It was OK, but not as interesting as the first book in this series. I loved the Mercy Kilpatrick books, but I liked the characters better and the plots better than in this series.

Kendra Elliott did it again! Such a fan of her books. She keeps my interest and keeps me guessing. Awesome book!

Another great, storyfrom Kendra Elliot. I Have read the Callahan & McLane series, So I know the characters and really enjoyed getting to read more about them. This answered some left over questions I had from previous series. Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

In spite of being billed as book 2 of the Columbia River series, it’s really the wrap up to the Callahan and MacLane series. The author’s note at the end said that she realized that she’d left unanswered questions about Ava, Mason, and Jayne. This book is her attempt to answer those questions and clear up any remaining loose ends. It succeeds admirably in doing this and provides a most satisfying conclusion to a solid series. The book starts with a gruesome murder, proceeds quickly to a mass shooting, and the tension and anxiety grow rapidly as Mason and Ava work to solve their respective, although connected, cases as their wedding rapidly approaches. Throw in further turmoil caused by the disappearance of Ava’s twin from Costa Rica and a case of mistaken identity that completely turns a situation from bad to worse and you have a mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat. We see plenty of Xander Wells, as Ava’s partner, and even get a surprising drop in performance from Special Agent Mercy Kilpatrick, before all is said and done. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the book wraps up with Ava and Mason finally tying the knot with their family and friends gathered around them. We get a resolution to questions about Ava and her relationship to her birth father and his family and things have taken a turn for the better in the disfunctual relationship between Ava and her twin, although only time will tell if that sticks or not. Hopefully, we can look forward to some of our favorite characters making appearances in future books by Elliot.

Fast paced book. I highly recommend to thriller fans!

The book can be read as a stand alone book though, has characters from other series of the author appearing

3.5* Started great but then things felt not-dangerous and a bit rushed and far fetched...

This isn't my first book by this author but it is the first with the characters Ava, Mason and Jayne and tbh, I found it a little underwhelming compared to her others. I don't actually know that the introduction of Jayne and her past actually panned into what transpired here - I mean, it worked, but it felt too far fetched.

The leads were unremarkable - a 38 female cop and her 50yo cop fiance just didn't seem welded to their jobs enough or loved up enough. There was caring, certainly, but this is what in MM seems to be called a 'cozy' read, i.e. lite on the romance, no sex on page, just cuddles and caring. There's nothing wrong with it but I didn't sense passion or an urgency to get married, though their wedding was just weeks away at the start of the tale.

The Jayne issue felt a bit bigged up and then it required some suspension of disbelief to go with the flow and believe in her link to the murder/s and Ava. Yes, I clocked that Jayne had had issues and vices but come the end of the tale, her cheating and antics led to the death of someone close to her and Ava and it didn't really seem as if she was remorseful. Of course, she couldn't have predicted a killer's actions but to let herself - supposedly a grifter and player - get manipulated this way, didn't sound like the Jayne alluded to at the start.

There was a storyline and there was meshing but there were silly assumptions on the part of Mason and a lack of questioning by the police force and most of this tale could have been avoided or resolved sooner had they done their jobs by the book - they're detectives, fgs! Still, this author has written several other good books, including the Mercy Kilpatrick one, so I'll go on reading her, and oh, it was nice to see Mercy briefly here.

ARC courtesy of Montlake Romance and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

3.5* Started great but then things felt not-dangerous and a bit rushed and far fetched...

This isn't my first book by this author but it is the first with the characters Ava, Mason and Jayne and tbh, I found it a little underwhelming compared to her others. I don't actually know that the introduction of Jayne and her past actually panned into what transpired here - I mean, it worked, but it felt too far fetched.

The leads were unremarkable - a 38 female cop and her 50yo cop fiance just didn't seem welded to their jobs enough or loved up enough. There was caring, certainly, but this is what in MM seems to be called a 'cozy' read, i.e. lite on the romance, no sex on page, just cuddles and caring. There's nothing wrong with it but I didn't sense passion or an urgency to get married, though their wedding was just weeks away at the start of the tale.

The Jayne issue felt a bit bigged up and then it required some suspension of disbelief to go with the flow and believe in her link to the murder/s and Ava. Yes, I clocked that Jayne had had issues and vices but come the end of the tale, her cheating and antics led to the death of someone close to her and Ava and it didn't really seem as if she was remorseful. Of course, she couldn't have predicted a killer's actions but to let herself - supposedly a grifter and player - get manipulated this way, didn't sound like the Jayne alluded to at the start.

There was a storyline and there was meshing but there were silly assumptions on the part of Mason and a lack of questioning by the police force and most of this tale could have been avoided or resolved sooner had they done their jobs by the book - they're detectives, fgs! Still, this author has written several other good books, including the Mercy Kilpatrick one, so I'll go on reading her, and oh, it was nice to see Mercy briefly here.

ARC courtesy of Montlake Romance and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.

It’s called book 2 of the Columbia River series because some of the crimes happen near the Columbia River, but in all honesty the book is part of the Callahan and McLane series.
In order to fully appreciate and understand the characters in ‘The Silence’ who need to have read the previous books in the ‘Callahan and McLane’ series (as well as most of Kendra Elliot’s other books as characters from them make appearances in this book).
‘The Silence’ has Detective Mason Callahan and his fiancée FBI agent Ava McLane investing the death of a conspiracy theorist who may have ties with the mass murder of police officers. In the middle of such an investigation (as well as finalising their wedding plans) Ava’s trouble making twin sister goes missing leading to the discovery that Jayne maybe involved with the killer Ava and Mason are hunting.
This was a quick, easy suspense/mystery read. I enjoyed catching up with all the past characters from Kendra Elliot’s books and thought this was a nice way to end the Callahan and McLane series. 4 stars.

The Silence by Kendra Elliot is the second in her Columbia River series and revisits the story of Mason Callahan and Ava McLane.

Oregon State Police detective Mason Callahan and his partner Ray have been called to investigate the gruesome murder of anti-law enforcement conspiracy theorist Reuben Braswell. In the course of the investigation, they find Ava's name in his notes - and a disturbing diatribe against law enforcement. Meanwhile both Reuben Braswell's brother and Ava's twin sister have gone missing and someone may be carrying out a person vendetta against Ava.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Silence and highly recommend it to fans of the law enforcement/thriller genre. Kendra Elliot has a talent for writing gripping thrillers and it's always a bonus when she revisits favorite characters from her previous work. I always await her next releases with excited anticipation as I know anything she puts out will keep me enthralled.

The Silence can easily be read as a stand alone novel, however, reading the Callahan and McLane series first would provide additional context and background.

Another great, easy read from Kendra Elliot. Having read the Callahan & McLane series, I am familiar with the characters. And because of that familiarity, I found it easy to understand the characters’ thoughts and actions with a few exceptions. Mason’s ease with technology stood out as a change for his character. And the absence of Chris’s son (but the presence of Gianna’s daughter) not once but twice also stood out. There were a few editing proofs that needed to be made in the version I received: wrong word used (asking instead of answering questions), incorrect expression (could care less instead of could not care less) and verb tense errors. Overall, I would highly recommend this book and author. Her writing flows and her plots are always excellent.

Mason and Ava are a couple with interesting pasts and common values and careers. Sometimes their paths cross professionally as in this book. An informant that Ava had considered not valuable turns up brutally murdered. A manifesto against law enforcement and "the establishment" is discovered with Ava's name written on it at the scene of the murder.
Simultaneously a group of law enforcement and civilians are subject to a random attack. This escalates the attention to the manifesto and makes Ava question what she may have missed in interacting with her informant. A number of twists and developments keep this moving at the fast and interesting pace you expect from a Kendra Elliot book. A really gripping read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Good storyline, good characters and basically an enjoyable read.

“Tomorrow could be worse than today.” The Silence by Kendra Elliot

3.5 stars. This was good. Though I feel like I enjoyed the previous book more, it’s still a good ole crime mystery suspense story.

Dead bodies, suspicious persons in hoodies and caps, face averted from the security cameras, connecting the dots, and the crimes... it’s all here. We’ve got a detective and his fiancée, an FBI agent whose cases overlap and connect and at one point, touches waaay to close to home.

The story has a steady pace, with 2 very likable leads, With the complication of Ava’s twin sister. That one was a little stressful. And the book satisfies my craving for a mystery/thriller.

Thank you Montlake Romance for the arc of this book. And thank you too @NetGalley.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

A good read again. I’ve read her Callahan & McLane series first before starting this one’s previous book and I’m glad I started that way. The first book was Zander’s story, but this second one is Callahan & McLane story. The case was good, I’ve read excitedly. It was a quick paced story and I couldn’t put down. I really liked seeing Mercy more. I’ve only read two books of Mercy Kilpatrick series but I’m intended to read more of it. Overall, I liked it a lot. Her writing style and characters have made me read more of her stories, and I’ll definitely wait for the next one.

Another fantastic story about Ava and Mason. Mason arrives at a seen of a crime and the notes in the victims house have his fiancés name included. The victim was Ava’s informant. Mason is not sure what this means to the case or to Ava’s safety.

The notes lead Mason and his partner Ray to a court house to checkout a boom threat. With law enforcement trying to secure the courthouse shots are fired and Ray hit.

Ava receives a call from her sister Jayne saying she is in trouble and needs help. Ava doesn’t know if she believes her or not. How do you know if this time is real or not.

Will Ray make it? Is Jayne really in trouble? Will Mason and Ava make it to their wedding day?

I really enjoyed the book. Recommended.
Thank you Netgalley for my complimentary copy. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5⭐

This was my first introduction to FBI Special Agent Ava McLane and Detective Mason Callahan, and it was a real page turner. As there was lots of mystery and suspense, and the story completely sucked me in. Plus, it featured appearances from characters I'm much more acquainted with and I found it really enjoyable and thrilling to read. And as a result, I'm now going to one click all of Ms Elliot's McLane and Callahan books that I've so far missed out on.

Would definitely recommend!

Holy Moly!

Talk about a wild ride. Fast paced, edge of your seat...WOW!

I love this author. This was unputdownable.

Very well written fast paced thriller with twists and a well kept suspense. The characters are given a happy conclusion. A good one. Recommended . 4.5 stars

Another great book from Kendra Elliot. The Silence follows a murder case turned mass shooting that both Detective Mason Callahan and FBI Agent Ava McLane are working on. Woven throughout the story are characters from other Kendra books, which made it fun to read. In addition, Ava's twin sister Jayne is caught up in the madness. The book is full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. This was a great book that I couldn't put down.

I really love and enjoy Kendra Elliott's writing and the suspense of her books. Just when I think I have something figured out a twist is thrown in! These characters are always great!