A powerful family with dark secrets. After personal tragedy, Piper Boone retreats to her childhood home–a secluded mansion for the wealthy Boone family, who are practically American royalty. When catastrophe strikes, her family is put in the spotlight, and the line between victim and suspect gets blurred. A forensic artist with his own haunting past. Tucker Landry is drawn to Piper in the midst … is drawn to Piper in the midst of the trauma, but the connections being made to her family might prove to be their undoing. With a hurricane beating down on the private island, there isn’t much time to find answers.
The truth will determine whether she lives or dies.
Praise for Relative Silence:
“Danger and drama abide in this tale that takes a walk on the perilous side. With a flair for the macabre, the story will linger in your head long after the last page.” –Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
“One of the most engrossing suspense novels I’ve read in a long time. Pitch-perfect pacing and characterization along with Parks’s knowledgeable hand with forensics kept me on the edge of my seat.” –Colleen Coble, USA TODAY bestselling author
“The perfect beach read! Relative Silence is an expert mix of family drama and slow-burning thriller, leavened with Parks’ trademark humor. You’ll be pulling for Piper and Tucker as the story builds toward a hurricane-force climax.” –Rick Acker, bestselling author
“With skill and her ever-present wit, Carrie Stuart Parks has arranged puzzle pieces and woven story threads into an engaging and quick-moving read with tantalizing questions, quirky characters, and . . . oh yes, some well-placed fictional curve balls along the way. Enjoy!” –Frank Peretti, bestselling author, for Relative Silence
- Full-length, stand-alone suspense novel with a thread of romance
- Award-winning, bestselling author
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
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One of the most engrossing suspense novels I’ve read in a long time. Pitch-perfect pacing and characterization along with Parks’s knowledgeable hand with forensics kept me on the edge of my seat.
With skill and her ever-present wit, Carrie Stuart Parks has arranged puzzle pieces and woven story threads into an engaging and quick-moving read with tantalizing questions, quirky characters, and… oh yes, some well-placed fictional curve balls along the way. Enjoy!
This may be Carrie Stuart Parks’ best thriller yet! What a wild ride full of twists, secrets, and unpredictability which is just one thing I love about her stories. Throw all that in with a hurricane and you have to hang on tight while turning pages to find out how it all ends. I highly recommend this fast-paced, high-impact novel.
Danger and drama abide in this tale that takes a walk on the perilous side. With a flair for the macabre, the story will linger in your head long after the last page.
RELATIVE SILENCE by Carrie Stuart Parks is a mystery/Christian romantic suspense mash-up that pulls you in from the first page and is extremely difficult to put down. A powerful family that has known several tragic events over the years with the heroine from that family who finally decides to investigate those tragedies after she becomes a target.
Sandpiper “Piper” Boone has been told all her life she comes from the perfect family and tries to live up to that standard. When her young daughter is found dead, her marriage falls apart and she becomes a recluse on the family island compound.
Fifteen years later, forensic artist Tucker Landry is having lunch while waiting to begin his new assignment. A shooter opens fire and Tucker grabs the woman behind him and hits the patio floor. While Piper only receives a small injury, Tucker is shot protecting her as three other women are also killed. When the detective learns of Tucker’s skills, he asks Tucker and Piper to get together to produce a sketch of the shooter.
The authorities believe there is a connection between the shooting and two other murders that occur soon after. Piper and Tucker are in a race to find out who wants to kill Piper to hide long buried family secrets and a hurricane that threatens everyone.
This is a story that ticks off everything I am looking for in these genres; a mystery that keeps me guessing, action, unexpected twists, edge-of-your-seat suspense and a hero and heroine that are realistic and make me cheer for their relationship to have a HEA. Piper and Tucker are wonderful characters that have had terrible pasts that must be overcome as they struggle with the current race to reveal a murderer. I like that the injuries they received throughout the story were believable and they could overcome them or work around them without becoming fantastical super humans. Even with the small number of suspects, I was kept guessing and I always like when that happens. The religious beliefs and faith of the characters was not gratuitous or in your face.
This book is a compelling generational family mystery with a believable romantic suspense. I can highly recommend this story!
All families have secrets, but in most cases, the immediate family shares the knowledge of those secrets.
In Relative Silence, Piper Boone learns there are so many secrets kept from her, she wonders if she ever really knew her family.
Though she attended school and worked for a while, Piper has only existed for the last fifteen years. The death of Dove, her three-year-old daughter, destroyed her marriage, her faith in God, and for a time, her will to live. She’s “hiding out” at her wealthy family’s island compound in South Carolina, trying to decide “what comes next.” Accepting a lunch invitation from a former classmate lands Piper in the crossfire of a mass shooting that leaves three people dead, including her friend. But it also brings Tucker Landry into her life. However, the forensic artist who risked his life to save Piper’s has demons of his own.
It wasn’t lost on me how quickly Tucker and Piper bonded over their brokenness. But while Tucker has support to reclaim his life, Piper is the pathetic daughter and sister, who spends too much money rescuing animals who are just as pathetic. Her weakness is tolerated as long as she stays in line and does nothing to upset her brother Tern’s career as a U.S. senator. Even the gift he gives Piper is to keep a secret.
When the mass shooter is found dead, supposedly by his own hand, police suspect Piper was the intended victim. James Vincent Cave was a disgruntled employee who’d lost everything after being fired from Boone Industries. The facts don’t add up though, and Piper is distracted as she searches for Joyce, the neighbor who left a message for her the day before the shooting. Trying to find Joyce, the island’s only other resident, will lead Piper to the truth of her own life and decades of family secrets.
Piper realizes she can’t trust her family, but she also doesn’t trust herself. Facing down her demons isn’t enough. She must battle genuine fears and phobias. She has to battle her loss of faith in God because what loving God would allow a child to die so violently? She makes deals with God to get her through, to give her this or that, with the answer always being silence. It isn’t until she prays for intercession on the behalf of others that Piper feels a peace inside her… and a new resolve.
And it will take all of that resolve when Piper faces down the family member who fed the “Curlew Island Curse” and spent decades killing.
The plot is complicated but not fantastical. The rules are different for the rich. What money won’t buy; power will stifle. Investigations never go too deep or last too long. Certain questions are never asked. Murders get called accidents.
While I still have questions—because I’m me—the climax of the story is like WHOA, and I was finally able to take a deep breath at the end.
This is my first read by Parks, but I will look for more.
Enjoy!
Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks kept my interest all the way through the book! The prologue of the book is a very emotional opener. Years later Piper Boone is having lunch outdoors at a cafe when a shooter opens fire! A stranger pushes Piper to the ground as her friend Ami is killed along with two others. Piper’s family just wants to keep their names out of the news as a journalist writes about the Boone family curse. It would seem there is a curse over this family or island because Piper’s father, her sister, and her daughter all met violent deaths on the island. Now the neighbor and family friend Joyce Mueller is missing from her home on the island.
As Piper is questioned about the shooting, she decides she wants to meet the man who saved her life. Tucker Landry is still in the hospital healing from the wounds he suffered while saving Piper. When he is released from the hospital Piper offers to let him stay at the family mansion on Curlew Island. He accepts and soon discovers this family has problems and secrets which he soon becomes involved in solving. What about the secrets in his past, how much should he tell Piper?
The levels of secrecy among the family members are worrying piper as she begins to think her precious Dove may not be dead. Is this a delusion because of the age progression drawing Tucker made for Piper? During all the confusion Piper is experiencing, there is also a hurricane bearing down on the Island. Time is running out to uncover long-buried secrets!
Publication Date: July 14, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
A richly twisted plot with layers of evil and family tension that will leave readers guessing. The book has a gothic feel and is filled with family pain, unresolved issues, and the need to stand for oneself. A really compelling read.
The perfect beach read! Relative Silence is an expert mix of family drama and slow-burning thriller, leavened with Parks’ trademark humor. You’ll be pulling for Piper and Tucker as the story builds toward a hurricane-force climax.
A very moving book that is heartbreaking from the beginning and follows Piper’s story that is full of action and will keep you guessing until the end.
I had my suspicions ( and no I didn’t cheat this time)! lol
I found a few humorous lines in the book that made me snicker but mostly my heart went out to Piper and the friends that she had made along the way.
I think what I liked best about Piper is her courage and strength to do what she needed to do in order to survive.
Tucker is a sweetheart who has deamons of his own to deal with. I wanted to encourage him along the the way that he could do this and I wasn’t disappointed! He ended up surprising me. I wanted to give him a big fat hug at the end.
It’s really amazing what we as humans can do when faced with certain situations are thrown at us.
To me, it’s what makes life interesting.
God is good all the time! He may answer prayers but in His own time. Not when we want Him too
Mandy is the one who I enjoyed the most. I liked the she way handled things by not being overbearing, but pushing with patience and making her subjects feel comfortable with her so that they’ll talk with her.
This book was so very good! I think that Christian Suspense fans will love Ms. Parks as much as I do.
I love how she throws in wonderful surprises in her stories.
Her style of writing and knowledge about forensics definitely shows throughout this book.
The name Nana kind of threw me off a bit for the dog but it suits him just fine. He’s the true hero with a big heart of gold!
I am glad I picked this book to read!
I highly recommend this story. If you’re anything like me you’ll not want to put this book down until you find out who dun it.
Soooo good!
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for a wonderful story!
No compensations were received.
I was NOT required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own
This is my first time reading this author but it most certainly will not be my last. I absolutely loved this book. It grabbed me from the first page and I had a hard time putting it down. There were so many twists and turns. Everyone could be a suspect but you never know who is could actually be! By the end, you are completely overwhelmed by the list of suspects so when the killer is revealed, I was still astonished! I felt so sorry for Piper! Her world had crumbled all around her for most of her life and yet she just keeps hanging in there. Just when she has somewhat pulled herself together into a quiet routine, although a recluse for certain, she is involved in a mass shooting and her world spirals out of control once again! Thankfully, Tucker Landry, is there to pull her to safety. When Piper goes to the hospital to thank him, they connect and want to try to figure out what’s going on. Tucker has a lot of secrets himself but he digs into Piper’s world with her and together they try to find out what happened. Nothing is at it seems. There is so much danger and intrigue in this story. I loved it! I would definitely recommend it!
Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks gives readers quite the experience. The story centers around the Boone family and their lives on the private and exclusive Curlew Island. The location is mysterious, but the skeletons in the family’s closet make this story a page-turner. Piper still reals from her own tragedy as she lost her child fifteen years prior. But the Curlew Curse strikes again as Piper is the target of an attack. She decides to rehash the past as things don’t add up. A missing sister, the robbery that lead to her child drowning, and her neighbor’s strange disappearance all lead Piper on a dangerous quest for the truth. Even if the truth means that someone in her family is a murder.
This story is full of complex plot twists and the off-beat characters enhance the overall drama. Quirky isn’t even the best adjective to describe some of the characters. Piper has so many internal issues stemming from her overbearing family. Tucker Landry saves Piper’s life, but he has so many struggles from his past that he can barely function. Mandy is with the Coast Guard and her southern accent gives off a weird vibe as it mixes with her Asian roots. Piper’s family lives super elitist lives, but their shallowness can barely mask their eccentric ways. The characters are broken and hidden secrets can’t be contained any longer. Plus, a hurricane is bearing down on the island, threatening to decimate the family estate. So much is going on in this story, but it all adds to the mystery and suspense that kept me flipping pages. Towards the end, some of the action seemed a little unbelievable, but I was so sucked into the story and characters that it didn’t seem to matter. I kept thinking, what else could happen? and then the next page would throw out yet another over the top twist. I couldn’t even guess the culprit – everyone was a suspect with the amount of baggage all of the characters carried.
I recommend suspense fans checking out this novel. It gives readers a fast-paced novel full of plot twists and outlandish characters. This kind of reminds me of some of the Agatha Christie novels like And Then There were None, where you have a cast of characters all in one place and any of them can be a suspect in the murder. This story definitely has an old-school mystery vibe to it.
Overall: 5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down
Suspense: 5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)
I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own
I enjoy Carrie Stuart Parks stories. I love how she captures the artist’s attention to detail. With her latest novel, Relative Silence, I loved the mystery. As a word of warning, the story does start a little slow for fans of non-stop thrills. It appears to be a family narrative, but then the suspense speeds up right along the approaching hurricane. That is when Parks captured my attention, and I stayed up way too late, trying to finish the novel. I really invested myself in the family and the characters. I couldn’t wait to see justice prevail and have some peace for Piper as she deals with her family and her dead daughter. Parks did a fabulous job at keeping the villain’s identity secret. Even I didn’t figure out before the end. I had it pegged at a certain character, but was proven wrong. Overall, Relative Silence is an amazing tale of a family and the woes a family can create. I loved the action in the second half. I honestly can’t wait for whatever else she decides to create.
I received a complimentary copy of Relative Silence by Carrie Stuart Parks through Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.
What a great book! It is full of mystery, suspense and family drama and will keep you on the edge of your set. Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. If you like christian suspense grab this book. It is an awesome read! Thank you Thomas Nelson–FICTION via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
In Carrie Stuart Parks’ latest release, readers will be engaged and absorbed into this story until they finish it. I have read Ms. Parks other books and enjoyed them, but this one was really probably my favorite of all of her books. Her books provide the reader will such detail and specifics regarding forensics in her books which I like. The science behind everything in her books is interesting and gives the reader more knowledge on these topics. This book also has romantic elements to it which is a great addition to the story. This book focuses on Piper who has had to endure tragedy in her life and just wants to live simply. Additionally, readers meet Tucker who helps save Piper from an active shooter. Together, they work to discover what is going on in their town. I highly recommend this book! I do not believe you will be disappointed! It was amazing and very engaging! I loved how the faith elements were interwoven throughout the book as well.
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, this is my own opinion.
ISLAND OF SECRETS!
A haunting story of a powerful family filled with dark secrets. A personal family island retreat holds the key to the myriad of unexplained horrible mysteries. A family made up of strong, intense personalities that will do anything to protect those they love. A story of greed, lust and duplicity pitting sisters against each other. A forensic artist desperately trying to escape his tragic past. An artist’s desire to provide answers to long forgotten questions. A close friend suddenly disappears. And, a hurricane is headed straight for this Island of Secrets! Will all the answers be washed away in the storm before the TRUTH is revealed?
I was provided a complimentary copy of this novel by Thomas Nelson and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
I have found a new author to love in Carrie Stuart Parks. Mysteries were my favorite genre growing up and even though I do not read as many now, it is nice to sink into a great whodunit once in awhile.
Piper Boone suffered the loss of a child 15 years ago and has withdrawn into her own private world. However, she finds herself a witness to a mass shooting at a local cafe and finds that the past that has haunted her family has returned with a vengeance. As unexplained disappearances and deaths seem to multiply around her, she begins to question who she can trust and if these events are linked to past family secrets.
I found the plot pacing to be superb, building up to a wonderful climax. Add the dangers of a hurricane to the story and I found this hard to put down. I highly recommend this book for those who love a good suspenseful page-turner.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine.
The pages flew as I devoured this read, what an amazing job this author did with this book.
We are given a woman who has suffered the loss of her precious child, and although fifteen years has past, her grief has never gone away. She comes from an affluent family and uses most of her money to help helpless animals.
So now why did someone try to kill her? Well the event at the beginning of the book ends up with her friend dead and a man wounded. Random? Keep reading!
My mind was trying to figure out what was going on here, but I never got it right. You think you know what is going to happen and whom is involved, maybe you will be right, but I doubt it.
I loved the epilogue, maybe not what your expecting, but surprises abound!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.
This was such a unique storyline. I loved the characters and drama in it. The action and suspense snagged me from the beginning and kept my attention to the end. The author did such a good job with her writing that I felt like I was there in the midst of everything. Excellent choice for your next read!
I was privileged to read this through a NetGalley copy but all views are my own.
This is the story of the “Perfect” family. Or so everyone believes. Except for the curse. Pipers sister, father, and daughter have all died. After the death of Pipers daughter her marriage fell apart. Fifteen years later she is still grieving. While she is having lunch with a friend someone opens fire and kills three people. Nathan Tucker knocks Piper out of the way or she would have been killed also. Nathan and Piper work together to find the shooter. As they do, things begin to happen that ties to the death of Dove, Pipers daughter. As a hurricane approaches they are running out of time to find the killer.
This book kept me reading when I should have been doing other things. I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good mystery.
I was given this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.