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Silence Audiobook
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(3.03) - 601 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
Sometimes ignoring your problems won't make them go away. In Silence, by Thomas Perry, character Wendy Harper tries to run away from her situation, but it only creates a series of devastating events.
As a co-owner of a trendy Los Angeles restaurant, Wendy Harper usually arrived home late. One particular night, an assailant greeted her at her home and beat her brutally with a baseball bat. Knowing who was behind the attack, Harper decided she had to get away.
Jack Till worked for the LAPD for 20 years, and had devoted his life to his special needs daughter. After retirement, he became a private detector. The day Wendy Harper contacted him his quiet life took a turn. He agreed to help Wendy Harper run away and create a new life under a different name, so she could continue her life without harm. Her silence worked for 6 years.
When Wendy Harper disappeared, it was assumed she was dead. After six years, Wendy's previous partner and boyfriend, Eric Fuller is being blamed for the murder. As the recipient of a life insurance policy, it looks like he is the only one with motive. Jack Till realizes Fuller will be found guilty of murder if he doesn't produce Wendy Harper alive and well. He has to convince Harper to come forward, which will put her life in danger. And danger lurks around every corner as married couple Paul and Sylvie Turner have been hired to kill Wendy if she decides to resurface.
Twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat any time you are reading a Thomas Perry novel. Like his books, his life has been one exciting moment after another. Born in Upstate New York, he attended Cornell University and the University of Rochester, and then spent time making a living in various ways including assorted blue collar jobs, teaching, and producing television shows. He now lives in Southern California where he spends his time writing his award winning psychological thrillers.
"Well-known for his series of books featuring Jane Whitfield, the Edgar Award-winning Perry has, in recent years, turned his talents to writing intelligent novels, centering on people in trouble. Six years ago, private investigator, Jack Till, an ex-LAPD detective, helped restaurateur Wendy Harper escape from assassins. He taught her how to disappear into another life. Now, he needs to find her. Many believe she is dead, killed by her ex-boyfriend, Eric Turner. But Paul and Sylvie Turner, the assassins hired to kill Wendy, know better. Now, Jack has to find Wendy, convince her to come in from the cold to save Eric and keep her alive long enough to make it back to Los Angeles. Perry excels at procedural details and maintains a breakneck pace while developing the relationship between Wendy and Jack, who has led a rather monastic life, caring for his 21-year old daughter with Down syndrome, Holly. The ending arrives a little abruptly but the chase is worth the read"
— Viccy (5 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Six years ago, Jack Till helped Wendy Harper disappear. But now her ex-boyfriend and former business partner, Eric Fuller, is being framed for her presumed murder in an effort to smoke her out, and Till must find her before tango-dancing assassins Paul and Sylvie Turner do.
The Turners are merely hired to do a job, though, and prefer to remain anonymous. When they find that a middleman has let the true employer know their identities, finishing the job is no longer enough. Their fee just went up. And now they must double-cross the man who wants Wendy dead before he can double-cross them—if their jealousy and cold-blooded calculations don't result in a fatal lovers' quarrel first.
With masterful plotting and unnerving psychological insight, Thomas Perry delivers another mesmerizing thrill ride.
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Quotes
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“Inspired.”
— New York Times Book Review -
A treat.... [Perry's] complex characters...are all the more attractive for being so devious and untrustworthy.
— The New York Times -
“Brilliant.”
— Robert B. Parker, author of the Spenser series -
“Ingenious.”
— George Pelecanos, author of The Double
Silence Listener Reviews
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KJW, 8/10/2022
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" I admit that I prefer Perry books that are sequels or bring back established characters. This one was good, but it did drag just a tad for me, not sure why, but it got overly long with the back story of the protagonist. I love Jack Till, and LOVE LOVE the couple who are the villains. I could enjoy many books about them. Definitely read them both. "
— Yogi, 3/26/2018 -
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Codename Eric, 12/6/2016
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" interesting plot as usual for this writer but dragged "
— Lindig, 2/18/2014 -
" Had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. "
— Edie, 2/15/2014 -
" kind of a far out premiss but entertaining story with some droll back and forth between main characters throughout the book "
— Jim, 1/28/2014 -
" Thomas Perry is just a killer of a writer: tense, clean prose that delivers a freight-train of a plot, or maybe a formula one race car, complete with twists and turns. Doesn't hurt that the characters are often extremely attractive, amoral, and smart -- though not all, in this one. The protagonists (one man, an ex-cop PI; one woman, a former restauranteur on the lam) are liars, though moral with love for their families. Really, I've not enjoyed a new author discovery as much as I have these Perry novels since Michael Connelly. I really really like 'em. "
— Nick, 1/22/2014 -
" Read this on the flight out from Oakland to Baltimore yesterday. Another good story from this author, tho my favorites are still the "Jane Whitfield" books. Similar sort of premise, but with a male lead character who then has to find the woman he helped "disappear" with a new identity and new life. No spoilers but it was a good read. "
— Janice, 1/19/2014 -
" good read, interesting premise. "
— Pam, 1/18/2014 -
" Very easy read, suspenseful, well-written. Coming from one who never reads books in the suspense/mystery genre, I thought it was pretty good. "
— Reshma, 1/18/2014 -
" I like this author. His books are about crime in one version or another -- hit men, people hiding from the law, general lowlifes. His writing is good and the books are perfect for just enjoying. "
— Pat, 1/12/2014 -
" Typically good writing from Thomas Perry ... but it would help if he made you care about the characters. "
— Larry, 1/1/2014 -
" not as good as the jane stories but good enough "
— Elaine, 12/24/2013 -
" I'd never read anything by this author, but I liked this book very much. It was a little slow to start, but then I couldn't put it down.... "
— Kerry, 12/7/2013 -
" he is a great story teller "
— Steven, 12/7/2013 -
" How to create a new identity. But he doesn't talk about SSNs. Memory triggers: Jack Till, Wendy Harper, former cop turned PI, restaurant people. "
— Jenny, 10/27/2013 -
" A pretty good, run-of-the-mill thriller. Not a literary masterpiece, but it held my interest. "
— Kim, 10/13/2013 -
" Disappointing. The characters are so flat and one-dimensional. What could have been an exciting plot was spoiled by wooden dialogue and boring characters. "
— Jeanne, 7/26/2013 -
" Not necessarily Perry's best, but still an entertaining read containing Perry's most common theme: an innocent person running from someone amoral who is bent on doing them harm. "
— Jean, 7/7/2013 -
" First Thomas Perry book I've read other than his series with character Jane Whitefield which I love. This one was almost as good. "
— Jackie, 3/11/2012 -
" ok. Jack Till is a good character, thoughtful, analytical only s tough as he needs to be. The damsel in distress irritated me a little. Which assassin is going to survive? "
— Ruth, 3/4/2012 -
" Like how it ends... "
— Amanda, 10/6/2011 -
" A cat and mouse game between Jack Till (with Wendy Harper) and the Turners.... the Turners are unpredictable and love their characters. "
— Michelle, 8/27/2011 -
" I thought this was a really good book, very easy story to follow and able to keep me interested. Once I knew where it was going i really wanted to keep on to see what would happen. "
— Denorris, 5/29/2011 -
" This is the first book I've read by this author. It was fine and held my interest, but the end was disappointing. Everything was tied up too neatly with no surprises. "
— Rhonda, 5/25/2011 -
" Not too good. Dumb characters. "
— David, 4/6/2011 -
" he is a great story teller "
— Steven, 12/20/2010 -
" I like this author. His books are about crime in one version or another -- hit men, people hiding from the law, general lowlifes. His writing is good and the books are perfect for just enjoying. "
— Pat, 10/4/2010 -
" not as good as the jane stories but good enough "
— Elaine, 8/23/2010 -
" I don't remember where or why I bought this, but I certainly wouldn't bother again. It plodded along without a lot of purpose. Eh. "
— Nancy, 6/23/2010 -
" A cat and mouse game between Jack Till (with Wendy Harper) and the Turners.... the Turners are unpredictable and love their characters. "
— Michelle, 5/5/2010 -
" Had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. "
— Edie, 4/25/2010 -
" Another really good suspenseful read by Thomas Perry. "
— Sarah, 3/16/2010 -
" <u>Silence</u> turned out to be quite a page-turner, although it was a bit vulgar for my taste. The character development was good, and the story was complex and intriguing, but I wasn't at all crazy about the ending. It just kind of stopped without any resolution. Definitely a good read though. "
— Steve, 2/18/2010 -
" Typically good writing from Thomas Perry ... but it would help if he made you care about the characters. "
— Larry, 11/30/2009 -
" This isn't a learn from book, it's a grab you up and haul you along book. He's one of the best of this genre. "
— Bev, 10/3/2009 -
" Very good. The is the first book I have read off Thomas Perry's. "
— Gloria, 9/26/2009 -
" Not bad. Some predictability, but enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. "
— Michelle, 8/11/2009
About Thomas Perry
Thomas Perry is the bestselling author of over twenty novels, including The Butcher’s Boy, which won the Edgar Award, and Metzger’s Dog, which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. He received a BA degree from Cornell University and a PhD in English from the University of Rochester.
About Michael Kramer
Michael Kramer is an AudioFile Earphones Award winner, a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, and recipient of a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an actor and director in the Washington, DC, area, where he is active in the area’s theater scene and has appeared in productions at the Shakespeare Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and Theater J.