When a slot machine hits a jackpot at the Snoqualmie Casino, in Washington State, it makes the sound of rain. The poetry of the title and the musical sound of the jackpot on her favorite slot machine, frames Detective Nicole Foster's life. A compulsive gambler, Foster must fight the dark side of a gambling addiction, which constantly sinks its claws into her every waking moment

When three year old, Kelsey Chase, is kidnapped from a car outside of a Target store, while her mother and five year old brother are shopping, Foster and her partner, Detective Danny Ford, are assigned to find the little girl. When Kelsey turns up murdered, Foster must battle her addiction and wade into a deep muck of deception and psychotic betrayal that engulfs the murder, and her professional and personal life at every level.

Gregg Olsen skillfully creates a complex, absorbing plot while giving believable voices to both his male and female characters, a talent many authors lack. "The Sound of Rain" captures you emotionally and intellectually, and does not let you go until you finish the book. Five stars.

First I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me a copy of this story. Then I need to apologize to both for not reading this story in a timely manner.

I found this story very hard to read when I received it, and I tried 3 times to start this book, but because of personal events I had to put it down.

When I finally was in the right frame of mind I started this book again and tore through it! It has some hard topics in it, but I ended up absolutely loving this story. Lots of twists and turns, that keep you guessing. I highly recommend this book for a good who done it!

The Sound of Rain is a great thriller that kept me engrossed! I loved the flawed main character, Nicole. She was a disgraced former police detective with a gambling addiction. She is haunted by her last case, one in which a child was murdered. When the grieving father asks for her help, she begins to dig into the case, which felt wrong from the beginning. What she uncovers leads to a shocking conclusion. As usual, Olsen penned another winner!

Ive been a fan of Gregg Olson for many years, so when I saw this newest novel, I was excited to begin reading! But... although an engaging story, I found it long-winded. I just wanted it to finally end. I was disappointed.

Tale of family jealousy, crime, and passion. Murder, coverup , and intrigue within the law enforcement community.

I really liked the premise of the story and while it was a good story and I really didn't mind how "dark" it was, the story just becomes so very far fetched, talk about living in a small world. The story is interesting enough, but not his best work.

What a great book! This had all the elements that I love in a book!

I've read a few of Gregg Olsen's books and it seems like they are mostly set in the Pacific Northwest which I really enjoy. The Sound of Rain follows a Bellevue Police detective that is on a downward spiral brought on by her boyfriend and partner - Danny, a missing girl case, and family drama. Nicole's life quickly unravels while she becomes obsessed with inconsistencies in her case and the potential involvement of people she works with, and becomes addicted to gambling to get away from her troubles.

Although I didn't feel connected to Nicole, I did feel bad for her situation, especially when she has to give up everything she truly loves. Her obsession with the case helps her rebuild her life, but the twists that are in store for her keep you guessing what's next.

I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I will leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.

I love the title, so I had to read the book. Nicole Foster's life is an epic disaster, and it's her fault. Her gambling addiction has cost her everything. Her home, her pets, her vehicle. You would think that would get someone into gamblers anonymous long before loosing it all, but she didn't. Her sister Stacy, now controls her. Her job was at Bellevue Police Department in Washington State. Now she is controlled by her sister and her boyfriend, Danny. E's in major hot water for his part in messing up things at the Bellevue Police Department that botched an investigation big time. It's all tied to a missing girl so Danny goes to jail.

Now, the missing girl! Kelsey goes missing, in the rain, in the cold, from Target. It's a bad December, with a missing three year old, and firing detectives and putting them in jail!

Where is Kelsey? Can they find her now that Danny messed up so badly? Can Nicole get a hold of her life? These things all play out interspersed with the day to day lives of Nichole and some other people.

Even if the plot seems time worn, the writing is strong and it's a mystery you want to "see" through to the end. I enjoyed the story.

My copy came from Net Galley. I am leaving a review because I can. Thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Fired from the police department after accusing her partner of obstructing a murder investigation for a missing child, Kelsey Chase, she is homeless and wandering the streets, a gambling addict with no friends and no one left to turn to. When the father of the missing girl, Justin, finds her outside a women's shelter and takes her in, she vows to find out what really happened to Kelsey. As Nic follows the clues, she must continually fight her addiction; she must deal with suspicions from all sides and follow the clues which lead her to confrontations she would rather avoid. A taut psychological thriller with a flawed heroine who finally decides to take her own life into her own hands and fight for her survival.

'The sound of rain' is the tinkling sound of a slot machine as ex Detective Nicole Foster feeds in coins and watches the tiles flash by. Through her gambling addiction Nicole has lost everything, her job, her house, her car, her friends and the respect of her ex-colleagues. Even her sister won't take her in and lets her go to a women's shelter when she hits rock bottom. Nicole's gambling really took off when her partner and lover, Danny botched a case they were working on, that of Kelsey, a three year girl who disappeared from outside a shopping centre. Nicole can't stop thinking about Kelsey. She knows there is something wrong with Kelsey's mother and even at the lowest point in her life knows she must delve into the past and the secrets being hidden from her to find Kelsey.

This was a real page-turner of a thriller. I had to keep reading, not only to see if the mystery of Kelsey's disappearance was solved but also whether Nicole could pull herself back from her addiction and destitution. Nicole is not a particularly likeable character, the result of a loveless upbringing by a cold mother who always favoured her prettier sister. She is flawed and makes poor judgements on who to love and trust but underneath she is fearless and will stand up for the weak and innocent. The plot is a slow burner, but once it gets going we are taken down many blind avenues before finding the true path to unlocking the secrets of Kelsey's abduction. There are some moments when you need to suspend belief and just go along for the ride but overall this was an unpredictable and gripping read.

This book took me a little bit to get into as the beginning seemed to drag a bit. Once you get into the meat of the story, however, it's hard to put it down! I definitely enjoyed the twist at the end and did not see it coming. I will keep my eyes open for more gregg Olson books

Well, this book kept me guessing right up until the end, who can you trust? Who's to blame.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was disappointed to have finished it. I found it interesting how the characters were developed in that you could never really tell which were the good guys and which were the bad.

I felt the ending was quite brief and would have liked to have had another chapter..... maybe that's because I didn't want it to end which must be a good sign

Anything about crimes against children really disturbs me. I shouldn't have read this book. That being said, the characters were well developed and the story was well written so you'll probably like the book if the subject doesn't disturb you.

I loved this book about a homicide detective who is. dealing with a gambling addiction and gets suspended for turning her partner and lover in for falsifying a confession that lead to his death. Her house is about to be foreclosed on and she can't get over the death of a little girl. She turns to her sister for help but she is unable to help her so she turns to a homeless shelter. While there the murdered child's father shows up and wants her to help him prove that his wife killed his daughter and offers to let her stay with him. After receiving clues online she's not sure who she can trust. This storyline was full of twists and turns and every time you thought you had it figured out it threw you another twist!

Nicole Foster has been brought low. Her partner and sometime lover has betrayed her, her gambling addiction has bankrupted her, even her sister refuses to offer her a bed. Despite her own troubles, an old case haunts her—the disappearance of a three-year-old girl. Will her drive to solve the crime help her to tame her demons, or will her obsession with the crime drive her over the edge?

I haven’t read a Greg Olsen thriller before, but now I’ll go looking for more. Nicole Foster is a terribly flawed, human, and appealing hero. The plot is full of twists and turns. The stakes were deliciously high spurring me to read faster, cheering Nicole on at every turn.

I received this from Netgalley In exchange for an honest review. This is one page turner mystery. Between the case of the missing child to the now suspended police officer. This keeps your head spinning. Nichole is a hot mess, but she knows this case was handled wrong by her former partner. I devoured this story. I saw many on Goodreads reading this one. Glad I jumped on the bandwagon. Unputdownable!

Another in my list of favorite thrillers. A few twists and turns and an ending I didn't expect - although there are plenty of clues along the way. Good read!

I am now a fan of Gregg Olson. This is my first book by him and it is very well written. I now want to devour myself into all of his books.

This book is a very chilling dark tale, with gripping suspense. Nicole has made more mistakes than she cares to admit. She has lost her career as a detective. She is a lost soul. She has hit rock bottom, she has an addiction to gambling. The kidnapping and death of a little girl haunts her above these things.

The investigation involves a local Target store. The surrounding neighborhood is a trailer park. It is a rainy December day which shows the symbolism of the title of the book. The truth is shocking and hurtful, yet Nicole once again rises above to what is right and just not for only Kelsey but others. This is a compelling mystery full of twists and turns.

I love these kind of dark and exciting but not gory or gruesome mysteries. This book deals with gambling addiction, homelessness, abandonment and more. Nicole disappoints in some ways but in others she is right on. Nicole's sister is just awful, she is a witch and a sister like her, you would just want to disown.

This is a page turner and kept me turning the pages throughout the night until my eyes could no longer stay open. The characters and descriptions are done very well.

I usually put a warning on these kind of dark mystery thrillers but I don't feel like this book needs one and recommend it to all mystery and thriller fans.

I want to thank Netgalley, Gregg Olson, and the publisher for the copy of this book.

I could not put this book down - I was intrigued, and I never saw the ending coming. It took me by complete surprise. What an amazing ride this story was. Clearly the author took some licenses, as I didn't think the police investigation was depicted as completely accurate, it really only set the stage for Nicole to be kicked off the force and become homeless. and truly set the stage for most of the storyline. I loved it!!!