Critical Reviews

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.

Hate Fells the Innocent!
By Viviane Crystal, Crystal Reviews, NY
http://www.crystalreviews.com

“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.”

Muncie Public Library (Indiana)
http://munplblog.wordpress.com/tag/rantings-ravings-reviews/

"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."

Euro-Reviews (Netherland)
http://euroreviews.eu.funpic.de/bookdetails.php?book_id=1001

By Annie, GA

"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