Wall of Silence

Wall of Silence opens with the point of view of a child who stabbed a family member ... their father, Patrick. 

All three siblings stick together and refuse to tell who did it. The family seemed perfect, and everyone in the community is stunned at this awful event. Melissa, the mother of the children is the one who came upon her husband surrounded by the children. Her devotion to Patrick and her children brings her to the brink of despair when the police deem it an attempted murder.

This book kept me wondering just who stabbed Patrick. Surprisingly, her children are not evil, and all of them are tortured by the event. Yet all three keep a tight hold on what really happened. Melissa, the mother, is the main character. I admired the way she protected her children while searching for answers. 

The child at fault chimes in from time to time with more insight into the awful event, (though I still wasn’t sure who this child is.) At times I wondered if it was one of the children after all. Was it an adult the kids are covering for? Was it someone else in the family, or someone else in the tight-knit  community? 

Even with the father finally waking from a coma, and telling who plunged the knife into him, the answers remain unclear.

I was grabbed by the throat, heart, and mind upon the the first few sentences, and never released until the last page of this book. 

First sentences of Wall of Silence:

I thought Dad’s blood would smell of him, that soft citrus scent I’ve known all my life. But all I can smell on my hands are bitter pennies.

I look down on his face. He’s so white, so quiet.

Is this really happening?

5 stars

Regarding Anna by Florence Osmund

I never wanted to be a private investigator. After high school, I'd had aspirations of becoming an interior decorator and had even enrolled in classes at Morton Community College. But when my parents died from carbon monoxide poisoning in their home three months before my eighteenth birthday, with no relatives to take me in, I was left to fend for myself. And that was when everything changed. ~ Excerpt from Regarding Anna 

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a book, the author weaving a maze of plot so deep you are right there with the characters? Well, author Florence Osmund gave me that experience. 

Grace. the main character, is left on her own after finding her parents dead. Soon after, she discovers clues in the attic which lead her to believe the two people who raised her may not be her parents after all.  As a young private investigator, Grace doggedly examines any lead in the case she labels Attic Finds. 

Throughout the story, she continues to delve into her confusing past, which leads her to Minnie. This elderly woman is tetchy gem and nearly steals the story with her antics. I adored her. After a rough beginning to their relationship, Grace and Minnie end up working together on the mystery of Grace's past. The camaraderie is endearing, the rapport amusing and the growing relationship is a joy to follow.

The many characters peppered throughout the book are well developed, and vary from snarky to endearing. Despite the number of people, I didn't have trouble keeping track of them. Each of them added a layer, and new revelations into the Attic Find case.

Grace's personal journey to self-discovery and worth, the friendships garnered and the wealth of information she never expected to find ties together nicely...without any loose ends.

I highly recommend this book.

5 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ARC from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The options I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255