This was such a twisty and unique thriller! I read it in one sitting because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next. I will be reading more of this author's books in the future thanks to this being such a great read!

Six friends spend a weekend together, camping out at a music festival, reminiscent of Woodstock. They are having a great time ....

Until something happens to one of their own, and a decision is made that even a year later, they alternately regret their actions and can't stop thinking about it. The group has rarely spoken to each other since that night.

The six of them promised each other they would not tell a living soul what happened that night. But that promise has been broken.

Let the killing begin ....

This is not to be read without making sure windows and doors are locked and lights are left on. THE SILENCE takes creepiness to a new level. It's a well written tale of lies and secrets and revenge with deftly drawn characters. This is one of those books that once you start reading, you can't put down until the explosive ending reaches an unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Sourcebooks Landmark / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Review Three c0uples from Liverpool go camping in the woods and everything- everything- changes. Matt, Alexandra, Nicole. Stuart,Michelle, and Chris are happy and enjoying themselves until they realize Stuart is first missing and then that he's being attacked by a madman. Together they kill and then bury the man. Why don't people in these situations call the police? Well, then we wouldn't have novels like this where it turns out they killed a serial killer known as the Candleman because he leaves red candles. Or did they? A year later, the couples have broken up (or are on the rocks) and Stuart has committed suicide. Or did he? Because there's a red candle. No spoilers from me but this was a well done thriller where several times I found myself talking to the characters as you sometimes do while watching a horror movie. Good characters and storytelling lifted this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks Landmarkfor an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Six friends ... a serial killer ... an accident in the woods... secrets ... guilt ...

Six best friends are attending a weekend long concert and camping, when an encounter in the woods leads to murder and secrets. A year later, they are being hunted themselves !

A gripping mystery, and a pretty good ending.

From the depths of Nicole’s Book Cellar (Instagram.com/nicoles_bookcellar):

Book: The Silence (Release Date: August 4, 2020)

Author: Luca Veste

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Rating: 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!!!!!!!

Plot: Think Friends meets I Know What You Did Last Summer. A group of friends, that have been friends since high school, go camping when they killed a stranger who happen to be a serial killer. They decided to cover it up and made a pact to tell no one.

Well a year later, things started happening where it seems as if the serial killer may not have been working alone. Matt, the main character, is scared out of his mind and now has to either convince his friends to go to the police or find the other killer.

Thoughts: So I absolutely love the 90’s references and the music choices that came with it. It put me in such a state of nostalgia. There was even one line that said something about being ironic and that maybe he should ask Alanis Morissette, LOL! I really thought I had figured a part of the book out but then realized that Veste dropped that clue to lead me down the wrong path, the little sneaky bugger. I had NO idea the who, why, and what but when it was revealed I threw my hands up and squealed. But I think I screeched after reading the last page because wow it was unexpected!

Final drinking thoughts: The word silence is mentioned probably 1,256,643 times so I was thinking if you read this in one sitting maybe do a drinking game. Like a shot for every time you read the word silence. Just kidding, don’t do that you would die! If I don’t read anything that knocks my socks off in the next 5 months, then this will hands-down be my favorite read of 2020!!

Thank you to @NetGalley @SourceBooksLandmark and @lucavestewriter for an advanced copy of @TheSilence.

#TheSilence #SourceBooksLandmark #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #thriller #mystery #Books #Wine #Fiction #BookReview #ILikeBigBooksAndICannotLie #Bookstigator #GoodReads #WinerRead #wineandread #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic

<b>The Silence by Luca Veste </b>is a psychological thriller. Note that it was originally published as "The Six"

<i>First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.</i>

 
<b>My Synopsis: </b><i>  (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)</i>

Friends forever, three couples decide to re-live their youth by attending a 3-day music festival in a farmers field.  On the last night of their stay,  one of their group is attacked, and they all come to his rescue.

What follows becomes their secret.  Instead of trying to explain the circumstances to the police, they form a pact to never discuss where they buried the body, or to wonder what happened to the other one.   But that is easier said than done.

A year later, Matt and Alexandra have separated.  Neither one of them has ever really gotten over that night.  Matt is barely sleeping.  Stuart and Michelle are not together either, but Chris and Nicola seem to have moved on from that horrendous night.

When it becomes evident that someone is targeting the six, both Matt and Michelle are sure that a serial killer has resurfaced, and is out for revenge.  The others are not convinced.  How many will die before Matt figures out who the killer is.


<b>My Opinions:  </b>

After reading The Bone Keeper by this author, I have kept my eyes open for his next stand-alone novel, so was thrilled when I saw this.  My only concern was that my expectations may be a little too high.  I was wrong.  This book sucked me in and did not let go.  It is a captivating, creepy and totally gripping book.

The story, written from Matt's point of view, allowed the reader to see into the mind of a guilt-ridden, very tired and somewhat agoraphobic man, who just wants to save his friends...and sleep.   (Sometimes I wondered if he was a reliable narrator.)  We learned how the friendship between these six came to be, their childhood escapades and university triumphs, right up to the fateful night that changed everything.   We also learned how a secret among friends can have adverse affects on each of them, and put a strain on their relationships with each other.  The author nailed the way the information was given out, in piece-meal, thereby not giving too much away at one time, and yet keeping everything straight-forward.

The writing was excellent, there were a number of interesting twists, and I loved the ending.  What more can I say....highly recommended!

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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This is one of those thrillers where it feels like if you say anything, you'll ruin something. But, I've got to try (if only for the sake of my NetGally Feedback Ratio).

WHAT'S THE SILENCE ABOUT?
I'm going to borrow the blurb, because if that says too much, it's on Sourcebooks, not me.

It was supposed to be our last weekend away as friends, before marriage and respectability beckoned. But what happened that Saturday changed everything.

We killed a stranger and covered it up.

In the middle of the night, someone died.

We didn't know our victim was a serial killer.

The six of us promised each other we would not tell anyone about the body we buried.

But now the pact has been broken.

We don't think he was working alone.

And the killing has started again ...


The year following the killing of the serial killer was not easy on these six friends, the toll on them all is great. Then when the killing starts again, it's even worse, the fragile hold that Matt (the narrator) has on his life and mental health is about to shatter. Sone of his friends are doing somewhat better, while others...well, you should read that for yourself.

While we what happens to these six around the one-year anniversary we get some quick glimpses at some of the formative experiences they shared through childhood, adolescence, and university that shaped who they are and how they reacted to the present crisis.

WHAT CAN I TALK ABOUT?
That borders on too much about the plot, and I really don't think I can talk much about the characters for the same reason—almost everything we learn about them is tied to the story.

Let's focus instead on the feel of the book, the atmosphere. Wow. The opening pages are upbeat, joyful—but you can tell that won't last for long (and not just because you've read the blurb). Then it gets bad, and worse, and worse yet. And you can't look away—like the proverbial car wreck you see coming. Not only can you not look away, you have to see more, you have to keep turning the pages to see just what kind of damage will be done. How these lives will be further shattered.

It's horrible. It's tragic. It's compelling.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE SILENCE?
I don't know that I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book—I don't think anyone can. It's not that kind of book. It's a serial killer novel like you've never read before. If for no other reason than the focus isn't on the killer or the hunt for the killer. It's about the victims, prospective victims, and those that are left behind. It's about seeing the ripple effects of trauma.

It's a great experience. An intense read. This will be lurking in my subconscious for a while. Veste tapped into something here, and you've gotta try it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

The Silence was originally published as The Six last year, and I've been wanting to read it ever since I first read the blurb and saw the first reviews. I always love a good serial killer thriller and the blurb does a fantastic job of drawing me right in as well... I've been meaning to read it for a long time now, and I thought that requesting an ARC would be the perfect guarantee that I would read it as soon as possible. I'm definitely glad I did, because there is no doubt that The Silence is a scorcher.

Told from Matt's POV throughout, one of the six friends who star the show of this story, you will slowly learn more about the past, present and the characters themselves. We get murder, we get a cover up, we get that 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' vibe, we get a serial killer, we get killer plot twists, we get that ominous feel... And plenty of action and intrigue to top that off. What an ace recipe for a successful thriller! Matt's flashbacks are used to show us more of the dynamics between the members of the group of friends while also giving hints about what might go on in the present. Looking back, you could potentially deduct the truth from those hints, but guess what?! I most definitely didn't! The final developments and plot twists came as a complete shocker indeed.

The plot itself is brilliantly constructed. You first learn about what happened at the festival, which is shocking enough on its own of course. Imagine that happening to you and your friends! The story then fast forwards to one year after the event, where most of the plot takes place. With that 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' vibe, strange things start happening and characters who already seem to be falling apart will start to lose it completely. Danger, death, guilt, foreboding... How would they ever be able to get out of this mess? Matt and the rest struggle to discover the truth and who is behind it all, realizing they didn't get away with it after all... Flashbacks are used to explain the dynamics between the members of the group as well as to reveal facts about certain characters along the way. The hints are perfectly designed to mislead you and send you on the wrong track, or at least that was what happened to me; I most definitely never saw that ending coming.

This was my first time reading one of Luca Veste's books, and it definitely won't be my last as The Silence made me an instant fan of his writing. Engaging, suspenseful and intense: this story had me in its claws and I wasn't released until I reached that final page. This was without doubt a highly successful serial killer thriller and I will be looking forward to read more of his work in the future.

This was such a great read! A definitely different story line that was a kind of mash up of many but with some really amazing original "stuff" thrown in. There are no good guys in this story, so there is only the question of which of the bad guys will go next? Luca Veste has written a really, really good thriller.

Super creepy and engaging.

I’ve never read anything by this author. I had zero expectations going in. Now, I will read anything and all.

I love books like this. The whodunnit in this case shows emotion from the killer. Which is so rare. Most often they’re cold and calculating. Cruel.

It’s the perfect amount of suspense.

What a great read! This is honestly one of the best books I have read in a while. I needed this. I was in a book rut. The twists were amazing. It was freaky, thrilling, and action packed all in one.

I really enjoyed this authors writing style. Something about it was extremely relatable. Every part of the story had an importance in the end and it wasn’t filled with useless fluff that I’ve been reading lately.

Matt and Alexandra were very likable characters. I really loved the idea that you never really know someone. Some of the theories that Matt had in the stories were theories that I had as well. It was refreshing to see a main character process all likely options. The ending didn’t seem likely, frankly I don’t think I ever would have guessed which is why I think this book was so enjoyable.

I would highly recommend this read

I'm a sucker for an ensemble story-so I enjoyed this one!

The characters are well crafted, a little one dimensional-but it reminded me of my group of friends in high school minus the whole serial killer thing. Honestly, this story was F.R.I.E.N.D.S with disastrous consequences.

Plot wise-I was intrigued! Like I said before, I'm a sucker for a messed up ensemble story so following these 6 friends down memory lane and delving into their twisted minds was awesome. I found the first 54% a slow build up and definitely character development which played a huge role in the story.

It's also no secret that I'm an Anglophile. So the setting was perfect for me. Apart from the vernacular, locales and the mention of certain English bands, this book could be transported to pretty much anywhere in the U.S.

The premise centers around a terrible incident that happened a year before and the horrible events that start to happen on the anniversary. It revolves mainly on the characters and the (good and mainly bad) decisions they make. The Six is character driven to the max.

Think F.R.I.E.N.D.S., The Whisper Man, The Guest List, Pretty Little Liars and The Spice Girls mixed together.

P.S. Veste mentioned Avengers and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. in the same sentence. If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There was a lot of talk about 90s nostalgia things, which being a child in the 90s really sold me on the book. I loved the 90s and any book that talks about things that were popular in the 90s is alright in my eyes. Besides that, I was hooked from the beginning, as soon as the event at the music festival happened, because I wanted to see where the book would go from there. I was curious to see whether or not they would turn on each other or whether the guilt would be too much for them to handle. However, some people can only stand the guilt for so long before they start to crack, which is what happens. When one of the main characters ends up dead by a supposed suicide, the group, who has lost touch since the event in the woods, starts to come back together to try keep each other sane. But things keep spiraling from there, and the twists throughout the book were very well placed and unexpected. The ending was completely shocking to me, though looking back, the author sprinkles in flashbacks of the past that help put things into perspective. This wasn’t my favorite thriller ever, but it had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen

I struggled to finish this book and it is a testament to the story line that it kept me going. The idea was great: kill a serial killer - what crime reader couldn’t find that somewhere on their fantasy ‘To Do’ list?

The juxtaposition of the gaiety of the group for the early part of the book with the people they become was well written and held me.....

.....Until endless hours later those same characters remain stuck on a hamster wheel of denial, grief and indecision. Even the ‘finale’ had to be repeated - several times. By the end, I was wishing them all dead and dumped.

Good story spoilt by elongating the page count and alienating the reader from the characters.

I was incredibly excited for this book after reading The Bone Keeper. This book had Veste’s trademark eeriness on every page. It was unsettling and relatable to a point that added to its creep factor.

I love how he writes. Veste’s novels are so immersive that you feel like you’re really there with these characters. In that same vein it felt vivid. This could easily be a movie. The scenes in the forest after the attack, the weight of the guilt and how it molded each person, and the finale at the end. Each scene was more visceral than the last. He captured This is one of the reasons I will read anything Veste writes.

I do think it was a bit too much of a slow burn at the beginning. I think if there was more interaction with the candle man somehow in the form of notes or something to that effect it would have upped the creep factor.

Overall I loved this 90s nostalgia slasher novel.

“In the dark, anything is everything. A shadow becomes a monster. A whisper becomes a scream. Silence becomes fear. Yet there was always excitement lying in the darkness too. A sense of facing something and staring it down. I loved the night”

I loved this quote, but I feel like the book as a whole was most definitely a case of “It’s not you, it’s me” because my friend @davynsden seemed to have liked this one better than I did!

What I loved: I loved how reminiscent this felt to one of my favorite slasher films, I Know What You Did Last Summer. I definitely appreciated the homage to slashers, the 90s nostalgia and the serial killer aspect. I thoroughly enjoyed the way that Veste navigated through group friendships and the fact that we never truly know what another person is thinking or feeling, no matter how close we are to them. His writing was accessible and comfortable, but maybe a little too simplistic for me. That’s personal preference though.

Here comes what I didn’t like at all: This was a very, very, very slow burn to the point that I was skimming and I never do this (almost never). Action only developed at around 80% and to me that shows this wasn’t well crafted enough and had some plot holes. Veste did a whole lot of talking and not enough showing, so I also didn’t find this creepy at all like I was hoping it would. The twists were really good though and blindsided me, almost like a Riley Sager twist. If only it hadn’t taken so long to get there 😢

Would I recommend this? Yes. Is it a must read? No.

Thank you to @bookmarked and @netgalley as always for this advanced copy!

RATING: 3.5/5

PUB DAY: AUGUST 4, 2020

DNF this title. I wasn't a fan of the flow of the story. I didn't care much for the characters.Maybe I'll revisit this book another time.

My thanks to Sourcebooks, Luca Veste and Netgalley.
This is just one of those books that I never would have read if it weren't for Netgalley. I tend to read a lot of free downloads from Netgalley, and except for the rare fantasy, I usually have no follow through!
This author was good enough to put on my Kindle wish list.
I will need to read more from Luca. However, I'm also a cheapskate! So, when his books are on sale, I'll get them!
I ain't gonna lie and say this was a perfect book! Thing is that my copy is just an early copy. This will have been revised a few times between now and it's publishing date.
I think the one thing that stood out the most for me was the believability factor. Murder. Between friends! I do believe that the only way to keep a secret is not to kill your allies. You'd best kill me!
I suppose that I've never known anyone who would try to cover up a murder. Whether it was intentional or not. I am just one of those weirdos who would rather be punished by the law and judicial system. Because, on my own? Sheesh! I couldn't handle that. I know I couldn't. I'm just one person who fesses up to everything!
I will say that I knew who the bad folk was. It actually made sense to me from the beginning. I also thought that the ending dragged out for too long. Again, that may only be because I knew the whodunit, and was ready for it to be over. One last thing. I didn't like one single person in this story.
I also didn't hate them. I just have a theory that sometimes you need someone to root for! Honestly? I didn't much care!
I know it sounds like I'm throwing shade. I am! Also, I really did like this book. Some parts freaked me out.
I still ended this book thinking that it was all.a waste.

This book started out as very interesting to me and I am close to the same age as the characters in this book, so I could feel myself there at the concert with them, enjoying me some 90's music. What fun that would have been, until it was not...

A group of 6 friends then spend the weekend camping out at this music festival. Something scary and tragic happens that leaves the group not talking to one another. They are not given a choice when something happens to one of their own and they must face their demons after a year of being apart and not talking much.

Then the red candles keep showing up at all of their houses, and the lead character Matt swears it is the Candle Man, a local legendary serial killer who has been known to leave these as his trademark after he kills, so the level of excitement builds as each one is left wondering who is next. From here, it takes on an undeniable "I Know What You Did Last Summer" vibe.

I won't ruin it by solving this mystery for you, but the ending was absolutely perfect and left off where there could be another sequel to this book. I cannot wait to find out!

The Silence by Luca Veste held promise, but did not do it for me. I struggled with the first 3/4 of the book, skipping sections that just seemed to repeat them selves. The characters needed a little more development. The only reason I gave it 3 stars was because the ending saved the book. It was an ending that I did not see coming. Just wish the rest of the book held the same pace and excitement.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgallery for the free digital copy in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.