Reviews

Splinter the Silence by Val McDermid

litwithleigh's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

3.5 rounded down bc vibes

SYNOPSIS

Outspoken feminists are dying by suicide, but is it really suicide or is it murder?? DCI Carol Jordan is given a second chance and with the help of her buddies, she sets out to determine if virtual violence has driven these women to death.

MY OPINION

Ughhhh... this one is SO hard to rate. Arguably the writing is great, the plot is well-executed, the premise is topical even 7 yrs on... but idk it was just missing a lil something something. Hence 3.5, rounded down. This was Honda Civic Reliable, but you're driving with eco mode on... slow and steady acceleration.

WDYM Pink?? I mean it took 46% of the book to get Carol Jordan actually actively working the case!!! The first half of the book focused on her drink problem, her weird relationship with Tony, and Stacey being dickmatized with lil pockets of action... mostly due to the killer's unsettling POV. When the case finally does get going, it still meanders its way to the end when everything comes to a crash.

There's a big ass cliffhanger, but I'll keep it a stack, I have no intention to read any other books in this series. Why?? Because I need MORE. And apparently Carol and Tony have some kind of sexual tension but I swear there was more tension between Paula and her contraband kit kat bars. Tony felt like Carol's little brother or a gay bestie. I just wasn't buying they had a TING going on and ain't no way I'm reading nine whole books about this without so much as a kiss. Unacceptable lmao. Their "relationship" didn't create the tension I felt when reading about Lacey Flint and Marc in Sharon Bolton's series.

The big plus of this book is the topic. 7 yrs on and online trolls (incels namely) has only become worse. In a weird way, this book was ahead of its time. I appreciated the psychological insight into the serial killer's whack ass behaviour; this was very well-written. Some of the comments about Stacey were a little weird... I cringed when she was described as "yellow." But then at the same time this book was very progressive. So idk. Mixed back of wokeness.

Anyways, an interesting enough police procedural, but lacking that je ne sais quoi to get me hooked on the series.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: well-written, topical, well-researched, enjoyed the killer's pov as always

Cons: slow ass burn, half the book spent on Carol's personal struggles, didn't buy into the sexual tension between Carol and Tony, Stacey was TOO dickmatized like pls ma'am hack into your brain and set yourself straight, weird comments about Stacey's ethnicity

alixv's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

jwoodsum's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

I continue to enjoy this series featuring Tony Hill & Carol Jordan.

wanderlustqueen's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

I found this book to be pretty "meh." The topic of cyber bullying and misogyny is not only interesting, but relevant. Unfortunately the writing felt stilted, with many conversations seeming to exist solely to advance the plot.

charvi_not_just_fiction's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

3.5 stars

I ended up really liking this book! The writing was great and the plot kept things interesting but it was hard to get into the book since it's my first time in the universe.
Totally my fault here, it's otherwise a great book.

susannavs's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

So good to read about Tony and Carol again! Most of this book was about Carol getting back into policing - and acknowledging her major failing. Now to find the next one!

mduphare's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Solid novel, will satisfy your mystery itch

dogearedandfurry's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Never a bad book with the Jordan/Hill series. The crimes here did take slightly more of a back seat, given no one was meant to be investigating them, but seeing the new unit come together, and Tony and Carol mend some fences, was nice. Also nice to see what happens to Sam (ha) and Kevin (yay). Tough one for how they sort Carol’s “incident”, particularly the coda at the end of the book.

akacasper24's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kettyjay's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0