"tense romantic suspense thriller"
Without a Sound
Carla Cassidy
Signet, Dec 2006, $6.99
ISBN: 0451220021 Pleasant Hill, Missouri Police Detective Owen Tolliver
calls Haley Lambert to inform her that her widowed sister
Maggie Ridge has been murdered in her home. Haley
immediately quits her job in Las Vegas to fly home to care
for her eight years old niece Molly. Owen and his partner
Frank Marcelli, next door neighbor of her late sibling,
tell her that evidence strongly suggests Maggie probably
knew the culprit. They also state that Molly was there at
the time of the homicide but will not or cannot speak.
They suggest she make an appointment with psychologist Dr.
Grey Barnes, but though he empathizes he does not work
with patients. Molly knows everyone wants her to speak,
but before dying her mom warned "don't make a sound". Haley worries about what to do with Molly as she has never
been the responsible one. She also fears her attraction
to Grey who reciprocates her feelings. Though Molly is
seeing Dr. Tredwell, Grey is there for the child and her
aunt. As they fall in love, neither realizes someone else
is there for Molly, but that person plans to kill the
child before the little girl can identify her mom's killer. WITHOUT A SOUND is a tense romantic suspense thriller in
which clues are provided as to who the killer is, but are
cleverly disguised by Carla Cassidy to keep the audience
guessing and reading. The lead couple is a fine pair with
both having trepidation over adult love for one another,
but not so towards Molly even if Haley fears she will fail
at providing stability for her niece. The killer's
motives seem weak and overly used in fiction, but no one
will care as this is an exhilarating tale. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 28, 2006
SummaryHaley Lambert has moved back to her Kansas City childhood
home to care for her orphaned niece, Molly—and to find
the monster who murdered her own sister. Molly may have
witnessed her mother's murder, but whatever the little girl
saw on that fateful night, she isn't talking. Now, with the
killer still loose, another game of hide-and-seek is about
to begin.
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