The Silent Witness: An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller

· Bookouture
4.7
13 reviews
Ebook
350
Pages

About this ebook

It’s 4 a.m. when her mom shakes her awake. “Get up baby, we’re going to play hide and seek.” The little girl presses back into the dark space, holding her breath as she hears the shots ring out. She knows she’s next…


When the bodies of a local family are discovered on a quiet street in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia, Detective Amanda Steele takes charge of the case. Brett and Angela Parker were shot three times each, leaving no hope of survival, and their tidy suburban home has been ransacked. But there is no sign of their beloved six-year-old, Zoe.


Zoe is the same age as Amanda’s daughter was when she died, and Amanda can’t bear the thought of another little girl in danger. She’s organizing a search for the child, when she notices something strange about the ottoman at the foot of the Parkers’ bed. She opens it to find Zoe, mute and traumatized, but alive.


With Zoe completely uncommunicative, Amanda must find another way to untangle what destroyed this seemingly perfect family. It’s clear that the killer is searching for something the Parkers had, and until she has this monster behind bars, Amanda fears that he may return for Zoe. When she learns that Brett Parker cut short the family’s recent lakeside vacation, she wonders why. What happened at that lake house, and did it ultimately get them killed?


Amanda heads out to Lake Chesdin on the feeling it might be key to the case, and when she finds a cell phone in the murky waters next to the Parker cabin, she knows she’s made a breakthrough. But then terrible news reaches her from Dumfries; Zoe has been taken from her school playground.


Someone wants to silence the Parker family for good, can Amanda catch them before the little girl she’s desperate to protect pays the price?


A completely gripping and addictive crime thriller that will keep fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni entertained into the early hours.


Readers love Carolyn Arnold:


“OMG YES. This was an amazing book… I couldn’t put it down… Best book I read this year.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“My heart is still beating fast! Wow!! By far, one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“I ended up devouring the entire book in just one sitting… I was completely pulled into this one and found myself completely unable to put this down.” Little Miss Book Lover 87 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“If there was a way to give more than 5 stars, I would! This book is amazing!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“What a great book! I read it in one day and had so many twists and turns I never saw the ending coming!” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“Wow! Could not put this down. So many twists and surprises.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this book!” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“I LOVED this book… An engrossing page-turner and that ending, phew I didn’t see that coming at all!!! Can’t wait for the next in the series.” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“I already can’t wait for the next one! This one pulls you in from the very beginning… The mystery is full of action and twists. I absolutely did not see that ending coming.” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


“Compulsive, compelling and enthralling… I became completely riveted… Intrigue to compel you to read through the night.” Avid Reader’s Retreat ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

4.7
13 reviews
Judy Odom
September 24, 2021
The Silent Witness is a heart pounding fast paced read. Amanda and her partner Trent are called to the scene when the parents of a little girl are murdered in their home and Zoe is missing. The action is non stop from here on in. Although this is book 3 in the series, it is my first Amanda Steele book and I had no trouble following the relationships in the book. I am amazed I have missed this series and I can tell you now that I will backtrack the series (and Carolyn Arnold's other books). I cant wait to read book 4 in the Amanda Steele series.
Linda Strong
September 24, 2021
Detective Amanda Steele is leading the investigating when a man and his wife were shot and killed in their home. Their 6-year-old daughter Zoe seems to be missing, the house has been ransacked. Zoe is the same age as Amanda’s daughter was when she died, and Amanda can’t bear the thought of another little girl in danger. She’s organizing a search for the child, when she notices something strange about the ottoman at the foot of the Parkers’ bed. She opens it to find Zoe, mute and traumatized, but alive. There is no evident motivation, but as the house was searched, it seems as though someone was looking for something ... but what? Zoe is traumatized and not speaking, so did she the murders .. can the identify the shooter? Amanda and her team start at the beginning, questioning family, friends, co-workers, neighbors. One thing stands out as 'not normal' for the family. But why would that particular fact warrant such a killing? Is Zoe in danger ... is someone looking to be rid of any witnesses? Well-written with a complex plot and intriguing story line, the mystery/crime is wrapped around Amanda's past .. when her husband and young daughter died. The relationship between Amanda and Zoe leads to a healing of circumstances for both. There are twists and turns that point the way to an unexpected conclusion. Although second in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. However, I do recommend reading in order as there are bits and pieces of Amanda's background that should be read going forward. Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Leila Brenner
September 24, 2021
Silent Witness was such a good read! It was a fresh new case that tied in previous books in various ways. The case was also much bigger than anyone could have originally imagined. Zoe made the book have an emotional touch as a lot of the case was surrounding Zoe, finding out who killed her parents, why they were killed, and keeping Zoe safe (along with the consequences of the trauma the little girl was going through). Just this one character added so much to the storyline and really put a whole new spin on the book. I felt the “action” per se, was a little slower than past books, but that did not make me enjoy it any less. In fact, I am looking forward to another book in the series to see how the end of Silent Witness plays out. I loved chasing this case with Amanda and Trent. There were other parts of the book that I loved as well, but I can’t share (you know, spoiler alert!) If you haven’t read any of the Detective Amanda Steele books, you could pick this one up and not be lost, but I highly recommend grabbing all of them and reading them in order. I think you will find it even more enjoyable, but this one just might be my favorite! Silent Witness will definitely provide you breath holding, heart pounding mystery with just a touch of heart and humor to make it an incredible read!

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