“The twists and turns in this dark, taut drama make it both creepy and compelling.” –New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry A killer stole her voice. Now she’s ready to take it back. Don’t miss the chilling Shades of Death series from USA TODAY bestselling author Debra Webb. Joanna Guthrie was free. She had been for eighteen years–or so she needed everyone to believe. What really … Guthrie was free. She had been for eighteen years–or so she needed everyone to believe. What really happened during the longest fourteen days of her life, when she and two other women were held captive by a dangerous serial killer, wasn’t something she could talk about. Not after what they had to do to survive.
But when more women go missing in an eerily similar manner, Jo knows her prolonged silence will only seal their fates. She’s finally ready to talk; she just needs someone to listen. FBI special agent Tony LeDoux can’t deny he finds Jo compelling–he’s just not sure he believes her story. But with the clock ticking, Jo will do anything to convince him, even if it means unearthing long-buried secrets that will land them squarely in the crosshairs of the killer…
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I received an ARC of the book for an honest review.
Joanna Guthrie has spent the last eighteen years running from her past but with one phone call, she realizes her past is catching up to her and she needs to go to Milledgeville, GA to face her demons.
Tony LeDoux, former FBI Profiler and current unemployed drunk, receives a phone call from his sister, Angie, that her daughter, and his niece, is missing from her college in Milledgeville, GA. Tony promises his sister he will find her and now he’s on his way there.
When they meet, they realize that there might be a lot more than coincidence in his niece’s disappearance and Joanna’s past.
Debra Webb is the Queen of Suspense. She is one of the few authors that can truly keep me guessing until the end. Her books keep me turning pages as fast as I can and this was no exception. Loved the book and highly recommend!
I am privileged to be a part of Debra Webb’s “Street Team” so as such, I received an ARC of THE LONGEST SILENCE, her fourth book in the Shades of Death series. This book focuses on Tony LeDoux, the former FBI agent who is washed up because of his alcoholism. However, he is called back into action when his niece is kidnapped from her college campus in Milledgeville, Georgia and his sister Angie calls him for his help. This is a non-stop thriller about some really ruthless characters who have taken college girls for the last twenty years, raped and tortured them for two weeks and then set them free. But for what purpose? And who is responsible? Enter Joanna Guthrie, a former victim who is determined to have revenge on those who held her captive and who did such horrible things to her and Ellen Carson and Carrie Cole twenty years ago. Joanna is a reporter for an online paper and has been keeping up with the kidnappings and knows what is going on, so she teams up with Tony to find the perpetrators before it is too late. This is a very dark mystery, with heartbreaking scenes of torture that the girls are enforced to endure and many twists and turns that Tony and Joanna have to follow to find the real criminals. Tony finally ends up calling in reinforcements, in the form of Nick Shade and Bobbie Gentry. Once they show up, the action goes really fast to an unbelievable conclusion. Those who have read the other Shades of Death novels will not want to miss this one. I will admit that Tony was not my favorite character previously, but the character development in this novel is so well done that he actually became a sympathetic character and by the end of the book, I liked him. This book is well-written and with so much going on constantly that you will not be able to put it down until you get to the end of it. I even loved the “cameo” appearances of Nick and Bobbie since they were so central to the other books. I hope to see all characters again in the future, because these characters and the action that they bring with them to the pages of a book will blow your mind as well as make you think about the evil in the world and how good triumphs over evil.
This is a slow building suspense story that will not disappoint. Part of the Shades of Death series which you can read as a stand-alone but you may want to read the others just to get a sense of one of the lead chartacters. Joanna Guthrie has lived a quiet life for the last eighteen years with memories she tries very hard to suppress. Then Joanna reads a story about a missing college student and she knows she can no longer be silent. Joanna leaves her safety zone and meets Tony LeDoux who is surprised when Joanna approaches him but even more surprised about the possible tie she has to the missing girl and his now missing niece. As time starts running out, the FBI, police, and Tony’s law enforcement friends Bobbie Gentry and Nick Shade join forces with Joanna and Tony to hopefully find and save the missing girls. An unpredictable suspense.
Another suspenseful thriller in the Shades of Death series. This one features former FBI special agent Tony LeDoux. Former victim, Joanna Guthrie is compelled to break her 18-year silence of her own captivity when girls go missing matching her own circumstances. She connects with Tony and slowly shares her story so that the two girls can be found. This is a dark mystery with twists and turns to find the real criminals. A page turning, suspenseful thriller that you feel the sense of urgency to find the girls and the people responsible. Great plot with twist I didn’t see coming and well-developed characters. You can never go wrong with a Debra Webb book.
For eighteen years one woman has kept her silence over what happened to her and two other college age girls where only 2 of them walked away alive. After the other surviving victim takes her own life and a new group of girls goes missing Joanna Guthrie decides it time she goes back to the town where it all happened and finally tell her story hoping to stop whoever has been taking girls and torturing them for almost 2 decades.
One of the missing girls is Tony LeDoux’s niece. Tony was the over eager FBI agent who was working to bring down the Storyteller killer in earlier books. He endure unspeakable things at the hands of the Storyteller and in its aftermath his marriage crashed and burned, he became and alcoholic and resigned from the FBI in fear he was about to lose his job anyways. When he gets the call from his sister that his niece is missing he knows he needs to clean up his act so he can be apart of the investigation.
Both Tony and Joanne are two broken people – both their lives and their spirits in tatters from the horrors of their past. Tony is the first person Joanne reaches out to and tells her story. They both struggle with trust issues at first but its not long before they become a great team. The book goes back and forth between the present day search to 18 years ago and what happened to Joanne.
The author throws one big red herring during the book so your kept guessing who all the “bad” guys are right up until the end. The main couple from the previous books make an appearance to help Tony which was a nice bonus.
Another great suspense that kept you on the edge of your seat..
An enthralling and eerie thriller that showed the true meaning of courage, strength, and survival while facing the most horrid, cruel, and unthinkable crimes.
I am in awe of how the story was built, with just enough light and hope on the sidelines to keep the utter evil darkness from engulfing you in.
FBI special agent Tony LeDoux had a role in the previous stories of the series yet this book is a standalone novel, starting and concluding a different type of serial killer and criminal web, and can be read without being familiar with the previous books.
And Tony is not with the FBI anymore. The things he has had to face over his career, the things he has experienced, things that were done to him, the battle between the good and right and the crimes of the evil has taken a toll on him, on his career, his marriage, and his drinking. With a wish of just one more chance to get it right, he goes on a desperate hunt for the culprits who captured his niece amongst the other young girls.
Joanna Guthrie comes to Tony’s aid, the intriguing, strikingly brave woman who gets Tony’s attention. For nearly two decades Joanna has been hiding, from her family, from the world, from the terrible events she went through as a young college student, and from the secrets they swore they would never share with the world while fighting for their lives.
Joanna and Tony have more in common than they could imagine. The bond between them comes tight as they try to solve the web of lies, misdirection, and deceit of the wicked and stay away from the hairs of the law.
With their flaws and imperfections, the characters are compelling, amiable, and sympathetic. Both Tony and Joanna carry a heavy burden of terrible memories, a guilt of surviving, a guilt of not doing enough while facing the impossible. While with a fierce and perilous fight they are doing everything they can to find the victims before it is too late, they have to face their own demons and start to forgive themselves, to be able to build any kind of future and move on from the grisly crimes they have witnessed.
Brilliantly put together and written story that even with its heavy topic was impossible to put down until the end. The uncertain destinies of the characters make it captivating, the battles of mind games that they have to overcome to survive are alluring, the need to see the resurrection from the evil, from the past, from the hunted mind is enticing.
Vivid images, intense scenes, sharp plot twist with keen points, and smart, twisted developments combined with excellent writing left me in awe. A piercing story not to be missed by any thrilling suspense fans.
~ Five Spoons!
Very good. Kept me reading to find out what happened. Was surprised by the ending.
Favorite Quotes:
Sharing the news of his divorce with his sister had been relatively easy, the career crash and burn, however, was a whole different ball game. He didn’t want to see the disappointment in her eyes. She’d always looked at him as if he was a hero, starting the day he’d kicked nine-year-old Lacon Turner’s butt for putting gum in her hair.
Shoulder-length hair badly in need of a wash. A few curly hairs that looked more like they belonged somewhere in the vicinity of his balls sprouted from his chin. Tony felt reasonably confident the tight, ripped jeans were cutting off the blood supply to his upper body and, more important, his brain.
The world we were snatched from no longer exists. There is only this place, this moment and our fears.
The darkness they had shared was an unspoken knowing between them. It was a bond that could never be broken.
My Review:
This was a gripping and well-crafted read that was devastatingly real. This was my first time reading Ms. Webb’s works and I am an instant fan. This book was the fourth in a series but had strong legs to stand-alone and kick-butt while doing so. The main premise of the storyline was itchy creepy with the type of nightmarish situations that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, yet it wasn’t as gruesome or graphic as you would expect while still getting across the seriousness and ghastliness of their terrifying circumstances. Written from multiple POVs, the story threads were engrossingly intriguing and maintained a taut level of suspense while slowly relating the flinch-worthy and riveting details of the past and present crimes and the brutal and nefarious actions of those involved. I grew to admire and respect the deeply flawed and critically damaged characters and would be more than interested in delving into the rest of the series.
I received this book as an ARC.
Debra Webb has masterfully woven characters throughout her Shades of Death series. You never know what character will come into play, but it will keep you coming back for more.
Joanna Guthrie’s past had been long buried for the past 18 years. A terrifying secret she held with one other person has come back to haunt. This time it isn’t something Joanna can run from. There are new victims and there’s only Joanna with information that could help in solving the case. She may be their only key to surviving.
Former FBI Special Agent Tony LeDoux has seen what true evil looks like. Unfortunately the horror of the last few cases seemed to weigh him down, to the point of giving up. Drinking to numb his feelings has left him with almost nothing good left in his life. After another routine bender, he woke to a frantic call from his sister. His niece was missing. While knowing he didn’t have the backing of the FBI, Tony headed out to start investigating on his own. He was once a great agent and will do anything in his power to make sure his niece returns home safely.
When Joanna realizes that her past has collided with his niece’s disappearance, she has no choice but to team up with Tony. Can she trust Tony with her story. His niece’s life depends on Jo’s history with this killer. Working together is the only way to put an end to this killer’s reign of terror.
Debra Webb is my go to for creepy suspense, serial killer novels. Her latest, The Longest Silence is no exception. While it is part of the Shades of Death world, the focus is Special Agent Anthony LeDoux. He was always one of those characters you loved to hate until you saw the real him and fell completely in love with him, bad decisions and all. It is nice to see him recover his hero status and move forward. This is a hallmark Webb novel with twists and turns you never see coming. You will want to keep reading once you start, but leave the lights on.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.
Joanna Guthrie, has been dealing with the past that still haunt her until today. She lived through hell, and now she is confronted by what happen to her eighteen years ago. But Johanna, heard about a young girl of college age was missing. As she was standing in line to pay her check, she overheard that there might be one more than just the one.
Now she is in a dilemma as what to do, and if she can be of any help. Since she has kept this secret for eighteen years, can she get anyone to listen or even believe her.
Tony LeDoux, was a Special Agent for the FBI, he had paid a very high price by going and being so obsession with a serial killer. Tony has lost so very much and that he felted that he was a failure, until his niece Tiffany became missing.
Well, once again Debra Webb, has done it again. There is so many twist and turns and dealing with the past and the present. This book goes where no one need to every go there. The sick mind of a serial killer, is as if it is coming straight from the front-page news of today.
If I had one thing to say about this book, is that you will not want to put it down until the last page. If you enjoy reading suspense, then look no farther.
A masterfully crafted Thriller!
I don’t know what I can say about this book that others haven’t already said! Debra Webb is a MASTER at her craft! Once again she has created a heart stopping, clock ticking, page turner that will grab you from the start and hold on to you to the very end! Dark, complex and totally compelling, the story Debra weaves around you as you read will have you at the edge of your seat. As usual, Debra brings her story to life with thoroughly developed characters that know the darkness and madness that can inhabit the mind of a serial killer
Well done Debra!
This book is part of Debra Webb’s amazing Shades of Death series and is woven around one of the characters from the series but The longest Silence it can be read as a stand alone book.
Storyline was great from the first page to the last. Hard to put it down.
I’ve read everything Ms. Webb has published and I’ve never read a book by her that I didn’t enjoy! This one is no exception.
The LONGEST SILENCE is the latest installment to the SHADES OF DEATH Series and it doesn’t disappoint. A taunt thriller that will keep you riveted until the end and will keep you thinking about it, long after the final page has been turned. In my estimation, this is the epitome of a great read!
If you’re like me and love a well-written, captivating read, then this is the book for you.
I’ve always said that Debra Webb is the QUEEN of Suspense and this story doesn’t prove me wrong. A five-star read for me and I highly recommend it!
The Longest Silence is the next book in the Shades of Death series. Joanna never speaks about what happened. But when more women go missing, she realizes she should finally talk about it so maybe those women can be saved. Tony finds himself listening to Jo talk about what happened, but he isn’t sure if he should believe her. With his niece missing, he needs to follow every lead. Will he be able to find the women in time? Will Jo finally feel some peace after talking about what happened? This book is one of those books that sucks you in from the start, and you just cannot put it down. I absolutely loved it, and I highly recommend it!