An Act of Silence by Colette McBeth

An Act of Silence by Colette McBeth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How far will a mother go to protect her son? A psychological thriller about a mother faced with an impossible choice. Perfect for fans of HE SAID SHE SAID, I LET YOU GO and APPLE TREE YARD.

These are the facts I collect.

My son Gabriel met a woman called Mariela in a bar. She went home with him. The next morning she was found in an allotment.

Mariela is dead.

Gabriel has been asked to report to Camden Police station in six hours for questioning

Linda Moscow loves her son; it's her biological instinct to keep him safe. But if she's not sure of his innocence, how can she stand by him? Should she go against everything she believes in to protect him?
She's done it before, and the guilt nearly killed her.

Now, the past is catching up with them. As old secrets resurface, Lind is faced with another impossible choice. Only this time, it's her life on the line...

The story revolves around the relationship between a mother and son which is tested when the son is tangled up in a murder. The mother is a former Home Secretary called Linda Moscow whose career ends when she is exposed for a 'cash for contracts' scandal that culminates in her being disgraced and leaving public life, she has almost become a virtual recluse. Woken in the early hours by her son Gabriel she faces a dilemma when he tells her about having met a woman called Mariela whom he invited back to his flat for the night when they had sex and she left. Mariela's body has been found in the allotments that back on to his property which obviously implicates him, he assures her he is being framed and begs her for help. She has in the past put her son first and sacrificed her principals for doing so and when she doesn't instantly jump to his rescue he takes this as meaning she doesn't think he's innocent so Gabriel takes what he thinks is his only option and goes on the run.

The police, having learnt that he has absconded, advise Linda it's in her own best interests to leave her home in case he comes back and is a threat to her safety. Before Gabriel appears Linda has been working on a sexual abuse of minors scandal involving one of her political colleagues and Linda didn't uncover this when she was in a position of power and could have done something about it. She now has a chance to put things right but now has the additional problem also being faced with either helping or condemning her son.

It is a cleverly woven novel but I really struggled to get into it perhaps it was the style of writing or perhaps the subject matter but I couldn't feel comfortable or entertained by this novel - that doesn't mean it wasn't good it just means it didn't appeal to me it just left me feeling a bit flat. I didn't feel it really delivered in terms of a satisfactory read and would be really hard to recommend it because of this. I think it deserves a 3 star rating from me and so sorry I felt I couldn't give it more.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.