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kimdavishb's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve been a longtime fan of Susan Furlong, known for her cozy mysteries. I was anxious to read SPLINTERED SILENCE, her first foray into suspense and was captivated by her page-turning story introducing readers to the Irish Travellers. Ms. Furlong creates a vivid picture of a subculture that I’ve never heard about. She uses her deeply emotionally scarred protagonist, Brynn Callahan, to effectively delve beneath the surface of the tightly knit community, known as the Bone Gap Travellers. In addition to Brynn suffering a grievous event in her young life, she went on to suffer traumatically while serving as a Marine overseas. She returns to her community, bringing her equally injured service dog, Wilco, with her. Not only do they both have physical injuries, they both have PTSD. Ms. Furlong treats this heartbreaking subject with a deft touch, never minimalizing it. She writes with an emotional rawness that draws the reader in, bringing a realistic look at what the protagonist experiences.
The mystery surrounding the body that Wilco finds in the woods has many twists and turns. I found it interesting that the people of the Bone Gap Travelers have a deep-seated mistrust of the townspeople and the town has an equally deep-seated loathing of the “gypsies” as they call Brynn’s people. This distrust persists despite many, many decades of living next to each other. As such, Brynn doesn’t feel like she can rely on the town’s law enforcement to find answers. She is pulled into the investigation, drawing on her and Wilco’s training as a human remains detection experts. It is fully apparent that Ms. Furlong has spent many hours researching the procedures involved and I was intrigued by the insights she provides about training dogs for military and police use. It adds to the authenticity of the story. The suspense builds as you turn the pages and it was difficult to put the book down. I look forward to reading more about Brynn Callahan and applaud Ms. Furlong for an exciting foray into the suspense genre!
I was provided an advance copy via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The mystery surrounding the body that Wilco finds in the woods has many twists and turns. I found it interesting that the people of the Bone Gap Travelers have a deep-seated mistrust of the townspeople and the town has an equally deep-seated loathing of the “gypsies” as they call Brynn’s people. This distrust persists despite many, many decades of living next to each other. As such, Brynn doesn’t feel like she can rely on the town’s law enforcement to find answers. She is pulled into the investigation, drawing on her and Wilco’s training as a human remains detection experts. It is fully apparent that Ms. Furlong has spent many hours researching the procedures involved and I was intrigued by the insights she provides about training dogs for military and police use. It adds to the authenticity of the story. The suspense builds as you turn the pages and it was difficult to put the book down. I look forward to reading more about Brynn Callahan and applaud Ms. Furlong for an exciting foray into the suspense genre!
I was provided an advance copy via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
sarahbelle's review against another edition
4.0
I love the bond relationship between Brynn and Wilco. The storyline kept me interested and it had good mystery and the ending wasn’t predictable. I enjoyed this read. The differences between the pavees and the settled, the life decisions. It was good.
bookguyinva2022's review against another edition
5.0
That was wonderful. Many twists and great handling of relationships. The whole Irish travellers thing was new to me even after going to school and living in Appalachia for many years. Read it, you will enjoy it.
nursenell's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn't put this book down. In addition to a story that sucked me in right away it was very interesting learning about the Travellers.
usbsticky's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic, best book I've read in a while. First of all, I love books with dogs so that's a plus already. Secondly this book was very well written and easy to follow. I got into the story right away.
I love the background of the Irish Travellers. It's not something that I know a lot about but I found the setting very interesting. I also loved the characters, not too many to overwhelm the book, but just enough to make it interesting. The main character is Brynn, an ex-marine cadaver dog handler who goes back to her Traveller roots after being injured in an IED explosion and her dog Wilco. She has a supporting family cast. On the other side is the local Sheriff, a Settled (not a Traveller) a some townspeople.
A body is discovered by chance by Wilco and the story goes from there. The backdrop which includes the animosity and the differences between the townspeople and the Travellers is a big part of the book. It's mostly told from Brynn's point of view and I developed a very sympathetic view of her people from the book. The book moves fast without a lot of extra verbiage and I finished it within 36 hours.
So overall I liked the book because it was very easy to read, had an interesting backdrop, likeable characters, straightforward plot... and the dog! I will definitely follow the next in the series when it comes out!
I got this as a free ARC.
I love the background of the Irish Travellers. It's not something that I know a lot about but I found the setting very interesting. I also loved the characters, not too many to overwhelm the book, but just enough to make it interesting. The main character is Brynn, an ex-marine cadaver dog handler who goes back to her Traveller roots after being injured in an IED explosion and her dog Wilco. She has a supporting family cast. On the other side is the local Sheriff, a Settled (not a Traveller) a some townspeople.
A body is discovered by chance by Wilco and the story goes from there. The backdrop which includes the animosity and the differences between the townspeople and the Travellers is a big part of the book. It's mostly told from Brynn's point of view and I developed a very sympathetic view of her people from the book. The book moves fast without a lot of extra verbiage and I finished it within 36 hours.
So overall I liked the book because it was very easy to read, had an interesting backdrop, likeable characters, straightforward plot... and the dog! I will definitely follow the next in the series when it comes out!
I got this as a free ARC.
javamamanc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Brynn Callahan is a deeply flawed, damaged character. She is trapped between three worlds - the military world which has mustered her out but she can't escape her memories, the Traveller world which raised her but now rejects her, and the "Settled" world which despises her and her people. She wants a home, but can't let go of her self-destructive habits both of mind and body. Powerful and moving, though I kept yelling at her in my head!
audiobookmel's review against another edition
4.0
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
I’ve never tried anything by Susan Furlong before, but when I saw a thriller read by Amy Landon, I decided to give it a try. I’m really glad I did, because I really enjoyed this new story by a new-to-me author.
Brynn is an Irish Traveller who grew up in the mountains of Tennessee. Irish Travellers are a group of people who some might call gypsies. They travel a lot, but will sometimes settle, but usually away from the more mainstream way of life (what they call settlers). They want to keep their culture separate and don’t trust the settlers (and they have good reasons not to). Brynn had a really bad experience as a child and left at eighteen to join the Marines.
Brynn is now out of the military, she has physical scars and mental scars after surviving an IED blast. Her canine partner, a cadaver dog named Wilco, is now retired with her. He lost his hearing and a hind leg in the explosion. They both suffer from PTSD.
Brynn finally comes back to her roots in Tennessee to help her Gran with her ailing Grandfather. When her dog runs off, he does what he does best. He found dead human remains. This takes Brynn down a great journey of learning about the past, healing from that past and in some ways, the PTSD.
I really like how the author talked about this group of people. I think showing them from Brynn’s point of view helps you to see both sides of these Travellers. Because she grew up in this group, she understands them. She also sees things more like the “settlers” see them. I think it gave great perspective to this group of people that many don’t understand. I also like the author’s note at the beginning which helps explain her association with Irish Travellers and how she tried her best to represent them in the best way she could. You can also go to the author’s website for more information.
I also really had a great time with the characters of this book. Brynn is a great character. She is a war hero trying to make it back in the civilian society. This isn’t easy for the best of us, when you add in that she is part of a sect of people who expect women to marry and have children, she didn’t really fit into either world. Only her dog is there for her every step of the way.
The second characters are really good too. Brynn’s grandmother and grandfather, who raised her since her mother was gone. There is Gran’s new neighbor who is searching for his missing sister. Brynn’s cousin. Also, the sheriff and his deputies who help with the search for identity of the dead woman that Wilco finds in the forest. They are all great characters that fit together really well.
If you like a good murder mystery, this is a fun story that includes a population of people that many in the US don’t know about. It is interesting to see things from their point of view, as the author tries to help break down the stereotypes that have plagued them since they arrived in America.
Narration
Like I said, I’m a fan of Amy Landon. She is the thing that caught my eye to get me to look harder at this book. She is a great narrator who adds a lot of personality to her characters. In this book, she had to do Irish accents for several people. There is also the cops that aren’t part of the Travellers. They have a more typical Southern accent. Anyway, I felt that Amy Landon nailed the narration of this book. She kept me on the edge of my seat and really helped me to connect with the characters.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve never tried anything by Susan Furlong before, but when I saw a thriller read by Amy Landon, I decided to give it a try. I’m really glad I did, because I really enjoyed this new story by a new-to-me author.
Brynn is an Irish Traveller who grew up in the mountains of Tennessee. Irish Travellers are a group of people who some might call gypsies. They travel a lot, but will sometimes settle, but usually away from the more mainstream way of life (what they call settlers). They want to keep their culture separate and don’t trust the settlers (and they have good reasons not to). Brynn had a really bad experience as a child and left at eighteen to join the Marines.
Brynn is now out of the military, she has physical scars and mental scars after surviving an IED blast. Her canine partner, a cadaver dog named Wilco, is now retired with her. He lost his hearing and a hind leg in the explosion. They both suffer from PTSD.
Brynn finally comes back to her roots in Tennessee to help her Gran with her ailing Grandfather. When her dog runs off, he does what he does best. He found dead human remains. This takes Brynn down a great journey of learning about the past, healing from that past and in some ways, the PTSD.
I really like how the author talked about this group of people. I think showing them from Brynn’s point of view helps you to see both sides of these Travellers. Because she grew up in this group, she understands them. She also sees things more like the “settlers” see them. I think it gave great perspective to this group of people that many don’t understand. I also like the author’s note at the beginning which helps explain her association with Irish Travellers and how she tried her best to represent them in the best way she could. You can also go to the author’s website for more information.
I also really had a great time with the characters of this book. Brynn is a great character. She is a war hero trying to make it back in the civilian society. This isn’t easy for the best of us, when you add in that she is part of a sect of people who expect women to marry and have children, she didn’t really fit into either world. Only her dog is there for her every step of the way.
The second characters are really good too. Brynn’s grandmother and grandfather, who raised her since her mother was gone. There is Gran’s new neighbor who is searching for his missing sister. Brynn’s cousin. Also, the sheriff and his deputies who help with the search for identity of the dead woman that Wilco finds in the forest. They are all great characters that fit together really well.
If you like a good murder mystery, this is a fun story that includes a population of people that many in the US don’t know about. It is interesting to see things from their point of view, as the author tries to help break down the stereotypes that have plagued them since they arrived in America.
Narration
Like I said, I’m a fan of Amy Landon. She is the thing that caught my eye to get me to look harder at this book. She is a great narrator who adds a lot of personality to her characters. In this book, she had to do Irish accents for several people. There is also the cops that aren’t part of the Travellers. They have a more typical Southern accent. Anyway, I felt that Amy Landon nailed the narration of this book. She kept me on the edge of my seat and really helped me to connect with the characters.
**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
purplepenning's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up.
More injured than her IED scars indicate, ex-MP Brynn and her deaf, ex-cadaver dog Wilco, return to the home that hasn't felt like home for quite a long time — the community of Irish Travellers where she was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Wilco's talented, highly trained nose uncovers traumas from the past that overlap with current violence and mysteries, landing Brynn between the same rock and hard place as before. Does Brynn even have a chance at healing from her past and facing her future while dealing with the suspicions and loyalties of her family and clan and the bigotry and justice of the settled world?
This is a well-paced mystery / contemporary crime thriller that's a little outside my normal range of comfort (what with the descriptions of decomposing bodies, etc.). I don't require my mysteries to be cozy, but I generally prefer a little more character development and humor and a little less gritty realism. But it's an intriguing introduction to this canine/handler duo and the Traveller/outsider dynamic. And it's definitely a compelling read — I read it in a single day and I'm in for book two.
Content notes: various slurs for Travellers (including g****), settled folk/outsiders, and police; descriptions of decomposing bodies; human and canine PTSD (including flashbacks); violence (including gun, knife, injection, fire); substance use and abuse; rape and spousal sexual assault (backstory, brief descriptions, flashback, trauma); sadistic killing of a kitten (mentioned, not described); toxic and repressive gender roles
More injured than her IED scars indicate, ex-MP Brynn and her deaf, ex-cadaver dog Wilco, return to the home that hasn't felt like home for quite a long time — the community of Irish Travellers where she was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. Wilco's talented, highly trained nose uncovers traumas from the past that overlap with current violence and mysteries, landing Brynn between the same rock and hard place as before. Does Brynn even have a chance at healing from her past and facing her future while dealing with the suspicions and loyalties of her family and clan and the bigotry and justice of the settled world?
This is a well-paced mystery / contemporary crime thriller that's a little outside my normal range of comfort (what with the descriptions of decomposing bodies, etc.). I don't require my mysteries to be cozy, but I generally prefer a little more character development and humor and a little less gritty realism. But it's an intriguing introduction to this canine/handler duo and the Traveller/outsider dynamic. And it's definitely a compelling read — I read it in a single day and I'm in for book two.
Content notes: various slurs for Travellers (including g****), settled folk/outsiders, and police; descriptions of decomposing bodies; human and canine PTSD (including flashbacks); violence (including gun, knife, injection, fire); substance use and abuse; rape and spousal sexual assault (backstory, brief descriptions, flashback, trauma); sadistic killing of a kitten (mentioned, not described); toxic and repressive gender roles
mjsigl71's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book, and I can't wait to read the next in this series. Brynn and Wilco are my new favorite duo!