Say Nothing: A Novel

Written by Brad Parks

Narrated by George Newbern

Named a Best Book of 2017 by Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews
Winner of the 2018 Library of Virginia People’s Choice Award

Judge Scott Sampson doesn’t brag about having a perfect life, but the evidence is clear: A prestigious job. A loving marriage. A pair of healthy children. Then a phone call begins every parent’s most chilling nightmare. Scott’s six-year-old twins, Sam and Emma, have been taken. The judge must rule exactly as instructed in a drug case he is about to hear. If he refuses, the consequences for the children will be dire. 

For Scott and his wife, Alison, the kidnapper’s call is only the beginning of a twisting, gut-churning ordeal of blackmail, deceit, and terror. Through it all, they will stop at nothing to get their children back, no matter the cost to themselves . . . or to each other.


“Outstanding—starts with a bang and gets tenser and tenser. Say Nothing shows Parks is a quality writer at the top of his form.”—Lee Child

“Terrific book. Truly terrific. Tension throughout and tears at the end.”—Sue Grafton

“The work of an author who continues to raise his sights and refine his immense talent.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Mar 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524750435

Brad Parks

International bestselling author Brad Parks is the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been published in fifteen languages and have won critical acclaim across the globe, including stars from every major prepublication review outlet. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Parks is a former journalist with the Washington Post and the Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey). He is now a full-time novelist living in Virginia with his wife and two school-age children. A former college a cappella singer and community-theater enthusiast, Brad has been known to burst into song whenever no one was thoughtful enough to muzzle him. His favored writing haunt is a Hardee’s restaurant, where good-natured staff members suffer his presence for many hours a day, and where he can often be found working on his next novel.

[rosands-494665 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this thriller. Had lots of twists and turns and was very moving. I will be reading more books by Brad Parks.

[johnfishlock · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very enjoyable book. Very detailed. Good story, good likable characters. I have read others by this author and he always delivers!

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was expecting a high paced thriller, but this was off the mark. While it was an interesting concept - a judge being blackmailed to make a decision in a case for the safety of his children, it just wasn't exciting enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. There were plenty of clues dropped along the way to figure out who might be involved, but also a lot of red herrings to throw you off the scent. A solid thriller, but not heart racing. The ending had a little shock, but also not too much of a surprise, given the storyline.

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

This was definitely a fast-paced thriller and the author definitely created a great situation for mistrust among life partners. I got caught up in the story and in trying to put the pieces together. I won't say that this is the best thriller I have read, but it was gripping and action-packed. I quite liked the legal aspects of it; there were a lot of detailed explanations on court rulings and procedures and the duties of a judge that I found quite interesting, especially since I didn't know anything about it! The story does shift between the perspective of Scott and the kidnappers, which added a nice twist. Overall, this was a decent novel that had enough elements to keep me interested - but not enough for me to rave about.

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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

*I received access to the galley for free through the First to Read program, in compliance with FTC guidelines.*

I am an impatient reader. There aren't too many books, thrillers especially, that don't make my eyes start to wander, attention seeking the walls, forgetting where I am in the story, wondering what's for dinner.. Say Nothing, I will say from the get go, is addictive. If my employer ever knew I was reading this during my shift, they would not be too happy. In a handful of days I read this book straight through. Not a minced word or scene, the pace building and building, a perfect thriller. You also learn things along the way, about the judicial system, getting a voyeuristic look into a judge's chambers. I suggest you pick up this book if you are a fan of good solid stories, wonderful character arches, and twists and turns like a solid rollercoaster. Parks is a pro at the top of his game.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What's It About?
Judge Scott Sampson doesn’t brag about having a perfect life, but the evidence is clear: A prestigious job. A loving marriage. A pair of healthy children. Then a phone call begins every parent’s most chilling nightmare. Scott’s six-year-old twins, Sam and Emma, have been taken. The judge must rule exactly as instructed in a drug case he is about to hear. If he refuses, the consequences for the children will be dire. For Scott and his wife Alison, the kidnapper’s call is only the beginning of a twisting, gut-churning ordeal of blackmail, deceit, and terror. Through it all, they will stop at nothing to get their children back, no matter the cost to themselves . . . or to each other.

What Did I Think?
From the beginning you just couldn't see how this ever had any chance of ending well. Because Judge Sampson and his wife Allison were under orders from the kidnappers to say absolutely nothing to anyone and just follow instructions...it didn't take long for this to effect their marriage, their family life, their friends, and the Judge's career. It was a compelling, sometimes heart wrenching, story with Complications and twists that build to an unexpected climax . I challenge anyone with a heart to read the last chapter with a dry eye.

[musichick52 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The ending made me cry. This thriller causes you to invest a whopping amount of emotional energy into it. Judge Sampson has it all; loving wife, a set of terrific twins, fantastic job, beautiful, secluded home. Someone kidnaps his kids, frames the nanny, implicates his wife, and causes the judge to throw cases the wrong way. It is non-stop action. It would make a great movie. My thanks to the author and the Penguin First to Read program for a complimentary copy.

[satxreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The characters and situations never really seemed plausible. So many really stupid, thoughtless actions from two people who are supposed to be reasonably intelligent. If you can't buy into the plight of the characters, the rest of it just becomes a reading assignment to see "who dunnit" at the end -- assuming you're still interested by then

[jfe16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The abduction of six-year-old twins Emma and Sam plunges Scott and Alison Samson into a living nightmare. The kidnapper warns Scott that he must do exactly as the text messages demand. If the judge fails to rule as instructed in a drug case to be heard his court, the children will suffer grave consequences.
Thus begins the Samson family’s ordeal. Can the judge find a way to follow the kidnapper’s demands and save his children? What will happen if the judge’s ruling is not in keeping with the evidence presented in the trial? Can Scott and Alison keep their marriage from becoming a casualty of this horrific act? What are the parents willing to do to get their children back?

This spellbinding tale grabs readers from the very first page. Believable characters, frightening situations, and unexpected plot twists and turns all keep the suspense ramping up as each page is turned. This is a taut, edge-of-your-seat, unputdownable story readers won’t want to miss.

Highly recommended.

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Since I am a diehard fan of Parks' Carter Ross series, I had to get my hands on a copy of Say Nothing. Would he be as good as Linwood Barclay at writing a novel of domestic suspense? I just had to find out.

The best parts of the book for me were the scenes involving the two six-year-olds, Sam and Emma. The story just shone whenever they appeared, and the tension wrapped itself around me like taut barbed wire as I read.

The most interesting part of the plot for me was trying to figure out exactly what was going on. When Scott thought he had everything figured out and that he knew what the kidnapper was after, the plot would take a left turn and head off in another direction. I really enjoyed trying to put all the pieces together ahead of Scott.

In the final analysis-- even though the plot and pacing were first-rate-- Say Nothing fell a bit below Parks' Carter Ross mysteries for me. Why? The characters. Even when some of Alison's behavior was explained, I still didn't care for her, and although I felt for Scott and the impossible situation he was in, I never really warmed to him either. I think it's a case of being spoiled by the author's other cast of characters, and that means I had a more subjective reaction to the book than perhaps I should have. Is this going to prevent me from reading Parks' next books? Of course not! He's a marvelous writer, and I don't want to miss a word.

[vicki_weisfeld · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After these powerful opening lines, you pretty much have to keep reading this new thriller:
"Their first move against us was so small, such an infinitesimal blip against the blaring background noise of life, I didn't register it as anything significant.
"It came in the form of a text from my wife, Alison, and it arrived on my phone at 3:28 one Wednesday afternoon:
"'Hey sorry forgot to tell you kids have dr appt this pm. Picking them up soon'"
With these few words, the deep anxiety all parents feel for the safety of their children bubbles up. The reader anticipates the next shattering revelations, and from there, the plot follows multiple tracks: part legal thriller, part financial thriller, and a big part psychological thriller, as a family confronts its horrifying challenges.
Most of the book is told in first-person, from the point of view of Scott Sampson, a judge for the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, sitting in Norfolk. He, his wife, and six-year-old twins Sam and Emma live on the York River in rural Gloucester County, Virginia, “many steps off the beaten path.”
The kidnappers’ goal, it first seems, is to blackmail Judge Sampson into convicting a clearly guilty drug-dealer and murderer. At the last minute, his instructions change: “Let him walk.” It’s not an exercise in thwarting justice; it’s to show how much power they hold over him. One order the kidnappers are consistent about is, of course, the source of the book’s title, “Say nothing.”
Soon you realize the criminals have their sights on a much bigger, more consequential case—a patent dispute involving a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical product. To accede to their demands, Sampson must throw away his professional integrity and much else, which he does with an enormous sense of loss. Once he has unshackled himself from the basic tenets of the legal system, how far will he actually go?
Parks believably portrays the dynamic between the parents, showing all the anger and sadness and second-guessing and mutual doubts such a high-stress game would generate. Alison’s mother, two sisters, and their families live close by and it’s impossible to keep from them what happened to the children. The family wants to help. That could be risky. Yet, their support gives the couple one solid thing to hang onto as events sweep on.
Parks does an especially good job describing the courtroom action and the interactions in the judge’s chambers. Although you probably have a pretty good idea who is manipulating Judge Sampson’s strings—and why—there are surprises in store. There’s also an unnecessary plot twist at the end that muddies the mother’s motives. Those are minor quibbles for a book whose writing is, on the whole, deft and a pleasure to read.
Parks’s earlier books, like The Good Cop, demonstrate a wicked sense of humor, which he says he deliberately excised from Say Nothing. This book shows he also can grab hold of your heart and keep squeezing.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Their first move against us was so small, such an infinitesimal blip against the blaring background noises of life, I didn't register it as anything significant."

That's the opening line of Brad Parks's new thriller Say Nothing.

And then it becomes real significant, real fast. Someone has kidnapped Judge Scott Sampson and his wife Allison's twins. Why his family? What do they want? Money? No, it's something else....

Parks has crafted an addicting read. There's a nice mixture of suspense, family dynamics and some legal scenes along with the tension filled race to try and get the children back. Who can they trust? And who could be doing this to them?

"That was like the first thing they said to me and the last thing: Say Nothing. Say Nothing."

Parks manipulates the reader with some red herrings and alternate paths along the way to the final pages. Chapters from the kidnappers are interspersed throughout the book. So, the reader knows the danger the children are in even as Scott tries to fulfill the kidnapper's demands and not involve law enforcement. I have to say, Parks caught me off guard a few times with some of the turns his story took - most notably in the final pages. I like unpredictable. There were a few plot points that I thought were perhaps a bit far-fetched, but I didn't think too hard about them - instead I just kept turning pages.

Say Nothing was an entertaining read that was hard to put down. And it raises the question - what would you do to protect your family? I'm looking forward to the next book from Parks. Fans of Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben will enjoy Say Nothing.

[beamis12 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 A well respected judge and his wife of many years. Two abducted six year old twins. A text that advises the judge to "Say nothing" if he ever wants to see his children again.

Intriguing premise, so why did I utterly fail to connect with this story, one that has garnered many high ratings and reviews? Well for one, from the very beginning I found the tone irritating, off putting. I can't imagine anything worse then having your children abducted, not knowing where they are, would you ever see them again. Yet, the tone is unemotional, throughout the book seldom varies, for me a clear case of tell, not show. Second, I didn't like any of these characters, except for the children of course, they just failed to engage me emotionally in any way. Third, I didn't really care about the legal case that would be at the heart of this novel and the legalese went on way too long, and I skimmed through much. Lastly, I question whether a judge would get away, nor even think he could get away with some of his rulings. Would an intelligent person, which as a judge I would presume he was, really think he would be allowed, not questioned about these things. Which eventually he was, but for me I would have thought these things would have been apparent to him from the start.

This is just my opinion though and as I mentioned many have found this to be a thrilling read, maybe I just wasn't the right reader.

ARC from Dutton.

[irregularreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book hits the ground running. Judge Scott Sampson gets a text from his wife’s phone telling him that she is going to be picking up their six-year-old twins from school. It is not until his wife gets home, sans children that he realizes something is very wrong. Within minutes, the phone rings and a voice on the other end tells him to say nothing, that they have his kids, and instructions will follow. Sampson is a federal judge, and the kidnappers seem intent on subverting the court for their own ends. While trying to investigate the kidnapping without alerting the authorities, personal and professional secrets and animosities are dredged to the surface. Slowly, everyone in Sampson’s life begins to look like a suspect.

This is a tidy little thriller. Parks manages to instill a real sense of paranoia throughout the story, and he throws enough plot twists and red herrings into the mix to keep the reader guessing. This is also one of those books where literally nothing seems to go right for our protagonist, and you find yourself wishing that the poor guy would just get one little thing to go his way.

Suspense and thriller lovers will likely enjoy this book. The plot revolving around the manipulation and coercion of a federal judge also resonates in this day and age. The entirety of the plot, once revealed, feels frighteningly plausible.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Say Nothing will be available for purchase on March 7th, 2017.

[rowingrabbit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book begins with every parent’s worst nightmare. Judge Scott Sampson & wife Alison get a phone call one afternoon & just like that, life as they know it is over. Someone has snatched their 6 year old twins. The instructions are simple: say nothing.

The next call concerns a drug case Scott is due to pass sentence on. It’s pretty open & shut but if he wants to see the twins again, he has no choice but to follow the kidnappers’ directions. He doesn’t know it yet but it’s just the first step in his dealings with a very organized & resourceful enemy.

This is a stand alone novel by the author of the popular Carter Ross series. Chapters alternate between the bad guys & the 2 MC’s so we get both sides of the story. Scott & Alison are in full on fight or flight mode & as the book progresses, cracks begin to appear as they struggle to make the right decisions. There’s more emphasis on action than character development but that’s a minor complaint for a book in this genre.

It’s a fast paced, action packed read that should appeal to fans of straight up suspense/thrillers. And it might make wonder what you’re capable of if pushed too far.