A Stain on the Silence by Andrew Taylor, a Mysterious Review.

Review: The past becomes the present when long-hidden secrets come to light in A Stain on the Silence, a stand-alone mystery by Andrew Taylor.

James is a man in his 40s and happily married. One day he receives a phone call from St. Margaret's Hospice informing him that a patient there, Mrs. Lily Murthington, wants to see him. Lily is the mother of Carlo, a childhood friend … and she was also James' first lover, when he was 15. James hasn't seen Lily or Carlo since she ended their affair some 24 years ago. With a flood of youthful — and painful — memories coming back to him, James visits Lily where he receives shocking news: their relationship produced a daughter, who Lily named Kate. But Kate is in trouble. The police think she has killed her live-in lover and are looking for her. She has no money and no place to stay. James suggests that she contact a lawyer, but Lily insists Kate needs her father … a man she knows nothing about.

A Stain on the Silence is told in a series of flashbacks that help set the stage for the current situation. There is a sense that James may be remembering events somewhat differently than they actually happened — for better or worse — and the consequences of these memories may be relevant to the present. More plot-driven than character-driven, the story unfolds in a way that captures the reader's imagination. Though likely shelved as a mystery, which arguably it is, A Stain on the Silence should also appeal to those readers who appreciate a touching and captivating story, regardless of genre.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of A Stain on the Silence.

Acknowledgment: Hyperion provided a copy of A Stain on the Silence for this review.

Bleeding Heart Square
Hyperion (Trade Paperback), January 2010
ISBN-13: 9781401310141; ISBN-10: 1401310141