Silent Victim by Caroline Mitchell

Silent Victim by Caroline Mitchell
Genres: Thriller, Domestic Thriller
Published: 1st March, 2018 (expected)
Series: N/A
Rating: 3

Emma is a loving wife, a devoted mother…and an involuntary killer. For years she’s been hiding the dead body of the teacher who seduced her as a teen.
It’s a secret that might have stayed buried if only her life had been less perfect. A promotion for Emma’s husband, Alex, means they can finally move to a bigger home with their young son. But with a buyer lined up for their old house, Emma can’t leave without destroying every last trace of her final revenge…
Returning to the shallow grave in the garden, she finds it empty. The body is gone.
Panicked, Emma confesses to her husband. But this is only the beginning. Soon, Alex will discover things about her he’ll wish he’d learned sooner. And others he’ll long to forget.

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Silent Victim is fast paced, dark thriller from the domestic kind, that takes off at a high speed right from the start, only to crash down in a burning pile of mess at the end. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well… Sort of.

The chapters alternate between Emma, her husband Alex, and Luke – a voice from the past. This alternating narrative reveals secrets from long ago, and make you question not only Emma’s sanity, but her honesty as well. Who is the actual victim here?

This is a highly addictive story, with a refreshing character: the nice, and supportive husband. Unlike most dudes in domestic thrillers, Emma’s husband, Alex, is a truly great guy. Emma had to go to great lengths in her manipulation to sway this guy’s loyalty, and even then, in his deepest doubts, Alex remains reasonable. Reading the chapters from his perspective was a real pleasure.

Luke, a.k.a. dead guy, on the other hand is a real nasty piece work. He’s truly despicable, and his revolting inner monologues will surely shake up even the strongest of us. Despite him suffering from verbal diarrhea, we learn surprisingly little about him. You know, i don’t mind a good old fashioned, conniving psychopath, but I do expect them to be on top of their game all the time, and not act like morons, just because it gives an opportunity for a plot twist. Not even a good one.

Up to the very end it was a tight and suspenseful story held together by an entertaining cast of characters, but then it suffered the same fate as many mediocre thrillers before: the dumb, and unnecessary plot twist. Why, book, why? I thought we were friends!

If betrayal had a smell, it would be that of tar – the kind that sticks to your shoes in the heat of midsummer and bubbles like a living thing on the road.

Caroline Mitchell touches upon some difficult topics like grooming, sexual abuse and student teacher relationships. But let me tell you this: not everything is as black and white as they seem.

I got this book as part of the Kindle First program, that allows you to pick one (out of six) yet unpublished book each month.