BLOG TOUR,BOOK REVIEW - Silent Winter by Maggie James

When Holly Blackmore's husband Drew fails to return home from work one icy November night, she is not really surprised because it's not a unusual occurrence. But as time passes and there is still no sign of him,her feelings of anger and frustration soon give way to feelings of fear and doubt over the stability of their marriage. Why has he not text her? Is he with another woman? Drew's brother Todd is convinced that he is stressed because of money worries,has run away or had some sort of mental breakdown but he will eventually return home. But then Drew's rings are hand delivered to Holly and Todd's homes.

In reality,Drew has been abducted and finds himself locked in a pitch dark, soundproofed room. He is naked,has thick chains encircling his wrists, is lying on a bare mattress and has a bucket for a toilet. Drew has no idea who his captor is or why he has been abducted but his captor obviously wants to keep him alive because they keep feeding him stale sandwiches. But as time passes,the darkness,solitude and lack of food begins to cause his reality to fade and he starts experiencing hallucinations.

Can Drew escape before madness claims him? Who is his captor? Could his disappearance be connected with that of a prostitute years before?

Most of the chapters of this enthralling thriller are voiced by Holly and Drew,swapping back and forth between the thoughts of each character. The book is divided into three sections, Hell,Hospital and Home. We witness Holly's conflicting emotions about her marriage,Drew's disappearance,the conflict between Holly and her sister in law due to her close relationship with Todd, who just happens to be Holly's ex boyfriend. And Holly's life isn't destined to improve once Drew is rescued and returns home. Drew has understandably been affected both physically and mentally by the shocking and dehumanizing treatment that he received throughout his captivity. I loved the chilling chapters that chronicled his imprisonment,his captor silently standing outside his cell,listening too and enjoying his suffering. Drew's mental deterioration,his struggles to keep his brain active by doing mathematics in his head. Drew's deterioration was terrifyingly swift,believable and chillingly realistic.

There was chapters that were headed Before that chronicled the horrifying upbringing of a young boy named Rick,his mother was a prostitute who was constantly being abused by one of her clients,someone that young Nick had named Mr Nasty. There was also chapters that were narrated from the point of view of The Watchman,a sinister character who lurked in the shadows,scheming and plotting but who was he and how did he and Rick fit into the story. You will definitely not see the answer to that question coming,actually there was a couple of twists involving those characters that I definitely didn't see coming. I can't say that I liked Todd or his wife Nessa very much. I thought Holly was very naive and felt so much sympathy for Drew during his captivity but was I right feeling sorry for him or did he deserve his imprisonment and mistreatment?

Silent Winter is a apt and very clever title for this chilling story referencing Drew's solitary confinement and how silent the world becomes after a heavy snowfall. I love Maggie James books,they are always extremely well written and Silent Winter is no exception. The fast paced story had me hooked in from the first page,kept me guessing and frantically turning the pages. Worth far more than five stars and very highly recommended.

                                                                 AUTHOR BIO

Maggie James is a British author who lives near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She writes psychological suspense novels.

Before turning her hand to writing, Maggie worked mainly as an accountant, with a diversion into practising as a nutritional therapist. Diet and health remain high on her list of interests, along with travel. Accountancy does not, but then it never did. The urge to pack a bag and go off travelling is always lurking in the background! When not writing, going to the gym, practising yoga or travelling, Maggie can be found seeking new four-legged friends to pet; animals are a lifelong love!

Social media links:

Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-James-Fiction/191644207648375

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjamesfiction

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/maggie-james/64/381/727

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/828751.Maggie_James

Pinterest: ttps://www.pinterest.com/maggiejamesfict/

Amazon:  https://author.to/MJF)

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-james

Maggie James – psychological suspense novelist

Website and blog: www.maggiejamesfiction.com

Facebook: Maggie James Fiction

Twitter: @mjamesfiction

Amazon: Maggie James

PUBLICATION DATE: 5th December 2019
PRINT LENGTH: 270 pages
PUBLISHER: Orelia publishing
GENRE: Psychological Thriller

PURCHASE LINK...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Winter-Maggie-James-ebook/dp/B07YLBT768/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29M9BY5PKKA2U&keywords=silent+winter&qid=1575837377&s=books&sprefix=Silent+win%2Caps%2C177&sr=1-1

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