Not A Sound. Heather Gudenkauf

Published: MIRA (Australia)
Date: 1st June 2017
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 304
Genre:Mystery/Thriller
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating:
        

When a tragic accident leaves nurse Amelia Winn deaf, she spirals into a depression that ultimately causes her to lose everything that matters — her job, her husband, David, and her stepdaughter, Nora. Now, two years later and with the help of her hearing dog, Stitch, she is finally getting back on her feet. But when she discovers the body of a fellow nurse in the dense bush by the river, deep in the woods near her cabin, she is plunged into a disturbing mystery that could shatter the carefully reconstructed pieces of her life all over again.

As clues begin to surface, Amelia finds herself swept into an investigation that hits all too close to home. But how much is she willing to risk in order to uncover the truth and bring a killer to justice?

From the moment I began reading Not A Sound I was fully into it. Heather Gudenkauf pulled me in with her opening scene, and her writing had me imagining clearly the scenes she was setting. 

The story is told from the viewpoint of Amelia, who is deaf after an accident that was appalling. It was really interesting to be drawn into a deaf person's world, to find out in a new way what they miss out on. I never thought about them not being able to differentiate emotions because they can't hear the tone and inflections of a voice. I found the phone that translates a voice into written text an insight, and the fact a deaf person is unsure of how loud or soft there voice is when speaking.  Amelia is a strong, resilient person, she has known the depths of despair and part of this story is the finding of herself again and taking her place in her world about her.

Her dog Stitch, a service dog, is very much a character too. I liked that he wasn't perfect! He's a flawed character - with good reason! He didn't always do as he was told, but he was very loyal to Amelia, loving and protective and showed how a service dog is so helpful. 

I loved the mystery and the untangling of a crime. At times it was a little scary - but not too much. The story moved along at a very good pace, the clues were slowly revealed as Amelia followed the trail. I felt that Amelia perhaps took on too much and that Jake the detective was a little more out of the picture than he should have been at crucial times.

A very satisfying read, one that had me reaching for the book any moment I had. It may be that I don't read mystery/crime very often, but... it brought back the juicy feeling of reading a good book.