This was a brilliant read. Creepy at times and unputdownable. I read it in a day as it was so good. I have her books before and have enjoyed them very much. This one did not disappoint either. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The Silence is a very dark, difficult read which focuses on rape and sexual assault. I struggled with it at times due to the subject matter but am glad I read it as it was very thought provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Silence By Katerina Diamond in return for my honest review.
I am a big fan of Katerina Diamonds books so was looking forward to reading this standalone, I must say its not one of my favourite ones, not sure if it was the subject matter of sexual assault or that I found the characters a little unlikable, I just found it a bit harder going than her other books, it hasn’t put me off reading other books of hers, so look forward to the next one.

Told from three perspectives, this dark story highlights the terrible ordeal of sexual assault. It's a disturbing and powerful read and makes the reader think about how victims of sexual assault are treated by society and the judicial system. It's also a well-written police procedural, psychological suspense and revenge fiction. The characters are complex, and the plot has twists. I respected this novel's message, but it is harrowing to read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖

#TheSilence by #KaterinaDiamind #avonbooks

⏩for synopsis

First I want to say I’m a massive fan of this author and all her books so far and for the first half of this book I thought I’d be adding this one to her pile of greats; however the 2nd half, well we will get to that. So I commend the authors for risking a book like this; the subject matter alone would limit its audience reach and also be the cause of a lot of bad reviews as I’ve seen. It needs a million trigger warnings and it’s quite a graphic insight. Saying this I thought the first half of the book was very KD style - straight into the action and a cracking plot pace. I liked the quick fire chapters, swapping of narrators and overall direction of the book.

But then we get to the second half… so it became sooooo sooooo repetitive. It was all talk and no action seriously for ages and that couples with the fact I worked out who ‘done it’ from page two it just made it such a drag. The overall message of the book didn’t sit right with me either; the storyline is very of its time as per recent news stories but I did feel this narrative had very little in the way of redeeming qualities to it. I know it’s all very cliche say I wanted good to win over evil and actually very unlike me, but I did feel it was needed here. It makes me very uncomfortable that the book upheld the notion of don’t report it to the police they won’t believe you anyway and in fact it will make your life a million times worse.

Look it’s a controversial subject matter that people can feel strongly about and I guess I’m no different, BUT I don’t think authors should shy away from it either and this author certainly hasn’t in her other books, I just feel it missed the mark here for me anyway, I needed some goodness at the end of it all.

With thanks to the author, @netgalley and @avonbooksuk for sending us this copy for review.

OUT NOW

-EMILY

@the_book_girls_1

The Silence is the new standalone book from Katerina Diamond. It deals with sensitive themes, primarily rape so this book will not be for everyone. A serial rapist has been operating unchecked for several years. He chooses his victims for a very particular reason which I won't spoil here. He drugs his victims, covers their faces and often times records himself raping his supine victims. There are no forensics left behind. For this and other reasons the women are not taken seriously by the police. The pattern of rapes continues. Two victims find eachother and decide to take a stand with unforeseen consequences. I guessed the perpetrator less than 50% in. I thought it was so obvious that it was a double bluff from the author. This was a good read but I'm sorry to say parts of it were boring with a lot of unnecessary internal dialogue from the main victim. Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy.

The Silence by Katerina Diamond starts with a Bang!!!
Gail is raped in her own home. She reports it to the local Police and the Police woman Shone she spoke to sadly doesn't take her seriously. Two years goes by and Gail is trying to live her life as best as she can.......as its affected her and the way she lives her life. Gail has to do something and change the way she is feeling, she picks herself up and goes to a local rape support meeting. Whilst sitting there and listening to other people talk about their experience. A young girl called Martha speaks up and tells her story. As Gail listens to her, she realises her story is identical to her's!

Is this the same man who raped Gail?

Gail need's to speak to her, she believes it's the same man who attacked her in her own home, With Martha's attack which happened exactly a year later, they both have one week left until he will strike again.
They become friends and work together to find out who he is...........But, they have to work quickly as time is ticking! They both go back to the Police Station and speak to Shona again. Shona has always regretted the way she treated Gail and now she has to open a closed case but it has to be in her own time. She works closely Gail and Martha to find out who he is and will he strike again.

Does this date mean something?

Are they going to be too late before he strikes again?

This book was excellent and full of great twists and turns that will have you hooked and sitting on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend this book.

A very good read although very uncomfortable at times. A very good read although very uncomfortable at times. A very good read although very uncomfortable at times.

Gail returns from work and everything appears normal. Normal, that is, until she realises that she can’t move and that there is a stranger standing over her. After her attack. she tells the police only to find that she is not believed. Finding it hard to get on with her life, she is galvanised after meeting another woman with a similar story – this isn’t his first attack. Comparing stories, they discover that they were attacked on the same night, years apart. How many other women have endured the same experience and with the date fast approaching, can they convince the police that there is a serial attacker out there?

First of all, it is important to know that this book has a storyline involving rape so if this is a trigger, read with caution. It has a very dark plot and Katerina Diamond has written a thought-provoking book detailing the different ways society deals with this horrific crime. From the reluctance of the police to believe what Gail tells them to the online trolling of keyboard warriors, this really brings home how brave these women are for reporting what has happened to them.

As the plot progresses, The Silence takes a turn in a way that I was not expecting. While it was good to see Gail becoming empowered after meeting Martha, she definitely provided lots of heart in mouth moments!

The Silence is not for the faint of heart, but it is definitely a book that makes you think about the bravery of the women involved and how, hopefully, victims are now taken much more seriously.

Another great read from Katerina Diamond. It grabs you as soon as it starts and keeps you entertained till the very end. It is so well written I found myself lingering and trying to draw it out but at the same time wanting to see the progression and what happened next.
Give it a try.

Gail Reynolds is out for revenge and won’t rest until she gets it.
This book is dark and disturbing at times due to its subject matter of rape and sexual assault , but Katerina Diamond writes in such a way to make this thriller compelling
The writing is of an excellent calibre as always and the main characters are strong willed women with plenty to prove .
A great thriller with an intriguing twist at the end.
Highly recommended !
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

I was kindly sent this ARC by Netgalley and Avon Books in exchange for my review. Thank you!

Firstly, I would like to point out the importance of trigger warnings with a book like this. The book doesn’t just reference rape and sexual assault the whole book centres around this harrowing subject and it’s pretty full on.

I have not read any of Katerina Diamond’s previous books but I was gripped from the start! The storyline while horrific is handled really well and covers some aspects of rape and the reporting system and the way police handle rape cases that are too infrequently talked about. While I know the book is fiction I am also aware of the statistics of getting sexual assaults to prosecution and the instances of rape reports not being believed or taken seriously enough.

The characters are developed well and I could feel Gail’s anguish and torture throughout the book, also her determination not to remain a victim. Shona, our detective, was another strong woman and I loved her desire to make amends.

The action is fast paced and tense throughout. I knocked off half a star for guessing the rapist, but it didn’t detract from the ending which was high energy and got my pulse racing.

Will definitely read more from this author and give it 4.5 Stars! A near perfect crime thriller.

This is the second book I have read by Katerina Diamond and I have to say she is fast becoming on of my favourite authors. What I love about her is that she isn’t afraid to write about some of the issues other authors shy away from and her thrillers tend to run deeper and slightly darker than any others I have read, and the silence was no different.

Gail lives on her own, one evening she has fallen asleep on the sofa and wakes up in the middle of the night, something is very wrong though. She cannot move, she can’t speak and there is a stranger in her house standing over her. Then everything goes black.

Gail knows what happened to her was rape and that it did happen and that it was very real. Gail goes to the police however they don’t believe her; especially when they look at her previous record and see she has reported a rape before.

With no luck from the police Gail feels very alone, she has no way of moving on and what happened to her is on her mind 24/7. Then one day at a support group for women who have been sexually assaulted Gail meets Martha, as Martha stands up and speaks about her experience Gail cannot notice how similar Martha’s story is to her own.

Gail and Martha form a friendship and together with the support of one another they take matters into their own hands, when they realise the man who raped them is a serial rapist they are determined not to let anyone else suffer the way they have, but some of the things they uncover along the way are truly horiffic however this doesn’t stop Gail or Martha they are determined to put a stop to this man and any other known rapist no matter what the cost.

I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked from the start and there was plenty to keep the reader interested the whole way through the book. I did work out who the rapist was quite early on in the book but that didn’t take away the enjoyment for me. The only thing I did find is that I felt there were a couple of loose ends that needed to be tied up. For example both Martha and Gail’s fate, but other than that I couldn’t find any fault with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

The Silence

Did you feel that chill go up your spine? I did.

Just the title alone had me intrigued to want to know more. As soon as I read the description, I knew right then that I needed this book.

The silence is a quick read that you can easily read cover to cover. It's also terrifying and you will never want to sleep again. The intense amount of fear I felt can not be measured. My anxiety was through the roof. This book is what nightmares are made of.... I loved it.

Teaser :

Gail wakes in the middle of the night to everyone’s worst nightmare.

She can’t move, can’t speak and a stranger is standing over her. Then everything goes black.

Gail knows she didn’t dream it. Or him. But the police don’t believe her.

That was two years ago. She has tried to move on, forget what happened.

Until she meets his next victim.

This woman’s story is identical to hers. And the attack happened exactly one year later.

There is one week left until he will strike again.

Now the silence is broken, there is no telling what he will unleash…

A totally gripping and twisty crime thriller that will take your breath away. Fans of K. L. Slater and Rachel Abbott will be hooked from the very beginning.

This book had really well developed characters and a good storyline and I felt so much for Gail in what she went through, because nobody would believe her and she had to sort out her problems herself in the end.

I’m a big fan of Katerina Diamond’s Imogen Grey series and even though this is a standalone and not part of that series, I was really looking forward to it. While it wasn’t a bad book, it ended up not really being for me.

I expect dark and hard to read storylines from Diamond. Usually, the well-developed characters and intricately plotted, twisty mystery balances it out. The Silence, however, only really delivers on the dark and hard to read part. The story is heavily focused on rape and incels. The only character traits we get from most of the cast is trauma and victimhood. Which then leads into a couple of them becoming completely unhinged in a way that didn’t feel very realistic.

The mystery was also really lacking for me. It seemed to be more of an afterthought, rather than the central focus. I guessed who the villain was within the first couple chapters, so it was frustrating for the reveal to not come until the last few chapters.

I feel a little uncomfortable sharing negative thoughts on this book since the subject matter is so important. The number of unreported and/or unprosecuted sexual assaults that occur are sickening. The book does do a good job of showing how so many of us don’t think about it or speak out against it enough. However, I picked this book up hoping for an entertaining mystery and found I was not in the right kind of headspace for such a heavy-hearted soap box. While this is a book I wouldn’t pick up again, I’ll still look forward to the next book Diamond writes.

The Silence by Katerina Diamond is a psychological thriller. 

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Avon Books 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.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Gail Reynolds wakes up in the middle of the night, unable to move.  Someone has broken into her house, drugged her, and whatever they gave her has paralyzed her.  Something is over her face, and a man is raping her.  She can't even call for help.  Her worst nightmare, and it only gets worse when she reports the crime.   The police don't believe her, saying this isn't the first time she's reported an assault.  But that was different, and this is now.  It doesn't matter, they won't listen, and she is persuaded that since there is no evidence, nothing can be done.  She leaves the police station angry.

Gail can't move on.  A couple of years later, when she attends a self-help group, she hears a woman's story that is identical to her own.  She is no longer alone.  Between Gail and Martha, they determine that it was indeed, the same rapist, and he will soon rape again.....because both of their rapes occurred on June 12th.  It must mean something to the rapist, but what?  They are sure there are more victims out there.

Gail returns to the police officer who insisted they couldn't do anything about her rape.  Shona White is now a DI, and has always regretted being forced to shut down Gail's case.  She is determined to make things right.

But Gail no longer trusts the police, and decides to take things into her own hands.


My Opinions:
First, this was a rather depressing read.  So many victims that don't come forward, and so many perpetrators who never get caught.  The book shows the impact rape has on the victims at the time, and for years to come.  It is just sad.

But this book is about more than rapists that go unpunished.  It is about victims who can't move on, and it is about anger and revenge camouflaged as justice.  It is also about friendship and courage.

The book was told through different perspectives - Gail's, Shona's and that of the rapist.  This was done really well, but I think it would have been better if the chapters had names attached to the titles, because often I wasn't sure whose chapter it was until I was a few paragraphs in. At times the writing was repetitive.   As well, I sometimes found the characters rather unlikeable, although I understood the reasons for their thoughts and actions, so perhaps that was just me.

Overall, although it was a rather disturbing and dark topic, the author handled it very well.  It is a powerful and mesmerizing read, but it won't be for everyone.

He's got away with it...but now time is up...

I am a big fan of Katerina Diamond so was excited about the prospect of reading her latest book. But for the purposes of a clarity and awareness I feel a trigger warning is appropriate.

**TRIGGER WARNING**
It needs to be said that this book is about rape and features incels (involuntary celibates)

While rape features heavily throughout the story, it is sensitively done though the entire concept of it does come across with a sense of brutality and even violence, though to be fair this book is a lot less graphic than some of Diamond's other thrillers. I think out sensitivity it is less so. But some readers may find it confronting so if this is an issue for you then maybe pass on this one.

The story begins three years previously with Gail returning home after a tiring shift at work. She falls asleep after some mindless TV, awaking only to find a stranger on top of her raping her. She cannot move, she cannot see for something was draped across her face and she cannot do anything to stop what this monster is doing to her. Afterwards he makes her wash with bleach and takes everything he use from the scene, leaving no trace of evidence behind. It is like nothing ever happened. Except Gail knows that it did. She can feel it, she can remember every waking moment, she can taste it.

In the morning, she reports the assault to police where she is interviewed by DS Shona White. But when she takes it to her supervising officer, she is told that this is not the first time Gail has reported a rape that was deemed to be a false allegation. No one would believe her, the case was untenable and so Shona was told to bury it and let it go. And so Gail leaves feeling as though she has been raped all over again. Just like last time - they didn't believe her.

Three years on, Gail has tried moving on with her life but instead lives in the shadow of some semblance of what was once her life. She has been unable to hold down a job, becoming unreliable and unmanagable, even going as far as slapping a customer on one occasion. Now she has a night shift position at a hotel on the front desk and running room service because she only feels safe at home during the day when her neighbours are awake.

Gail frequents sexual assault support groups several times a week and it is there she meets Martha whose story of her own ordeal mirrors her own. As Martha tells her story Gail feels as if it is her own, reliving every horrifying moment. They decide to make a stand and not be victims any longer and so they try to draw out other survivors to his brutal assaults...because one thing they know - they were not the only ones. The police have washed their hands of it as there is no physical evidence not only linking a perpetrator to the assault but that that an assault even took place! Together they discover more consistencies that bring them closer to finding out who did this to them and the significance of the date on which they were raped two years apart.

THE SILENCE is a very dark read that can be quite uncomfortable to read at times. But it is compelling, addictive and held my attention throughout. Firstly, I must commend Diamond for tackling what is essentially a difficult topic to feature in plots. She did it with sensitivity, honesty and care. Her thrillers are known for being brutal and featuring graphic scenes but for the purpose of this one she reigned it in here.

The story unfolds through three main perspectives - Gail, Shona and the perpetrator. Gail's narrative is unusual in the sense that it is written with an almost second person narrative...like a diary to her attacker. She keeps referring to "you" meaning her attacker throughout her narrative. Shona's focuses on the investigation from when Gail first presented to her three years ago to now when she is now a DI. The perpetrator's retells his story from that of a child, the unjustness and unfairness of his peers and pretty much everyone around him, leading up to the present.

Unfortunately I found Gail rather irritating and barely likeable at times. I did sympathise with her but I liked her less as the story progressed. I get how she doesn't want to be seen as a victim any longer but the transition into vigilante was a tad far fetched and I felt took away from the main purpose. I liked Shona but felt she was made to tow the line when really she wanted to pursue the investigation from the start. She believe Gail, but no one else would.

I story as a whole was dark but cleverly told throughout. There are sufficient twists to keep you guessing but I had it all figured out by about chapter 5...although admittedly I was only guessing but it was my theory at the time but the more I read the more I was convinced I was right.

The ending I thought was a little abrupt and while I was engaged throughout I did feel there was something lacking that is usually present in Diamond's thrillers. But that aside, it is quite a good read despite its subject matter. A tense and chilling read from start to finish.

I would like to thank #KaterinaDiamond, #Netgalley and #AvonBooksUK for an ARC of #TheSilence in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I know I am in for an intense, gripping and gory read whenever I start one of Diamond's books and this is no different. This plot is chilling, terrifying and completely believable. It is also incredibly difficult to read and is definitely not for the faint hearted.
'The Silence' absolutely kept my interest and I was gripped and desperate to know what the resolution would be. I did, however, think the plot was obvious. I would have liked there to have been something different that would have surprised me. Having said this, I enjoyed getting it right.
'The Silence' is another stunning fast-paced crime read from Diamond. This is uncomfortable but exhilarating reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.
I found this a difficult subject to read about but I thought it was well written from each of the three perspectives. The internal monologue was hard to get used to but I actually managed to figure out who he was. I've only read one of this author's previous books in her series but I intend on reading more of them. ⭐⭐⭐