Sound of Fear is the second book in Marta Perry’s Echo Falls series. It read like a stand alone novel to me. Sometimes books in a series need to be read in order to fully understand what is going on. I didn’t even know there was a book that proceeded it. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the author had also included Amish characters in this novel. Marta’s writing style seems different in Sound of Fear than I remember from reading in a few of her other books.

In Sound of Fear, after arriving in Echo Falls Amanda befriends unlikely people. They are soon protecting her from danger as she is searching to uncover the truth. Marta had me guessing to the end who wanted Amanda gone from the picture. Sound of Fear is a Romantic Suspense story with a light, clean romance.

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I'm a fan of Marta Perry's previous Amish mystery series--practically devoured them, and I read and reviewed the first novel in this series, Echo of Danger, giving it 3.5 stars. I was hoping that this second book would be an improvement over the previous one, but it was incredibly slow moving and clues were hard to come by, and for those reasons, I can only give this novel 3-stars.

We first meet the heroine, veterinarian Amanda Curtiss, as she's just returning to her practice while still grieving the recent loss of her mother, Julia Curtiss, a well-known and highly revered Boston artist, who lost her life as the innocent victim of random street violence. When Amanda's uncle, Robert McKinley, who is also the family attorney shows up, he has some shocking news to impart--during the autopsy, the coroner discovered that her mother, Julia, had never given birth to a child, shattering Amanda's sense of identity, since Julia never told Amanda that she was adopted. If not her mother's child, who is her birth mother? Will the discovery that she's not actually Julia's child affect her inheritance of her mother's estate?

When Amanda she returns home after that piece of news, she discovers that someone has broken into the family home, and while nothing appears to be missing, she finds one of her mother's paintings, a rare landscape, one that's been hanging up over the fireplace in the den since Amanda was 10, lying on the floor, frame broken. After the police are called, gather what little evidence there is and then depart, Amanda wants to assess the damage to the painting, and that's when she spots a small notation at the bottom of the rear edge, previously hidden from view, which reads, "In memoriam, M. 1989. Echo Falls. Too young to die." The date of the painting shocks Amanda, since she was only two months old when it was painted. Could this possibly be a clue to her finding out the truth of her parentage? Since Amanda is the sole named beneficiary in the will, and is also referred to in that document as "her daughter", if she can't prove that she's been legally adopted, Julia's estranged brother may be the one to inherit Julia's sizable estate by contesting the language in that document. In search of the truth, Amanda soon heads for Echo Falls, PA, in search of her birth records, and, hopefully, proof of her legal adoption, something the family lawyer didn't find among Julia's papers. The only thing he has is Amanda's baptismal certificate.

Once she arrives in Echo Falls, a predominantly Amish community, she meets with Trey Addison, a local attorney who was recommended by her Uncle Robert, and the efforts to discover the meaning behind the inscription and learn whether or not it has anything to do with Amanda's parentage begin. Interestingly, no one in this small town seems eager to even meet with or discuss the issue, and when Amanda comes to the realization that the date on the painting coincides with the death of a 17-year-old girl, found dead at the base of Echo Falls, presumably from fall, a girl whose name starts with the letter "M", and who is the granddaughter of the town matriarch, Elizabeth Winthrop, the mystery deepens, especially when no one in town seems to want to talk about it.

There's also the growing attraction between Trey and Amanda, and his attempts to help her find her adoption records, and solve the mystery of her birth and parentage, are also met with quite a degree of hostility. There are more than a few threats to Amanda--it's clear that no one really wants to tell her anything, and that someone would most definitely like her to go away and stop asking questions, all of which lead to more than one life-threatening piece of the puzzle Amanda is trying to solve.

My main problem with this novel isn't Ms. Perry's writing style, which is excellent. The plot combines all the features of a great read: mystery, suspense, danger and romance, set in the small but charming small town of Echo Falls, but for me, my displeasure was all about the pacing. This novel starts out well, the set up for the death of Amanda's mother, the break-in, Amanda's discovery of the mysterious inscription at the back of the painting are all set up quickly at the beginning of the novel, but then it stalls and continues on at a snail's pace thereafter. Additionally, there are numerous references to the previous novel in the series, mostly mentioned as an afterthought, but for reader's new to the series, I'd recommend reading these novels in the order written. Also, for those readers familiar with Ms. Perry's previous Amish mystery novels, which I would definitely categorize as Christian fiction, there is nothing particularly Christian-inspired or faith-based in this novel. While I don't consider that to be a detriment to Ms. Perry's story, some readers of only Christian fiction might find fault with that.

The bright spot in all this is that Ms. Perry's mystery did keep me guessing until the end, and her characters were all well drawn and for the most part quite likable. It was a good mystery, set in Amish country--a place I love to visit and re-visit, both in person and in Ms. Perry's novels. However, I didn't find this novel to be that much of a romance, and, for me, it was a very slow read, so, while I liked elements of this novel to some degree, I just didn't love it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thoughts:

SOUND OF FEAR by Marta Perry topples the stack of expectations inside loyalties, alliances, love, and family while placing some characters on the opposite end to leave some stuck right in the middle of a story teetering on dangerous!

Identity becomes a necessity with Amanda Curtiss. She used to know all about herself and her family until she found out it was all a lie. Can she blame her deceased mother for hiding the truth? On the other hand, is something more going on here? Whom can she trust?

Meanwhile, Trey’s law firm is just beginning to bounce back from its disastrous past, but as his next client walks in the office, he’s beginning to wonder why her well-known Boston attorney is sending her to him? Sure, it could be as stated with court calendars and cases, but her standoffishness is promising this case could be much more a problem than a payout.

Trey agrees to look into her claims about a death in Echo Falls decades ago, but he has to wonder if going after the richest town resident is the real goal here. That is until he understands just how wealthy and famous her mother had become.

However, Amanda must realize that wealth and fame have its own kind of danger.

In this case, a deceased mother, an estate to enter probate, precious paintings, and legal affairs can be deadly inside an Amish community!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

Inside SOUND OF FEAR by Marta Perry, Amanda Curtiss expects the death of her mother to stay as the blur of memory and pain it has become. She manages to go back to work, but she isn’t prepared for the legal aspects nor its implications to come crashing down on her.

Determined to prove the truth, she visits Echo Falls.

Meanwhile, Trey inherited his grandfather’s law firm from his dad, but he has had major problems in the past. Now, he is managing to keep it afloat, but it is not an easy paycheck to earn. He perches on a crest of needing clients, and his being almost too careful about which client he takes. Until his next client unexpectedly needs him to walk a fraying tightrope, between attorney-client privilege and his duty to his client all while staying within the law.

However, silence will be tantamount to consent if he does not speak up this time!

The Sound of Fear is a uniquely mysteriously, romantic Amish/English in this detective stories. Well not a detective - police - well, I guess you could say detective because he is a police detective. Hows that? Does that help? Is that clean as mud? Poor Amanda, her mother is promoted to Glory (passed away) and she then finds out that she could not have been her mother because - hey I can't ruin the book for you - but she finds out a bunch of stuff that really blew her mind and it leads her to Echo Falls and to a bunch of danger - poor thing cannot catch a break except for one thing - Trey the police officer - he is bound to help her and protect her and maybe even love her. How would you all like that? Well I won't tell you that happens or not but I will say this, this is one Super book.

An entertaining and inspiring story about falling in love and finding the people that make you feel at home while solving an intriguing mystery from the past.
Marta Perry writes stories that cross the lines of several sub-genres. There is suspense, murder mystery, sweet romance, women's lit and Amish stories meddled together in a perfect harmony in Sound of Fear delivering a pleasing story that was easy to get lost in. There was something familiar about the story, a little bit like coming home, a little bit like I have been here before - and I mean beyond the book one in the series.
All the characters, even the possible villains, have redeeming characteristics, if they are not all around likable and lovable, people you want to get to know better.
Amanda Curtis's life was spiraling out of control with all the new revelations of her parentage and their destinies. She is a fiercely independent, capable, and smart woman. She is lost and feels lonely with all the news shaking the foundation of her life, yet she manages to hold it together, to seek answers, and to be understanding and pleasant while everything she once knew is tumbling down.
Trey Addison is comfortable in his own skin and life, he knows who he is, where he comes from, what he wants and how to go about getting it. He is kind, generous, all around a solid, good guy.
The sparks are flying in between Trey and Amanda, the attraction is obvious but that does not make them agree on each and every point of the investigation. A research that is raising some disturbing questions causing several dangerous, even life-threatening attacks towards Amanda.
The new tidbits of information and the continues threats intensifying the atmosphere keeps the story going while Amanda and Trey get to know each other better, and Amanda has a chance to make acquaintance with her new-found family members.
The story has such a smooth storytelling, the flow of the tale pulls you in, and you lose the sense of time and place. I genuinely felt the interest to solve the case, to find the truth, to stop the harassment, and see if Amanda has the guts to go for it and accept all the love offered to her in different forms from different people.
Heartwarming romance and thought-provoking destinies mixed with intense suspense and acute danger delivered in a story with lovable, charismatic characters.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

I love all of Marta Perry's books. This one grabbed me from page one and I could not put it down. I really like the twists in the book and the surprising ending

The Good:
The mystery is so compelling. I can't imagine discovering completely out of the blue that my mother wasn't my mother. I thought Amanda's reaction was pretty natural. It'd be impossible to just sit and let lawyers sort everything out.

I liked Amanda. While taking a more active role in the investigation probably isn't the smartest decision it's completely understandable. As well I liked that she's a veterinarian with experience with large animals and owns her competence. She jumps in when needed and while she is respectful to the other older vet she doesn't dismiss her own skills. She's also aware and respectful of Amish customs but doesn't make a big deal about it.

Echo Falls is an interesting town. I enjoyed the mix of Amish and English as well as just the regular small town rumor mill. I'd like to revisit this setting.

This book is fast paced and incredibly readable. I was caught up in the story pretty quickly and just flew through this read.

I liked how everything wrapped up. You could probably argue that everything is wrapped up a little too cleanly but it worked for me.

The Not So Good:
While I did enjoy the pacing and the writing style there's an overwroughtness about the book that I didn't love. It felt like the intensity and emotions of the characters was always on max.

The romance was a bit quick. I'm all about an instant connection and instant attraction but this bordered a little too much on the devoted insta-love for me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read for me with an intriguing plot, an unusual setting, and likable characters. While it didn't blow me away it kept me engaged and turning pages far later than I should have been!

This is my second time back in Echo Falls, and with author Marta Perry, while these falls are lovely, and sure would like to see them, there is a lot of danger here.
We are back with some old Amish friends and a certain law firm, but this book can be read alone, and you will be hooked once you turn the first page.
My mind kept switching as to whom the culprit was, and I was very surprised in the end, and all because of greed. Our main character is a grieving daughter, and searching for her roots, in surprising twists, and in the end not knowing whom she is with her mother gone, but wait for the twists in this story.
There is a bit of romance here, but with the sense of loss so fresh, and the findings so new, both are going slow, and be ready for so much to unfold, and danger around each corner.
I for one can’t wait for the next book in this series, mysteries at the finest.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.

After the death of her mother, Amanda Curtis discovers that her mother had never given birth. On a quest to find her real mother, Amanda visits a small town and becomes involved in a mystery. Someone does not want her to find out more about her biological mother. Several attempts are made on her life as well as someone trying to scare her away. Along the way she meets Trey Addison, a local lawyer. This story has many twists and turns as Amanda and Trey find out what really happened. Highly recommend to all mystery lovers!