Amanda Steele is called away from an important trial to investigate the double homicide of a couple and the disappearance of their daughter, Zoe. The young girl is quickly found but unable to tell the police about what she saw. But the killer doesn’t know that and Zoe becomes a target…
The Silent Witness is the third book by Carolyn Arnold to feature Detective Amanda Steele. There are significant spoilers about events in the first two books (The Little Grave and Stolen Daughters) so I would advise reading the series in order.
The threat involving a young girl instantly affects Amanda emotionally due to her own past. She sees the parents’ murder as almost execution like and is concerned that national security may be involved due to the husband’s work. The other mystery is that the family had abruptly and unexpectedly returned from a holiday. The police team need to sift through the clues to protect young Zoe.
Amanda’s character continues to lead the series. There is a vulnerability to her despite the backbone of steel she attempts to display. Her emotional backstory and the events of the preceding books do not detract her attention from the case. I enjoyed the relationships and dialogue she shares with others in the book as they serve to make her more human and realistic.
The Silent Witness is a gripping police thriller with a very strong lead character. The book is fast paced and thoroughly engaging.
It’s 4 a.m. when her mom shakes her awake. “Get up baby, we’re going to play hide and seek.” The little girl presses back into the dark space, holding her breath as she hears the shots ring out. She knows she’s next…
When the bodies of a local family are discovered on a quiet street in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia, Detective Amanda Steele takes charge of the case. Brett and Angela Parker were shot three times each, leaving no hope of survival, and their tidy suburban home has been ransacked. But there is no sign of their beloved six-year-old, Zoe.
Zoe is the same age as Amanda’s daughter was when she died, and Amanda can’t bear the thought of another little girl in danger. She’s organizing a search for the child, when she notices something strange about the ottoman at the foot of the Parkers’ bed. She opens it to find Zoe, mute and traumatized, but alive.
With Zoe completely uncommunicative, Amanda must find another way to untangle what destroyed this seemingly perfect family. It’s clear that the killer is searching for something the Parkers had, and until she has this monster behind bars, Amanda fears that he may return for Zoe. When she learns that Brett Parker cut short the family’s recent lakeside vacation, she wonders why. What happened at that lake house, and did it ultimately get them killed?
Amanda heads out to Lake Chesdin on the feeling it might be key to the case, and when she finds a cell phone in the murky waters next to the Parker cabin, she knows she’s made a breakthrough. But then terrible news reaches her from Dumfries; Zoe has been taken from her school playground.
Someone wants to silence the Parker family for good, can Amanda catch them before the little girl she’s desperate to protect pays the price?
A completely gripping and addictive crime thriller that will keep fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni entertained into the early hours.
Author Bio
Carolyn Arnold was born in a small Canadian town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. As an international bestselling and award-winning author, she has several continuing fiction series, including her popular Detective Madison Knight series. She offers readers nearly three dozen published books in genres ranging from crime thrillers and hard-boiled mysteries to cozy mysteries and action adventures. She currently lives north of London, Ontario, with her husband and two beagles.
