If you like mystery novels
with rich plots that dig
into the past, then you’ll
enjoy Silenced Cry by Marta
Stephens.
During a routine pick-up for
questioning, Detective Sam
Harper loses his partner and
friend, Gillies. Harper is
confused and distraught by
the event, which happens
under suspicious
circumstances. Soon
afterwards he’s called to
solve a murder case like
none he’s been involved
before: the homicide of an
infant. In a rundown
building that’s about to be
demolished, trapped behind a
wall, they find the skeletal
remains of an newborn baby.
To make matters worse, the
murder seems to have taken
place not recently but over
a decade ago, making the
investigation a lot harder.
As Detective Harper begins
to investigate, a line of
suspects slowly emerges. The
detective must moved back in
time in order to uncover the
terrible events which let to
the infant’s demise. Soon
he’s pulled into a vortex of
drugs, corruption, rape and
murder as other members of
the police force become
suspects. At the same time,
someone wants the case close
and the building demolished
as soon as possible, someone
who doesn’t want Harper
opening the door to the
past.
Who murdered the infant? Is
the murder only a small part
of a much larger set of
crimes which have been kept
secret all these years? Is
Harper ready to face the
truth and come to terms with
the results of his own
investigation?
Silenced Cry is deftly
crafted and an impressive
first novel. The pace moves
steadily without being too
quick nor too slow, allowing
the reader to savor each
stage of the investigation.
The dialogue is sharp and
natural and the prose
focuses on the action
without letting unnecessary
details and description get
in the way. The police
procedurals read
realistically, giving the
impression that the author
either knows well about the
subject or did a fair amount
of research. For me, this
was not a thriller that read
at a fast pace, but a
‘gourmet’ mystery that I
enjoyed at every stage of
the story. Sam Harper is a
likable character, but I
would say that this is a
plot-driven novel more than
a character-driven one. The
secondary characters are
quite realistic as well,
especially some of the
suspects–though I don’t dare
say more for fear of giving
away spoilers.
Marta Stephens is a mystery
author to watch out for. I
will be soon reviewing the
second book in the series,
The Devil Can Wait, and I
have to say I’m very much
looking forward to it. If
you enjoy an intelligently
crafted detective story, I
recommend you give this one
a try.
by Margaret
Bailey
A terrific mystery with
smart dialogue,
multi-layered characters,
and a plot which keeps the
reader guessing till the
end. Definitely will look
forward to more in this
series.
Review of Silenced Cry by author,
A. F. Stewart, (Nova Scotia,
CA)
SILENCED CRY by Marta
Stephens is a solid and
engaging bit of fiction, and
the author is certainly a
convincing new voice in
crime fiction. Her book
carries on the fine
tradition of the police
crime novel, and I enjoyed
it very much.
Ms. Stephens leads the
reader deftly through a
sordid, tangled mess of an
investigation as a
long-forgotten child murder
case is unexpectedly
exposed. Detective Sam
Harper is plunged into the
messy circumstances, sorting
through the investigation’s
flimsy evidence while
dealing with a new partner.
Swirling around the edges
are the long reaching
ramifications of his old
partner’s death and his own
thorny attitude on recent
events in his life.
“Day three. One clue and
no leads. Finding the person
responsible for the baby’s
death after more than a
decade seemed nearly
improbable.”
There are no surprises,
twists or unexpected shocks
in the pages of SILENCED
CRY; it is a fairly
straightforward crime novel,
with a genuine plot and just
the right amount of gripping
tension. However, the
story-telling is elevated
above the average by superb
characterization and a
believable narrative
atmosphere. It is part
police procedural, part
noir, touched around the
periphery with the realistic
ugliness of crime, and the
complexity of human
interaction.
“Owens looked up. The
clouds slowly parted to
reveal a scattering of stars
against the moonless
backdrop of the April night.
Behind him stretched a row
of dumpsters shoved against
the wall of the savings and
loan. A sour stench rose
from them and mingled with
the pungent odor of piss
from whoever had christened
the alley wall.”
SILENCED CRY is the first
entry in a series; I’m truly
looking forward to the next
book. I absolutely want to
spend more time immersed in
the world of Sam Harper.
Vocal Praise by Thomas
Fortenberry, (Charlotte, NC)
SILENCED CRY is an excellent
book. There is a neat new
group of mystery authors
emerging, and Marta Stephens
is smack dab in the middle
of them. Do yourself a favor
and get on board this train.
Sam's tough, his life and
outlook are tough, but then
suddenly, once you're inside
the pages with him, you
discover that whole other
side. Like the
piano-playing. Or Dad.
Things can get nice, soft,
even desperate and loving,
before you know it. Can't
wait to see what he does, or
what happens to him, next.
This is an amazing debut
from a rising mystery star.
Silenced Cry had me
hooked from the first page.
Night after night I was up
until the early hours of the
morning; I simply couldn’t
put this book down. The
story was well paced, the
characters believable, (I
absolutely loved Detective
Sam Harper!) the scenarios
life-like, and everything
was tied up nicely.
It was a very enjoyable
read, and I was surprised to
learn this was a debut
book. As a romantic
suspense writer, I’m a very
critical reader, as an
editor for a small press
publisher, I’m even more
critical. Marta Stephens’s
book allowed me to simply
sit back and enjoy the read.
Well done, Marta! I now wait
in anticipation of
The Devil Can Wait.
Intriguing characters;
complicated & provocative
plot by Ann W.
Barks (Louisiana)
If you had asked Detective
Sam Harper who he could
trust to always tell him the
truth and always be men he'd
want by his side when times
were tough, it'd be his
father, his partner and his
boss. But after his partner
is shot on duty, the first
new case Harper's assigned
leads inexorably to a
horrible scenario: could
these three men have been
lying to Harper for years?
Are they now suspects in the
case of a baby whose body is
found where it was entombed
years earlier?
The debut novel by Marta
Stephens "Silenced Cry" is a
well-plotted, complicated
mystery peopled with
characters who are solidly
etched and equally
complicated. Before long,
we'll have the second Sam
Harper mystery. I'm looking
forward to it because this
novel has made me a fan of
this interesting character.
Sam Harper is a cop who has
no problem with a bit of
brute force. He's also a cop
who remains troubled by the
images of the dead baby,
especially when he learns
from the coroner just how
savage her death was. Above
all, he's a cop for the
right reasons: because he
believes in the oath of
office he took to protect
and serve.
His personal life is not so
neat. He has a great
relationship with his
father, a retired cop who
has always been his hero yet
both men are estranged from
Sam's brother who blames
them for not finding the
drunk driver who killed
their mother. His love
life's not so great either –
his fiancé can barely hide
her contempt for Sam's grief
over the loss of his
partner. Plus, she's
cheating on him and he knows
it.
Where he shines is his work.
He's honest, fearless and
committed. Sam's ability to
put a case together makes
him one of the best
detectives on the force,
which becomes quite a
concern to those he begins
to track down through the
twists and turns of his
investigation to find not
only the baby's killer but
the truth about his partner,
his father and his boss. In
the end, he is left to
question if there's anyone
he knows who he can really
trust.
Marta's ability to breathe
life into the characters we
meet makes this a novel that
brings you into the plot
once it gets racing because
you begin to care about the
people as much as solving
the mystery. And what a
mystery it is – it has so
many nuances that even when
you think you have figured
it out, she's able to
surprise you with elements
you'd almost forgotten she'd
raised earlier.
If you're looking for a
solid crime mystery that
will keep you guessing along
the way and also want to
read about some realistic,
intriguing people whom
you'll look forward to
meeting up with again in the
next novel this author has
coming out later this year,
I can heartily recommend
"Silenced Cry" by Marta
Stephens.
Silenced Cry: An outstanding
crime mystery Aaron Paul Lazar,
author of
LeGarde Mystery Series
for Midwest Book Reviews
Heads up, mystery lovers.
There's a new crime writer
in town, and her name is
Marta Stephens.
Stephens' debut novel,
Silenced Cry, is supremely
addictive, propelling
readers into the action from
page one and corkscrewing
through a wild ride of
corruption, abuse, and
villainy.
When
Detective Sam Harper's
partner, Frank Gillies, gets
a peculiar tip about a
drug-related suspect holed
up in a local bar, they
hurry to apprehend him. The
bust goes terribly wrong,
and in one heart-pounding
moment awash with bizarre
twists, the suspect and
Gillies end up dead in a
rain-soaked alley.
Riddled with guilt and
facing an increasing number
of unanswered questions
about Gillies' past, Sam
tries to move forward, but
becomes exasperated when
he's placed with a new
partner who hails from a
corrupt precinct. In spite
of their rocky start, Harper
and Mann learn to tolerate
each other. Their first case
calls them to a construction
site to investigate remains
found in a sealed up wall.
Horrified, they discover the
remains belong to that of a
baby girl - killed when she
was only days old.
The
cold case consumes Harper,
who digs into the past with
persistence and unparalleled
drive. Strange connections
with his and Gillies' past
pop up. Walt Harper, Sam's
father and an ex-cop
familiar with the suspects,
grows distant and secretive.
What
is Walt hiding from his son?
And could it possibly relate
to Sam's partner's death?
The answers lie embedded in
a complex maze that will
shock and satisfy the most
assiduous crime mystery
buff.
Stephens writes with a
consummate skill. She's
serious about her craft, and
it shows. Tight suspense,
perfectly chosen verbs,
natural and innovative
beats, and authentic dialog
propel this work to a level
far beyond those works
commonly found on the best
sellers list. Stephens'
writing soars with focused
intensity and her characters
are real - they hurt, they
fall in love, they suffer
angst and explode with
anger.
Stephen's second book in the
Sam Harper series promises
thrills and intrigue matched
only by Silenced Cry. This
reviewer will be first in
line for his
much-anticipated copy.
Review by
Richard Orey author
of
"The Paradise of Revenge"
The
dialogue of Silenced Cry
smacks of realism. If you're
a crime novel bug, this
reads like a great one!
SILENCED CRY by Marta Stephens: by
Jack Quick, Bookbitch
Review
Being a cop is a tough job. Being a
homicide detective is probably the
toughest job for a cop. Being a
homicide detective working for the
same force where your father was a
homicide detective, working under
some of the same people who worked
with him, well, that’s about as
tough as it gets. Detective Sam
Harper loses his narcotics partner
in a shootout and ends up in
homicide on cold cases. Then he is
called out on a decade-old child
homicide. His past--and the past of
his friends, family, and nemeses
quickly combine to turn this case
into the biggest case Harper has
ever known. First in a planned
series, lets hope those plans
materialize. Recommended.08/07
A New Force to Be Reckoned With A reviewer, an
avid mystery fan, (Barnes &
Noble)
Marta Stephens amazed me with
Silenced Cry, her first novel. I
felt knotted and twisted like a
pretzel as I tried to unravel her
tightly woven plot. Tremendous
action throughout. I fell in love
with Sam Harper and look forward to
many more thrilling crime
investigations with him driving home
the final justice. Stephens may be
the new kid on the block, but she's
a force to be reckoned with!
Silenced Cry: A Terrific Read(Amazon.CA)
by
Meg Westley, Sratford, Ontario,
A
fiction writer and avid reader
Silenced Cry is a terrific detective
novel: easy to read, fast-paced and
intriguing in unexpected ways. Marta
Stephens has created a complex and
varied cast of characters whose
relationship dynamics form a large
part of the novel's appeal. Although
I'm no expert in the area, her
depiction of the stresses of police
work - the politics and frustrations
- rings absolutely true.
Sam Harper is a dedicated cop,
driven by the desire to see justice
done, but also by loyalty to his
dead partner. Through his struggle
to resolve two seemingly isolated
cases, Stephens reveals the dark
underbelly of both the police force
and those individuals who are
marginalized in urban American
cities. The plot is full of
fascinating twists and turns in
which past and present collide in a
chilling fashion. The finding of an
infant's corpse leads Harper to
other, far more unsettling
discoveries, and the reader is kept
on edge until the end.
It's a great read, and the
protagonist is both human and heroic
enough that I look forward to seeing
more of him. Stephens' writing is
crisp, evocative and always
engaging. It is hard to believe this
is her first novel. I'm sure it
won't be her last. Don't miss it!
Highly Recommended
(Barnes and Noble)
By Michael
Reed, FL, A
fiction writer and avid reader
In
her debut novel, Stephens has penned
a story tight as piano wire. Her
characters, featuring Detective Sam
Harper, are both palpable and
veiled, a regular who’s who of
likely suspects, revealed in earthy
dialog reminiscent of the best of
crime fiction. Silenced Cry held my
interest from the first gun shot,
past the first, second and third
plot twist into the clubhouse turn
and on, to an ending I hadn’t
anticipated. Pay attention to this
writer. She’s a natural in this
genre.
“Gillies and Sam Harper, two
narcotics cops of the Chandler
(Massachusetts) Police Department
have been partners for years but
their relationship is about to
endure the unimaginable. On Gillies'
advice, they pursue a dope peddler;
Gillies is shot and another criminal
dies. But Harper is tortured with a
million questions about that night
and Gillies' death, exacerbated by
his superior removing him from the
case and transferring him to another
department. Who's behind the
transfer and who wants this event
hushed up forever?
Harper begins working with Mann, a
cop assigned to be Harper's partner,
a cop from a shady precinct riddled
with corruption. Add to that the
finding of an infant's remains
encased in a building in the process
of being demolished. On further
inquiry, as the suspects slowly
emerge, it seems the two events in
Harper's life are inextricably
linked in a way the reader will
never predict or imagine no matter
how intelligent he or she is.
Harper doubts Gillies' integrity and
other seemingly innocent citizens
are responsible, though they assert
their innocence. Crime always comes
back to the perpetrator as both the
rich and poor discover in finding
themselves backed into the corner of
investigation and truth-telling.
Marta Stephens is a master crime
novelist!!! She knows how to spin a
complex, credible, action-packed and
gripping story with plot, subplot
and more subplot. Every page
crackles with intrigue, questions,
and clues! This lady could easily
write for any TV crime drama and
hopefully will continue to keep
writing great and greater novels
like this superb crime novel!”
"...
details that are as
vivid as watching a
movie."
(US Amazon) By R. Grass,
Detective, Ball State University
Police Department
“Marta Stephens has hit the nail on
the head with Silenced Cry
and Detective Sam Harper. With his
partner’s death, one unforgettable
stormy night, Harper was left to
pick up the pieces of a puzzle he
knew nothing about. As the cloud
over Harper’s head continued to
grow, the passion Stephens projects
into his life, his career and the
unpredictable events that surrounded
his case, captured this normally
nonfictional reader’s attention with
pure amazement.
I started reading Silenced Cry
while on a flight to a conference
out of state. It was an easy read
and I found it hard not to pick up
during the evening hours while up to
my elbows in conference work. I
only would allow myself about a
chapter or two a night and couldn’t
wait for my return flight home to
see which direction Sam Harper and
this mystery were headed next.
Being a police detective with an
abnormal suspicious mind about
people, I was amazed how Stephens
pegged the personalities of Harper
and his fellow officers as well as
the way a criminal mind rationalizes
behavior. Stephens’ words are
brought to life with the details
that are as vivid as watching a
movie. Her descriptive crime scenes
come to life with such reality I
found it hard to believe I was
reading fiction. Definitely a must
read for police mystery
enthusiasts.”
"Local Author Marta
Stephens’ debut thriller is one you
won’t want to miss! Silenced Cry
is the first in a new series featuring
homicide detective Sam Harper, and it’s
full of suspense, witty dialogue,
intriguing sub-plots, and lots of
surprises.
Sam
Harper’s life changes when his partner
is murdered. He gets transferred from
Narcotics to Homicide, where he becomes
obsessed with a cold case involving a
toddler’s murder. As he delves in,
Harper realizes the case holds many more
secrets than the surface reveals.
Silenced Cry
is an intense, fast-paced read that you
will quickly devour."
"Silenced Cry is a
convoluted and complex story that
demonstrates a vivid imaginative gift on
the part of author Marta Stephens.
It is common to speak of a mystery as
being complex and possessing numerous
plot twists and turns; but rare to find
a novel quite as complex as this one.
This reviewer has read mysteries since
childhood, and even I was hard-pressed
to guess the villainous identities, and
found it impossible to predict the turns
this roller-coaster story would take.
Truly, Marta Stephens delivers a
winner of high promise in Silenced
Cry, a story whose truths will
linger long in the mind."
Gotta Writer
Network.com
by
Jennifer Fisch-Ferguson
"Sam Harper's life collapsed around him the
night his partner was shot. They were only
supposed to be meeting with the guy who
would give them the break they needed on
their case. To make matters even worse Sam
was transferred into a new department, to
appease PR, and got a new partner - one from
a precinct known to be full of crooked cops.
Things start with a bang in homicide when
the bones of an infant are found in wall of
an apartment being ripped down. Everything
Sam thought he knew is thrown into a blender
and tossed back out in a dizzying array of
corruption, bribes and death for hire. Not
to mention it all seems to involve his
friends, family, enemies and their pasts.
All these together combine to turn this case
into so much more than a cold case and the
twisting end is more than Sam ever thought
possible.
Marta Stephens has done a masterful job of
intricately telling an easy to read story
that keeps the reader guessing from
character to character. This quick and easy
read will keep your attention with a wide
range of well written sub-plots and the easy
flow of words. Sam, as the lead, is wholly
believable and drags you right into his
world from the beginning. The book is full
of surprises, thrills and unseen corners
that it keeps the reader up way past bed
time to squeeze in the last few pages! There
is a bit of confusion with the heavy cast of
characters, and sometimes things are
revealed prematurely. The book got off to a
great start, but seemed to lose some of its
speed mid-way through, but this again is
because of the mass amount of characters,
that never really allow you to care for them
much more than Sam. Over all Marta Stephens
brings you fully into her world through her
novel that will keep you on the edge of your
seat as you eagerly turn the pages of this
excellent mystery."
Alternative-Read--Sassy Brit Review
(England)
By
Lucille P. Robinson
Detective
Sam Harper, after a temporary suspension,
returns to duty and learns he has been
removed from the case and even from the
Narcotics unit and put into the Homicide
division. He’s not happy. To make matters
worse, he’s also faced with a new partner.
Struggling with memories of his partner’s
death while working the last case, Sam
begins on the first of a series of cold
cases the Captain wants him to solve. No one
was more surprised than Sam when he finds
out the cold case involving the finding of
an infant skeleton is actually connected to
the case that haunts his every waking
moment. Operating with everything in his
power, Sam must barrel through every
opposition that pops up before him along
with a power-crazed Commissioner while
running any and every lead he can find in
order to solve the infant’s case. Sam is
positive that when he solves the infant’s
case, he will solve the case that got his
partner killed.
The first chapters did a great job of
setting the mood, tone, and background of
the story. Though Ms. Stephens uses many
characters, I had no difficulty focusing on
Sam Harper. He’s the one who pushes until
the cases are solved. He’s the one who has
to fight all the oppositions rising from
each of the other characters. Ms. Stephens
did a superb job of handling the various
characters and their stories and showing the
connections between them all. This book is a
fast read and held my attention from start
to finish. I’m looking forward to future Sam
Harper Crime Mysteries.
A Great Murder Mystery
(UK Amazon) by
Mrs. Mari P. Lyons, West Yorkshire GB
"Silenced Cry will keep the reader intrigued
from beginning to end and there aren't any
pages you will feel the need to skip because
every page is deeply involved with the
multifaceted plots.
If it's a first class murder mystery you're
after then Silenced Cry is the one for you.
The author has managed to breathe life into
every character; hate the baddies and love
the goodies and don't you just know that Sam
Harper is dishy! Scenes and dialogue are
extremely well written and draw the reader
further into the mysterious twists and
turns. An altogether visual read that fills
the imagination with pictures; as good as
going to the movies.
I read the early draft of this mystery but
reading it again as a published work was
equally as good and enthralling. I'm sure
that Sam Harper will gain many fans, as will
his creator, Marta Stephens, who has
promised more of him.”
More Twists than a Bag of Pretzels (US Amazon) --
Warlen Bassham, author of Always, and Two Forevers,
and Five Days, Bothwell, WA
"[In the interests of full disclosure, I
should reveal that I have read and critiqued
an early draft of this book when it was in
manuscript form, and am mentioned in the
book's acknowledgements. Nevertheless, in
this review I am determined to be as
objective as I can be under those
circumstances.]
Do you like jigsaw puzzles? Are you such
a fanatic that you sometimes turn all the
pieces over and solve the puzzle 'upside
down' with no sample picture to guide you?
If so, you'll love this book. Especially if
you are into Noir-type stories teeming with
seedy underworld characters, good
movie-script dialogue, and settings so
realistic you can smell them-- and wish you
hadn't.
Sam Harper is a Narcotics Detective.
Under very strange circumstances, his
partner, Gillies, is gunned down right in
front of his eyes. Sam's boss, Captain
Holloway, transfers Sam to the Homicide
Unit, seemingly to keep Sam from going on a
vendetta against the drug pusher who shot
Gillies. But not all is as it seems. In
fact, almost nothing is as it seems. And
thereby hangs this convoluted tale.
Sam's first Homicide case involves the
very old corpse of a tiny baby which comes
to light, buried in a wall, when a building
is being demolished. [Hence the book's title
and the haunting cover photo.] He spends
hours of overtime, and more energy than he
can afford, trying to solve this 'cold'
case. Along the way, he argues with his dad,
breaks up with his girlfriend, fights
another (but incompetent) cop, and, much
against his will, breaks in a new partner to
replace the one who died.
There are thus a multitude of sub-plots,
but they never get in the way of Sam's twin
obsessions-- to solve the baby's murder and
to get even with the guy who killed Sam's
partner.
It will come as no surprise to the astute
reader, and is therefore not a Spoiler, that
the two apparently unrelated cases are in
fact as related as two cases could ever get.
Sam Harper is lovingly drawn, with great
detail, by this artist of an author. Every
character, even the most minor, gets plenty
of matching attention. Everyone comes to
life, even if you sometimes find yourself
wishing that the most heinous ones would
meet their doom sooner rather than later.
(But that would spoil the story!)
Another great strength of this volume is
the author's 'ear' for clever yet realistic
dialogue. My favorite exchange is this one,
between a really nasty bad guy and the
protagonist:
"I know my rights."
"You should. Somebody's been reading them to
you since you were twelve."
One last strong point to mention: Some
'cheater' type readers like to look at the
last page first, to find out who the villain
is before starting the book. That won't work
in this case. We find out who the 'bad guy'
is approximately fifty pages before the end.
And yet Stephens manages to keep the
surprises coming unabated right on up into
the last chapter. And there's nothing on the
last page that can give anything away--
unless you've read the rest of the book!
The author has promised that this book is
the first of a series.
I can hardly wait for the next
installment."
Exciting plot worth your time by Nicole M. Boals,
Armchair Interviews
Armchair Interviews
says: The novel is a fast-paced,
exciting read.
If
you are looking for a novel ripe with twists
and turns and intricate interweaving of
plots, Silenced
Cry by Marta Stephens is a novel
for you. This is a classic detective story
that is detailed, intricate, and full of
surprises.
Silenced Cry starts out with
a bang. Detective Sam Harper is a hot shot
narcotics detective whose life is
permanently altered the night his partner is
killed by someone who is supposed to bring
them a break in a major case. To control a
potential public relations nightmare, the
force transfers Harper to a homicide unit
where he quickly gets involved in a
decade-old child homicide.
Though
initially frustrated by his assignment to a
cold case, Harper quickly realizes that this
case is much more than anyone originally
thought. The investigation brings up his
past--and the past of his friends, family,
and nemeses quickly combine to turn this
case into so much more than a cold case
involving a nameless infant.
This quick
and easy read will keep your attention
throughout every page. With a wide range of
characters and sub-plots, the novel is
exciting and interesting.
My one complaint would be an almost
overabundance of essential characters. With
so many people to potentially care about, no
one is developed enough that you can
associate with them on a deep level. This
leads to a bit of confusion as well as a
desire for more information.
Marta
Stephens is able to weave several intricate
stories into one cohesive novel that will
keep you on the edge of your seat."
"Silenced Cry
leads you by the hairs on the back of your
neck through a chilling case, fraught with
twists and long-buried secrets, and finishes
you off with a sucker-punch to the gut.
Stephens' debut novel is a strong start to a
series worth watching. More Detective Sam
Harper, please!"
-- S. W. Vaughn, Author of
Broken Angel,
NY
"... Talented
author Marta Stephens opens a door into the
darker side of society and human nature that
will make the reader consider how much life is
wasted here, how much hope is lost. You'll
wonder that anyone survives in this world.Sit
in with interviews of witnesses and learn the
story of the lost baby. You'll want to cry. A
tale that could be taken from the news, this is
a book you will remember and look for other
tales by this creative author. A realistic cast
of characters lead us step by step into the
past, into the darkness of the human soul. The
twisting trail has a surprise at the end for the
reader. Enjoy. I did."
-- Anne K. Edwards,
Author of Death on
Delivery
"Detective Sam Harper is
one mean SOB. Marta Stephen’s newest novel
Silenced Cry introduces the world to Sam
Harper, narcotics detective and his partner
Gillies. The death of his partner sets Harper on
a cold case file of a murdered infant. The cold
case opens up lines of deceit to the top of the
force and city hall. Murders, rape and
fratricide all lead to one exciting conclusion.
Readers of Sue
Grafton and
James Patterson, have a new cop to add to
their bookshelves. Fast paced and full of more
twists and turns than a new rollercoaster… I now
have a new favorite ride."
--Jake
George, Senior Editor, Virtual Tales. Author of
Grandfather’s Song
and A New Dawn,
FL
