thriller. When I read thrillers, I like them fast and engaging. The slowness kept me from reading it and switching to other books.

In conclusion, an interesting thriller with good character development but a tad too slow for my liking.
3 stars.

I have enjoyed Tracy Buchanan's books in the past. I think she is a great author, so when I saw she had a new book, I definitely wanted to read it.

I will not write a summary of the story. I started reading the book not knowing what it was about, and I actually am so happy that was the case. I think not knowing anything was great. I had no preconceived ideas about what would happen. I was blown away by this story! From what I accepted at the beginning, to what I came to know as the story enfolded was constantly keeping me on edge.

I think this is a fantastic book!

I want to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy of this book. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.

Small town + big lies = incredible book! 5 stars!
What makes this book different from others, and why should anyone care?
This book tackles the issues of how a parent would possibly feel, react, and cope if they suspected one of their children had committed a dangerous crime. How far would siblings go to protect a parent, or each other?...and at what cost? It also presents readers with mixed points of view about what a “happy family” is and what a “great neighborhood” is, and how all of it can change within a matter of a few seconds. I think the reason this book stands out (and the reasons others would care/enjoy it) is because so many of the issues, character traits, circumstances, and environments are relatable.
This book is about a mother, father, and 3 children who are supposedly a happy family, and live in a close knit friendly small community. Right from the beginning the author grabs your attention with a scene where the mother comes home to find her 3 children standing beside the body of their barely breathing father...and a knife. Throughout the book the mother tries to seek answers about the truth of what happened that day, but the kids refuse to talk. She wants honest answers, but is afraid to be completely truthful to the police for a variety of reasons. In her search to discover the truth, the rest of the community uses social media chats to express concerns, make accusations, and spread gossip, which causes things for her to unravel as she learns more than what she could’ve ever imagined about the secrets the people in the small town have been harboring. Woven throughout the story, you get to know what life was like for the mother growing up in that area, as well as the people she knew and how they influenced her then and as an adult. In the back of your mind you’ll know that things just don’t add up...but the ending will blow you away. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but I’m most definitely a fan of hers now! She put a lot of thought into the characters, events, and setting so that it would all come together perfectly and make for a phenomenal book! I felt like I was able to get to know the characters and could relate to their emotions. I’d highly recommend it! This book was given to me (by netgalley, author, publisher) and my review is voluntary and expresses my honest feelings. I loved it!

To what cost do you protect your children? This book kept me turning the page. It kept me thinking. My heart broke for the idea that this has occurred for any mother.

Sorry but this book wasn't for me, couldn't get into the story line or the characters and I didn't finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I have to admit I wasn't overly keen on some of this book, but i kept reading to the end as I had to know who stabbed Patrick and why.
And my,what a lot of reasons there were.... a whole village keeping his secrets by the looks of it.
Totally over the top.
A fun read wondering what on earth would come to light next!!!

WALL OF SILENCE is wild, a “who-dun-it” rollercoaster. The story launches with a bang with one of the most original openings I’ve read. Tracy Buchanan has crafted a novel where the plot literally thickens with every page turned and new secrets simmer as the reader is pulled deeper into her cast of character’s web of lies and silence. I was captivated from page one, entertained throughout, and shocked over the final reveal. Loved it!