WARNING: This is an extremely hard book to read. The author has handled the issues here in a very responsible way ... but the emotional upheaval remains high from start to finish.

Eight-year-old Jason has gone missing. His father, along with his partner, only have weekend custody ... the rest of the time he spends with his mother and stepfather.

After a few heart-breaking painful days of not knowing where he was, the boy miraculously turns up. He's been abused and lost the ability to speak.

The primary suspects? The boy's gay father and his partner. The stepfather who only tolerates the boy. Or is there something else at play here? Somebody close wants to make sure the boy remains mute ... at any cost.

This is the dysfunctional family of the year. His mother would like nothing better than never having her son see his father. The religious grand-parents hate his father. The boy's father's live in boyfriend .. who seems to tolerate the boy only because he's not there full time.

It's an intense plot, with a lot of characters, many of their voices being heard through alternating points of view. Some were tremendously hard to read. The characters were deftly drawn, some I found I really liked .. and some I felt profound dislike. It's a well-written book that can induce those feelings in a reader.

Many thanks to the author / Nine Star Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological/crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I absolutely loved this MM romance.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend!

I was expecting more of the relationship between the two men. The concept is a good one, and trying to connect the adults in the child's life is decent.

I wish I could give this book zero stars, but the ending actually saved that book, so I am going to settle for one.
This book was - to put it simple - downright disgusting.
A boy is kidnapped and raped. Wanna guess who's the prime suspect is? Right, his father or the man he is living in a relationship with.
Can we, for the love of God, stop with the cliché that gay men must be pedophiles?! It absolutely disgusting, disrespectful and actually homophobic. I honestly can't believe that the author is queer himself - how can you write something like that?!
The true culprit was way too obvious for me - great, great surprise there...
The ending really saved this book because I was so damn happy for Sean and Austin. I actually liked Junior as well, poor man. But otherwise, this book was not for me. I have very few limits when it comes to reading and writing, but this book was not for me. I was grossed out entirely. I doubt I will pick up anything else by that author, since I've already made some negative expericenes with him and I wanted to give him another try. Well, that's not going to happen a third time.

I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is heartbreaking. The tragic abuse of a child will beak your heart in a bad way. The moving bond between his parents will break your heart in a good way. They by no means balance one another out - the treatment of the child is almost too much to read about - but the family love is depicted in such a way as to allow the reader some hope. Well written, descriptive almost to a fault, this book is an important reflection on society.

haunting.
What every parent fears. A child missing, joyously found but oh so harmed. This is the story of those parents and of those around almost all with the intent of keeping the child safe. Everyones' perspective is layered with their own bias and fears. Although this is at times a torturous read due to what happens [off page] to Jason it is also a love story of how much Sean cares for his son. Not an easy read but an excellent, well-written one..

A copy of Mute Witness was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve mentioned before that this author’s mystery, suspense, horror offerings are my preference when it comes to his writing. I’m still not sure what that says about either him or me… The fact that I love the way that he gets into the minds of these truly sick individuals or the fact that he does such a good job of it. Regardless, I’ve added Mute Witness to a list of my favorites by Rick R. Reed.

Mute Witness was originally published in 2009, like a lot of his other 2020 re-releases. I, for one, am happy that so many of his books are being re-released regardless of the reason. Otherwise, they may have stayed off my reading-radar and that would have been a shame. This was one of those books that I couldn’t put down. Really, I picked it up before I went to bed… and then I didn’t go to sleep – until 4:30 am – which was pretty much pointless since I had to get up at 6:30. *sigh•

I tagged this as a mystery, but it was more a suspense, mainly because readers learned early in the story who the guilty party was. The suspense came in waiting for the rest of the characters to figure it out. I didn’t tag it as a M/M Romance, because there was very little romance. However, the fact that Sean and Austin were a couple played a crucial role in the story.

There were a lot of characters and a lot of POVs, but it wasn’t confusing at all and added so much to the story. Those alternating POVs kept the pages turning and just one of the many reasons why Mute Witness was so hard to put down. Some of those POVs weren’t easy to read and there were just as many characters to despise as there were to adore.

Rick R. Reed is just as good at writing flawed characters as he is at writing truly demented ones and Mute Witness was no exception. No one’s perfect and none of the characters in this story are. They all make mistakes that are totally human. There are also monsters in Mute Witness and be forewarned, no punches are pulled, there is little that is held back and a lot of it is hard to read. Those kind of stories, the ones that make you think, make you feel and even make you cringe a little are among my favorites.

Nice writing style and well defined characters made this an enjoyable read. Within the storyline the experience of prejudice within the gay community is, I feel, accurately portrayed and evoked strong emotional responses as I read. I’m not a member of the LGBTQ community, so I can’t imagine how emotive these scenes would be for those who are.
This isn’t the first book I have read by Rick R. Reed and it definitely won’t be the last.
My thanks to NetGalley, NineStar Press and Rick R. Reed for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Page-turner suspense as evil haunts small-town Pennsylvania👍👍

4-4.5🌟.
I really enjoyed this story despite its difficult child molestation, homophobia and violence against women subject matter. It's suspenseful and fast-moving, and based in reality with an exception or two. I am a real fan of author Rick R. Reed who can combine the horror of true evil with a really good plot.

I was a bit confused by Sean and partner Austin's whereabouts on the night Sean's eight year-old son Jason disappears. Their statement to the police did not seem to jive with the first chapter but for no apparent reason. And stepfather Paul's subplot ending had a twist I never understood. But each chapter drew me further in. The MM element has a tinge of romance but is most notable for its influence on the homophobes who think young Jason is best kept apart from his gay father.

The deteriorating Rust Belt community setting is one Reed has visited in a number of his stories and very relatable for me. I felt these characters could be found in my own hometown: the good, devoted father like Sean, the bad, and the desperate like Jason's mom.

Thanks to publishers NineStar Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.