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    Splintered Silence
    Splintered Silence
    Splintered Silence
    Ebook308 pages6 hours

    Splintered Silence

    By Susan Furlong

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    It’s hard to bury the past when bodies keep turning up …
     
    After an abrupt end to her tour of duty, former Marine MP Brynn Callahan and her canine partner, Wilco, arrive stateside—both bearing the scars of battle. With a mix of affection and misgivings, Brynn heads back to Bone Gap, Tennessee, and the insular culture she’d escaped when she enlisted.
     
    The Irish Travellers keep to themselves in the mountains, maintaining an uneasy coexistence with the “settled” townspeople of McCreary. But when Wilco’s training as a cadaver dog leads Brynn to a body in the woods, long-simmering tensions threaten to boil over. Forming a reluctant alliance with local sheriff Frank Pusser, Brynn must dig up secrets that not only will rattle her close-knit clan to its core, but may forever change her perception of who she is … and put her back in the line of fire.
     
    “A terrific read.”
    —Christine Carbo
     
    “Heart-felt and pulse-pounding.”
    —Harry Hunsicker
     
     “Furlong will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
    —K.J. Howe
     
    “Brynn and her war-injured dog are characters readers will root for.”
    —Suzanne Chazin

    “Susan Furlong’s steel-tough, authentic storytelling delivers.”
    —Larry D. Sweazy
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKensington Books
    Release dateDec 26, 2017
    ISBN9781496711687
    Author

    Susan Furlong

    Susan Furlong launched her Bone Gap Travellers series with the acclaimed novel Splintered Silence. Raised in North Dakota, she graduated from Montana State University. She and her family live in central Illinois. Visit her on Facebook or at www.susanfurlong.com.

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    Reviews for Splintered Silence

    4/5

    33 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      MY REVIEW OF “SPLINTERED SILENCE” BY SUSAN FURLONG“Splintered Silence” by Susan Furlong is a captivating and unique suspenseful mystery. The story takes place in Tennessee near the Appalachian Mountains in Bone Gap Tennessee, where the Irish Travellers, a clan of people who have special traditions and believe that “no one forgets and no one forgives” live. They live their own way and don’t trust outsiders.The towns people or “settled” people of McCreary tend to discriminate and call the “Travellers” , “Gypsies” and other names, even though the Travellers have lived there for years. There is a dysfunctional animosity from the townspeople towards the Travellers, and often there is discrimination.The author describes her characters as complicated and complex. There are secrets and betrayals, discrimination, and hatred. Brynn and her retired Military Canine Partner, Wilco, have returned home after an IED explosion injured both of them. Brynn is suffering from PTSD , and is having tremendous difficulty and anxiety adjusting to the two groups of people. She has been brought up by her grandparents who are Travellers, and had left to escape by joining the Marines.Wilco had been trained in the Military to discover dead bodies. There are several dead bodies that Wilco has discovered near home. The bodies belong to the Travellers, and law enforcement is blaming the Travellers. Also there is mysterious activity in the woods, which could be drug activity. Who is responsible for the deaths? Why is this happening? Can Brynn and Wilco help discover what is going on? Is there a way that the “Travellers” and “Towns people” can co-exist peacefully?I appreciate that the author has brought up such important issues as PTSD and getting help, Drug and Alcohol problems, discrimination and lack of tolerance, rape and physical and emotional abuse. Being an animal lover, one of my thoughts is should dogs and other pets be used during war, and how are they treated from the sounds and sights that they have seen? The author also discusses the importance of family, forgiveness, love and hope.I would highly recommend this intriguing and intense novel for readers that enjoy mystery and suspense. Happy Reading !
    • 3/5
      There were many good qualities to this book but I became a bit peeved that nearly everyone had a "past" - not that I'm judging at all but it irked me. I loved the bond between handler and dog.
    • 5/5
      Splintered Silence by Susan FurlongBone Gap Travelers #1Dark twisted and filled with tragedies and secrets this story is brilliant and a great beginning to the Bone Gap Travelers series! Brynn Callahan and Wilco, her Human Remains Detection (HRD) dog, are a team that depend on one another for just about everything. Both have been scarred by an IED and discharged from service. Brynn has found her PTSD difficult to deal with even with affectionate deaf Wilco at her side. She has opted, for one reason or another, to head back to Bone Gap, Tennessee to be with her grandmother in a conclave of Irish Travelers known as Pavee living on the outskirts of a town of the Settled. Brynn does not have fond memories of her time in Bone Gap. Pavee stay apart and are considered almost leprous by those not part of their clan. With prejudice, hatred, fear and bigotry faced almost every time Brynn steps into a group of non-Pavee it is not easy being home again. And, when Wilco finds a cadaver on one of their first walks and the police show up their lives become even more intense.This book deals with numerous issues and introduces a significant number of characters that need to be kept track of. What were some of the issues? * PTSD* Female military veterans* Scarring – physical and mental* Abuse* Rape* Death* Murder* Lies* Religion* Life living on the outskirts* Belonging and not belonging* Addiction* Loss* Suicide* Paternity* Abandonment* Betrayal* Profiling* And moreEvery issue is woven into the story seamlessly. The characters are completely formed though often damaged and carrying secrets. The story was one that I could not put down once begun. AND I came away wanting to know what will happen next. I felt for Brynn and Wilco. I cared about the supporting characters (the good ones). I hoped the bad guys would get their comeuppances. I felt this was a book that made me think and know that it will stay with me for quite some time. I am eager to read the next book in this series and thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest opinion. 5 Stars
    • 5/5
      Splintered Silence is a thoroughly unique and engaging story. I loved everything about it.Susan Furlong is a gifted writer. I knew next to nothing about Irish Travellers, yet in no time at all I was transported to a different culture in this place called Bone Gap. Within this place, I experienced the racism directed at the people, I understood their desire to wander, and I envied their bond. And, oh, the characters! They're all complex and unique. Brynn is a damaged heroine, and through her we experience PTSD in ways many authors could never fully convey. Nothing here is stereotypical. Brynn's struggle is unique and her story profound. The relationship she has with Wilco, her dog, is beautifully captured.The mystery/suspense is perfectly paced and kept me on edge throughout. I can't wait for the next book in this series!*The publisher provided me with a copy of this book, via Amazon Vine, in exchange for my honest review.*
    • 4/5
      Title: Splintered Silence (A Bone Gap Travelers Mystery #1)Author: Susan FurlongPages: 288Year: 2017Publisher: KensingtonMy rating 4 out of 5 stars.There are times when I am on social media and I see a book in an ad or some people are posting about it because it is a new author. When I saw this book cover, it intrigued me and the little synopsis I read online drew me to read the story. One of the aspects of the book that is exceptional is the author’s ability to write a very engaging mystery with a surprise ending.The second reason I liked the book was because it talked about a little-known group of people called Irish travelers. Doing a google search will show you more information about these unique people who live in America. Being of Irish descent myself, this was another thread that brought my interest in the story up another notch. How the author depicts these fascinating people is done very well, showing the tension between the “clan” and those known outside their clan and referred to as “settlers”.One of the main female characters is written with a hidden background and her service time in the Marines, various battles since returning to the U.S. and her 3-legged service dog. My hat is off to those who serve, and though this is a fictional character, I believe the battles she faces reflect what our vets face in various degrees.There is minimal use of foul language, but there is a part that kept me from giving this book a 5-star review. It is the short scene on pages 179-184. While it eventually reveals something horrible that happened in the character’s life, I believe the author could have highlighted the event without the sex scene. While the author doesn’t describe in detail what is occurring, it ruined the book for me. I had to put it down for a couple of days until I could finish the mystery without that scene being in the forefront of my mind.My hope is this richly talented author will forego anything even remotely like this in her next book. It’s a good mystery, rich in history, and very well written to reflect the reality of the society and broken world we live in. Authors can write good, engaging and moving tales without the use of sex and I encourage this author to do just that in her next novel.
    • 5/5
      Well developed plot, characters and an exciting pace. A mystery with high action, believable situations and characters you want to know. The plots keep you guessing - and reading on to find the answers.
    • 3/5
      Splintered Silence is a well-written, strong mystery that I wish I had liked more. It's fast-paced, with plenty of misdirection, and a strong sense of place. There are three things I enjoy most in my reading: setting, story, and characters. It's that third category of character that I had trouble with-- and not because the characters are badly written. Quite the contrary.Yes, my subjective likes and dislikes have reared their ugly heads, although I will say that poor, battered Wilco is probably my favorite fictional war dog. (He's deaf, three-legged, has PTSD, and a list of strengths a mile long.) No, it's the humans I really didn't like. The townspeople who hate the Travellers even though they haven't bothered to learn a thing about them are just the sort of people I have no time for. The Irish Travellers themselves, with their endless lists of do's and don't's, are just as prejudiced as the folks they refer to as "settleds". And Brynn herself, on a downward spiral aided by prescription drugs and alcohol, highlights one of my many shortcomings-- my utter lack of patience for drunks. At least she begins to shed her dependence on them the more involved she becomes in the investigation.If you do not share my personal and very subjective dislikes, you should really enjoy Splintered Silence. It was named one of the Top 25 Mysteries of 2017 by Strand Magazine, and I can see why. My reading self wants to love this book. Unfortunately, my emotional side has overruled it. This is most definitely a case where your mileage can (and probably will) vary!
    • 5/5
      Being discharged from duty abruptly, former Marine MP Brynn Callahan returns home with PTSD, as well as her battlefield canine buddy, Wilco (which means “Will Comply”, a military term – what an appropriate name!), who is missing a limp and has become deaf.Brynn is not yet ready to return to the secluded community of Irish Travellers of Bone Gap, Tennessee of which she had escaped from at the first place.While she is trying to deal with her often flashbacks and recurrent nightmares of wartime combat, Brynn is also constantly battling the tension between her clan, the Travellers, and the “settlers” – the non clan people.When Wilco, the well-trained Human Remains Detection, discovers a dead female body in the woods, it hits close to home and sets loose Brynn’s family long buried secrets and lies! Splintered Silence by the master of suspense Susan Furlong, is book #1 of the Bone Gap Travellers series, and an excellent mystery with an unexpected twist of ending! It is a must-read for fans of mystery-thriller! I am intrigued by the people and the culture of Bone Gap Travellers! Ms Furlong describes the scars of battle and the struggle of PTSD so vividly, that it tugs at my heart and I fell in love deeply with the flawed protagonists Brynn and Wilco!I would like to thank Susan Furlong and Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this thrilling Bone Gap Travellers series!

    Book preview

    Splintered Silence - Susan Furlong

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