"Not A Sound," is another excellent novel from Heather Gudenkauf. She has created a wonderful character in Amelia Winn, a former nurse whose life has spiralled out of control since a hit and run left her deaf as well as a great relationship with her service dog stitch.

As she begins to rebuild her life, she discovers the body of an old colleague in a river near her home, leading her to begin to uncover the mystery surrounding Gwen's death. I have been impressed with all of Gudenkauf's previous work and this one is no exception. Highly recommended to fans of Jodi Picoult.

I found myself quickly engaged with this book. The opening was powerful and intriguing and set the scene for this thriller. It also provides the back story by giving us important background on Amelia, the main character, in this. As a result of an accident which severely injured her Amelia, a highly trained nurse at the time, loses her hearing. Additionally alcohol becomes a major factor in her previously happy life.

The story is set some two years after the accident and Amelia is beginning to get on top of the life that she now leads. And then she finds a body while out paddling on a local river. Her companion at the time - indeed her main companion now - is Stitch, her support dog. I have to be honest and say I am not really a dog person however Stitch is a good character and it quickly becomes obvious he will be a major part of this story.

Written in the first person and present tense this book has an immediacy which enhances the pace for me. From the start it was one of those books where I thought "I'll just read one more chapter…". The simple writing was effective and tense. I found Amelia appealing and convincing as a character. The use of her deafness in this tale was very well done.

The setting of this book worked well for me in the broadest sense. A combination of the wilds, work, home and those she interacts with was quite vivid to me. This was a tense and well paced read. I'd not read any of this author's work before however I will certainly keep my eyes open for another of her books based on this one. 4.5/5 for a very good holiday read I think.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.