This is my first book by Robert Bryndza and what a thriller it was! It had more twists and turns than an M.C. Escher print. What I especially liked about it is that there were no red herrings. Everyone was guilty until proven innocent.

Maggie is an emergency trauma doctor working in a hospital. One night she is caught off guard and traumatized when she sees her dead husband, Will, on a hospital geurney. He is said to have taken his own life by shooting himself in the head. Maggie looks back on the recent past and believes that Will would never have done this. He was in a good mood and hopeful about the future. He didn't seem depressed and she is totally stunned. As she examines his scene of death she has to ask herself, 'Could he have been murdered'? She is also stunned to learn secrets about Will. For instance, he had a gun which is locked in his desk drawer.

To help get over her pain, she takes off for their vacation home in idyllic Croatia. However, when she gets there, odd things start to happen. She hears footsteps in the house. She almost drowns in her pool when the pool cover starts closing over her while she is swimming. She is told that besides herself, there are only two other people on the island - the island caretaker and his son. What if someone else snuck on the island and is after her? What if they are trying to kill her like they killed Will?

This thriller plays a great game of cat and mouse and examines how power can corrupt. Maggie is just a doctor and it seems that there are some highly important people who don't want her or those close to her around. What will she do to protect herself and her loved ones? Can she save her own life? These are the main themes of this very readable page-turner of a book which I recommend to all thriller lovers.

"Fear The Silence" by Robert Bryndza is an expertly-plotted standalone crime thriller that will keep readers gripped until the last page. I know the author from his Detective Erika Foster series, so I was happy that my request for ARC was accepted. And let me tell you upfront, I loved the book!

The book follows Maggie Kendall, a 47-year-old trauma surgeon working in A&E. She lives happily with her husband Will, formerly a forensic pathologist and now an architect, in their London home with no kids by choice. Her life turns upside down after her husband is found shot dead in their home, and the police deem it a suicide.

Maggie decides to go to their holiday home on a small Croatian island to retrieve a few of her husband's things and recover from her loss while doing so. A letter from her dead husband, written six years previously and hinting at dark secrets to come, makes her question how well she knew her husband. The plot thickens as curious tidbits pop up, making her realize there is more to her husband's death than meets the eye. Weird incidents on the island bring her to suspect her life is at risk. She has to piece together the pieces, and fast, before it is too late. Someone wants to bury those secrets and will go to great lengths to do so. After all, "Three can keep a secret... If two of them are dead."

The story was an entertaining and interesting action-packed tale. I like strong heroines, and Maggie was just that. She's one of those heroines that you positively want to root for and pray for her success. Some elements of the story may have been too fantastic, but they fit nicely into the story, and it didn't bother me.

Robert Bryndza's writing is compelling and suspenseful, and he expertly builds tension and atmosphere throughout the book. At one point I wondered how the author would wrap up the story, and let me tell you, it was exactly right! I rate it 5/5 stars for its gripping and engaging story. This novel will appeal to readers of crime thrillers and anyone who loves intrigue and action. Recommended of course!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for this free arc - I am leaving this review voluntarily
It’s always brave when a writer of successful series’ write their first standalone - did Robert Bryndza pull it off? Hell yeah! This is a fast paced edge of your seat rollercoaster of a book. Hooked from the first chapter and the pace is relentless. Wonderfully descriptive especially the Croatian section which Robert portrays with so much atmosphere and knowledge. You may have to suspend belief in parts but just go with the flow and indulge in the authors brilliant mind. Loved loved loved this book

I received this ARC from Netgallery and here is my honest review:

⭐️ 4.5 / 5
Maggie is a doctor who stumbles across a secret her husband has been hiding for years. The deeper she digs, the more danger she is in. As Maggie tries to uncover the truth, she realises someone is trying to hunt her down to keep the secret hidden. Can she uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will she die trying?

This story is a fast-paced, standalone, psychological and actioned packed thriller. The suspense kept me up all night finishing off the book because I just wanted to know what happened next. The writing was engaging and easy to read and left me constantly guessing how everything was going to turn out.

Fear the Silence kept my attention right from the beginning! Maggie, a trauma doctor, is shocked to find the patient on the table is her husband, Will. His death is ruled a suicide, however Maggie refuses to believe this of her content husband. She leaves their London home and travels to their holiday home in Croatia. Maggie begins following seemingly inexplicable clues left by Will, indicating the circumstances of his death were far from straightforward. Maggie finds herself in constant danger and running for her life. The descriptions of Croatia were stunning. I read this book in one sitting; it was fast paced and a roller coaster of a ride!

With thanks to Netgalley and Raven Street Publishing for the ARC. My thoughts are my own.

4.5/5 stars! This was a dark, gritty thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really like Robert Bryndza's writing style, so was very excited to read this book. I honestly have very few complaints. Sometimes a few of the side characters felt shallow as far as only existing as a plot device, but otherwise it was amazing and I couldn't stop reading it.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I really enjoyed this book. I normally struggle to get into new stand-alone books when already a follower of the author but this one had me constantly turning the pages. A “proper mystery” that needs “unraveling” read and would recommend it. Thank you for my advanced copy to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book

Maggie is a trauma surgeon. She’s surprised one night at work, when she recognises the incoming patient-her husband Will. Will doesn’t survive his injuries but Maggie does not believe he was suicidal.
Later she travels to Croatia to collect things from their holiday home. It is then that she receives a strange note from Will, that sets in place a crazy sequence of events.

This was so good. The suspense was worked all the way through. So many characters were suspects for me but I didn’t figure it out until close to the end. There is a section close to the end where the book seemed to fall flat, where Maggie seemed to give up and the story be over without answering any of the unanswered questions. Thankfully this was not the end and the story picked back up. Great read.

Suspenseful thriller with quite a few twists!! Your heart will go out to Maggie with all that she faces and has to overcome. Fast paced filled with adventures. Well written with good character development. Recommend. Received a free copy from the author and this is my honest voluntary review.

“Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.”

Maggie doesn’t believe that her husband Will killed himself, but how can she prove it? When she travels to their holiday home on a small island in Croatia, she receives a letter from Will giving clues to a frightening past incident that powerful people want to keep buried. Strange things are happening on the nearly deserted island and in her high tech home as well. Will’s best friend Eric comes to help her, but can she trust him?

Wow! My first book by this author was an edge of your seat thriller and I’m looking forward to reading more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An individual psychological thriller. This book is filled with shocking revelations, murder and anticipation.
Main character Maggie is a Doctor in her mid 40’s whose whole life is turned upside down by the unexpected sudden death of her husband. A good mix of different personalities make up the people in this novel. For me, Daisy screamed baddie vibes from her introduction at the funeral. Twists and turns in the book are well done, and you are not quite sure how it will end until it does.
Personally for me, not my favourite Bryndza book, but I did enjoy it and I hope there are more stand-alone novels to come. I love every single Erika Foster book so I have a feeling of great anticipation for one of these soon too!

I’m a complete Robert Bryndza fan, having read all his books and thoroughly enjoyed them. However this is quite different as a stand alone novel, no not novel…terrifying thriller would be more apt!

The first few chapters had me wondering if the book was for me as it was one very scary incident after another which stretched belief and had me skim reading as they were too heart rate thumping to enjoy. Then it all changed and although the twists and turns kept coming, they started to make sense. Overall it’s a fabulous story, full of drama, a variety of nice and really horrible characters with a satisfying twist at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of Fear The Silence by Robert Bryndza. This book…. Wow, what a twisty page turner of a thriller that keeps you sat on the edge of your seat. My first Robert Bryndza book, it certainly won’t be my last.

🇭🇷 BOOK / REVIEW 🇭🇷

😮‍💨. I am sad, guys. SAD 😭

I am obsessed with this author and truly drop everything else I am reading when he puts out a new book out. Being that this was a standalone AND a new sub-genre (#psychologicalthriller), I was excited to see how it panned out.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. The beginning felt very slow and once the action picked up, the entire story seemed implausible. While there were some high anxiety moments and definitely drama, I was not invested in finding out the truth.

Overall, if you're into this genre and like atmospheric reads, you may really enjoy it. I am not sure what I was expecting, but I will absolutely keep reading his #bookseries.

Fear The Silence by Robert Bryndza is a brilliant, twisty, page-turner of a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
The main character Maggie is compelling and her situation following the death of her husband is heart-wrenchingly real. She seems to have nine lives as she progresses from one disaster to another in her efforts to get to the truth of the secrets her husband left behind.
This thriller never lets up from start to finish, and cements Bryndza's rightful spot as one of the best thriller writers of his generation
I consider myself fortunate to have received an ARC of #FearTheSilence from #NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of Fear the Silence written by Robert Bryndza. This book hooked me immediately. Maggie's husband arrives at the emergency room with a gunshot wound where Maggie works as a doctor and ends up dying. Maggie does not believe her husband committed suicide. She takes time off to grieve and visits their vacation home in Croatia. While there, she receives a letter from her husband that he wrote six years ago. There is more to his death and more secrets for Maggie to uncover. The pace of the book is unrelenting and tensions are high. There are a couple of feats that Maggie accomplishes that are a bit unbelievable and the epilogue was weak but overall I enjoyed the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and Raven Street Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Published: July 6, 2023
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 350

I’ve been on a reading binge for the last three weeks and decided to look into a couple of mystery/thriller reads. Last time I read a Robert Bryndza book was the “Devil’s Way” back in November 2022 and was blown away with that book. Here I am again with “Fear the Silence” and this book, in my opinion, did not fail either.

The story of Maggie and Will who have been married twenty-something years. Their careers are closely together…she a doctor and he a former pathologist turned developer of properties. When a man is brough into the hospital with gunshot wounds, Maggie works on him but as a result he dies from his trauma. The man in question is none other than her husband, Will and police think that he has taken his own life. Maggie, of course, is shocked to the core and refuses to believe that her husband has taken his own life. As the story progresses, things become more of a mystery to Maggie…and will her travels to their hometown turn up stranger things while uncovering her husband’s past?

Again, I am slowly becoming a fan of mystery/thrillers and I can say this book is a page-turner that I found hard to put down but alas sleep kicked in. I enjoyed this story from beginning to end and Robert Bryndza did well with writing this story that made my read easier and that drew me into the pages. There is a bit of action, twists, turns, fear, and the creepy rolled up into this story that makes it chilling to read. I am not an individual who welcomes the unnerving, but the dynamics of the story did have me terrified and on edge. The setting of the small Croatian island also provided a backdrop of the unknown that made the story suspenseful and dramatic. Although there are some unbelievable moments in the story, I overruled my thoughts on them because it was just a good read. A fast-paced and engaging thriller that I recommend reading.

Review of eBook

When trauma surgeon Doctor Maggie Kendall heads for the hospital for her regular shift, her husband, Will, blows her a kiss and makes Luna, the cat, wave her paw. Little did she know that a few hours later her husband would be dead, a victim of suicide.

Or was he?

When Maggie travels to the Croatian island of Tišina, she receives a letter from Will’s solicitor, a letter he’d left for her six years previously when he left his position as a forensic pathologist and began a career as a property developer.

As Maggie seeks answers, unexpected occurrences convince her that someone is watching her. In the beginning, she questioned the medical examiner's determination that Will committed suicide; now she’s certain something sinister was involved in his death.

What really happened to Will?

=========

A strong sense of place and believable, well-drawn characters anchor this intense, creepy psychological thriller that pulls readers into the telling of the tale from the outset. The twisty, intriguing plot delivers unexpected revelations and surprises, keeping readers guessing as they turn the pages as fast as possible in this impossible-to-set-aside book.

As Maggie deals with heartbreak, tragedy, and sinister machinations, the suspense continues to build. And while the atmosphere grows more and more foreboding, the non-stop action sets a relentless pace that keeps readers breathless. With the complex plot weaving a web of suspense around Maggie’s holiday house and the island, slowly-revealed dark secrets expose bits of the truth.

Both enigmatic and unputdownable, the book promises to keep readers on the edge of their seats as the unfolding story leads to a satisfying denouement they are sure to appreciate.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Raven Street Publishing and NetGalley
#FeartheSilence #NetGalley

Maggie’s husband has committed suicide. Or has he! When Maggie runs away to their holiday home set on a remote Croatian island accidents start happening. Is it all connected to the home smart system! She must get off this island at all costs.
There are many more shocking revelations before the end it will keep you wanting to turn the page for what’s next that can happen.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I think I am in the minority for not really enjoying this book, but I struggled to finish it. The story is interesting but doesn't seem credible, and the characters are particularly unbelievable. I was also irritated by the reference to reading a Will, which only ever happens on TV or in films. All in all a disappointing book.