I loved this book, lots of twists and turns and really believable characters. Looking forward to reading more Gregg Olsen.

One of the better thrillers I've read lately, The Sound of Rain explores the darkest depths of human nature. Centering around the disappearance of a young girl, the novel creates a complicated web of deceit, betrayal, and red herrings, trapping the main character and causing her to doubt her own judgement. While a few of the twists are easy to spot, many of them are genuinely surprising, and Olsen masterfully sets up the plot with enough teasing and false starts to keep you guessing until the very end.

This is a very real story of a very flawed detective who is kicked off the force. She has hit bottom with a addiction and living in a homeless shelter when she takes on a cold case by request of the victims family. She is excellent at her job and soon the clues begin to add up and her life also improves throughout. This is masterful suspense at its best. I enjoyed the well crafted and intriguing characters. You will find yourself unable to put this book down. The plot is enjoyable as it spins off into many different area with the mystery . Our protagonist is flawed yes but she is likable and real making this book a fun read. . I loved it ! Thank you for the advance reading copy. .

Wow! This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long while! I could not put this book down, and it took me two days to finish it. There are so many shocking twist and turns at the ending that I never saw them coming! The characters were believable, and the storyline will keep you on the edge until the very end. I hope this will be the first book of a series!

A brilliant read, so many twists and turns. This was the first Gregg Olsen book I've read, don't ask me why, it certainly won't be my last! I loved Nicole for all her faults, she just wouldn't give up.

Thanks Netgalley for my copy.

Great book!! Highly recommended. I am looking forward to more books by this author.

Former homicide detective Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase—whose murder case ended her career.
As Nicole obsesses over the old facts, she realizes everything about that case felt off: a disinterested mom, a suicidal pedophile, and too many questions left unanswered. When the little girl’s grieving father begs Nicole for help, she’s drawn back into the investigation…and given one shot at redemption.
But the deeper Nicole digs, the more evil she uncovers, including betrayals that hit painfully close to home. Will a shocking discovery be the key to finally getting justice for Kelsey and resurrecting her own life?
This was a fascinating look into gambling addiction and also into human nature. All the characters has flaws, some greater than others and to be honest it was a wonder how Nicole survived her boyfriend and her sister. As a result this book became more about the characters and less about the mystery and ended up being a cross between a psychological thriller and a crime thriller. That said, it was entertaining and an enjoyable read.

'The Sound of Rain' is full of suspense and twists that will leave readers guessing until the very end. I've read several of the author's other books and enjoyed them, so I was pretty excited to have the chance to review this one. Gladly, I was not disappointed in the least. The author's attention to detail and thrilling plot brought the novel to life and had me hooked from the beginning. The main character was realistic with plenty of flaws and shortcomings, but she also had redemptive traits such as determination, fighting for the truth and what she believes in, and could easily empathize with others. Nicole suffers from a gambling addiction throughout the story, which I couldn't really relate to. It's a large part of her character and I think the lack of connection on some levels impaired my ability to connect with her on a deep level. The book was written from Nicole's perspective, which should have made it much easier for me to empathize with her character, but it didn't click like it usually does.

The secondary characters were all well rounded with unique personalities and back stories. I liked getting to slowly know more about each one as the novel unfolded. This aspect made it all the more fun for me to try and figure out who the "bad guy" was - which is always one of my favorite things to do when reading this genre. The author did a wonderful job incorporating lots of twists and turns throughout the plot that knocked me off my game and kept me guessing for the longest time. Not a lot of books can do that to me anymore, so when I find one that actually does - I know I've come across a gem. I definitely recommend this novel to fans of the genre along with readers who enjoy thrillers, suspense, and crime fiction.

I would give this book a 4.5. I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in return for a fair review, and enjoyed it very much. It is the story of a cop dealing with a gambling problem and betrayal and the case that triggered her downfall. It is well told and worth reading.

I have found a new author! Did NOT see that ending so WOW!! I felt completely for the main character--could even compare her to friends. I did hate that there was a time line error--she mentions that a lady tells her about the suitcase AFTER she is homeless, then says how she told her partner about it a year before?? Things like that usually cause me to scrap a book but this one was so well written and I wanted to see what happened so I stuck it out. I will definitely read more from this author.

The Sound of Rain is a story about a murdered little girl and the negligent investigation that went into it. The protagonist is a gambling addict who doesn't seem to ever truly face her disease. The supporting characters range from intriguing - the father of the murdered girl - to caricatures - the sister of the protagonist. In some ways this was a really depressing read. The convenient way our protagonist is drummed out of the police force stretches plausibility, especially when much of the "evidence" is coming from her incarcerated former partner. Parts of the book were really interesting, and her ability to properly investigate the murder once freed of the shackles of being on the police force were reasonably realistic.

The premise and second half of this story was interesting and unique, but after finding out Nicole"s current situation at the very beginning of the book I wasn't interested in going back in detail through everything she did wrong to get to rock bottom. Once you know someone is going to fail at everything, the details are not that important. But once the story moved back to the current time, the mystery was engaging, the story was well plotted, and it had good twists and turns.

An amazing, concise tight story. No word fluff. Characters well fleshed and intriguing plot! 17 thumbs up!

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.

This is an amazing book .....Full of twists and turns to the very end. I thought I had it figured out and bam another wrong turn. The main character was developed throughout the book so by the time it ended you really were hoping she would make it and have a satisfying life not full of booze and gambling. I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers.

Wow, what a book. I never know what to call these books, suspenseful, mystery, crime fighting, thriller, it really is all of them. You meet former Detective, Nicole who has hit rock bottom. She has an addiction which cost her job. The last case she was one end up in disaster. You start the booking meeting Nicole at her lowest then go back to the case that ended it all and end the book right back to where the book started. The last part of the book is very twisting and not in you don't understand it but that a lot of stuff pops up. My only problem with the whole book was the ending, it just kind of ended. I really would have liked an epilogue just to know how things were going a year later.

I loved this book! So many twists!

Nicole Foster is haunted by the case that made her hit rock bottom- the murder of a three year old girl. Now she is jobless and homeless and on the request of the girl's father is seeking to find out what really happened to the girl.

Mr. OIsens does it again with a story that is fast moving and keeps you guessing till the very end.

Gregg Olsen is a top notch mystery writer. Should be the first on every reader's list of writers when looking for a detective novel. I love that he writes about an area I know and I can feel as though I am there. He does so well in writing such a flawed character yet making her so relatable. I can't wait for the next installment.

Now this was a great mystery/thriller! Lots of twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat and reading through the wee hours of the night!