Silent Scream (Romantic Suspense, #11)

May 26, 2010 Shawna rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of the series, romantic suspense, & hot beta firefighter heroes

Shelves: karen-rose, romantic-suspense, firefighter-paramedic-emt, cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame, hero-beta, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-i-wanna-marry, hero-im-gaga-over, heroine-i-adore, reunions-are-sweeter-second-chances, made-me-cry, 2010-reads, brothers-sisters-cousins-family, favorite-romance-couple-hh-pairings, favorites, hero-celibate-virgin-virginesque, i-read-library, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, 5-stars, hero-too-yummy-perfect-to-be-true, best-faves-of-2010

5 stars – Romantic Suspense

Arson, blackmail, murder, intrigue...this top-notch, intense, taut, and emotional romantic suspense thrill ride, full of shocking twists and surprises, is Karen Rose at her very finest.

Series fans (me included!) have long awaited to die for hero David Hunter’s story, and Silent Scream finds the sweet, caring, sexy, do-gooder firefighter, aka Mr. Perfect, caught in the middle of a dangerous, twisted arson and multiple homicide investigation that reunites him with detect...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: challenge-2012, cops-fbi-dea-cia-etc, firefighters-emt-etc, pi-bounty-hunter-other, reunions-or-together-again, rs-mystery-thriller, tearjerkers, my-4-star-romances

A very intense, complex, and emotional romantic suspense by one of the best in the genre. Firefighter David Hunter meets up with Homicide detective Olivia Sutherland when a condo fire turns up two dead bodies. They met years before but never contacted each other for whatever reasons.

The story focused mainly on the crime and suspense but there was a decent romance developed. I swear Karen Rose writes the best villains. Lots of edge-of-your-seat suspense and a few heart-wrenching scenes. Never a d...more

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Apr 02, 2010 Manda Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans who want equal parts romance & suspense

Shelves: contemporary, romantic-suspense

Karen Rose delivers another page-turning blend of gut-churning suspense and bone-melting romance in SILENT SCREAM, which finally gives her fans the story of David Hunter, who has played a secondary role in several of her previous books. Having moved to Minneapolis in the previous book I CAN SEE YOU, the sexy firefighter's company is called to the scene of what looks to be an environmental arson case, where he is unable to rescue a young woman from the burning building. As luck would have it, the...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Keri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-suspense, reviewed, 2010-read, karen-rose

This was an awesome book. I have always liked David and was happy tosee him get his book. I thought that he was too perfect through in the other stories. Karen made him very human in this story and we could see that it was a facade, because of an incident in his past. I thought that Olivia was right for him and they had strong chemistry together. You really had to stay with this book, because it was so convoluted it was easy to get lost. Rose pulled it off in the end and I was surprised in the e...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Noviellya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Siapapun kalian bersiaplah membaca satu novel apik ini!
Kasus kriminal yang dirangkai dengan segudang teka-teki ini begitu menarik hingga akhir halaman. Belum lagi dengan kisah cinta Detektif Olivia Shutterland dengan si perfect yang miliki trauma masa lalu, si petugas pemadam kebakaran yang baik hati dengan jadi penyelamat kucing David Hunter, benar-benar memikat!

Oia... bagian yang paling aku suka dimana Phoebe, ibunda Hunter bercakap dari hati ke hati dengan anaknya itu. Mencoba mengurai kedala...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Marilyn Rondeau rated it 5 of 5 stars

It began as a statement when four Minneapolis college students decided to burn a condo complex in protest of ruining wetlands and upsetting the eco system. However, it all went wrong when a young girl hiding out with her boyfriend caught caught in the fire and a security guard was found murdered at the site. That should have been the end, but unfortunately a professional blackmailer had discovered their plans and was on site filming the whole thing. This stalker, then having the ability to destr...more It began as a statement when four Minneapolis college students decided to burn a condo complex in protest of ruining wetlands and upsetting the eco system. However, it all went wrong when a young girl hiding out with her boyfriend caught caught in the fire and a security guard was found murdered at the site. That should have been the end, but unfortunately a professional blackmailer had discovered their plans and was on site filming the whole thing. This stalker, then having the ability to destroy their lives, was able to use their guilt to use them as puppets in some of his other blackmail schemes. In the next four days, the author packs in some intense edge of the seat moments as homicide detectives and firefighters arson units begin to investigate more and more deadly fires that are turning up more and more corpses.

*** Having been a big fan of Ms Rose’s previous novels I expected the intensity and complex plots and in SILENT SCREAM she doesn’t disappoint. Even as Rose places an abundance of characters in her books she does it in a way that each person has an integral part to play in the story so that while there are many characters, one does NOT get confused and the story is brought together with little to no confusion. This, in my opinion, shows how well Ms. Rose can put together an exciting tale that lets the reader simply glide along on her roller coaster suspense ride and know exactly what happened – no loose ends at all.

Some of the characters were new, others had played parts in previous books, but all told the reader got involved. David, of course was easy to love – the big hearted firefighter who made a selfish mistake when he was a teen and used his immensely big heart trying to be a better person twenty years later. He had finally connected with a woman and because of a failure to communicate had spent the next 2-½ years building up the courage to act.

Olivia, the object of David’s desire, was a homicide detective whose heart had been broken and was afraid to let David get a second chance to do her heart more harm, which she felt would be impossible to recover from. In the midst of a sensual romance gone wrong that David and Olivia were trying to repair while learning to trust one another, was the madman stalker who wasn’t about to get caught and would take down anyone who got in his way.

The chills and thrills in this book and a BIG LESSON every one can learn from (no, you have to read it because I don’t believe in spoilers) in this book will keep you turning the pages far into the night.

Bottom Line: Ms. Rose is a genius in creating creepy villains and complicated plots. Readers will surely enjoy SILENT SCREAM, a stellar romantic suspense and if not done so yet, will put Ms. Rose on your auto-buy authors list!
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Mar 31, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense-with-some-romance

Police procedural solving a serial killer/blackmailer/arsonist mystery. Ok story, but I’d prefer smarter cops.

STORY BRIEF:
Olivia is a police homicide detective in Minneapolis. 2 ½ years ago she met David while visisting Chicago. While they spent the night together he said another woman’s name during sex. Olivia was hurt and snuck away without leaving a note. David felt rejected and neither of them contacted the other for 2 ½ years. Since then David moved to Minneapolis where he works as a fire f...more Police procedural solving a serial killer/blackmailer/arsonist mystery. Ok story, but I’d prefer smarter cops.

STORY BRIEF:
Olivia is a police homicide detective in Minneapolis. 2 ½ years ago she met David while visisting Chicago. While they spent the night together he said another woman’s name during sex. Olivia was hurt and snuck away without leaving a note. David felt rejected and neither of them contacted the other for 2 ½ years. Since then David moved to Minneapolis where he works as a fire fighter. Four teenagers set a building on fire as a protest about saving the wetlands. Another girl had been hiding in the building and was unable to get out. She died in the fire. A serial killer was aware of the teenagers’ plan, and he videotaped them setting the fire. He plans to blackmail them. During the book, we see the killer blackmailing and killing various people.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
It’s a long book. My reaction was one long police procedural with a few sex scenes thrown in. There is a lot of tedious conversation. It’s mostly police discussion about evidence and what to do next. I wasn’t excited about things or drawn to the characters. I was kind of frustrated. Most of my feelings were about this really creepy powerful evil guy with everyone around him being a helpless victim/pawn in his master game. My suggestion would be for the good guys to do something smart to catch the bad guy. But the hero and heroine were helpless victims as well. The main event which allows them to catch the bad guy is someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time and accidentally seeing something. So now the good guys give chase and finally win through luck - not brains or skill.

Another related item is that the police don’t slowly uncover details of what and why. Instead there is one conversation between the bad guy and someone at the end of the book which explains everything. That is ok I guess, but it wasn’t as fun as seeing smart cops learn this through their own efforts. It’s sort of a telling all at the end.

As a romance story, it was lacking. I don’t like using vague communication as the reason a couple is separated, which is what the author did here. Part of the vague communication was David making the major decision to move to be near Olivia but never contacting her. That was illogical. Also, the relationship development could have been better. However, the romance was a secondary story. Mystery lovers will probably be fine with the book.

DATA:
Story length: 570 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 6. Setting: current day Minnesota. Copyright: 2010. Genre: mystery suspense with a little romance.(less)

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Mar 06, 2011 TC rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had seen Karen Rose mentioned recently in the same sentence as Tess Gerritsen and Karin Slaughter, both authors I enjoy, so thought I'd give a different author a try. I didn't realise when I started reading it that the main characters had appeared in her previous books.

The story begins with an arson attack on a new condo, resulting in two deaths. The cuplrits are being watched and become the target of a blackmailer who uses them to achieve his own ends. Olivia Sutherland is a homicide cop call...more I had seen Karen Rose mentioned recently in the same sentence as Tess Gerritsen and Karin Slaughter, both authors I enjoy, so thought I'd give a different author a try. I didn't realise when I started reading it that the main characters had appeared in her previous books.

The story begins with an arson attack on a new condo, resulting in two deaths. The cuplrits are being watched and become the target of a blackmailer who uses them to achieve his own ends. Olivia Sutherland is a homicide cop called to the scene to investigate, and David Hunter is a fireman who attends the fire and almost loses his own life while fighting the fire. Their paths have crossed in the past and the book follows the investigation but also details the relationship between these two characters.

I found the start of the book had me turning the pages quickly as I was drawn in, but there were a lot of characters introduced and I struggled at times keeping track of who was who and how they were all related. As some of the characters are deaf and the police use a sign language interpreter I was pleased, as the parent of a deaf child, to see that the author appeared to have done her research well. The start was very promising.

Early on I was keen to see how the relationship between Olivia and David would pan out, but as I read on he seemed too good to be true and with the sex scenes thrown in it became a bit Mills and Boon. I did find the main characters quite likeable though. One of the things I liked least about this book was the way the author used conversations between them and family or friends to reveal their backgrounds. These conversations, with family member or friend recounting all the major events in their life, seemed very false and a slightly lazy way of laying out what events in their past were affecting the present.

The last third of the book contained a lot of action as the homicide squad closed in on their suspects, but I found that my attention wasn't sustained all the way through to the end, trying to maintain the book at such a pitch for so long just didn't work for me. I felt a bit like I was limping over the finish line when I got to the end.

I quite liked Silent Scream, there were a few twists and turns, but there are other authors in this genre I would select ahead of Karen Rose based on this book.

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Dec 19, 2010 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense

A bittersweet read, since I am now officially caught up on Karen Rose- with no new novels available for about six months. Boo. At least if I have to take a hiatus, it's with the memory of one of her better novels to keep me company. Silent Scream's hero is David Hunter, and I've been waiting for his story for quite some time. I like the way Rose kind of switched things up in this book, in that the male lead was the one with the secret traumatic past and a present full of community service, chari...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-romance

I picked this book up because it won a RITA award and I'm exploring a variety of romance novels. I enjoy a good mystery and suspense, but despite the accolades, I am not enjoying this book that much. I'm about a third of the way through and will push on just a bit further. Surely, it gets batter?
For starters, there's almost too much going on. I'm losing track of suspects and side characters. I also find the hero, David Hunter, a little unbelievable because he's such a saint. He performs all ki...more I picked this book up because it won a RITA award and I'm exploring a variety of romance novels. I enjoy a good mystery and suspense, but despite the accolades, I am not enjoying this book that much. I'm about a third of the way through and will push on just a bit further. Surely, it gets batter?
For starters, there's almost too much going on. I'm losing track of suspects and side characters. I also find the hero, David Hunter, a little unbelievable because he's such a saint. He performs all kinds of charity work--even his mom thinks it's a little odd. He reveals that it is because he stumbled across a police scene in which a young girl and her mother were beaten too death by an abusive husband. Perhaps there is more to that back story, but even though such an event would be traumatizing his reaction seems unbelievably extreme.
And then there's the heroine, Olivia. Before this case, she had been the lead cop on a case where the killer threw his victims into a lime pit. She had to pull bodies out and identify him. Understandably, that case traumatized her and still does. She's still so disturbed by the case, however, that I'm having problems her supervisors would continue to let her work. Yes, they ordered her to meet with a therapist but it had no impact. I'm surprised they're letting her work in this emotional state.
And finally, a minor complaint. The story is set in Minneapolis, but apart from the occasional reference to being set in the city and a brief mention of a walleye lake the reader gets no feel for the location. Because I am from the Twin Cities, I keep hoping there will be more of a local feel to the story but so far it could be anywhere.

Update after finishing. Really wish I could have liked this book more - almost stopped reading it but made it to the end. The underlying mystery was interesting (and has me scared to death about using public wireless!!) I just couldn't get into the romance - after all this hemming and hawing about him calling out someone else's name, she decides "okay, I'll sleep with him" I couldn't figure out what triggered the change apart from the fact that he's really hot and she was horny. It seemed to abrupt for me.

It appears I'm the only reviewer who did not like this book. Maybe this sub-genre is just not for me. Perhaps if I want suspense I go for one that's not a romance as well.

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Mar 07, 2010 Gaby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-and-mystery, thriller, summer-reading

If you enjoy detective thrillers with strong woman lead characters, I highly recommend Karen Rose's novels in general, and her latest novel, Silent Scream, in particular.

Silent Scream opens with young misguided students participating in an ecoterrorist attack against condo developers. But when there is an unexpected hitch, the college students find themselves trapped, forced into progressively worse situations.

While Silent Scream has violent moments, its strength is in Karen Rose's weaving of ps...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Cat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery, romance, series, thriller

Rose's characters are engaging and 'real' -- they have baggage, they make mistakes, they stumble. This picks up 7 months after the previous book in the series -- and although I wouldn't you don't have to have read the book to have the full story, I found reading I Can See You made this book flow more easily. Familiar characters are present and the characters reference the killer from ICSY. But that said, this is a different killer, this is a different case.

Arson, murder, blackmail, and technolog...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Ana T. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers, read-in-2012

It's been a while since I've read a Karen Rose book but I am slowly getting back to some of my favourite authors (I keep saying this don't I?) and finding out what they have published since my hiatus in reading started. Karen Rose is an author I have been following since book 1 (another author who deserves a separate page in this blog's index) and I was really curious about this one since I remembered David from previous books.

Rose starts the story with arson but soon it is evident that there ar...more It's been a while since I've read a Karen Rose book but I am slowly getting back to some of my favourite authors (I keep saying this don't I?) and finding out what they have published since my hiatus in reading started. Karen Rose is an author I have been following since book 1 (another author who deserves a separate page in this blog's index) and I was really curious about this one since I remembered David from previous books.

Rose starts the story with arson but soon it is evident that there are more villains in this story than just the arsonists. The beginning seemed so intricate that it reminded me of a Tess Gerritsen novel, but here the romance plays a heavy role and in the end this makes for a softer and also satisfying read.

Olivia Sutherland is the detective assigned to the arson case and David Hunter one of the firefighters on the scene. Olivia and David have a past, 2 years ago at Olivia's sister wedding (people new to the series should not start with this one) they met and spent a weekend together. Things ended on a wrong note though and while Olivia has been angry with David he has been trying to remember what it was that he did, or did not do, that made her leave.

In this book we get to know a bit more about David and the demons that chase him. I really enjoyed knowing the man behind the charming mask he shows to the world but to be honest I think I would have liked the tension between him and Olivia to last a bit more. While I understood his excuse, I think she should have taken a bit longer to forgive him.

Together they investigate what is behind the fires and how they connect to each other. What seemed an environmental group making a stand ends up being something totally different. I think they took a bit too much time finding out that there was another villain and I would have liked to see more detecting to lead them to that conclusion. I was more surprised by the twists we got on the four arsonists. Karen Rose gives us the perspective of all main characters involved (including the villains) and keeps us in suspense with a fast paced story. I think Rose successfully balances the suspense and the romantic plots and I just loved both Olivia's relationship with her friends and David's relationship with his tenants (especially Glenn). I think we really need to have more books set in Minneapolis so we can see them all again.

I know she already has two more books out so I'll be sure to grab them soon!

Grade: 4/5
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Jul 27, 2011 Cynfully Sweet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, romantic-suspense, favorites, crime-fiction, own-audiobook

::sigh:: David Hunter.... whats not to love? I usually find self-deprication to be annoying, but the inner struggles that David and Olivia have was just the right amount to keep you still... hurting for them, and desperately wanting them to find happiness. The plot was NUTS! Karen Rose's plots usually are... and while... it's kind of ridiculous how much drama happens to the Hunter family... you still get so engrossed in the story, the mystery, and the characters.

Final Notes:

the hero- tall. hand...more

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Jun 09, 2010 Ami rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-suspense, 5-stars_rating

I have been waiting for David Hunter's story since I first read him, in Max and Caroline's story. I couldn't believe he appeared in 4 books but he didn't seem to get his HEA. Of course, I was a bit relieved when Karen Rose ensured me (via email) that David would get his story. So imagine my happiness and expectation when this released this year.

Does Karen Rose delivers? Hell, yes, and MORE! Mystery wise, it's good ... though I can already guess the culprit before half of the book because Ms. Ros...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Jaime rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romantic_suspense

I read this book in bits and pieces on my phone, so it took me quite a while to get through. The good thing was, I was able to put it down and pick it up again a couple of weeks later and still figure out what was going on.

The mystery was solid, and kept you guessing, even when you are in the killer’s head part of the time.

This is set up to be more of a romantic suspense novel, but really I think it’s a police procedural with a heavy romantic element. Besides the parts where Olivia and David are...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Marleen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Before deciding to listen to an audiobook, or purchase one, often you get a chance to listen to the narrator’s voice via the sampler, but that sampler is not nearly long enough to determine if you will – or - will not enjoy a narrator’s voice. For some reason here this narrator’s voice grated on my nerves more often than not, and that’s a shame really. It makes the listener like the story less, in my opinion. The delivery and variation of intonation for various characters was great overall, but...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Mahareni Maldini rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: karen-rose, romance-suspense, my-own, favorites

*pake cover asli ah, cover indo-nya kurang mantep*

Wajah Tracey Mullen tampak di jendela kondominium, mulutnya terbuka dalam jeritan sunyi sambil memukul-mukul kaca jendela (page 501).
*jadi judul Silent Scream diambil dari kalimat tersebut*

Bintang 4 untuk keseluruhan cerita, coz meski si pelaku udah diketahui sejak pertengahan buku, tetap saja ada kejutan di bagian akhir. Jadi tetep seru!

1 bintang lagi untuk David+Olivia, coz they're my favorit couple from Karen's books. Dua-duanya sama-sama munc...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, own, tbr-pile, rs, contemporary, library-book, reviewed

Finally caught up on this loosely connected series. If you haven't started reading Karen Rose and you're looking for well written characters and story line, definitely give her a try. In Silent Scream the hero and heroine have appeared as secondary characters in previous books. I do think plenty of background information is given on them that this can be read as a stand-alone but I would still recommend reading the previous books.

There is no doubt Olivia Sutherland is a good cop and a strong her...more Finally caught up on this loosely connected series. If you haven't started reading Karen Rose and you're looking for well written characters and story line, definitely give her a try. In Silent Scream the hero and heroine have appeared as secondary characters in previous books. I do think plenty of background information is given on them that this can be read as a stand-alone but I would still recommend reading the previous books.

There is no doubt Olivia Sutherland is a good cop and a strong heroine. She does have some weaknesses but she doesn't let them interfere with her job. One of her weaknesses is David Hunter. David and Olivia have a history, they have a connection through their families and through a night over two years ago. Olivia has tried to forget David but I never got the sense that she really did. When she finds out he's not only moved to Minneapolis but is connect with her latest case, she has mixed feelings about seeing him again. I'm glad Rose didn't have Olivia fawning over David and his killer good looks. She tries to keep things on a professional level but... that doesn't quite work out.

David Hunter has some serious ghosts and guilt riding his conscience. He also has no memory of what happened the night he hooked up with Olivia Sutherland. Oops! Just one more thing for this sexy firefighter to feel guilty about. We first met David in Don't Tell, book 1, so his story has been brewing for some time. I do think he has matured since then and is trying to have a better outlook on life - letting go of some of that anger and guilt. It was nice to see him evolve instead of remaining stagnant.

The suspense and mystery were well developed. I liked how Rose had the blackmailer behind the scenes, manipulating the action. Rose allows the story to point to a few potential characters as the blackmailer, keeping the tension and suspense high. There is a lot of police procedure in this story, with the detectives trying to follow the dots and connect the various crimes together. Sometimes it was a bit too heavy but then Rose would lead us back to Olivia and David, keeping a decent balance between the romance and the suspense.

Olivia and David made a good, believable couple once they got past their rocky start. They did have a lot to discuss and both had baggage that got in the way. I did like how Olivia was the "leader" in the suspense aspect of the story but David made plenty of contributions towards finding the blackmailer. He had a couple of slip ups and should have shared information quicker with Olivia but when he did, she didn't brush him off because he wasn't a cop. They worked well together.

Silent Scream is another entertaining addition to Rose's loosely connected romantic suspense series. Next up, Rose heads to Baltimore and some new characters in You Belong to Me. Release date of June 7.(less)

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Jun 08, 2010 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: june-2010, read-in-2010, rom-suspense, 5-star

Like so many others, I couldn't wait to read David Hunter's story. Beautifully done. I loved how honest David was, and how he and Olivia fought for their relationship. Suspense aside, the rest of the story was a beautiful romance and also a great friend story. Rose excels at that, even in the midst of spine-tingling suspense.

As for the suspense: Rose uses certainly one of my biggest fears in order to propel her villain. While, as she frequently does, the villain is revealed to us somewhat early...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Elas Büchertruhe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Klappentext:
Eine verheerende Brandserie hält Feuerwehrmann David Hunter und Detective Olivia Sutherland in Atem. Wer könnte Interesse daran haben, ganz Minneapolis in Angst und Schrecken zu versetzen? Die einzige Spur sind vier College-Studenten, die sich aus unerfindlichen Gründen immer in der Nähe der Tatorte aufhalten. Doch dann stirbt einer der Studenten unter mysteriösen Umständen, kurz darauf wird ein Zweiter tot aufgefunden. Ein dramatischer Wettlauf gegen die Zeit beginnt.

Meine Meinung:
A...more

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Nov 05, 2010 T.L. Schaefer rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 11, 2012 M.J. Schiller rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I mean, ladies, it has a fireman, what more do you need? I like the plot line between the hero and heroine, the suspense was full of twists and turns and the general premise of the silent scream is probably an image I will never shake. I loved the hero but found it hard, at times, to identify with the heroine. She's a little edgier than me. I definitely felt the loss she experienced in the book, though. Loved her partner, kept visualizing Raymond's brother on "Everybo...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Mareike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zur-rezension, gelesen-2012

Feuer ist bereits der elfte Band der Romantic Suspense Reihe von Karen Rose. Da es immer wiederkehrende Charaktere gibt ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass auch in Feuer alte Bekannte aufgetaucht sind. In Feuer geht es um Olivia Sutherland und David Hunter, die beide in früheren Romanen schon Nebenrollen gespielt haben. Band 10 Todesstoß habe ich bislang nicht gelesen und gerade auf diesen Band gibt es immer wieder stärkere Bezüge, so dass ich es empfehlen würde, den Band zuerst zu lesen. Anscheine...more Feuer ist bereits der elfte Band der Romantic Suspense Reihe von Karen Rose. Da es immer wiederkehrende Charaktere gibt ist es nicht verwunderlich, dass auch in Feuer alte Bekannte aufgetaucht sind. In Feuer geht es um Olivia Sutherland und David Hunter, die beide in früheren Romanen schon Nebenrollen gespielt haben. Band 10 Todesstoß habe ich bislang nicht gelesen und gerade auf diesen Band gibt es immer wieder stärkere Bezüge, so dass ich es empfehlen würde, den Band zuerst zu lesen. Anscheinend sind die Bücher von Karen Rose alle miteinander verknüpft und ergeben darin noch einmal kleine Reihen. Todesstroß ist also gleichzeitig auch Band 1 der Hat Squads-Reihe. Ich muss zugeben, dass mich Feuer im ersten Drittel der Geschichte nicht so sehr fesseln konnte, weil hier noch viel "aufgebaut" wird. Man lernt die Charaktere besser kennen und nach dem ersten abgebrannten Haus flacht die Geschichte etwas ab. Die Spannung fehlt, weil sich David und Olivia wiedertreffen und erstmal alle Probleme auf den Tisch gelegt werden. Natürlich war es interessant zu erfahren, welche Hindernisse die Beiden überwinden müssen und welche Konflikte sie austragen müssen. Dennoch wurde das Buch für mich erst so richtig spannend, als der Fall an Fahrt aufnahm. Ab dem Zeitpunkt konnte ich es nicht mehr weg legen.

Karen Rose ist eine Meisterin in Sachen Spannung und Romantik. Ich liebe es, wie sie ihre Charaktere zum Leben erweckt und als Serien-Fan mag ich es, öfter von den Charakteren zu lesen. David Hunter ist mir aus mehreren früheren Romanen bekannt und ich habe immer gehofft, dass einmal er im Mittelpunkt eines Romans steht. Olivia ist eine Schwester eines Charakters aus einem früheren Roman und mich hat interessiert, wie ihr Leben verlaufen ist. Beide haben sich auf einer Hochzeit kennen gelernt und wieder aus den Augen verloren. In Feuer treffen Olivia und David wieder aufeinander. Drei Jahre sind seit dem letzten Treffen vergangen und dennoch spürt man direkt die Anziehung zwischen den Beiden. Mir sind auch keine Widersprüche zu vorherigen Büchern aufgefallen. Bei der Fülle an wiederkehrenden Charakteren ist es schon eine Herausforderung, da den Überblick zu behalten, aber sowohl Geschehnisse als auch bestimmte Charaktereigenschaften werden sehr gut wieder aufgegriffen, so dass man direkt wieder einen Draht zu den Protagonisten hat. Allerdings waren manche Passagen, in denen wenig passierte, etwas zu sehr in die Länge gezogen. Gerade im ersten Teil des Buches hatte ich diesen Eindruck und ich bin froh darüber, dass mit dem Fortlauf der Geschichte die Spannung mehr und mehr Raum einnahm.

Die Romantik nimmt einen Teil des Romans ein, steht allerdings nicht so komplett im Vordergrund, dass es mich gestört hätte. Ich denke, für Fans des "Romantic Thrills" (oder auch "Ladythriller") ist die Mischung genau richtig. Der Fall, in dem Olivia und David ermitteln ist sehr gut durchdacht. Man schlüpft als Leser in verschiedene Perspektiven und kann so immer direkt am Geschehen teilhaben. Eine dieser Perspektiven ist auch der Haupttäter in der Geschichte. Mir persönlich hat es viel Spaß gemacht, mitzufiebern, ob der Täter am Ende ermittelt werden kann. Es gibt auch keine losen Enden, die nicht verknüpft wurden und wie Olivia und/oder David an Fakten und Ergebnisse kommen, ist absolut logisch. Der Fall an sich ist ebenfalls richtig spannend: Vier Collegekids wollen ein Statement für eine bessere Welt abgeben und brennen aus Leichtsinn ein Haus nieder. Dabei stirbt ein junges Mädchen und sie werden auch noch von unserem Haupttäter gefilmt. Natürlich erpresst dieser die Collegekids, wodurch sich viele unvorhergesehene Wendungen in der Geschichte wiederfinden. Bis zum Ende des Buches war für mich nicht abzusehen, wie Feuer im Endeffekt ausgeht. Gerade zum Ende hin gibt es immer wieder Momente, in denen man überrascht wird und sich fragt, warum man nicht schon selbst die zwei losen Enden zusammengesetzt hat.

Bewertung
Karen Rose hat mit Feuer einen gelungenen Thriller geschrieben. Die Geschichte ist packend, romantisch und dramatisch. Feuer ist eine gute Mischung aus Thriller und romantischen Elementen und nimmt besonders im zweiten Teil richtig Fahrt auf. Thrillerfans werden durch die perfekt ausgearbeitete Story ihre Freude an dem Buch haben.
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Jan 10, 2013 CrazyPenguinLady rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: characters-have-history, favorite-romantic-suspense, angsty-read, heroine-has-trust-issues, reread-a-million-times, heroine-i-love, groveling-hero, hero-in-pursuit

I was a tad underwhelmed with this book. I mean, there was nothing specifically wrong with it. The suspense was great, the romance was great, as they always are with Karen Rose, and I enjoyed them like I always do.

What bothered me is that I felt that many scenes were somewhat rushed. Like Rose wanted to get the personal parts over with so she could move on with the story. I usually focus more on the relationships between the characters, and there just wasn't enough for me.

What I'm trying to say...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Cindi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I bet Goddess K-Rose doesn't sleep well at night. I know I sure wouldn't if I had stories like hers strolling around in my head. This woman obviously researches her subjects super well to get into the minds of her murderers, serial killers, cops &/or alphabets, arsonists and now firemen. And as usual, boy, does she get into their minds!

In the dictionary next to the word "suspense" is a Karen Rose book. She writes like very few others when it comes to suspense/thrillers with a romantic core....more I bet Goddess K-Rose doesn't sleep well at night. I know I sure wouldn't if I had stories like hers strolling around in my head. This woman obviously researches her subjects super well to get into the minds of her murderers, serial killers, cops &/or alphabets, arsonists and now firemen. And as usual, boy, does she get into their minds!

In the dictionary next to the word "suspense" is a Karen Rose book. She writes like very few others when it comes to suspense/thrillers with a romantic core. She also is not afraid to have her hero be a Beta-type, and did so very sucessfully here with fireman David Hunter. We met David in several previous books; he's the too-handsome man that was always volunteering to fix/help/fund the women's shelters and runaway rescues his friend Dana was involved in. I could never figure out why David was alone, tho; he thought he was in love with Dana but never told her (she eventually married Ethan and lives happily ever after). I wanted him to stay with Olivia when he met her a couple of years ago, but he backed off. Now David and Olivia, who's a detective in Homicide, are living in the same city but neither of them have taken steps to get together, each thinking the other would make the first move. We know how THAT usually goes, don't we?

Olivia was involved in the apprehension and fall-out of the Red Dress serial killer in "I'm Watching You" (probably the best thriller EVER) and she's still a little sickened by death seven months later - kind of a problem if you're a homicide detective. She and David come face-to-face at an arson site that requires them to get over themselves to work the murders that go along with the case. So while they are working hard in Alpha-mode to solve this case and catch the arsonists/killers, they also rather timidly work in Beta-mode to resolve their feelings about each other.

Rose is certainly not timid about showing the vulnerabilities of her characters, and the unveiling of the real David - to his mother, his brother and to Olivia - is painful to read. His family is so wonderful and so loving that I cried for all of us who didn't have it that good, and again for what David held inside over half his life because he was afraid what others would think of him if they knew his failings. "Its just a face", David said many times, something he did not earn. That makes me wonder what is inside those beautiful people who we think have life so much easier than we do. I also cried for Olivia and all of us who live life alone, thinking if we are alone there must be something wrong with us - and so we work hard to hide. I didn't cry for the sociopaths that K-Ro always features as her villians, but I did think of her explanations for how they somehow got that way. And I hurt for the schizophrenic character who just couldn't face the horror of what he'd become involved with so chose to quit taking his meds in order to hide from that guilt. Without his meds, he really was crazy.

Ah, I hate to finish reading a Rose book. I'll have to e-mail her tonite and tell her to write faster.(less)

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Sep 05, 2010 Mojca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: karen-rose, chubby-chunkster-challenge, suspense-mystery-adventure-thriller, firefighters-emts, own, bodyguard-military-merc-gov-cop-leo, rrrc-1st-reading-tournament, monthly-challenge-read-september, read-the-month-challenge-september, back-to-school-challenge, favorites

Four college students start a fire in a condo under development, accidentally killing an innocent teenager. Now, not only are they victims of a serial blackmailer and guilty of arson (despite their motives being "good"), they also have the cops on their tails.
But as in all KR books, those cops are the least of the foursome problems, since they're forced to do the blackmailer's bidding, setting more fires, digging their holes deeper and deeper.

The random fires won't be random for more, though, no...more

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Mar 21, 2010 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense, mystery, fiction

From my blog...[return]Over thirty years ago I read my first Trixie Belden novel, The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell and I was forever hooked on mystery novels. It is beyond a doubt my favourite genre and reading Silent Scream by Karen Rose reminded me of all the reasons why I do so enjoy an excellent mystery. Silent Scream is what some would call a chunkster at well over 500 pages and I quite literally read the novel cover to cover, as I was unable to put the book down. Silent Scream i...more

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Apr 29, 2010 Cheryl "Mash" rated it 5 of 5 stars

Silent Scream by Karen Rose (Rating 5)
Published by Grand Central Publishing The Hachette Book Group
At the request of The Hachette Book Group, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: (from back of book) He knows your secrets. When a teenage girl dies in a suspicious fire, Detective Olivia Sutherland is assigned to track down the arsonist. Then she discovers something more sinister: a vicious blackmailer who preys on young people and murders without hesitation. Makin...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Judi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: june-2010, rom-suspense

Ever since I read my 1st Karen Rose book You Can’t Hide in 2006 I was hooked on Rose’s suspenseful storylines, romantic relationships about people I actually cared reading about and amazing storytelling. She quickly became one of my favourite auto-buy authors and I did something I have never before done...I immediately went to Amazon and purchased her entire backlist. She is one of the few authors whose books I will shell out the big bucks for and purchase in hardcover because I can’t wait for t...more Ever since I read my 1st Karen Rose book You Can’t Hide in 2006 I was hooked on Rose’s suspenseful storylines, romantic relationships about people I actually cared reading about and amazing storytelling. She quickly became one of my favourite auto-buy authors and I did something I have never before done...I immediately went to Amazon and purchased her entire backlist. She is one of the few authors whose books I will shell out the big bucks for and purchase in hardcover because I can’t wait for the paperback. Rose delivers once again and does not disappoint with her latest release (in paperback..YEAH!).

Firefighter David Hunter and Homicide Detective Olivia Sutherland have both made appearances in Rose’s previous books (David - Don’t Tell and Olivia – Count to Ten), and can I just say how excited I was to discover that David was finally getting his own story (thanks Ms. Rose for that twitter confirmation). I can honestly say you don’t have to read the previous books to get full value from Silent Scream, but all of Rose’s books rock – so you really should read every one!

A suspiciously set fire and the death of a young deaf girl trapped inside a burned out condo under construction bring David and Olivia face to face once again since their unforgettable night two years ago where they may or may not have hooked up at a wedding. One of them can’t really remember what happened and it’s one of the reasons that these two have been tip-toeing around one another for the past seven months, since David packed up his bags and moved to Minneapolis where Olivia works.

David and Olivia have a few misunderstanding (ohhh the words you yell out in the heat of passion can do ALOT of damage even if you don’t remember doing it) to work through and are initially cool and civil towards one another, but you can just sense the powder keg of awareness and sexual chemistry simmering just below the surface. In past Rose books, the suspense and sometimes grisly nature of her storytelling has been in the forefront while the romance takes a back seat, but in Silent Scream, Rose definitely ratcheted up the romance quotient for David and Olivia...and I liked it!

David Hunter may well be Mr. Perfect. I’m pretty sure I developed a severe crush on the hunky firefighter while reading Silent Scream. He’s thoughtful and caring, can cook, risks his life to help people and seriously I just wanted him to rub my neck and stroke my hair. I melted a little inside everytime he did that to Olivia...you lucky, lucky girl!

Arson, murder, mayhem and a master puppeteer, blackmailing villain who pulls all the strings to get others to do his bidding have David and Olivia working overtime and racing to discover his identity before the body count can climb any higher.

I love a great romantic suspense novel and Rose out does herself with Silent Scream. The storytelling is superb. Everything follows in a logical, satisfying order towards a climatic end. I love it when I don’t question the villain’s motives or am shaking my head at some action carried out by the H/H. The story made sense and was all tied up with a nice big bow. There was one point when I actually gasped out loud and cursed Ms. Rose...WTF??? at the fate she delivered to one of the main supporting characters. I guess if you can illicit such reactions from your readers, then you know you’ve told an amazing story.

Silent Scream delivers 570 pages of pure reading enjoyment.
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Silent Scream (Romantic Suspense, #11)

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