In the opening pages of the book Laura Brandon loses her father, and his dying wish is that she looks after a woman she has never heard of. Back home Laura tells her husband Ray about her father’s strange instructions, and he pleads with her not to pursue it any further. Torn between pleasing her father and her husband Laura leaves her five year old daughter in Ray’s care and goes to the Nursing Home to visit Sarah who is suffering from the early onset of Alzheimers and has never heard of Laura’s father. As Laura returns home more confused than ever she finds her husband dead from a gunshot wound, and her five year old daughter mute.

As always Diane has woven a complex tale that didn’t fail to keep me guessing all the way through, as the story of Sarah Tolley was revealed piece by piece. Diane moves the story seamlessly between the present day – where Laura Brandon has to deal not only with the suicide of her husband, but with the sudden muteness of her daughter – and the past – as Sarah Tolley tells Laura about Saint Margaret’s hospital and the dramatic events that resulted in the loss of her husband and her daughter.

At the heart of the story is the psychiatric hospital Saint Margaret’s, where Sarah discovers that instead of looking after his patients the award-winning Doctor P is using them as guinea pigs in shocking experiments designed to result in mind control. As far fetched as that might sound the US government really did fund such experiments in the 1950s and it’s quite shocking to think that people were hospitalised against their will and lobotomised as part of an experiment.

Breaking the Silence is one of those books where you think you’ve figured out the plot, only to realise that the author has lead you up the garden path on purpose, just to keep you guessing. Diane hasn’t disappointed with this one and I’d highly recommend that you treat yourself to a copy if you haven’t read it already.

—SPOILER ALERT—

I was intrigued by Laura’s relationship with Sarah and as each piece of the puzzle was revealed I guessed that the two of them were related, and that Laura’s pendant held the key. I was right on some level, but I never would have guessed that Laura was Sarah’s daughter. And the twist with Gilbert threw me for a loop entirely!

Some people might consider the relationship between Dylan and Laura to be quite trite, but I was actually rooting for them to end up together, after discovering that her whole life has been built on a lie it’s good that she gets to end up with one of the good guys.

There was just one question that was left unanswered for me at the end of the book, if Sarah’s Alzheimers is so bad that she doesn’t even recognise her own husband all those years later, how on earth did she recognise Stuart and mistake him for Gilbert?

And I suppose the other one was: I understand why Emma stopped talking, but what made her start again? Did Sarah say something to her after they ran away, or was it because of the experience that Dylan shared with her in the park? Or did she really just need time to work things through in her own head and realise that she really wasn’t to blame for Ray’s death?

Thanks for reading Breaking the Silence by Diane Chamberlain, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

Strangely enough that day came about sooner than I had expected; I was running out the door to a doctor’s appointment when I realised my Kindle was out of juice – I glanced desperately at the bookshelf and the nearest book was Sanctus. When faced with the dilemma of staring at blank walls while waiting for a doctor’s appointment that are notoriously delayed, or reading this book I opted for the latter.

And do you know what?

I was shocked to discover that by the end of the first page I was hooked in and from that point on I pretty much had my nose stuck in this book every chance I got!

The reality is that it does fit in the same genre as the Da Vinci Code; you know the drill: man discovers religious secret that could change the world forever, story proceeds to battle between the good guys and the bad guys as the former seek to reveal it while the latter try their damnedest to keep it hidden. Oh and usually you can throw in a bit of a love interest.

Sure it’s formulaic, but is that such a bad thing. The same can be said for pretty much every romance novel ever written but it doesn’t stop you reading another.

The key really is not in the formula, but the way it’s implemented, and in that respect Toyne does a fantastic job, which is pretty impressive since this is his debut novel.

If you’ve not read Sanctus already and you don’t like spoilers then you might just want to skip out here and head over to Amazon and stick a copy in your basket or download it to your Kindle.

If you have already been introduced to the order of monks that protect the Sacrament, or you don’t mind a spoiler or two then stay with me…

—SPOILER ALERT—

I think it’s pretty standard stuff for books of this kind to end with a death of the secret keeper, and usually the more gruesome or mysterious that death the better. Toyne introduces us to Brother Samuel, a monk who has been ordained as a Sanctus and shown the age old secret of the Sacrament. Despite many months of careful preparation the sight rocks his beliefs and leads him to attempt to escape the ancient Citadel and reveal the truth to the world. I had hoped he would complete the escape, but then that wouldn’t make for a very good story so of course it had to end with him leaping from the top of the walls of the Citadel and coming to a gruesome end in front of a shocked group of tourists. The way he died, as well as his final acts before he jumped are the clues that both the other characters and indeed the reader needs to solve the mystery and discover the secret of the Sacrament.

Toyne keeps the novel moving at an immense pace, incredibly short chapters, sometimes of no more than a page or two, maintain the intensity as well as allowing Toyne to switch viewpoints between the goodies and the baddies (as my grandma used to say). I admit to being a little confused at times as I kept confusing the names of the characters, and then I couldn’t work out whether Liv (Brother Samuel’s estranged sister) was being kidnapped by good or evil!

There were a few events that weren’t fully explained that added to my confused state, including Liv’s meeting with Dr Anata. The meeting itself was all well and good but how on earth did Gabriel know she was there in order to rescue her? I assume Anata is a member of the Mala but it was never really made clear.

I found myself really invested in the characters as time went by, and I think this adds to the intensity of the story line, when you desperately want someone to succeed in their quest you can’t stop turning the pages to ensure that they come out in one piece! I admit to a sharp intake of breath when I realised that Liv had unwittingly put Bonnie’s life in danger, and then breathed a sigh of relief when the new mother came out of that encounter alive and well, though sadly not with her family intact.

Toyne builds the pace bit by bit as the novel races towards it’s explosive conclusion when the secret of the sacrament is finally revealed.

And didn’t that make me stop and think.

To imagine that Eve was a God and not a mere mortal. And that rather than Adam and Eve being a couple and the start of the human race that Adam was a jealous man who lied about Eve and turned other men against her so that eventually they captured her deep in the depths of a mountain and imprisoned her there for thousands of years until the day came that the sacrament would be unlocked and destroyed.

Sometimes I read a book and when I’ve closed the last page I head straight for Google to see whether there is any truth in the basis of the story, or just to learn more about the subjects touched on my the author. And this was one of those books, I was trying to learn more about the Heretic Bible, was it real or just a figment of Toyne’s imagination? Did he start from something and develop it into this Sacrament? I have to admit that I didn’t get very far so if anyone knows the answers I’d love to hear them.

The book ends, not in the Citadel, but in the local hospital where we discover the fate of Arkadian and Liv and the other brothers of the Sacrament. I do like such lose ends to be tied up, but as I read throughout he last page I was quite disappointed with the ending – although it became more clear when the facing page stated that Coming in Spring 2012 is the exciting sequel called The Key (it’s due out in April and is available for pre-order from Amazon). So it would seem that the ending of Sanctus is not really an ending as such, more a cliffhanger of what is to come next. While slightly annoyed at not having everything resolved here and now I am also pleased at the thought of continuing on this adventure with Liv, and I assume Gabriel, and discovering the rest of the secrets that Toyne is yet to reveal.

Thanks for reading Sanctus by Simon Toyne [TSS], a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

Thank you for sending me a copy of your memoir, Unnaturally Green; I’ve never seen the musical Wicked but it’s on my theatre bucket list so I was really interested to read more about what it’s like to take part in the show.

I love musicals but until I read your book I never really thought too much about the sheer scale of them, the set changes and the costume changes and the attention to detail that makes such an amazing experience for the audience each and every night.

I was intrigued to learn that the main characters have standby actors waiting in the wings to cover for them, and that in turn the Standby also has a standby in the form of the Understudy. I have to admit that I think I’d prefer to be the Understudy, because at least they get to appear one show each night in the Ensemble. I’m not sure I’d have the patience to sit around just waiting for the star to call out. I also think that having to perform so infrequently would fill me with dread!

I stopped part way through reading to look your performances up on YouTube and you are pretty amazing, I especially love Defying Gravity.

I’ve really enjoyed spending the last few days getting to know you and learning about your short spell (hee hee) in San Francisco as you in turn got to know what it was like to really be Elphaba.

Felicia you have a wonderful writing style and I wonder if you might try your hand at fiction one day. Be sure to look me up if you do.

P.s. are you still green behind the ears?

Thanks for reading Unnaturally Green: A Memoir by Felicia Ricci [TSS], a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

A copy of your debut novel The Kingdom of Childhood came to me via your publicist and I wanted to drop you a line to let you know my thoughts.

I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and apparently the Library Journal recommend your novel for fans of Jodi’s ethics-driven novels, you do both have the ethical debates in common, but I have to say that I have never felt uncomfortable reading one of Jodi’s books. I found your descriptions of the intimate relationship between student and teacher to be, well, too intimate. If this were a movie I could have closed my eyes to shut out these scenes, but alas this is a novel and your talented writing made it all too easy for my mind’s eye to see things I never wanted to witness. I suppose thats sort of a backhanded compliment really, loved your writing but feel like you crossed a line that shouldn’t have been crossed!

I suppose if your intention was to shock and prompt discussion about a potentially taboo subject then you have certainly achieved that goal, this would certainly make an excellent book for a Reading Group.

Your characters are full of life and believable, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt such a hatred for a character as I did for Judy, she is a truly poisonous lady with deep seated mental issues and I hope that I never have the misfortune to meet someone like her in real life!

I did appreciate your insights into the Waldorf school and general way of life, I actually took the time to research it some more after I finished reading your book.

Well I think I’ve said enough now Rebecca, you have a true talent for writing gripping novels that get under the skin of taboo subjects, I only hope that your next one isn’t quite so graphic in the taboo bits!

Yours sincerely,

A creeped out but generally satisfied reader

Thanks for reading The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

I feel I should start this letter with a confession, and that is to say that “boy books” are not really my cup of tea when it comes to reading. I prefer family dramas and crime fiction to thrillers, but Blue Archipelago is all about widening my reading horizons, which is why I agreed to read and review Sleeper’s Run.

I have to say you’ve done a pretty good job of pulling together a fast-paced and action-packed novel, it certainly kept me guessing as to who was double crossing who. I think fans of the Bourne Saga would certainly enjoy reading this. but alas for me it still hasn’t convinced me that I should read more action thrillers. I think I just like my prose a little more lyrical, but if you ever sell the rights for Sleeper’s Run to be made into a movie I’d be there with my popcorn. I just think I’d be able to enjoy this one so much more on the big screen where someone else’s imagination brings it to life in front of my eyes.

Yours sincerely

A satisfied but wishing this was a movie reader.

Thanks for reading Sleeper’s Run by Henry Mosquera, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)