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Release date: December 26, 2017

Publisher: Kensington

Genre: Mystery

Blurb:

Among the Irish Travellers living in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, no one forgets and no one forgives. And as former Marine MP Brynn Callahan finds out when she returns home, it’s hard to bury the past when bodies keep turning up…

After an IED explosion abruptly ends her tour of duty, Brynn arrives stateside with PTSD and her canine partner Wilco—both of them bearing the scars of battle. With a mix of affection, curiosity, and misgivings, she goes back to Bone Gap, Tennessee, and the insular culture she’d hoped to escape by enlisting in the Marine Corps.

Marginalized and wary of outsiders, the Irish Travellers keep to themselves in a secluded mountain community, maintaining an uneasy coexistence with the “settled” townspeople of McCreary. When Wilco’s training as a cadaver dog leads Brynn to discover a body in the woods, the two worlds collide. Soon it’s clear that and Brynn and Wilco are in danger – and they’re not the only ones.

After the police identify the dead woman, Brynn is shocked to learn she has a personal connection—and everything she’s been told about her past is called into question.

Forming a reluctant alliance with local sheriff Frank Pusser, Brynn must dig up secrets that not only will rattle her close-knit clan to its core, but may forever change her perception of who she is…and put her back in the line of fire.

Review:

Every once in awhile I have the pleasure of reading a book with a wholly unique premise that’s unlike anything I’ve read before and honestly, not much makes me happier! Splintered Silence was one of those rare books, it was original, exciting and extremely well written and had a lead duo that not only stole my heart, but left me dying to find out more!

I have never heard of Irish Travellers before but from the moment I started this I was so fascinated. These “clans” are often compared to gypsies and there is an us versus them mentality between them and what they call settled folk. This lent to some amazing tension and there was a very strong sense of culture that was endlessly intriguing for me. Brynn’s family is part of the IT and she left at eighteen and joined the military. She really doesn’t fit in with her family or the settled folk, she feels like an outsider and only really trusts her faithful partner, Wilco. Their bond was amazing and heartbreaking as they both suffer from PTSD. Furlong did a fantastic job sharing information about PTSD in a respectful and educational way.

The mystery itself has personal ties for Brynn and that’s always one of my favorite plot lines, I love when the protagonist is personally invested in a case. There was enough revealed about Brynn’s history to pique my interest but enough left open to carry the series further. The best way I can describe this is that it reminded me of a Nora Roberts book with and edge, it’s much darker and has way more depth but something about the cultural vibe and the writing was similar.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the author for my review copy.