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Book Review of The Price of Silence

The Price of Silence
robinmy avatar reviewed on + 2047 more book reviews


In dire need of a good paying job, Todd Fielding and her husband, Barney, move to a small town in Oregon where she becomes the editor of a local newspaper. She's been at her new job for only a few weeks when a local teenager has been reported missing. The police aren't too worried, saying she probably ran away and will be back soon. Sure enough, a postcard appears in the mail a short time later, explaining that she had to get away to see the world. But the girls' mother insists that her daughter did not write that post card. Todd does some digging and learns that six young girls have disappeared in the last twenty years. When she writes an expose about the situation, the community is displeased. They complain that they don't want this kind of stuff in their family newspaper. When someone tries to run Todd off of the road, she knows she's hit a nerve.

This was my first book by this author. It was a good mystery, even though the villain was easy to pick out. There was a second story thread featuring Todd's boss, 80-year-old Ruth Ann, who is writing a book on the sordid history of the town. Some of that history parallels what is happening in the town at this time. I enjoyed both Todd and Ruth Ann. They wouldn't be bullied into dropping the stories that needed to be told. One thing I didn't like was the fact that there were a few story threads just left dangling. What caused the mysterious chill that some people noticed? Why was Todd having strange dreams and what did they mean?

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Anna Fields. You can't go wrong with her narration. She had a different voice for every character. My rating: 4 Stars.