#cjsreads2017: Say Nothing (Brad Parks) @Brad_Parks @DuttonBooks

I am starting off this review with a Public Service Announcement.  You will need to buy this book.  You will need to add it to your TBR lists.

I am even going out on a limb here and stating that this one has been my favourite of all our #cjsreads picks we have read to date; I loved Say Nothing by Brad Parks. Keep reading for our reviews and a synopsis of the book.

Synopsis from Goodreads

A powerful and moving breakout thriller about a couple who are plunged into unimaginable terror when their children are kidnapped, and the stop at nothing compulsion to get them back.
Judge Scott Sampson doesn’t brag about having a perfect life, but the evidence is clear: A prestigious job. A beloved family. On an ordinary Wednesday afternoon, he is about to pick up his six-year-old twins to go swimming when his wife, Alison, texts him that she’ll get the kids from school instead.
It’s not until she gets home later that Scott realizes she doesn’t have the children. And she never sent the text. Then the phone rings, and every parent’s most chilling nightmare begins. A man has stolen Sam and Emma. A man who warns the judge to do exactly as he is told in a drug case he is about to rule on. If the judge fails to follow his instructions, the consequences for the children will be dire.
For Scott and Alison, the kidnapper’s call is only the beginning of a twisting, gut-churning ordeal of blackmail, deceit, and terror; a high-profile trial like none the judge or his wife has ever experienced. Their marriage falters. Suspicions and long-buried jealousies rise to the surface. Fractures appear. Lies are told.
Through it all, Scott and Alison will stop at nothing to get their children back, no matter the cost to themselves…or to each other. 

 

 WHAT CHANDRA THOUGHT

5/5 Stars

Judge Scott Sampson has a pretty good life – married to Alison, who he’s been with for 25 years and in love with his six-year-old twins, he really couldn’t ask for more. On his usual day to pick up the kids, he gets a text from his wife saying she’ll pick them up instead. He gets home and finds his wife there, without the kids… and she’s saying she never sent him a text. With the ring of the telephone, their nightmare begins. He must do exactly as he’s told and SAY NOTHING to anyone or his kids get hurt. Soon everyone becomes a suspect as long buried insecurities rise to the surface. How far would you go to protect your children when you can’t seem to trust anyone around you – even your wife?

Holy gut puncher! I picked this book up yesterday and never put it back down. Brad Parks reels you right in from the very first chapter and never lets up. This book is a mix of a domestic, legal and psychological thriller and comes together in a seamless transition. I didn’t realize how invested I was in the characters until I heard myself gasping out loud (my eyes may have even leaked at one point – shhh). Action packed and emotionally charged, this book will keep you turning those pages. Also, Mr. Parks, nice nod to Carter Ross ;). I highly recommend this thriller but be sure to slot out some time as once you get started, you’re not going to want to stop.

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JESSICA’S THOUGHTS

I give this 5/5 stars. This book was amazing! I finished it in two sittings – it was fast paced and the perfect mix of psychological and legal thriller.

Scott, a respected Judge, and his wife Alison get home from work to realize that neither of them picked up their twin son and daughter from school. After receiving a text from Alison earlier stating that she was bringing them to the doctor, Scott went straight home after work, but Alison never sent that text. The next phone call put them both in their own personal hell when they’re told that their twins were taken and they are to SAY NOTHING.

Scott needs to follow instructions if he wants to get his kids back alive and in one piece. Who has the kids? Why is the judge being threatened? Who can be trusted? All questions that you’ll you’ll be asking throughout the pages of this thriller. This one started with a bang and didn’t stop until the end. You become invested in the characters without even realizing it, Parks does a great job making them human so that the reader can relate to their misery and struggle. If you want a great thriller, then Brad Parks is the way to go! You won’t want to put it down once you start.

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MY THOUGHTS

Whoa.

What. A. Book.

Say Nothing by Brad Parks was unputdownable. Parks was able to create a rare balance that is uncommon in thrillers; a fast paced plot, gut-wrenching scenarios and likeable characters.   I was literally on the edge of my seat. I read this one easily in the course of a couple sittings; once I started, I simply could not stop. I was completely sucked into this plot.

The story follows Judge Scott Sampson, doting husband and father to twins Sam and Emma. After receiving a life changing text that ends in the kidnapping of his children, Scott is forced to become a legal pawn in a sick game of cat and mouse.   There is one rule. Say nothing.

This book read like a domestic thriller, a legal thriller and a conspiracy thriller all rolled into one. I believe this novel would appeal to all different types of readers.

5/5 stars. Read this book. And then come talk to me about it.

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HUGE THANK YOU TO DUTTON PUBLICITY AND BRAD PARKS FOR THESE ADVANCED COPIES IN RETURN FOR OUR HONEST REVIEWS.