Say Nothing
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4.3 • 288 Ratings
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- £5.49
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
On a normal Wednesday afternoon, Judge Scott Sampson is preparing to pick up his six-year-old twins for their weekly swim. His wife Alison texts him with a change of plan: she has to take them to the doctor instead. So Scott heads home early. But when Alison arrives back later, she is alone - no Sam, no Emma - and denies any knowledge of the text . . .
The phone then rings: an anonymous voice tells them that the Judge must do exactly what he is told in an upcoming drug case and, most importantly, they must 'say nothing'.
So begins this powerful, tense breakout thriller about a close-knit young family plunged into unimaginable horror. As a twisting game of cat and mouse ensues, they know that one false move could lose them their children for ever.
Hugely suspenseful - with its fascinating insight into the US judicial system and its politics of influence and nepotism - Say Nothing is, above all, the poignant story of the terror these parents face, and their stop-at-nothing compulsion to get their children back.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Every parent’s worst nightmare is a reality for Judge Scott Sampson. His six-year-old twins—Sam and Emma—are taken and held hostage with orders for him to rule as instructed in a Virginia drug case. Gut-wrenching from start to finish, Brad Parks cleverly hands us a cliff-hanger to close out each chapter. The American crime author perfectly captures the desperate unravelling of Sampson and his wife Alison’s relationship as they desperately attempt to meet each demand the merciless abductors throw their way. With his reputation in tatters, marriage under intense strain and children gone, what else can Sampson possibly give?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Shamus Award winner Parks's excellent domestic thriller credibly portrays a family under severe stress. Federal judge Scott Sampson's tranquil and fulfilling personal life in rural tidewater Virginia with his wife, Alison, and twin six-year-olds, Sam and Emma, is shattered when someone impersonating Alison abducts Sam and Emma from their school. The kidnappers insist that Scott say nothing to anyone and that he await instructions about the impending sentencing of a minor drug dealer whose history merits severe punishment. The orders that Scott eventually receives threaten his professional position and prove to be but the prelude to extortion regarding another case with even greater consequences. The tension the catastrophe causes in Scott and Alison's marriage is palpable, and Parks (The Fraud and five other Carter Ross mysteries) makes even Scott's most paranoid suspicions reasonable in the circumstances. Veteran genre readers may anticipate some of the surprises, but they'll still find themselves on pins and needles awaiting the reveals. Five-city author tour.)
Customer Reviews
Say Nothing
A really great book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. So many twists and surprises it kept you reading and wanting more.
Wow
One of the best books I’ve read in such a long time. So many twists and turns and you’ll never figure out how it ends.
Refreshing plot
When I started reading this book I never expected the ending which brought tears to my eyes.
The tension was continuously cranked up a notch throughout with several unexpected twists, characters that were believable and I sympathised with and an interesting court case as well.
Normally I guess the true perpetrator before the ending which was the case in part but not completely and it wasn’t until very close to the reveal that I had an inkling.
It is not a novel which is deeply intellectual and although there is a law aspect to it I found it easy to understand despite having limited knowledge of the is judicial system. I would suggest it would be best read on holiday when you can binge read it. I will definitely reread in future to take in some details I missed.
If you like to read books like gone girl, girl on a train, the wife between us and/or crime novels you will probably enjoy this as it has similar aspects but with a far more likeable (and reliable) protagonist and very different plot which made for a refreshing change in the genre.