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Speak No Evil (No Evil #1)

by Allison Brennan (Goodreads Author)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 2,369 ratings · 106 reviews

Silence is deadly.

The murder of eighteen-year-old Angie Vance was exceptionally vile–her mouth was sealed with glue, an obscenity scrawledwas across her skin, and she was suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so police detective Carina Kincaid focuses her efforts on the victim’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas. But without physical evidence, Carin...more

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Published January 30th 2007 by Ballantine Books

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Apr 20, 2010 Joanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was part of a “book club” obtained from a co-worker (also included others from the series by this author which I never read before). Despite the gruesome topic of murdered girls in the San Diego area sought by an online predator, I really enjoyed the book; it kept my interest and I thought it would make a great movie – the kind that kept you on the edge of your seat! The victims varied in their purity and the killer enjoyed the thrill of hunting and hurting them with his signature gag...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Angela Risner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found Allison Brennan through a Kindle deal for one of her Lucy Kincaid books and was immediately hooked. I have basically bought each book twice, as I downloaded them for my Kindle and bought them in hard copy for my 80 year old mother.

Speak No Evil introduces us to the Kincaid family, who will figure in all three books of this particular trilogy as well as the five (and counting?) books of the Lucy Kincaid series. This book features Carina Kincaid, a police detective. Carina is investigatin...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Nath rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, read-2007, romantic-suspense

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 2/5 (D)

Review: Hmmm... There is a number of reasons why I didn't like this book, but mainly, it was Carina Kinkaid and how easy it was in the end to solve the case.

The Characters - I usually don't enjoy the characters who've become cops because murders have changed their life, because inevitably, it's going to impact the story. When Carina was still a teenager, she was baby-sitting her nephew. While she fell asleep, her nephew was kidnapped and then murdered. This event impacted the whole family...more 2/5 (D)

Review: Hmmm... There is a number of reasons why I didn't like this book, but mainly, it was Carina Kinkaid and how easy it was in the end to solve the case.

The Characters - I usually don't enjoy the characters who've become cops because murders have changed their life, because inevitably, it's going to impact the story. When Carina was still a teenager, she was baby-sitting her nephew. While she fell asleep, her nephew was kidnapped and then murdered. This event impacted the whole family - Carina became a cop, her brother who just finished medical school became a psychiatrist/profiler and Nelia, the mother, left San Diego and went to live away from her family. In addition, from that day, Carina was never left alone with her younger sister, Lucy, who was the same age as her nephew. Of course, Carina blames herself for what happened. What annoyed me was that everything always came back to Carina - it made her appears selfish and I couldn't sympathize with her at all. She's only been detective for over a year, but she acts as if she has tons of experience, she knows better. Also, everything went way too easy for her in this investigation: whatever she wants, she gets. It just isn't realist to me. However, what annoyed me the most is that at the beginning, she focused only on Steve Thomas as a suspect. Granted, he did look suspicious, but a good cop would have looked beyond the ex-bf a little bit.

Nick was okay and he had his own problems as well... maybe too much. Overall, I thought the characters were not developed enough and there was no chemistry between Nick and Carina - it was hard to believe that they fell in love, at least, enough that they would both be willing to abandon their life and career, esp. given the time they knew each other.

Story & Writing - The writing was all right, the story... The MO of the murders were interesting, but not enough to carry the whole book. As I said also, Carina had it way easy - autopsy would be done right away, when she wanted Nick on the team as consultant, she got immediately, her ex-bf would do the DNA tests and analysis, brother, the profile and other brother, the informatics stuff. There wasn't even that much suspense and really, how they figured out who was the killer - sheer luck.

The Cover - it was attractive enough for me to pick up the book and buy it.

Am I keeping it? Nope - anyone wants it? The cover is a bit teared up tho ^^;

Anything else? This is the first book of a trilogy. Book 2 will be about about one of Carina's brother, the PI who was mentionned, but not seen. Book 3 is about Dillon Kinkaid, the psychiatrist. I'll probably going to try another of Allison Brennan books in the future, but I'm not touching this series.(less)

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Apr 18, 2013 Cat Case rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

I still new to review The Hunt but until then I am happy to say that I finally read Nick/Carina's book and I liked it quite a bit! It's nothing spectacular and there were a few moments of me face-palming, either at Brennan's morality statements or that no one said jack that letting Nick work on the investigation would give anyone indicted for the crimes an ace in the hole, but overall a good story. I didn't guess the killer, but since he wasn't actually intro'd until later, I feel more than okay...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mystery, Thriller, 18+ for language and situations

Shelves: march-2012-reads

In San Diego’s beachside college communities, a stalker lurks, hunting young women he identifies pursuant to identifying them online. Growing up in an abusive household, with a father whose criminal acts were mostly but not completely disguised (and glossed over by his wife), this man has decided that all women are irrevocably promiscuous, and he both desires, and denigrates, to the point of death.

A strongly-plotted mystery/romance that grips the reader by the throat, “Speak No Evil” demonstrate...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Meigan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book, I liked the storyline and the characters. There was one thing that stuck out as odd to me. Carina and her siblings are half Cuban. The only thing that "reminded" readers of their heritage was a few...and I mean 2...instances where Carina would say something in Spanish because she was mad. And it was literally one word each time. It felt awkward and unnecessary really. Im not sure why it bothered me, maybe because the author wanted to reinforce her heritage but it really didnt...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-romance

**Synopsis** Silence is deadly.

The murder of eighteen-year-old Angie Vance was exceptionally vile - her mouth was sealed with glue, an obscenity scrawled was across her skin, and she was suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so police detective Carina Kincaid focuses her efforts on the victim's much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas. But without physical evidence, Carina can't make a collar or a case. She also can't stop Sheriff Nick Thomas, the prime suspect's brother, from co...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Okie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: evil

Though I wasn't sure I was ready to read about another serial killer, I enjoyed reading Brennan's book. Brennan's story felt realistic and I found her treatment of the serial killer's background interesting. She seemed to stick to tried and true serial killer character development, and didn't waste time trying to get too far into his head. I liked this because it left the emphasis on the murders and the act of murder as the central figure in the story. I felt like this gave the story more balanc...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a great read. Not only did it keep me interested, but I did not guess who the killer was until the author wanted the reader to know, which I'm finding rarer and rarer these days. I liked the fact that the author stayed away from making this an extremely romance-induced book and focused on the gruesome details. The book did not go too into the details of the murders but it went in enough so that you really got into the killer's mind. I do not know if I've read too many crime novels...more

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Sep 28, 2007 Dara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Suspense/Mystery with some romance. Good to the very end. I went to the library when I had about 40 pages left to read to get the next book in the series!

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Aug 05, 2011 T. M. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Another awesome thriller by Brennan. It's the first book in her "Evil" trilogy and it brings back Nick Thomas from her previous trilogy (he appeared in "The Hunt"). I think Carina Kincaid's partner appears again in her next trilogy in "Killing Fear".

The murders are gruesome, the suspense keeps you flipping pages, and the characters have you rooting for them. It also keeps you guessing the killer's identity until the end.

It has a bit of romance, but it's a thriller at heart, not a bodice ripper....more

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Mar 10, 2013 Arpita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As always Allison Brennan is a master plotter. I liked the story real good. It was nerve tingling as always. But what is found lacking compared to her other books was the connection between the main characters. It didn't develop over time, it seemed forced.
I read this book because I was tired of the other genres I've been reading for a while now. And this book didn't disappoint me. And another reason was "Nick Thomas". A character from my favorite "Predator" series. i just couldn't miss his HEA....more

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Jan 07, 2009 Parisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic-suspense, thriller

Thriller writers have always amazed me. How the heck can they write a villain so well? A serial killer. How do they come up with the ways their fictional victims will get killed? It always seemed so odd to me--how could a regular person get in the mindset of a killer without going crazy? But it's possible. And it's amazing. Allison Brennan is one of those authors who knows exactly how to write a villain. Her villains are brutal, grotesque in their methods, and yet they keep you wanting to read,...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Graham rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first of AB's books I have read and following this one I will be looking out for more. Enjoyed our heroes immensely but the constant references to Nick's encounter with a former serial killer left me confused. I felt that I must have missed reading a previous book and almost stopped reading in order to track it down. I have since been assured that this info was only included in order to fill out the characters past. I wont go into detail so as not to spoil the ending but I feel it wa...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Maqluba marked it as dropped · review of another edition

Shelves: first-time-reading-author, suspenseful-romance, big-family, icky-factor

I got almost half way and had to drop mainly because I was too disturbed by the sexual assault scenes. I typically don't mind reading violent scenes but ones that include rape are usually glossed over, not true with this story. The sexual assault is a major factor so there's a lot of detail and it was too disturbing to read more so I dropped it.
I liked the interaction between the hero and heroine as well as the suspense so I think I'll be reading more from this author... I'll just make sure it'...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a creepy serial killer story that was told from the point of view of both the cops as they raced against the clock to try to solve/prevent the next killing, and the killer as he sought, tortured, raped, and eventually killed his victims. Some might find it disturbing and gruesome, and it was, but the change of perspective in seeing things through the killer's eyes was different enough to stand out from other similar stories I've read.

Safe to say, it's not a story for everyone, especiall...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Boy this one had some truly horrific things happening in it. I thought I had a handle on who was the bad guy, but I kept turning out to be wrong.

I did enjoy the Kincaid family. Carina, the strong detective, Dillon, the get in your mind doctor, and Patrick, the computer guru/nerd. Each one brought their own strengths to the story. I was quite surprised when Sheriff Nick from the last trilogy showed up. He added a lot to the story and was a great pairing with Carina.

I can't wait for the next book...more

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May 12, 2009 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, romantic-suspense

Loved this book. This is the first book I've read that's by Allison Brennan. I really liked her writing style and found that the book moved along fairly quickly. I really liked the chemistry between the two main characters, and thought that the side characters were also well developed and interesting.

I liked how the author provided enough detail to feel as though I was really there in the autopsy room, or at the crime scene. there was just enough information to keep the story entertaining witho...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Francesco rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-pc-eng, mystery-thriller-action

Vote: 2,75
Class: L-C1 (FP)

I almost liked it: the plot is good, the characters are quite good too (Carina and all her family, Nick, the serial killer, ecc.); the writing is also good but...
BUT it was too crude, sometimes disgusting. Brennan gives too many detalis about the victims, describing the murders from the murderer point of view. It was disturbing and it wasn't really necessary and so I gave the book only two stars.
I don't think I'll read the sequel anytime soon.

La storia (3,00) è ben pe...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Marcia - Book Muster Down Under rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-romantic-suspense, favorites

The story begins when an 18 year old, Angie Vance, is murdered, her mouth sealed with glue, an obscenity scrawled across her skin and to top it all off, she has been suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so Detective Carina Kincaid focuses her attention on the victim’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas. Unfortunately, without any physical evidence, Carina is unable to make a collar or a case. Enter Nick Thomas, the prime suspect’s brother, whom Carina is unable to stop fro...more The story begins when an 18 year old, Angie Vance, is murdered, her mouth sealed with glue, an obscenity scrawled across her skin and to top it all off, she has been suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so Detective Carina Kincaid focuses her attention on the victim’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas. Unfortunately, without any physical evidence, Carina is unable to make a collar or a case. Enter Nick Thomas, the prime suspect’s brother, whom Carina is unable to stop from conducting his own unwelcome investigation. Nick is still scarred and unsteady from a recent confrontation with a serial killer, but he’s determined to prove his brother’s innocence. However, his confidence is shaken when he learns of Steve’s dark side and a friend of the murdered girl meets a similarly gruesome fate. With no time to lose, Carina and Nick join forces to trap a psychopath before another unlucky woman faces an unspeakable end.

Speak No Evil is the first book in the No Evil trilogy by Allison Brennan. This book is written in a way that gives you some insight into the mind of a young psychopath while still interweaving some romance into the story, one with a seriously sick killer, a tenacious protagonist, a tortured hero and a tight, believable plot with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing.

Anonymity in Social Media is not guaranteed when a sadistic killer is on the prowl. The killings take place in La Jolla, an upscale community in North San Diego. This hedonistic psychopath has brutal ways of torturing his victims before murdering them, and appears determined to get rid of women whom his mother warned him about – this is personal, or at least it is in his deeply disturbed mind – “Shut up. You’re a woman. Women lie”.

The two central characters are Carina Kincaid and Nick Thomas. Carina is a detective on a mission. She suffered a personal tragedy of her own before this story takes place, the reason why she went into law enforcement. She is tenacious at best and pushes until she gets her results. Nick is a Sheriff from Montana and a tortured hero who is drawn into the investigation when he gets a call from his brother Steve (the prime suspect in the case) to help prove his innocence. Nick proves to be just as relentless as Carina in the pursuit of this killer, after having investigated, pursued and suffered at the hands of a serial killer himself, and whilst he loves his brother, is prepared to “throw away the key” if Steve is guilty. Neither Carina nor Nick wants a repeat performance of their past tragedies.

Romantic Suspense is, of course, one of my favourite genres and Ms Brennan is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. The way this book is written evoked a lot of emotion in me – empathy for those with troubled childhoods, hatred for the crimes committed against the victims and admiration for those in law enforcement who take crimes against society seriously, bringing the criminals to sweet justice.

A real page turner, I couldn’t read it fast enough and I was kept on the edge of my seat in utter suspense until the very end. Of course, I thought I had the killer picked, but Ms Brennan proved me wrong.

I can’t wait to read the next in the series, See No Evil.
(less)

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Jul 24, 2011 Pam rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

This is the first Allison Brennan book I've read and it'll be my last.

Carina Kincaid is a detective who is investigating a string of murders. With the help of her partner, her prime suspect's brother, Nick, her two brothers who also happen to work for the SDPD, she links the murders to an on-line journal. Some readers might find the mystery/suspense portion unsettling due to the violent and graphic details. I wasn't bothered by it but what did bother me was that the details, while grisly, were c...more

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May 03, 2011 Kaori rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mystery, Suspense fans

Shelves: series-to-follow, mystery, suspense

If you're a fan of crime shows, this book is a must read. The whole story is fast paced, the characters solid, and a story that will make you want to read it in a night.

The sense of evil, and inside look of the killers mind, his actions, how he interacts with the other characters was enough for me to re-check my door locks and alarm system (LOL! I know right?). The killer was described and portrayed so evilly, that the phrase "unspeakable actions" takes a new meaning. What I found disturbing and...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-drama, mystery, suspense-thriller, contemporary-romance

I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for this book.

As a murder mystery, I really liked it. Although it was obvious who the killer was very early in the story, (he remains nameless for the bulk of the book) I don't think that was necessarily a negative. I actually felt like that really upped the angst factor because the reader is forced to watch the police attempt to initially build a case against the wrong man based on circumstantial evidence. It made me wonder how often that actually happens and un...more

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Mar 11, 2008 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As part of a trilogy, it was a great first book. The sense of evil, in the killer's mind and action, was enough to send chills down my spine. The things that he does ... 'unspeakable' is almost not good enough of a word to use to describe it. And in that he appears absolutely normal is even more disturbing.

I thought the sparks between Carina and Nick were almost perfect. You get the sense of their feelings and thoughts towards each other and understand them as well. Working together on the case...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first book that I have read by Allison Brennan... the one thing I didn't like about this book was there was mentions of prior crimes and people from events past. This was supposed to be a first in a series so that I didn't really understand. I have a feeling this might be a cross over book.

Some of the crime scenes are graphic and I can see where that might be tough to read for some and I will now look at a bottle of beer a tad different. O_o.

I love discovering new authors and will...more

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Aug 18, 2008 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

A typical police procedural mystery that tries to shock, but gets nowhere because the ending is far too easy to figure out since she introduces the murderer as soon as they solve the crime. (Thats not a red herring, by the way, by trying to hide the murderer from the reader by not even making him a character)

And for some reason, she is really intent of explaining, in detail, routine procedures that any reader of mysteries - or anyone that watches tv, or reads a true crime novel - would be well f...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Shay Williams rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, romantic-suspense

I wasn't impressed by this book at all. The plot line felt contrived and written according to a formula. You could just tell that the suspects that they were after were not the right ones. There was a slight tension that built up as the story continued but not anything like what I expect from a romantic suspense. And the real capper was the fact that even though the main character was a woman, the narrator was a man who did a lousy job at women's voices.

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Mar 08, 2013 Ruth Turner rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for well-written stories about serial killers.

I liked the characters, although I found Carina to be a bit painful during the love scenes. "Dream of me tonight"...."Did you dream of me last night?" *eyeroll* I ended up skipping through them.

The murder scenes didn't bother me as they did with some readers. I have a blood thirsty nature although not a romantic one apparently.

All in all it was a good read.

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Jul 04, 2012 Debra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, mystery-thriller-suspense

Another serial killer book... Another romantic mystery. Another book with sex scenes that are just boring to listen to. (I am developing a theory that authors should really hear someone reading their sex scenes. If they are hot, keep them. If not, rewrite or delete.) I would have given this a 2.5 had I that choice.

There were some elements of this book that I enjoyed, so I may try another of Brennan's to see if it is more to my taste.

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Dec 30, 2012 Lorena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The murder of eighteen-year-old Angie Vance was exceptionally vile–her mouth was sealed with glue, an obscenity scrawledwas across her skin, and she was suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so police detective Carina Kincaid focuses her efforts on the victim’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas...

Great novel, a little descriptive, but every suspensful!

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About Allison Brennan

Allison Brennan is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of nineteen romantic thrillers and many short stories. RT Book Reviews calls Allison “a master of suspense” and her books “haunting,” “mesmerizing,” “pulse-pounding” and “emotionally complex.” Lisa Gardner says, “Brennan knows how to deliver.” The fifth book in the Lucy Kincaid series, STALKED, is available now, followed by...more

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