Silent Winter by Maggie James #BookReview

On an icy November night, Drew Blackmore is beaten unconscious, then abducted. He awakes to find himself in total darkness, naked and chained to the floor. Fed just enough to keep him alive, Drew is unable to identify his captor, or the reason for his incarceration. As reality fades, hallucinations take over. Can Drew escape his prison before madness claims him?

On an icy November night, Drew Blackmore is beaten unconscious, then abducted. He awakes to find himself in total darkness, naked and chained to the floor. Fed just enough to keep him alive, Drew is unable to identify his captor, or the reason for his incarceration. As reality fades, hallucinations take over. Can Drew escape his prison before madness claims him?

Meanwhile Drew’s wife, Holly, despairing of ever seeing him again, turns to his brother for comfort. As the worst winter in decades sweeps the UK, she learns of Drew’s tragic past. Could his disappearance be connected with that of a prostitute years before?

A story of how the mind responds to solitary confinement, ‘Silent Winter’ examines one man’s desperate attempt to survive the unthinkable.

 

This was so good! As a thriller addict this is not my first read with a captivity plot but Silent Winter is pretty different from the rest of ’em. This is an author you need to add to your list! The first part of the story is dominated by Drew’s captivity and survival, his total isolation and the consequences on his mind and body kept me on tenterhooks. Would he be found in time or not? I read about his wife Holly’s distress following his absence and there were events involving Holly and his brother Todd that made me suspicious and alert, but Drew was always in the back of my mind. Sensatory deprivation is total torture and reading about his detoriating state, which was getting worse by the minute, was described in perfect detail and pretty hard hitting. I didn’t want to know what was going to happen next but my eyes were glued to the pages just the same. Drew’s life was on the line here and even as a reader I didn’t have more answers than he had and I was in the dark as much as he was about who took him and why. 

The chapters were divided between Drew, Holly and then there were snippets of someone called The Watchman, without any doubt the bad guy in the story and I assumed his abducter. The Watchman’s identity stays very well hidden througout the story as well as his motive. There are also references to the past, when a little 7-year old boy living in dire circumstances at home was one night left behind at home all alone. This definitely scarred him for life but how is this tied to Drew? I felt it niggling in the back of my head and sensed the direction to look for answers but I still couldn’t figure it all out. It was delightful to finally see all the puzzle pieces fall into place and having that aha-moment. Very twisted and unexpected indeed.

Overall, a great read, very gripping and it left me reeling several times. Recommended!

I received a free ecopy from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

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