Secret, Silent Screams
Is Barry's death the latest tragedy in a string of suicides at Farrington Park High School? Or is it murder? Marti is sure her friend Barry didn't take his own life, but no one will believe her except Police Officer Prescott. But opening an investigation takes time, and Marti is determined to find her friend's killer soon. Because even now he could be planning his next crime....
Hehe, I accidentally inverted the numbers in the year it came out, which is actually 1989, not 1998. :(
First Sentence:
Marti Lewis shivered as she opened the door to the Farrington Park police station.
One of the times I know when a mystery/suspense writer has done something right is when I spend nearly the entire book (practically) holding my breath as the MC gets one step closer to the truth about what and why something happened, so Secret, Silent Screams definitely did things right because it was absolutely hard to put down.
Joan Lowery Nixon does a brilliant job of presenting and unfolding the mystery of Barry's death and the reason he died. I really liked how the facts and back story were presented slowly throughout the book so that as you read the picture of what happened slowly started to come together along with the role that each of the characters inadvertently played in his death.
While I did figure out pretty early on the truth of what happened, I had kinda hoped that I was wrong...because the truth turned out to be just so horribly creepy that it was quite shocking, but also well done (I want say anymore on this lest I give away the whole plot).
Even though the first impression of Marti that you get is one of her freaked out, and balling her eyes out as she tries to get the police to believe her when she says that Barry didn't kill himself, I think that in the long run she a very strong character. Why, because even though the no one believes her at all she refuses to give up and goes to some very dangerous extremes just to get people to listen. The other thing that makes her such a great character is the depth of emotion that she shows through out the entire book.
My favorite thing about Secret, Silent Screams was how the author, Joan Lowery Nixon, was able to convey such a sense of danger and suspense in such a short book. I pretty much spent the whole book with my breath held as Marti tried to unravel the mystery of Barry's death.
The only thing that I didn't really enjoy about Secret, Silent Screams was that it was just slightly dated when it came to the terminology and turn of phrases that the characters used. Regardless of that it was a highly enjoyable read.
Final Verdict: Secret, Silent Screams was a gripping read that I won't soon be forgetting.
Secret, Silent Screams earns 5 out of 5 pineapples.
Other books by Joan Lowery Nixon that I recommend:
Nightmare
The Other Side of Dark
The Dark and Deadly Pool
I guess being from 1998 it would be dated but great suspense and danger!
ReplyDeleteI want to read this now!
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