It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Back in 2011, I was an avid reader who had somehow lost my way with reading. Between working and being a full-time student, reading for pleasure had slowly fallen by the wayside.

I wanted to change that. So I gave myself a New Year's resolution to read one book every week for a year. I started A Book A Week on January 1, 2012 as a way to hold myself accountable and share what I was reading along the way.

I didn't quite reach my goal that first year, but I kept reading. I kept reviewing. And all these years later, I'm still here, looking forward to whatever book comes next. Some years I crush my goals, some years I don't, but my love for a good book has never wavered.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

I'm a lifelong reader with a particular soft spot for mysteries and thrillers. I've always loved the genre, and I credit those stories—the twists, suspense, and need to know what happens next—with keeping me a reader as an adult. My reading has taken me in all kinds of directions since then, but I'll always come back to a good mystery.

I love creepy horror novels. A fascinating work of nonfiction can completely pull me in, too. And I've found plenty of favorites in science fiction, literary fiction, romance, and other genres I might never have picked up when I first started the blog. That's part of the fun. I never quite know what kind of story is going to grab me next.

When I'm not reading or writing reviews, you'll usually find me at home with my husband and our pets. I'm a classically trained musician and composer, an enthusiastic home cook, and a backyard gardener. There's usually a trip to look forward to or some new project that has caught my interest, too.

At the end of the day, I just really love books. There's nothing quite like discovering a story I can't put down or finding an author I can't wait to read again. Even when a book doesn't quite work for me, I still enjoy thinking about why and putting those thoughts into words. That's what keeps me reading, reviewing, and sharing it all here on A Book A Week.

Honest reviews, always.

Some of the books I review are ones I've purchased myself. Others are provided by publishers or authors in exchange for an honest review. Either way, what I write here is always what I really think.

Not every book is going to work for every reader, and that's part of the fun of talking about books. I'll tell you what worked for me, what didn't, and hopefully give you enough to decide whether a book might be right for you.

Good, bad, or somewhere in between, you'll always get my honest take.

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I'm always open to considering books for review. I read across a pretty wide range of genres, though mysteries and thrillers tend to be particular favorites. If you'd like me to consider a book, send along a little information about it and why you think it might be a good fit for A Book A Week.

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"We are all just leaves on a tree and it's nearly September and autumn is coming."

Frieda Klein is no stranger to darkness. As a gifted psychoanalyst and frequent collaborator with the police, she has seen her fair share of troubled minds and gruesome crime scenes. But now she finds herself in the middle of something much worse. The decomposing body of an ex-police officer has been discovered beneath the floor boards of her home. Freida knows there is only one person capable of such a heinous crime. Authorities believe that Dean Reeve, a serial killer who latched onto Frieda, is dead. With the discovery this ex-cop who was investigating Reeve's murders one thing is certain. Dean Reeve is very much alive and still hunting.

With the investigation into Reeve at a standstill, a new criminal emerges. Like Reeve, they have taken a particular interest in Frieda and the people who are close to her. First, Frieda's niece disappears for a weekend. She returns completely unharmed, but unable to remember the details of her absence. A photo of the niece from those days shows her on a bare mattress in a nondescript room, completely incapacitated. When another friend is beaten in his apartment, Frieda is certain that someone is trying to send her a message. She knows this person is not Reeve. Reeve isn't as crude as this criminal, but this copycat may be even more dangerous.

This is the seventh and penultimate novel in the series written by the duo Nicci French. Having never read any of the previous novels, I'll admit to being a bit lost at the start. There are quite a few characters in the opening scenes, and I wasn't immediately certain of who they were or their importance to the story. The opening chapters contain more dialogue than action. The characters, it seemed, were coming to terms with not only the revelation that Reeve is not dead, but also with the events of the previous book. This combined with my lack of knowledge about the series' overarching narrative made the opening of this novel difficult to get into.

Fortunately, the book reveals more about the characters and their relationships/motives as it advances. I'm happy that I persisted through the opening portion because Sunday Silence ended up being a chilling thriller that I could not stop reading. Like Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs, Dean Reeve is the "big bad" of the novel with a presence that is felt more through his absence than his actions. Even as Frieda faces the threat of the copycat killer, the momentum of the book is building to something larger that will presumably culminate in the final novel in the series. I've never been a fan of crime novels that end in a dangling cliff-hanger. Despite the promise of bigger things to come, Sunday Silence provides a satisfying conclusion to the events that unfold in its pages. With this book under my belt, I'm eager to backtrack and read the previous novels before the finale drops later this year.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
This review is part of a TLC Book Tour.

(2018, 5)

If this sounds like a book that you would like to read, enter to win an Advanced Reader Copy courtesy of the publisher. US entries only. No P.O. boxes please. Winner will have 48 hours from contact to respond.

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8 Comments

Comments

Kimberly @ Caffeinated ReviewerFebruary 1, 2018 at 9:30 AM
I am really glad that your persistence paid off and that you were rewarded with an excellent thriller. Added to my list :)
Heather J @ TLC Book ToursFebruary 4, 2018 at 8:51 AM
Thanks for being a part of the tour! I hope you enjoy the rest of the series as well!
DiannaFebruary 4, 2018 at 4:16 PM
I haven't read this series, but it's on my wishlist. Do you suggest reading the others before this one?
Olivia's CatastropheFebruary 10, 2018 at 9:22 AM
It sounds like this one did grow on you the more you read. It's not easy jumping into the middle of any series, especially when it is the last one of a series! But I am glad you could garner some good moments in it when the confusion cleared a bit.

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About Me

It started with a New Year's resolution:
1 book a week, 52 books in a year.
I kept reading, and it grew into something much more.

Reader. Blogger.
Book lover.

Honest reviews, always.

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