Overall not a compelling read. I particularly didn't like the portrayal of Anna's instability. The whole plot just felt disappointingly uncomfortable and contrived

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloodhound Books for an advance copy of In the Silence, a debut novel set in Glasgow featuring criminology lecturer Dr Anna Scavolini.

When Anna returns to Glasgow after a ten year absence she is immediately whisked off to a club to celebrate her friend Zoe's birthday where she meets Andrew Foley, an old school friend. Later in the evening she finds Andrew on the brink of death, having been stabbed. Having failed to build a rapport with the police detectives she starts her own investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed In the Silence which has a good line in Glaswegian patter and an intriguing plot with several good twists. It should be noted that non natives may struggle with the vernacular which is very funny and very typical. It had me laughing every time Zoe opened her mouth. The plotting is a bit of a mixed bag with both good and bad points, but overall it is well enough planned to hold the reader's attention. The reveals come at a steady pace and it gathers momentum as it progresses. On the downside I didn't enjoy its portrayal of the police which I feel is slightly old fashioned and it gets overly involved (for a crime novel) in the politics of prosecuting rape and the meaning of justice. It's obviously a subject dear to the author's heart but, while the statistics are frightening, distracts from the main thrust of the plot and appears like padding.

I can't say that I took to Anna as she's not very likeable. She's self absorbed, rude and very sure of her opinions. It turns out that there are reasons for this but they do little to mitigate her poor behaviour and attitude to others.

In the Silence is a good read.

Wow, while I am not familiar with this author, I love her work. Her ability to keep you guessing is amazing. I could not stop reading in fear that I might miss something. We have Anna who has gone home after being away for 10 long years. She meets a guy named Andrew that she has not seen in a long time. However, when she finds him stabbed and dying she is worried that she might be the one to take the blame. Enter Zoe her friend. They seem to be opposites yet alike in some ways. Each with their own flaws. The reader is left to figure out much of what Anna does which actually enhances the book. This thriller actually had me from the beginning. I really hope that we see Anna again in other books by this author.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

5+++ ⭐️ out of 5

A gripping novel well worth reading.
Anna hasn't been back in town for ten long years and it seems her reappearance sets off a series of murders is she to blame ????.
The story weaves its way through the past encroaching onto the present with a subject matter that is dealt with sensitively.
What would you have done in that position all those years ago and how would you go about making it right now. It keeps you guessing as to who is exacting retribution throwing up a couple of red herrings in order to keep you reading on.
Highly recommend reading this and I hope that we see more by the author.

Anna hasn’t set foot in Glasgow for ten years. And for very good reasons…
Anna, a criminology lecturer, returns to Glasgow from Rome during the coldest winter in memory. While out with her best friend from school, Anna has a chance encounter with a former flame, Andrew. Tragedy strikes later that night when Anna discovers Andrew stabbed and dying on a blanket of snow.

I enjoyed this book, even though I wasn't sure why the author set it in 2009. It was well written and kept me guessing right to the end. Anna and Zoe, her best friend from school, are polar opposites and both engaging and annoying at the same time which made them more realistic. Anna is plunged into a murder investigation when she finds the body of a man she'd had a crush on over a decade earlier. Very little is made of her being a criminology expert, it is left to the reader to link her job to her inability to leave well alone but her reactions to this and subsequent crimes seemed to suggest a naivety I wouldn't have expected from someone with her experience.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and Bloodhound Books and it kept my attention throughout.  For a first novel it ticked all the boxes; I will definitely keep an eye open for more.

Anna is a criminologist delivering a speech in her hometown when she runs across an old boyfriend, a boyfriend who later turns up stabbed to death. Police think Anna had something to do with the crime, so she launches her own investigation. This is an intense and tightly woven British mystery