Dead Silence (The Stillwater Trilogy, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Brenda Novak (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Thirteen years after leaving Stillwater, Mississippi, Grace Montgomery finds herself returning. An assistant district attorney in Jackson, Grace comes home for the summer hoping to finally make peace with her past and the fateful night her stepfather disappeared. While most of the town had their suspicions, only Grace and her family really knew what happened that night and exactly where the body is buried. When Kennedy Archer hears that Grace is back, he knows the smart thing to do is to ignore her, much like he did when they were in high school. But somehow Kennedy can't resist sweet yet secretive Grace, even though any relationship between them could end up destroying them both. In the first of a compelling new series set in the small town of Stillwater, Novak expertly mixes her usual superior characterization with a chilling sense of evil as she pairs up a complicated heroine with a dark past with a caring, honorable man who gives her hope for the future. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Novak knows how to relate a suspenseful tale." -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Mira (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778323285
• ISBN-13: 978-0778323280
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #135,443 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Stillwater Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still Waters Run Deep - English Proverb, June 21, 2008

By	Cherise Everhard (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Growing up in Stillwater Mississippi has never been easy for the Montgomery family. When the much loved and widowed reverend of this small town married Mrs. Montgomery and brought her and her 3 kids to live with him, the town resented it. When the reverend fueled the fire by preaching at his pulpit with veiled references to the bad wife he had, it only got worse.

Then 19 years ago the reverend went missing. There are many thoughts, reports and feelings on what happened, but most the town thinks that the Montgomery family has something to do with his disappearance. They think he was murdered, they just can't prove it. The only one who doesn't think that is the reverend's natural daughter who continued to live with the Montgomery's after her dad disappeared.

13 years ago Grace Montgomery graduated from High School and left her small town of Stillwater Mississippi behind. She made herself successful and respected, trying to wash the stain of her hometown reputation away. She comes back to try to face what happened 19 years ago so she can move on even more.

Having read Ms. Novak's Harlequin romances and loved them, I put off reading this series because, well honestly, I didn't think she could pull off the suspense and mystery. I was wrong. From the first to the last page I was riveted. Ms. Novak created a highly emotional and suspenseful tale. There are scenes so well written and detailed that what Grace feels, you can feel. There are many twists to this story as things aren't always what they seem on the outside looking in. I finished this book and eagerly picked up the second in the series, Dead Giveaway (The Stillwater Trilogy, Book 2), it's that fabulous.

Dead Right (The Stillwater Trilogy, Book 3)

Cherise Everhard, June 2008

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've no business writing this review ! !, July 17, 2006

By	Ruth A. Caldwell "Highland Princess Mum" (Walnut Creek, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm moving; no time to write reviews, let alone read... However, the intro on the back of this was SO intriguing... I started it very early Saturday morning and finished by lunch!

The story is not for the faint-of-heart. It deals with a sensitive subject, however Ms. Novak does not go into unnecessary descriptions and nothing is sensationalized.

The first book of an ongoing series, involves a family living a comparatively normal life, considering the Reverend (their step-father) had disappeared OR had he been murdered; by one of them?

The story centers around Grace, who was a young teen at the time and her horrid high school experience with "affluent boys" and how she deals with them and the family mystery 13 years later. She's now a successful assistant DA; upon her return to her hometown, (in an attempt to salvage her present, by resolving this issue from her past) she has to suffer the rude and insulting small-town people, who can't get over the unsolved mystery surrounding her step-father. She knows who and why; it's time to confront the truth.

A special character, who was just precious, in the little 8 year old boy that befriends her, on her first day back in town. Her interaction with him is just heart-warming. Grace's subsequent meeting of the young boy's family is part of what makes this book so compelling.

This story was so well written, I'm waiting anxiously for the next in the series... "Dead Giveaway" coming Feb.2007, and I'm looking into her prior series as my next reading project. I LOVE finding a new author.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead Silence-Joyfully Recommended, September 22, 2006

By	M. Nix "Joyfully Reviewed" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Grace Montgomery has always known where her stepfather's body is buried. She's held on to the secret out of guilt and to protect her family. She's tried to rebuild her life from the devastation of her childhood and is now a successful D.A. in Jackson, but the past still holds a grip on her. In an effort to finally overcome the abuse, which is still controlling her life, she returns to the small town she grew up in, Stillwater. What she never expects when she returns is to find herself becoming more and more involved with Kennedy Archer. A widower, Kennedy had been among those to condemn her in high school, but the more time they spend together, the more they fall in love. When Grace finally confides the truth in Kennedy will their love be strong enough to handle it?

Dead Silence grabbed me from the first page and left me unable to stop reading. Brenda Novak has woven a tale of mystery, suspense, secrets and love with such skill that the story literally leapt off the pages. As the death Grace's stepfather, Reverend Baker, and the events that precipitate it are slowly revealed I became more and more involved with the Montgomery family. Added to this is the growing love between one of the town's favorite sons, Kennedy, and the girl with the bad reputation, Grace that no one approves of. As Grace opens up to Kennedy with the pain of her past I came to love her and to desperately want her to find the happiness that has eluded her for years. Kudos to Ms. Novak for delivering a tale of a family destroyed by one man's evil. I will be anxiously looking for Grace's brother Clay's story, Dead Giveaway to see how the secrets of Reverend Baker's death continue to unfold.

Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed