I am definitely busting my backlist so far this year!
A book that slipped through the net. I do love the stories this author weaves.

So nurse has an accident and she looses not only her hearing but her job and her husband.

That’s tragic in itself, except once she gets her helper (dog) she gets embroiled into a crime when a nurse is found dead…..but what does this mean for her?

Yep, it had me.
I happily read along with this and had a good time.

Loved the complexity of the main character but ultimately underwhelmed by the ending. Would recommend to thriller audiences if they are interested in unique characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Amelia Winn was the victim of a tragic accident that left her deaf after a lifetime of hearing. As a result of her deafness, Amelia falls into a deep depression and ends up losing her job, her family, everything. Determined to rebuild her life she gets sober and works toward living a fulfilling life profoundly deaf. Her service dog, Stitch, accompanies her wherever she goes. One morning, out on the river, Stitch finds a dead body and it is someone Amelia knows. Amelia's curiosity and discovery of the body lead her down the road of amateur investigating and leads her straight into danger. In her world of silence with only Stitch to alert her to noises and people, Amelia discovers a sinister plan that may end her life if she's not careful.

The main character being deaf was such a great part of this storyline because it added an element to the story that isn't common in this genre. Gudenkauf humanized deaf people. I think too often the hearing world treats the deaf community like they are fragile or unable to do things. Gudenkauf's character was 100% not fragile and lived a more normal life than some people who have all their senses do. I really appreciated this portrayal. Also, the thriller/mystery part of the story was good, Gudenkauf did a good job of moving the story along and casting suspicion on enough people that it wasn't completely obvious what was going on and who might be involved and who was just an unsuspecting accessory.

I don’t know why I waited so long to pick up Nit A Sound but I am kicking myself! This book was SO GOOD. I loved the flawed MC, the mystery, and all of the twists and turns. So so good!

I didn't know this was a mystery when I picked it up (not my favorite genre) but it was interesting. Amelia Dunn was a nurse until an accident left her deaf and subsequently, an alcoholic. Someone in the woods near her home is murdered and Amelia finds the body. A little romance, a little mystery and a decent read.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn’t bad. The main character being deaf was a different angle that I haven’t read before. The last quarter of the book was kind of intense, made me keep reading.

I ended up listening to the audio version of this book. It was great and very unique. Highly recommend.

I loved the mystery and the untangling of a crime. At times it was a little scary - but not too much. The story moved along at a very good pace, the clues were slowly revealed as Amelia followed the trail. I felt that Amelia perhaps took on too much and that Jake the detective was a little more out of the picture than he should have been at crucial times.

A very satisfying read, one that had me reaching for the book any moment I had. It may be that I don't read mystery/crime very often, but... it brought back the juicy feeling of reading a good book.

Though I liked the book, I made the decision when I finished not to review it on my site because it didn't fit into my editorial schedule. I may include it in a review post or possibly a book list post in the future.

RATING: 3.5 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

Right off, I was intrigued with this novel as it featured a deaf heroine. I really enjoyed the way Gudenkauf wrote Amelia's character. As Amelia loses her hearing due to an accident it was interesting to see how she copes with it while she also discovers a dead body. I enjoyed the story but wished it was a bit more suspenseful.

I love Gudenkauf's books! Not a Sound was an excellent mystery made even more compelling by the fact that the main character is deaf. I did figure out who the killer was before the end but I thought the story as a whole was so good that I didn't mind. It was as much a mystery story as it was a story of the main character dealing with being deaf and growing from that experience. Excellent read! 4 stars.

I ended up listening to this on audio when I found out that Julia Whelan was narrating !
Another great thriller from Gudenkauf. Amelia is deaf due to an accident a few years before the events in the book and when she stumbles across the dead body of a colleague, she can’t seem to let it go and does some investigating on her own but is the killer now after her? If he is she won’t hear him coming. I thought I had this one figured out a couple times but the reveal totally surprised me. This one kept me guessing and I didn’t want to stop listening but I will admit to driving down the road yelling at Amelia to just tell Jake

I don’t want to give anything away but thriller fans will enjoy this story!

Julia Whelan’s narration was as always fabulous and I noticed she sounded older, not a teenager so I really enjoyed that.

4 Stars

Rating 4.5 stars

I know when I read a Heather Gudenkaufnovel, I find a character that I want to spend time getting to know. Amelia Winn is no different. She lives alone, separated from her husband, battling demons caused by her accident that left her deaf and having tendencies of alcoholism. Before the accident, she had purpose being a nurse, a step mom to her daughter Nora and a wife. She now lives in isolation by the river that she enjoys kayaking with her service dog Stitch. Gudenkauf gives Stitch personality that makes dog lovers take note.

Winn starts her day flowing down the river to calm her nerves before a big job interview later that morning. A job that may get her back in the medical field. It is at the river bend, that Stitch discovers a body of a woman that Amelia knows. Gwen is a nurse, married and a mother. Who would want to kill her and why? Amelia becomes obsessed as Gwen in the past two years since her accident reached out to her on several occasions. Feeling guilty and ashamed, she is determined to find the truth. In the past, Gwen and Amelia have worked with spousal abuse victims and Amelia starts her quest on that road, but like the river she loves, she finds herself going thru turbulent waters searching for Gwen's killer.

I enjoyed the relationship part of this novel. Between owner and dog especially and the relationship Amelia was building with a old family friend. Also being deaf and how Amelia overcame her short-comings. With a character and plot driven novel, you can't go wrong with this one.

A Special Thank You to Harlequin and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

It has been two years since RN Amelia Winn lost her hearing in a tragic accident that killed one of her patients. She went on a destructive downward spiral after the accident causing her to lose her family and her job. With the help of an old family friend, she is now sober, has learned sign language, has a service dog and is ready to rejoin the workforce. And get her husband, David, back. David did help her get a job interview in an office of an oncologist and Amelia takes it as a good sign for their relationship. The morning of her interview Amelia is out on her paddleboard when she finds the body of an old friend - they used to work together. Amelia is shaken to her core and misses her interview. The murder of her friend sends Amelia down a path that could jeopardize her newfound stability, if not her life. What will happen to Amelia when she won't stop asking questions?

Not A Sound was a fast and engaging read. Amelia is the kind of character that a reader can get behind. Obviously, she is flawed, but she is on the road to recovery and is doing everything in her power to make "it" right. Logically, I understand why David didn't want a drunk Amelia around his daughter, but I just got the
"this guy is a dick" vibe from him. It was obvious that Amelia loved the little girl that she had raised, but I was a little angry with her for putting that relationship in jeopardy with her alcoholism. I really liked her relationship with Jake, the old family friend. He stepped up to help Amelia when she needed him the most. I did think that Amelia was a bit intrusive in her desires to find out who killed her friend. In the end, things wrapped up quite nicely. I was surprised by the culprit. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS


Bottom line - A good mystery is always a necessity when it comes to summer reading. Heather Gudenkauf is still fairly new on the scene, but her books are always well written and full of intrigue.

Details:
Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf
On Facebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Park Row Books
Publication Date: 5/30/2017
Buy it Here!

This was a pleasant surprise! I didn't have many expectations going into it, other than I love a good mystery/thriller and that it seemed like a great vacation read. Imagine my delight when it turned out to be oh so much more!

Amelia was the kind of character you couldn't help but empathize with, despite the disparities between her life and mine. One single event sent her on a downward spiral, forcing her to come to grips with who she really was. She doesn't make excuses for her mistakes, she owns them like a boss! She recognizes her weaknesses, and actively works to overcome them. I love this in a heroine. Nobody should be perfect. The flawed characters who are still genuinely good are the kind that really stir me.

The cast of secondary characters was strong enough to make me desperately hope there are more to come in this series. They melded together with the story with just enough presence to be important, and liked, yet never managing to overthrow the plot with their overarching lines. Not to mention the dog. Stitch has to be the very best side-kick ever.

The who-dunnit had me guessing until close to the end, because it was never cut and dry. So many twists and turns, different trails leading the reader off the path. It was a perfect thrill ride, and I, for one, would definitely invest in more Amelia mysteries!

This might be my favorite of Heather Gudenkauf's books.

I devoured this book in a few solid gulps, it was that intense.

I have read several books from this author and have become a fan because of the books. I have come to expect very character driven stories. Ones that I first am drawn to the characters and second to their stories. Which I did like Amelia. I found her to be strong as she did not let her deafness become a shortfall. Also, she rose from being an alcoholic to going down the right path. Amelia's compassion for her murdered friend is great. She does her own investigative work and does pick up on some good clues; despite her friend and possible love interest Jake. Jake is a good man. He and Amelia have bonded from tragedies. I liked the story but because I was not fully invested in the characters as I usually them as partly due to the plot. The pace of the story seemed to drag at times. While, this book was not one of my favorites, I am still a fan of this author's.

Surviving the past two years has not been easy for Amelia Winn. Once she had a loving family, a successful career as an ER nurse and many friends but in an instant her life changed when a car ran into her and a patient outside of the hospital. She is finally coping with her hearing loss as a result of the accident but having turned to alcohol during most of those two years alienated all those around her.

Now she lives by herself and her service dog, Stitch, and has finally given up alcohol and even has a job interview. She’s excited to have some purpose in life and hopes that little by little she can gain her ex-husband’s confidence and once again see her stepdaughter, Nora.

Her plans go slightly awry when on the day of her job interview she is paddle boarding in the morning, one of her favorite things to do, but she makes a gruesome discovery of the body of a fellow nurse in the bushes. Understandably shaken-up Amelia misses her job interview and thinks that her ex-husband will chalk this up to another of her screw ups but Amelia is able to put things right and even lands a job as a file clerk for an oncologist.

While she is sadden by the thought of her friends’ death, Amelia feels like maybe she is now on the right path to gaining what she’s lost but she can’t help but feel pulled into the mystery of how her friend died and then little things start making her question her sanity. It’s almost as if someone doesn’t want her in the way.

This was a thriller that definitely kept me turning the pages. I did figure out who the killer was early on but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of this book. In particular I liked Amelia’s fighting spirit and hope you’ll give her story a chance too.

Great book and have already recommended to others! Well-developed characters with a very engaging plot.

Another great book by Heather! Amelia is a nurse that loses her hearing after a hit and run accident. Her life takes a turn for the worst, and just as she is getting her life back on track she finds the dead body of a former nurse/friend. With lots of twists and turns, this fast paced book, keeps you guessing until the end!