Not a Sound - Heather Gudenkauf

Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf


First Paragraph:

I find her sitting all by herself in the emergency waiting room, her lovely features distorted from the swelling and bruising.  Only a few patients remain, unusual for a Friday night and a full moon.  Sitting across from her, an elderly woman coughs wetly into a handkerchief while her husband, arms folded across his chest and head tilted back, snores gently.  Another man with no discernible ailment stares blankly up at the television mounted on the wall.  Canned laughter fills the room.


My Thoughts:

Not a Sound was a good read for me, or rather, a good listen.  Narrated by Julia Whelan, the story kept me quite absorbed and not minding my walking regimen at the local rec center.  Amelia Winn is an experienced ER nurse who is also trained in collection of forensic evidence.  As the result of an accident while she's walking a victim to her car, Amelia's injuries include the loss of her hearing.  This is, of course, quite an adjustment and Amelia doesn't do well for quite some time.  Finally, however, she's ready to resume more normal life, look for a job, and see how she can manage with her service dog, Stitch.  The mystery was not particularly hard for me to guess, but I know that I tend to be skeptical of everyone in books such as these and often figure out the 'villain'.  I loved reading about Stitch and how he assisted Amelia in her daily life.  This was a book that is 'dear to the heart' of the author, Heather, also a person with a profound hearing loss.  And the story included an oncologist and cancer treatments - the author's son had a rare form of bone cancer and is now an 8-year survivor - wonderful!  I read another book by this author a while back that I didn't like as well, but I need to try her other books.  This one got a thumbs-up from me!


Blurb:

When a tragic accident leaves nurse Amelia Winn deaf, she spirals into a depression that ultimately causes her to lose everything that matters—her job, her husband, David, and her stepdaughter, Nora. Now, two years later and with the help of her hearing dog, Stitch, she is finally getting back on her feet. But when she discovers the body of a fellow nurse in the dense bush by the river, deep in the woods near her cabin, she is plunged into a disturbing mystery that could shatter the carefully reconstructed pieces of her life all over again.

As clues begin to surface, Amelia finds herself swept into an investigation that hits all too close to home. But how much is she willing to risk in order to uncover the truth and bring a killer to justice?