Keep Quiet

Written by Lisa Scottoline

Narrated by Ron Livingston

New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award winning author Lisa Scottoline is loved by millions of readers for her suspenseful novels about family and justice.

Scottoline delivers once again with Keep Quiet, an emotionally gripping and complex story about one man's split-second decision to protect his son - and the devastating consequences that follow. Jake Buckman's relationship with his sixteen-year-old son Ryan is not an easy one, so at the urging of his loving wife, Pam, Jake goes alone to pick up Ryan at their suburban movie theater. On the way home, Ryan asks to drive on a deserted road, and Jake sees it as a chance to make a connection. However, what starts as a father-son bonding opportunity instantly turns into a nightmare. Tragedy strikes, and with Ryan's entire future hanging in the balance, Jake is forced to make a split-second decision that plunges them both into a world of guilt and lies. Without ever meaning to, Jake and Ryan find themselves living under the crushing weight of their secret, which threatens to tear their family to shreds and ruin them all.

Powerful and dramatic, Keep Quiet will have listeners and book clubs debating what it means to be a parent and how far you can, and should, go to protect those you love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Apr 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781427236166

Lisa Scottoline

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty-two novels. She also co-authors a bestselling non-fiction humor series with her daughter, Francesca Serritella. There are more than thirty million copies of Lisa's books in print in more than thirty-five countries. She lives in Pennsylvania with an array of disobedient but adorable pets.

Reviews for Keep Quiet

[knittingmomof3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the plot twists and how the characters where portrayed, however I was truly hoping more more of a suspense thriller than a book that is more suited for a discussion group on morals. I did enjoy the book and think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had a group to discuss the choices and secrets with.

[creighley_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jake Buckman’s relationship with his 16 year old son is a Ricky, distant one. So, when his wife, Pam, asks Jake to pick Ryan up from a movie, he does so. On their way home, Ryan convinces his dad to let Ryan drive the last leg home even though it is after his driving hours as a teen. Enroute Ryan accidentally hits a jogger who ends up being a student from his school. In a moment of panic, Jake decided that his son’s future would not be defined by one moment and they leave the scene. Now, it seems the nightmare has just begun as each tries to cope with what they did. (Ending too “fixed.”).

[candyh_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such a great read. I devoured this story. The twists and turns keep mystery lovers glued to this story!!

[lhaines56 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow--this was a real page turner from start to finish. I have never read any of LS's off series books. This was INTENSE to say the least. Kept me guessing until the very end. Really good.

[lorikboyd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I always like Lisa's books, but really loved this one. Couldn't put it down. When you become a parent, you vow to do anything to protect your child. Jake went to a place that no parent ever wants to go to. This book made me very uneasy, Ryan is the same age as my son, and also a HS athlete, new driver. Another moral dilemma.

[nwieme-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Disturbing with a great resolution. WOW. I had such a hard time getting through the "disturbedness" of this story. Eventually, I created a scenario in my mind that helped me continue... and it turned out to be right. I like the way Lisa Scottoline writes - so I had confidence I would enjoy it even with the difficult subject.

Hard to write something w/o spoilers.

[sandra.pinkerton83 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

great books several twists

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great thriller from Lisa Scottoline. When Jake lets his son drive on a dark road with a blind corner, they hit a young jogger. Their life changes forever. Do they go to the police or keep it a secret. Great read.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read Lisa Scottoline previously but mostly her Rosato novels (in their various formulations) which are quite different than this book.Jake is trying to connect with his son, Ryan. He allows him to drive after the hours for a temp driver on a deserted street. Ryan hits a girl on a blind curve. Jake makes the decision to drive them away and decides they will keep quiet about the whole thing. Jake's a planner, so he makes plans to cover up the damage on the car and other evidence. What he doesn't count on is the guilt that eats away at them both--as well as an eye witness who attempts to blackmail him. All the secrecy inflames already damaging family frictions. Will Jake's marriage survive? Will Jake's business survive? Will his wife get the federal judgeship she's been seeking for years? How will the scrutiny of the nominat ion process play out? Will Ryan be recruited by colleges for basketball?I found the book to be a page turner with a surprise at the end that I didn't see coming. There are still plenty of bad decisions made by Scottoline's protagonists, but at least this time (unlike when the protagonists are lawyers) I didn't feel they were ones that the protagonist planned to do even though he/she knew they were wrong.

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Keep Quiet is a riveting and fast-paced psychological suspense novel of lies, secrets and deception. It is the story of an accountant Jake Buckman, his wife Pam and their high school junior son Ryan. Keep Quiet explores the moral and ethical dilemmas that come to the fore out of one tragic incident.

The story unfolds as Jake goes to pick up Ryan from the movie theater. On the way home, Jake let Ryan drive even though it is after 11:00 and driving permit does not allow him to drive. They have tragic as Ryan briefly takes his eyes off the road as he enters a blind curve. . Keep Quiet is all about the split second decision that Jake made at that critical moment which changes everything. But can a secret remain a secret for long?

[jepeters333 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jake Buckman's relationship with his sixteen-year-old son Ryan, is not an easy one , so at the urging of his loving wife Pam, Jake goes alone to pick up Ryan at their suburban movie theater. On the way home Ryan asks to drive on a deserted road, and Jake sees it as a chance to make a connection. However, what starts as a father-son bonding opportunity instantly turns into a nightmare. Tragedy strikes and with Ryan's entire future hanging in the balance, Jake is forced to make a split-second decision that plunges both of them into a world of guilt and lies. Jake and Ryan find themselves living under the crushing weight of their secret, which threatens to tear their family to shreds and ruin them all.

[tracykelley-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

it was a very good book. love how something is always happening in each chapters. even tho you can guess the story line.
very good read.

[rosies_38 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

cheesy; frustrating

[mhanover10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a parallel universe or books are starting to sound a like. I felt like I had read this book before, the plot line was SO familiar that I kept researching the book to see when it was published but everywhere I looked it said 2014. This book is about Jake who let's his son Ryan drive home from the movies when he shouldn't be driving and something happens that changes their lives and Jake makes a decision that pretty much blows up their family and lives. It's pretty fast-paced. I did want to multiple times reach in and strangle Ryan and tell him to SHUT UP and listen. His character was irritating. The problem was quickly resolved at the end of the book not how I thought it would and not very real. In my opinion. Would Jake really have done that? I don't know. Would Pam do a 360 like she did with Jake? Pretty quick change of feelings there. But all in all great book, entertaining, kept you reading and wondering what was going to happen. I like Lisa's writing a lot and will continue to read her books.

[stephlaymon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Audio

I normally don't do audio books. For whatever reason, I end up filtering them into background noise without realizing and then all at once it dawns on me that I checked out and have no idea what 's going on. I listened to Keep Quiet on a long road trip, so I am sure the fact that I was a captive audience helped, but the narration was beyond amazing! The shift in voice and tone helped me easily pay attention and it was done well enough that it wasn't necessary to add a "he said" or "she said" throughout the dialogue.

Book

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline was a great story in more ways than one. It shows just how desperate people can get in covering up the truth and it shows how convoluted ones thoughts can get once deeply into that lie. There are a lot of gray areas, which makes this novel more interesting and allowed for times when I questioned how I would have done things had I been a member of this family. Lisa Scottoline did a wonderful job plotting out the lie that is the rot that spoils everything.

I did have some character issues. I couldn't stand the son, Ryan. I am sure that this is partly because I listened to the audio and he reminded me entirely too much of a teen character that I despise in a television series that I had watched, but I also thought that Ryan was too immature and stereotypical. Now, given the fact that Ryan's mother, Pam, is an overbearing, doting idiot, it is a wonder that Ryan knows anything at all. If you follow my reviews, you know that I can't stand major parenting flaws and Pam was amongst the most flawed. She babies her son to the point of ridiculousness by constantly taking his temperature and worrying that he is sick and who is going to stay with him. He is sixteen! Gags. I saw where the author was going with these character flaws, but still, it was too much.

There were areas that dragged on entirely too long, and I kept thinking that had I not been listening to the audio, I would have been skimming for sure.

Lastly, the ending was a little disappointing. There was no grand moment or any moral resolution. I think that I was bothered less by this than a lot of others whose reviews I have read, but I did expect better.

[carmenmilligan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was, indeed, a riveting read, with a few stressful moments. While I had to suspend believability a bit, and the helicopter mom approach of Pam was a bit grating, this was a very easy book to read and had a satisfying ending.

The question: Would I have made the same mistake? Yes, I probably would have. I wouldn't have thought a thing about letting my child drive on a deserted road at night. Especially since he was only months from his driver's license. The potential that anything could go wrong is very low, but if it does happen, who is to blame?

The book spirals from one mistake to another, one lie after another. It is a very real situation, at least until the end when the killer is revealed. That is when a bit of literary and reading license should come in to play.

Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend.

[daniellemd-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a pretty interesting mystery/crime novel, however the dialog was, in places, painfully cheesy and unrealistic. The ending was way too fairy tale for my taste, but to each her own I suppose. It was ok for what it is.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was going through my books and came across this one. It has been a while since I have read anything by Lisa. So I decided to pick this book up and start reading it. Wow. I knew Lisa could write but I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I hate to say this but if it was not for the terrible event that brought Jake and Ryan together, I probably would have not found the family that interesting. It is because of this event that bonded the whole family and brought out the fighter in each of them. Although, Jake was the strongest of the three. The most surprising was the ending. It totally came out of left field. After you read this book you will not want to "Keep Quiet".

[sandra.k.heinzman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another good book by this author. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!

[amkee-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Again and again, Lisa Scottoline keeps the story real. She draws you in and makes the characters realistic. You feel like you can not only understand all sides of the story. Wanting to protect your child, wanting to do what you know is right. Awesome story.

[wareagle78 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Solid story of the aftermath of an automobile accident that leaves a young woman dead.

[thewanderingjew_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Jake Whitmore and his son Ryan are not very close. He has been a workaholic and has left most of the child-rearing and nurturing to his wife Pam. One night, Pam suggests that he pick Ryan up from his evening out at the movies so he can try to bond a little with him. On their way home, there is a tragic accident which leads to a series of events that upends all of their lives. Evidence is concealed, lies are told, and fear and tension build until they are all at each other’s throats as their future is threatened. One mistake leads to another, until the hole they dig for themselves becomes very deep. As the story develops, it becomes more and more implausible. It is another in the genre of books about situations that test the limits of a parent’s love, the lengths to which the parent will go to protect the child and the effects of all this protective behavior on the family as their values and ethical beliefs are stretched very thin.Jake seems like an immature and irresponsible parent. He makes one foolish choice after another. Pam seems preoccupied with herself and her own importance, and she enjoys her position as the most important parent. Ryan, at 16, is the nicest of the three characters, and he often seems like the adult in the room.The plot is convoluted, and although it has moments when it will capture the interest of the reader, for the most part it feels too contrived. There were many twists and turns which led to a surprising, but again, far-fetched conclusion. Briefly, the dialogue was trite, often redundant and repetitive, and overall, I found the story disappointing.

[nancynova · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book opens with Jack allowing his son, Ryan, to drive after hours on his learner's permit - and moments afterwards Ryan hits and kills a girl. They panic, and leave the scene of the accident, swearing to "keep quiet". But how can you keep quiet about something so morally wrong, especially when the girl turns out to be a classmate of Ryan's? As usual, with Scottoline's books, then answers and the outcomes will keep surprising you.

[bookczuk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Found this one a little whiney, but probably it's because there's a great deal of adolescent angst in it. Had my hunches, which turned out to be about 90% accurate, true, from the minute I realized the full set-up of the book. But, it was a decent enough ear-read to keep the CD player running while I had things to do around the apartment.Tags: audio, ok-but-not-great, read

[teeth_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was intense and riveting but a bit disturbing. I almost couldn't read it. The novel deals with relationships, morality, guilt, and the need to do the right thing. It started with a hit and run accident on a dark road. How far would you go to protect your son?

[rglossne · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I abandoned this audiobook.

[robynelee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would have given this 4 stars if it hadn't made me so uncomfortable. I was filled with angst and wanted to shake the father and yell, "Do the right thing!" Of course he does not, so I had trouble appreciating the plot.

[she_climber · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I initially didn't care for this book. Very distasteful the thought of a hit and run. But I carried on and with all the twists and turns in this book I found myself more and more engaged. Ended up really enjoying this book.

[gmillar_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't finish it. I didn't like where it might have been going because it shouldn't have ended happily. Personally, I don't need to think about the subject's possibilities before I may, or may not, find myself in a similar situation. Furthermore, I believe I detected a couple of in-continuities before I turned it off.

[mrsmommybooknerd7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What lengths would you go to in order to protect those you love? How far would you then go to protect your secret and to keep quiet? These are just a few of the interesting questions posed in Scottoline's new novel KEEP QUIET. This novel was a twisty turny journey that started with a hit and run on a dark road that then lead you on an emotionally driven ride through hidden secrets, moral dilemmas and ultimately truth and justice!!! What an amazingly nerve wracking book, which I recommend and rate 4 stars!!!