Conspiracy of Silence

Martha Powers
Oceanview Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781933515182
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (11/08)

 

Clare Prentice, the protagonist in “Conspiracy of Silence,” learns that her mother, who recently died, was actually her adoptive mother.  She was not aware of the adoption previously and sets out to find out who she really is.  Not able to find any records of her birth or adoption, the mystery of her identity starts unfolding when she finds a class ring, from Grand Rapids, MN, in her adoptive mother’s possessions. Clare, unable to continue with her future until she resolves her past, sets out to Grand Rapids in hopes to discover her true identity.

As soon as she arrives in Grand Rapids she discovers that her birth mother, Lily Gundersen, was actually murdered there twenty-five years ago and the story was still fresh in the old-timers’ minds. The accused killer was her birth father, and since, was believed to have committed suicide. Clare doesn’t believe her father was the murderer because she has flashbacks to when she was four-years-old, and starts remembering the scenario.   As the truth starts unraveling, mysterious events take place in the attempt to prevent Clare finding out the truth about her mother’s murder.  Martha Powers offers a page-turner that is traumatic and unsettling.

Well written, and with the best character development I’ve seen, “Conspiracy of Silence” is sure to keep you engrossed into all hours of the night.  Each chapter ends with a hook to keep on reading.  I finally decided if I was to go to sleep, I would have to put the book down in the middle of the chapter! 

“Conspiracy of Silence” by Martha Powers is highly recommended to anyone wanting to read a mystery that is compelling, has unexpected twists in the plot, and the murderers’ actual identity kept secret to the end.  Even all the guessing wouldn’t reveal how the story ends.

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