5 reviews for Silent Cry: An absolutely addictive crime thriller with a shocking twist: Book 1 – Robert Bryndza

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  Patricia28/08/2024

  I have ordered another in the series because I enjoyed this one so much.

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  Nancy28/08/2024

  What a good book. I was so surprised to find out who was the killer. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good suspenseful book.

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  The Paragon28/08/2024

  Five years ago, Izzy’s boyfriend left the house with their baby girl to give her a bit of a break. And they didn’t come back. After frantically searching the house, Izzy found a card that had been popped through the door, stating, ‘Alys is fine. Don’t try to find us.’ But having pulled herself through five years of wondering, worrying and sleepless nights, Izzy catches sight of a face from the past, and the search continues.With Gabriella Darin, a police officer with her own difficult past, newly transferred from Cardiff, now on the case, surely it won’t be long before Izzy has some idea of where Charlie went and what happened to their family.The writing is stunning. Addictive. I couldn’t put it down. It’s rare I’ll go without sleep, I went without sleep for this one. The characters were sympathetic without hitting you over the head with their misery. The scenery was stunning and I loved the story. Really well crafted with a surprising finish that’s bound to stay with me for a good long time. I’m off to find the rest of the series now.‘Real sorrow was all snot and snivelling. It was red-rimmed eyes and the gut-wrenching ache that started in the belly only to lodge at the back of the throat. There was nothing glamorous about someone in the throes of misery, nothing at all.’Chapter 22, Silent Cry (Gabriella Darin #1) by Jenny O’BrienAmen to that. This is an awesome book. Go, read it.

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  Kindle Customer28/08/2024

  The story picks up five years after Izzy’s baby, Alys, is kidnapped by her father, Charlie. Izzy comes out of a mental dog and takes up the cause of her daughter’s unknown whereabouts. Her love for her daughter is touching and she has fond memories of her time with Charlie. There are twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Recommend!!!

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  Becca’s Books28/08/2024

  I love a gripping crime thriller, and Silent Cry by Jenny O’Brien certainly delivered on that front. This is the first book in O’Brien’s ‘Detective Gaby Darrin’ series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m already looking forward to the second in the series, Darkest Night, which is due out in July. With such a bombshell of an opening, I was hooked from the get-go and I became completely invested in the investigation which unfolds within the pages, that of which spun me round and around with numerous red-herrings, and twists and turns in its unravelling. O’Brien writes a satisfyingly mysterious plot within Silent Cry, one which held my attention throughout and ensured that I, alongside the characters within, became desperate for the final conclusion. I couldn’t wait to discover what had really happened on that devastating day.Silent Cry by Jenny O’Brien opens with a powerful prologue in which Izzy Grant awakes from a nap to find that her partner and baby daughter are still not home, and going out earlier in the day. With it being the first time Izzy has been away from Alys since her birth, she could of course be shrugged off as a paranoid, panicky first-time mother, but when she finds that a note has been pushed through the letterbox which says, ‘I’ve got Alys. Don’t try to find us, Charlie’, events swiftly take a terrifying turn for the worst and Izzy is left helpless while the police try to track down her missing child and partner.O’Brien then brings us back to the present day, in which the investigation has died down, and trying to find Charlie and Alys are no longer at the top of their priority list. What kickstarts the search again is a familiar face spotted by Izzy one afternoon while out amongst Christmas shoppers. A face she recognises from the past. A face belonging to Grace Madden, a woman she was once close to but who seemed to vanish when Alys and Charlie went missing. Sure that Grace must have had some part to play in what happened to her daughter, Izzy attempts to raise the interest of the police once more, certain that she’s onto something.What follows is a dramatic, dark and tension-fuelled search for information surrounding the disappearance of Alys and Charlie, and the hunt for Grace Madden, to see if perhaps she knows the truth about what happened to Izzy’s family that day. O’Brien creates a sharp and excellently paced plot with chapters that were short and punchy, moving the plot along swiftly, which I loved. It was an atmospheric story, with a deep sense of mystery throughout that ensured my interest remained high. I was on the edge of my seat, searching alongside the detectives for clues of my own, my suspicions in all directions because I really didn’t have a clue who could have been behind the tragic truth. O’Brien is skilled in keeping back what she doesn’t yet want you to know. There was so much that was hidden beneath the surface in this story, constantly simmering away as other events took your attention away.The characterisation in Silent Cry by Jenny O’Brien was brilliant. From Izzy Grant, determined to find out what really happened to her family, to Rhys Walker, lead detective in the original investigation and with a bit of a crush on Izzy, to Gaby Darin, joining a brand-new team and working entirely on her own instincts. I loved getting to know them all, and watching as their separate lives intertwined in the search for Alys and Charlie. O’Brien ensures each character is believable and holds an important place within the plot. I also found the deeper bonds between certain characters enjoyable to discover and learn more about. O’Brien ensured there was a history to the characters which held them together just that little bit tighter, and which also brought on a new sense of intrigue.Overall, Silent Cry by Jenny O’Brien was a sleek and tightly written thriller full of mystery, suspicion, and deceit. I could never be certain of where O’Brien was going to take her characters, but I definitely enjoyed finding out. From first page to last, I was absorbed within this story, and raced through it in my desperation for the truth to finally be revealed. This was a brilliantly addictive beginning to a brand-new series which I really can’t wait to read more of. O’Brien writes a confident and bold plot in Silent Cry, and I look forward to being reunited with Detective Gaby Darin in the very near future. The Book Babe will be giving a rating of four out of five stars for Silent Cry by Jenny O’Brien. Roll on July! I can’t wait to see what Gaby Darin will be tackling next.