I have mixed feelings about this one. Apart from Shona, the characters really annoyed me at times, and although I had a lot of sympathy with Gail I feel she made a lot of bad decisions. I had sussed out the culprit early in the story, but I was hoping that I was wrong and that there would be further thrilling twists to come. Sadly there weren’t, and I was left feeling a bit disappointed in the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity - it was a decent and interesting read but not one that I could wholly recommend I’m afraid.

3.5 stars

I loved the idea of The Silence! Catching a serial rapist, the police need some help and in swoops Gail Reynolds, to reclaim back her life from the June 12th rapist. At first the police don’t believe her, but when Gail finds more victims, the police know they have to take action. However, Gail and her new friend Martha, want to take their own action, and will stop at nothing to punish those who committed these awful crimes.

I did feel that it got rather violent rather quick, however that didn’t put me off, but it could to others. I think that the trigger warns should be more visible, maybe it was the format of the kindle book, I’m not sure.

The rather large twist at the end was great, just shadowed by it being expected, but a great twist none the less. It was easy to guess from the start.

I would definitely read more books from this author as the plot and writing style was great.

This is the first book I’ve read from the author. Even with the heavy topic this book is based around, please read trigger warnings before reading, I would very much read another book from this author in the future. I feel that is it written powerfully and respectfully about the topic within the story. I believe the characters were well-developed and my opinions of them changed as I continued through the book. I was able to guess who the person was before the end but it didn’t take away from my reading. I’m very much going to look into others by the author and keep an eye out for future reads.

For once I did not really enjoy a book by Katerina Diamond.
I found the story repetitive, slow and rather boring.
It was quite easy to guess the ending before the big reveal.
I am sure this will appeal to some but sadly it was not for me.

This was a gripping book and although there were some very uncomfortable scenes describing rape and sexual assault, I felt this was written well and added to the urgency of the story. I also felt this book raised important social points for discussion and touched upon why convictions for rape are so low. The story then seemed to gain momentum and crescendos into a plot full or twists and questions. I would recommend this book as long as the reader is aware of the graphic content.

Difficult subject but it was a good read. Hard going at times. The internal monologue took a bit of getting used to but once I did, I got into the book better. I have read a few books by this author and have always enjoyed them.

It took me a while to get used to then writing style as a lot of the story was internal monologue aimed at a mysterious attacker. Its told from three perspectives, Gail, Shona and the mystery attacker. I felt this added to the story as we got three different perspectives. Overall a solid read.

This is a thriller centred around a very difficult subject but I thought she’d done it well. I couldn’t get in with her inner monologue though, I found it very jarring and confusing at times. Other than that it was a good read!

I have read a couple of books by this author so was excited to read her latest novel, out on 8th June. Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy to review.

The Silence follows Gail Reynolds, a woman who was raped in her home. She reports the crime, but there isn’t enough evidence and nothing comes of her report, especially as she had previously reported someone else for a sexual assault and it wasn’t proven. Years on, Gail is still annoyed and takes matters into her own hands. She reveals a pattern to the rapist’s attacks and finds other victims.
DS Shona White is involved with the case. She has experienced an assault herself, from a more superior police officer. She is keen to bring the attacker to justice.

Unfortunately for me, the only character I really liked was Shona and she doesn’t feature a huge amount. I wanted to empathise with Gail but she was so bitter and entitled she ended up being very unlikeable. Her instant obsession with Martha was very creepy and it felt like she was almost in competition with the other victims. No one could be more affected than Gail.

Each chapter is from the point of view of either Gail, Shona, or a mystery person, who turns out to be the attacker. The chapters aren’t very long, but I felt the book was badly paced as it dragged a lot for me. It very briefly picked up for a few chapters towards the end, but the ending itself was very meh and anticlimactic. Generally I found the book to be a bleak and depressing read. I wasn’t expecting it to be a light read but it felt like there was no let up as the majority of the book is centred around Gail.

I worked out who the attacker was a few chapters into the book but I hoped I would be proved wrong and there would be a big twist. This didn’t happen, and the person I thought was very obviously the attacker, was the attacker. This was a real let down for me as I had really hoped it wasn’t that obvious.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book and didn’t enjoy it. It was too bleak and there was no thrill or tension to drive the story forward. I couldn’t relate to or empathise with the main character at all. This one wasn’t for me and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Gail is raped at home in a most brutal way. He has drugged her and she is unable to move. When she reports it to the police, she is sent away because there is no proof.
The policewoman who told her this, had in turn been told by her superior to do this to keep crime figures down. She herself had been attacked, by another policeman, but wasn't believed.
This is a tale of how hard it is for the victims and how easily someone can penetrate the fragile bubble we all surround ourselves with.
It's not an easy read due to the subject, but worthwhile.

Received this advanced copy from netgalley.
I've read lots of books by this author and have enjoyed them all.
This book kept me reading and guessing right to the end. Hard content if been in a similar situation.

What a good story! A young woman reports a very unusual rape to the police but is persuaded to let the case drop because she’d previously made an unsubstantiated rape claim. Much of the story is told from her viewpoint and her desire for revenge interspersed with the story of the rapist. I did identify him about half way through the story, but that did not spoil the book in any way. It made for uncomfortable reading at times but reflected statistics of women not being believed and receiving justice very well.

3.5 stars
This is a good read but for awareness, this book is about women who have been raped.
It’s sensitively done but I think this story could be a trigger for some people.
Gail goes to the Police after being raped in her home but is told there will be no evidence as the rapist made her wash with bleach afterwards and carried out the deed on a plastic sheet which he took away.
Gail is left feeling bereft and very annoyed with the Police.
She goes to a support group and hears a woman recount the same details that happened to her and after speaking, they realise it was the same man.
Gail is determined that this man is caught and sets out to find him.
A good read but a tricky subject to write about.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I approached reading this knowing rape is a difficult subject matter. Unfortunately it was harder to read than I expected and I couldn't get comfortable with it, therefore affecting my reading.

**TRIGGER WARNING** This story is about rape. It's also quite violent.

Gail wakes in the middle of the night to everyone's worst nightmare. She can't move, can't speak and a stranger 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. The woman's story is identical to hers. And the attack happened exactly one year later. There is one weel left before he will strike again.

This is quite a dark read and definitely won't be for everyone, especially the fainthearted. As I'm a fan of Katerina Diamond's books, I requested this book without reading the premise. when I realised what the book was about, I did hesitate over reading it. I never feel comfortable reading about the subject matter. After saying all that, it was quite a good read. The story follows detectives who ignore reports and the victims who struggle after they've been attacked, cases are not believed or taken seriously. This is a tense and chilling read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #KaterinaDiamond for my ARC of #TheSilence in exchange for an honest review.

Good story. Lots of twists and turns. Well worth reading

Looking forward to more from Katerina Diamond
Many thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC and opportunity to enjoy this wonderful book

Disappointed with this book. The majority of the book was extremely repetitive and boring. It was a great idea for a story just poorly executed.

This may be a very difficult read for some as it contains quite graphic descriptions of sexual assault.

When a rape victim discovers that she is not the only one but that there could be many more she vows to not only discover who he is but also expose him and get revenge for all the victims…

Super fast paced and totally gripping but not easy.

This is a book that has some trigger warnings from the publishers that some may want to take note of.

It’s been a while since I read a Katerina Diamond book. This is raw, hard-hitting and shows the despair and trauma faced by many.

Gail reports a sexual assault, only to be shrugged off by the police after pressure is put on Shona White. However, Gail meets another victim who’s story is the same as hers. This is where events really begin to unravel.

Diamond has considered the treatment of victims on social media which is enough to send chills down your spine. This is only the tip of the iceberg, as we read on we find it’s more gruesome than some comments online.

We have a multiple perspective in this book. Gail’s is compelling and heartbreaking whereas, the rapist is chilling and horrifying to the core. This is a book that’s well written and completely addictive.

I loved this book, it’s dark, raw and emotional. Diamond is back with a jaw dropping and addictive read. This is a must for the TBR.

Gail comes home from work worn out and falls asleep on the sofa. When she wakes up, she finds that she has been drugged and raped, then made to wash in bleach to remove all traces of DNA. Gail reports her terrifying sexual assault to the police who dismiss her as she has previously made a ‘false claim.’ DS Shona White regrets burying Gail’s incident under the carpet but had no choice under direction of her superior.

Gail then meets another victim who recounts her attack which bears too much resemblance to Gail’s for it not to be the same perpetrator. Gail vows to discover whether there are any more victims and wage a campaign against their assailant. As the police won’t help, she will do their job for them.

This is a really difficult subject to write about and the way the author has written this book is in such a sensitive manner. There are some very interesting insights into the thoughts and feelings of the victim, as she speaks to her attacker throughout the book, one of the view points the story is told from.

I requested this book as I have read and loved some of this author’s other books. Regardless of the difficult subject matter, I found it too difficult to engage with any of the characters. For me, this book dragged on too much and I worked out the obvious twist early on.