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portybelle's review
5.0
The next of my #20BooksofSummer is the brilliant An Act of Silence by Colette McBeth. Linda Moscow was a high flying politician, once Home Secretary, who was disgraced when allegations about corruption came to light. Her son, Gabriel, is a famous comedian. almost as famous for lurid tabloid revelations about his love-life and drug taking. Linda's loyalty is stretched to its limit when he is accused of murdering a young woman he has spent the night with. She wants to believe him, but she's not sure just what he is capable of and now he has disappeared. As a mother, she will do anything for her son but this time secrets from her past may come back to haunt her and even threaten her life.
One of the main themes is a very topical issue and handled with great sensitivity. One of the characters is what you would call a 'National Treasure' and has been accused at various times of child sexual abuse. As the story develops, the reader sees the level of cover-up involved both at the time and in the present day. Reading the story from the viewpoint of the victim who felt so helpless, guilty and betrayed was quite moving.
This book was very cleverly constructed. It moves back and forward in time with each part filling in a little more of the puzzle. Quite often, the reader sees the same scene (or part of it) played out through another character's eyes, adding another perspective and a deeper understanding of events. There were lots of revelations throughout the book too, so that quite often I didn't know who I could believe or trust. There was so much corruption, lies and deceit. It was hard to tell which of the narrators, if any, were reliable.
Some of the characters were put in such difficult situations that they just couldn't see a way out of, they had impossible choices. I had initially despised some of the characters but came to see some good in as they tried to redeem themselves. Others, however, proved irredeemable. During the last chapters of the book it was really fast paced, edge of the seat reading!
An Act of Silence was a perfectly paced, tense and gripping read and one of the best psychological thrillers I've read recently. I highly recommend it.
One of the main themes is a very topical issue and handled with great sensitivity. One of the characters is what you would call a 'National Treasure' and has been accused at various times of child sexual abuse. As the story develops, the reader sees the level of cover-up involved both at the time and in the present day. Reading the story from the viewpoint of the victim who felt so helpless, guilty and betrayed was quite moving.
This book was very cleverly constructed. It moves back and forward in time with each part filling in a little more of the puzzle. Quite often, the reader sees the same scene (or part of it) played out through another character's eyes, adding another perspective and a deeper understanding of events. There were lots of revelations throughout the book too, so that quite often I didn't know who I could believe or trust. There was so much corruption, lies and deceit. It was hard to tell which of the narrators, if any, were reliable.
Some of the characters were put in such difficult situations that they just couldn't see a way out of, they had impossible choices. I had initially despised some of the characters but came to see some good in as they tried to redeem themselves. Others, however, proved irredeemable. During the last chapters of the book it was really fast paced, edge of the seat reading!
An Act of Silence was a perfectly paced, tense and gripping read and one of the best psychological thrillers I've read recently. I highly recommend it.
elliep63's review
3.0
It was a good read, kept me guessing in places. But I did find it was mostly easy to put down and pick back up with predictable outcomes overall.
bibliobethreads's review
4.0
I'm ashamed to say that I've had this book, my first read by Colette McBeth on my Netgalley TBR list for a long time now and all these naughty other books kept getting in the way, preventing me from starting it. After finally getting round to experiencing the author's style, I'm delighted to report that she writes precisely the sort of books I want to be reading. I was instantly pulled into the world of our lead female character, her son and her past and the story moved at such a steady pace (with some very clever reveals) that even when I wasn't reading it, I was THINKING about reading it, a sure sign that I'm invested.
An Act Of Silence is McBeth's third novel, following Precious Thing and A Life I Left Behind and although I can't make any comparisons as yet with her previous work, it reads like an established and very confident thriller writer with oceans of expertise under their belt. We follow our female protagonist, Linda Moscow in an utterly compelling opening where she is tasked with the ultimate quandary - her only son is accused of murder and she must decide first of all, whether she believes his protestations at his innocence. Secondly, as a can of worms from the past is well and truly opened up, she must protect herself and her family in the safest way possible whilst ensuring any villains have the potential to be finally unmasked.
I have to admit when I read initial reviews of this novel and I saw it marketed as a "political thriller," I was slightly wary. I'm not the biggest fan of politics, in or out of literature and novels that I've read in the past that tend to follow this particular narrative have more often than not, sadly fallen flat for me. However, I had no need to worry. The politics does play an important part in the narrative, specifically concerning Linda's past and a horrific scandal that she found herself embroiled in but, interestingly enough, the novel focuses much more on characters, the relationships between them and how events from the past have influenced their individual actions and reactions in the present.
From the very first early moments of this story, I was captivated by the relationship between Linda and her son Gabriel. If I had to describe it in three words I would say: complicated, fractured and uneasy. As a reader, I became desperate to know what precipitating events had led to the point where every word and movement they make around each other becomes so tentative and weary. There's so much more bubbling under the surface of An Act Of Silence than that which is initially suggested and the joy of reading this is discovering all those surprises for yourself. The author visits some very murky places and incredibly dark subject matters but this only results in an even more fascinating plot which unravels slowly, deliberately and quite brilliantly as all begins to be revealed.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
An Act Of Silence is McBeth's third novel, following Precious Thing and A Life I Left Behind and although I can't make any comparisons as yet with her previous work, it reads like an established and very confident thriller writer with oceans of expertise under their belt. We follow our female protagonist, Linda Moscow in an utterly compelling opening where she is tasked with the ultimate quandary - her only son is accused of murder and she must decide first of all, whether she believes his protestations at his innocence. Secondly, as a can of worms from the past is well and truly opened up, she must protect herself and her family in the safest way possible whilst ensuring any villains have the potential to be finally unmasked.
I have to admit when I read initial reviews of this novel and I saw it marketed as a "political thriller," I was slightly wary. I'm not the biggest fan of politics, in or out of literature and novels that I've read in the past that tend to follow this particular narrative have more often than not, sadly fallen flat for me. However, I had no need to worry. The politics does play an important part in the narrative, specifically concerning Linda's past and a horrific scandal that she found herself embroiled in but, interestingly enough, the novel focuses much more on characters, the relationships between them and how events from the past have influenced their individual actions and reactions in the present.
From the very first early moments of this story, I was captivated by the relationship between Linda and her son Gabriel. If I had to describe it in three words I would say: complicated, fractured and uneasy. As a reader, I became desperate to know what precipitating events had led to the point where every word and movement they make around each other becomes so tentative and weary. There's so much more bubbling under the surface of An Act Of Silence than that which is initially suggested and the joy of reading this is discovering all those surprises for yourself. The author visits some very murky places and incredibly dark subject matters but this only results in an even more fascinating plot which unravels slowly, deliberately and quite brilliantly as all begins to be revealed.
For my full review and many more, please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
steph1rothwell's review
5.0
I didn’t really know what to expect when starting this book but I certainly didn’t expect it to be as fast paced as it was.
We have a disgraced politician, and her son who is a successful comedian. From the beginning, you are aware that their relationship is fractured. With the narrative switching between them, the reasons become clear. I found it quite difficult to like and understand either of them, its only much further into the novel that you become aware of everything has happened since Gabriel was a child.
Whilst I didn’t warm to either of these two immediately, there were three characters I liked instantly. These were Charlie, whose story was heartbreaking, Emily Lune and her husband Tom. Emily and Tom only appear towards the end but they were a welcome addition to a novel that contains some loathsome characters. The characters who appeared in the novel were fictionalized, but far too often you see the real version on our news.
As I said at the start of my review, the novel is fast paced. The narrative switches between most of the characters over many years. Some of the narration seems to be repeated but is from a different point of view. Especially when it involved Linda and Gabriel so the reader can see how their relationship suffered.
A great book, especially for a holiday. Just a little exhausting.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
We have a disgraced politician, and her son who is a successful comedian. From the beginning, you are aware that their relationship is fractured. With the narrative switching between them, the reasons become clear. I found it quite difficult to like and understand either of them, its only much further into the novel that you become aware of everything has happened since Gabriel was a child.
Whilst I didn’t warm to either of these two immediately, there were three characters I liked instantly. These were Charlie, whose story was heartbreaking, Emily Lune and her husband Tom. Emily and Tom only appear towards the end but they were a welcome addition to a novel that contains some loathsome characters. The characters who appeared in the novel were fictionalized, but far too often you see the real version on our news.
As I said at the start of my review, the novel is fast paced. The narrative switches between most of the characters over many years. Some of the narration seems to be repeated but is from a different point of view. Especially when it involved Linda and Gabriel so the reader can see how their relationship suffered.
A great book, especially for a holiday. Just a little exhausting.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
chloehall94's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
toofondofbooks's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on my blog: https://rathertoofondofbooks.com/
I’m a huge fan of Colette McBeth so when I heard about An Act of Silence I knew it was a book that I had to read and I’m really pleased to say that it more than lived up to my expectations.
An Act of Silence is told from the viewpoint of quite a few characters, which I found really interesting: the way their stories go back and forth in time and are layered on top of each other made the unravelling of the story utterly fascinating and near impossible to put down. Linda is a former MP who resigned in disgrace a few years previously and is now writing a book. Her son Gabriel is a famous comedian who has been accused of murder and just wants his mother to believe that he’s innocent.
I’ll be honest and say that I thought this book was going to be about how a mother tried to cover up what her adult son had done but it is so much more more than I even expected. Seeing the story through both Linda and Gabriel’s eyes really gave such an insight into why they are the way they are with each other. I felt sorry for Gabriel at times for the way his mum just didn’t seem to show she cared but then we’d see her point of view and I could understand more. This novel goes on to be a wider look at child abuse and it makes for difficult reading at times; there are moments that really got to me but I never felt that I needed to stop reading and I put that down to how well written and how well researched this book is.
This is a book that explores what good and bad are, and whether both traits can exist in one person. It explores power and the people who abuse it. The real heart of the book though is in each act of silence. The perpetrators in this book kept quiet because it meant they got away with it, but the interest for me was in the victims and how they kept silent because they thought they wouldn’t be believed. Then later they just didn’t want to have to cope with the fall out of speaking out. Seeing the story from multiple perspectives really gives you pause for thought in this book, and it really made me think.
An Act of Silence is a tense, atmospheric thriller that will really get under your skin. It builds and builds and reaches a point where you feel like you can’t breathe, and you just simply have to know what the outcome is going to be. It’s a very powerful novel that will give you pause for thought, and it’s one that will really stay with me. I highly, highly recommend this book!
I’m a huge fan of Colette McBeth so when I heard about An Act of Silence I knew it was a book that I had to read and I’m really pleased to say that it more than lived up to my expectations.
An Act of Silence is told from the viewpoint of quite a few characters, which I found really interesting: the way their stories go back and forth in time and are layered on top of each other made the unravelling of the story utterly fascinating and near impossible to put down. Linda is a former MP who resigned in disgrace a few years previously and is now writing a book. Her son Gabriel is a famous comedian who has been accused of murder and just wants his mother to believe that he’s innocent.
I’ll be honest and say that I thought this book was going to be about how a mother tried to cover up what her adult son had done but it is so much more more than I even expected. Seeing the story through both Linda and Gabriel’s eyes really gave such an insight into why they are the way they are with each other. I felt sorry for Gabriel at times for the way his mum just didn’t seem to show she cared but then we’d see her point of view and I could understand more. This novel goes on to be a wider look at child abuse and it makes for difficult reading at times; there are moments that really got to me but I never felt that I needed to stop reading and I put that down to how well written and how well researched this book is.
This is a book that explores what good and bad are, and whether both traits can exist in one person. It explores power and the people who abuse it. The real heart of the book though is in each act of silence. The perpetrators in this book kept quiet because it meant they got away with it, but the interest for me was in the victims and how they kept silent because they thought they wouldn’t be believed. Then later they just didn’t want to have to cope with the fall out of speaking out. Seeing the story from multiple perspectives really gives you pause for thought in this book, and it really made me think.
An Act of Silence is a tense, atmospheric thriller that will really get under your skin. It builds and builds and reaches a point where you feel like you can’t breathe, and you just simply have to know what the outcome is going to be. It’s a very powerful novel that will give you pause for thought, and it’s one that will really stay with me. I highly, highly recommend this book!
avanpiper's review
4.0
4.5 stars! This book surprised and touched me in many little ways. Even almost brought me to tears right at the end. I love how it managed to shine light on the side plot and characters, made me care for them as much as the main ones. The twists and not knowing who is trustworthy made this a thrilling page-turner.
booklady72's review
4.0
Politician Linda Moscow has sacrificed everything to save her son, her marriage, beliefs and her career. All she wants to do is keep him safe.
But she knows things, voices she silenced a long time ago have come back to haunt her and she needs to make a choice. This time though, her life is on the line.
An excellent read, difficult to read in places as it cover sex abuse and the way it is kept covered up. Kept me turning the pages from the beginning until the very end.
But she knows things, voices she silenced a long time ago have come back to haunt her and she needs to make a choice. This time though, her life is on the line.
An excellent read, difficult to read in places as it cover sex abuse and the way it is kept covered up. Kept me turning the pages from the beginning until the very end.