An Act of Silence by Collette McBeth – Review.

About the Book

These are the facts I collect.
My son Gabriel met a woman called Mariela in a bar. She went home with him. They 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.

My Review

I didn’t really know what to expect when starting this book but I certainly didn’t expect it to be as fast paced as it was.
We have a disgraced politician, and her son who is a successful comedian. From the beginning, you are aware that their relationship is fractured. With the narrative switching between them, the reasons become clear. I found it quite difficult to like and understand either of them, its only much further into the novel that you become aware of everything has happened since Gabriel was a child.
Whilst I didn’t warm to either of these two immediately, there were three characters I liked instantly. These were Charlie, whose story was heartbreaking, Emily Lune and her husband Tom. Emily and Tom only appear towards the end but they were a welcome addition to a novel that contains some loathsome characters. The characters who appeared in the novel were fictionalized, but far too often you see the real version on our news.
As I said at the start of my review, the novel is fast paced. The narrative switches between most of the characters over many years. Some of the narration seems to be repeated but is from a different point of view. Especially when it involved Linda and Gabriel so the reader can see how their relationship suffered.
A great book, especially for a holiday. Just a little exhausting.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.