Took me a while to finish as I couldn't get my head into it but I finished it and enjoyed it in the end

Brilliant a great book from the start, it had everything in it and can’t wait to see what’s next from the author

Tried so hard and just really couldn't get fully into it. I'm sure there is something here for someone else to enjoy just not me.

Gail Reynolds had been abused before. Nothing had come of it, not enough evidence apparently. All his lies believed by the authorities, by her friends, her family. So moving away, cutting ties from all of those people who didn’t believe her was the fresh start she needed. So when she wakes up, numb, immobile and unable to do anything, with a person on top of her, her first thought is, not again.

Gail is reluctant to go to the police, after all, what use was it last time. But she does. DS Shona White is still learning the ropes so after a colleague presents her with Gail’s previous rape claim, she is made to feel the need to tell her that with little evidence, there’s not much the police can do.

Three years later, Gail’s struggling and has been going to a victim support group. It’s not helped much, until one day a new member stands up and tells her own story. The exact same thing that happened to her had happened to someone else. Now they just needed to find out who he was!

Trigger warning
This books storyline involves discussion of rape and suicide.

This book had some quite disturbing topics in it but at the same time it drew awareness to the high number of rapes that cannot be convicted to to lack of evidence. This particular book the abuser was clever and covered his tracks well, but well enough? I’ll let you read it to find out. It was a good story although some parts I found a little uncomfortable to read but in all it was a twisty book that held my attention throughout. I did figure out who it was although I was quite far through when I figured it out.

I really hate rating books so low. But I did not enjoy this one. The topic of this story is important and I admire Katerina for going down this route. But, I do not feel like it was well accomplished. It was almost a DNF, but I felt obliged to finish as it was an arc.

The main character I found irritating, which makes me feel bad considering her back story and it all became quite unrealistic and far fetched, in my opinion. I understand how someone in her situation may have a vendetta, but this just wasn't it.

The characters as a whole I also found to all be fairly unlikeable. There was no depth, to any of them.

I also guessed the ending about a quarter of the way through the book, I had hoped there was another twist that made it not so, but it wasn't to be. It was very predictable, even for me.

The Silence is the latest st and along thriller from Katerina Diamond. A gripping and disturbing read, I found myself compelled to keep reading until the last paragraph.
Our story begins with the tale of Gail, who is being raped, though at the time she is unsure and does wonder if she is experiencing a nightmare, rather than a real experience. Later she approaches the local police and meets Shona a DS, who will play a significant role in the storyline. Under the advice of her superior office, Shona opts not to proceed with an investigation into the incident.
The storyline then jumps forward two years and Gail meets another survivor (or victim) of the same attacker and this is where the storyline really takes off and the two women realise that their attacker is working to a schedule and likely to attack again - within a few days. With limited support from the police, they decide to take their investigation forward themselves and all three women will find themselves in a nightmare situation as they struggle for justice and survival.
Any story with the subjects of sexual assault, rape and abuse cannot be taken slightly and the author does try to handle the topics sensitively, while maintaining a realistic view of how these survivors are so often cruelly treated by society. The author also addresses the issue of toxic masculinity and creates a few really nasty characters (along with the actual rapists of course).
I don't want to give away any spoilers so I will leave the interview at this point but suffice to say, that the storyline is not suitable for anyone with triggers around the topics of sexual assault, rape and abuse. BUt if you can read this novel, then I would recommend doing so.

This book contains triggers, so please read the blurb.

The main character speaks as if she's talking to her rapist, as if she's expecting him to answer. I really enjoyed this style of writing because it showed exactly how she felt, what she was thinking, and what she thought of him. It gave her a way to cope.

The rapist also has a voice. It's scary to think these people walk amongst us. I won't say much else because of spoilers.

It's gritty, gruesome, and dark. This was a difficult read, but saying that I did find it written really well, it mirrored real life, and I read it in one sitting.