A gripping historical fiction - The USA TODAY BESTSELLER

An intriguing glimpse from a new perspective a part of the history before England became involved in WORLD WAR II. It captured a part of the story from a different perspective. Despite a few lulls in the drama the story was engaging and a good read.

Pretty exciting to have a regular person get involved in espionage. I read a lot of WW2 historical fiction, but I never realized how little people in England knew about the early atrocities in Germany. A very twisty ending!

I read A LOT- 2-3 novels a week- I'm in my 40s and really appreciate a well written WW2 era story (The Nightengale). Everything about this was predictable and NOT gripping at all. There was no character development at all! The first part in Germany really could have developed in to a great story by itself but the reader is left hanging- to pick up at the end with a ridiculous and 'saw it coming' outcome. The aunt could have been a great story- but she has her outburst and it's left there. The crazy sister in law and maid- again, why was the maid so loyal, why did she look so haggard? The husband? Just a drunk playboy? Ugh. And who was the silent woman? Still haven't figured that one out. Had I not been on a plane with nothing else to read, I wouldn't have wasted my time. Not worth whatever I paid.

It was just "OK", but not the best book I have read. I thought it was somewhat complicated at times, and I sometimes had trouble following the plot. I don't think the title suited the contents of the book. Perhaps it was just my frame of mind when I read it, and it might appeal to other readers.

Definitely not a page turner. Only interesting character is a bright 15 year old serving girl. The author attempts to modernize the mystery by including child abuse, lesbians, and spies. Forgettable.

The novel was certainly not gripping. The the whole first half dragged, and the plot went nowhere. The premise was trite and lacked imagination, and was less about espionage and more about the interactions of not particularly pleasant characters and family members.

Oh My where to start, The Silent Woman by Terry Lynn Thomas, wow. I did not want to put it down and when I did I felt so guilty and desperately wanted to get back to it. Do not try to adult while reading this book. I promise you are going to want to sit and read this in one sitting. You are going to want to shut the world off while you devour this spy mystery. Set in England, just before the second world war there is so much historial intrigue and mystery in this one, that it reads like a more serious version of a Rhys Bowen novel. I found that while this story was not technically a cozy it made me feel quite cozy in the end. I found that the main character "Cat" was completely relatable, her unassuming nature and the feelings of being stuck because of her place in society was palpable. Her heartache and loss struck a chord with me and endeared her to me almost immediately. There are some truly great twists in this book, historical hierarchy and great questions raised about British and German society. I absolutely loved this book. The imagery that the words written by Terry Lynn Thomas wrote will stay with me for a long time to come. If you are a cozy mystery fan, a historical mystery fan this is a great read for you. Mystery, intrigue and a must read.

I want to thank the author and publisher for sharing a digital copy of this book with me via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have never read anything by Terry Lynn Thomas before, but was drawn in by the striking cover and interesting description. I am quite grateful I had the opportunity to read this title. I thought it was a well written historical non-fiction. Set during World War II with historical background and setting, but that wasn't the main plot of the story. I liked the espionage, the mystery around who was stealing information and who committed the murder. I had guesses as I read, but was pleased to find I was wrong at the end as it wasn't obvious. There were good characters and, interesting plot, in a clean and well written story. I would happily recommend this to friends and family as well as gathering more by this author for myself.

I really enjoyed reading this historical mystery. The setting is in Pre-World War 2 England which really works well with the spy/mystery aspect of the story. My favorite character was the main character, Catherine. I love that she has the strength and courage to go against society rules to seek out happiness. I also like the supporting characters of Annie, Aunt Lydia, and Thomas all of which have strong likable personalities. This is a well-written book with well-paced suspense interwoven into the lives of these characters. This is a great start to a new series, the only thing I had a problem with was the prologue (I just kept getting distracted but the info it supplies comes into play later in the book) after I got past it I couldn’t put the book down. I really enjoyed the spy aspect of the mystery. I would recommend this book to historical and cozy mystery lovers alike.

I received this book from Netgallery. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

Cat Carlisle is a headstrong woman who, presented with the opportunity to help her country, might also find a way out of a loveless marriage. Neither of these possibilities is easily imagined for a woman in Britain on the eve of World War II. I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys mystery, espionage, and historical fiction. A very satisfying read. I hope to read a lot more about Catherine Carlisle.

The Silent Woman by Terry Lynn Thomas I love a good WWII genre book and this is one I truly enjoyed. The author made me feel the pressure of living in London right before WWII and not knowing what was coming next. The mystery of 'who done it" was an extra bonus in a well told story.
Well developed characters that you will love and some you will hate. I would recommend this book to friends and give it a 5 star rating.

The novel was certainly not gripping. The the whole first half dragged, and the plot went nowhere. The premise was trite and lacked imagination, and was less about espionage and more about the interactions of not particularly pleasant characters and family members.

Oh My where to start, The Silent Woman by Terry Lynn Thomas, wow. I did not want to put it down and when I did I felt so guilty and desperately wanted to get back to it. Do not try to adult while reading this book. I promise you are going to want to sit and read this in one sitting. You are going to want to shut the world off while you devour this spy mystery. Set in England, just before the second world war there is so much historial intrigue and mystery in this one, that it reads like a more serious version of a Rhys Bowen novel. I found that while this story was not technically a cozy it made me feel quite cozy in the end. I found that the main character "Cat" was completely relatable, her unassuming nature and the feelings of being stuck because of her place in society was palpable. Her heartache and loss struck a chord with me and endeared her to me almost immediately. There are some truly great twists in this book, historical hierarchy and great questions raised about British and German society. I absolutely loved this book. The imagery that the words written by Terry Lynn Thomas wrote will stay with me for a long time to come. If you are a cozy mystery fan, a historical mystery fan this is a great read for you. Mystery, intrigue and a must read.

I want to thank the author and publisher for sharing a digital copy of this book with me via netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have never read anything by Terry Lynn Thomas before, but was drawn in by the striking cover and interesting description. I am quite grateful I had the opportunity to read this title. I thought it was a well written historical non-fiction. Set during World War II with historical background and setting, but that wasn't the main plot of the story. I liked the espionage, the mystery around who was stealing information and who committed the murder. I had guesses as I read, but was pleased to find I was wrong at the end as it wasn't obvious. There were good characters and, interesting plot, in a clean and well written story. I would happily recommend this to friends and family as well as gathering more by this author for myself.

I did enjoy reading this story, but many of the details were left hanging. Even at the end I was still a little puzzled by some of the clandestine events or who was the actual instigator of the original setup for Mrs. Carlisle. Some of the characters went by the wayside with no explanation. I felt the writing was good, but I did think some of the characters were not quite believable. It was hard to envision a fourteen year old girl was capable of some of her thoughts or actions and a legitimate espionage ring would trust their work to an amateur.
The story also felt disjointed at times, many characters were thrown at you in the beginning, and I actually had to write down who they were and how they were related to the main character in order to get a sense of what the book was about. Once I laid the groundwork, it was much easier to follow along and I found the storyline entertaining and well worth the time to read. The details were excellent, the author has a knack for descriptions that can make you truly envision the surroundings. This is not a WWII novel, it skims the surface of the atrocities, and stresses how the other parts of the world were not paying attention to the events taking place. This book is a murder mystery yarn covering a very short time frame.
I’m giving 4 stars and would recommend if you like a suspicious murder mystery.
I thank Net Galley and HQ Digital for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced copy for my review.

I really enjoyed reading this historical mystery. The setting is in Pre-World War 2 England which really works well with the spy/mystery aspect of the story. My favorite character was the main character, Catherine. I love that she has the strength and courage to go against society rules to seek out happiness. I also like the supporting characters of Annie, Aunt Lydia, and Thomas all of which have strong likable personalities. This is a well-written book with well-paced suspense interwoven into the lives of these characters. This is a great start to a new series, the only thing I had a problem with was the prologue (I just kept getting distracted but the info it supplies comes into play later in the book) after I got past it I couldn’t put the book down. I really enjoyed the spy aspect of the mystery. I would recommend this book to historical and cozy mystery lovers alike.

I received this book from Netgallery. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

Cat Carlisle is a headstrong woman who, presented with the opportunity to help her country, might also find a way out of a loveless marriage. Neither of these possibilities is easily imagined for a woman in Britain on the eve of World War II. I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys mystery, espionage, and historical fiction. A very satisfying read. I hope to read a lot more about Catherine Carlisle.

The Silent Woman by Terry Lynn Thomas I love a good WWII genre book and this is one I truly enjoyed. The author made me feel the pressure of living in London right before WWII and not knowing what was coming next. The mystery of 'who done it" was an extra bonus in a well told story.
Well developed characters that you will love and some you will hate. I would recommend this book to friends and give it a 5 star rating.