On a normal Wednesday afternoon, Judge Scott Sampson is preparing to pick up his six-year-old twins for their weekly swim. His wife Alison texts him with a change of plan: she has to take them to the doctor instead. So Scott heads home early. But when Alison arrives back later, she is alone – no Sam, no Emma – and denies any knowledge of the text . . .
The phone then rings: an anonymous voice tells them that the Judge must do exactly what he is told in an upcoming drug case and, most importantly, they must ‘say nothing’.
So begins this powerful, tense breakout thriller about a close-knit young family plunged into unimaginable horror. As a twisting game of cat and mouse ensues, they know that one false move could lose them their children for ever.
Hugely suspenseful – with its fascinating insight into the US judicial system and its politics of influence and nepotism – Say Nothing is, above all, the poignant story of the terror these parents face, and their stop-at-nothing compulsion to get their children back.
Regular visitors to this blog will recall me saying that I’m not the fastest reader around. And for a few months last year, I was struggling to concentrate on reading for long at all – 15 minutes or so, and my mind would wander. Luckily, I’ve had a really good run of books recently, and my concentration has improved. But this book had me reading at full pelt for as long as I could! It has 438 pages, and I think I read it in three sittings – only stopping when I absolutely had to, because I simply couldn’t put it down. I’m not, generally speaking, a massive fan of thrillers, mainly because so many of them involve average people developing superhuman skills, and all the action can end up a bit, well, wearisome and far-fetched. Not so in this one. It’s totally and utterly feasible, and all the more thrilling for it. Brad Parks has been fairly successful in the States, but this book marks his UK debut (and hopefully his earlier novels will end up being released here too, as I’m already a big fan – this guy can write!)
As the blurb explains, Judge Sampson’s 6-year-old twins are kidnapped, and by pretty tech-savvy people, as he receives a text to all appearances from his wife Alison. It tells him he’s not to pick up the kids and go swimming, as arranged, because she’d scheduled a doctor’s appointment for them and forgotten to tell him. All seems normal, then, until he gets home and they ask each other – “Where are the kids?” Clearly the kidnappers are watching the house because then the phone rings, the name of a drug case up for sentencing the next day is mentioned, and the couple are told to…”Say nothing.”
So it seems they’ve got one night of hell to get through – just about manageable, although the judge can’t possibly figure out how this just-above-street-level dealer can do this – financially, technologically, etc. But it soon becomes apparent Skavron’s case was just a test – and the real case must lie somewhere amongst the four hundred-odd up-and-coming on his docket.
So it’s still a nightmare in the Sampson household – and they obviously starts to wonder who’s behind it. Investigations at the school show the kids were picked up in the car Alison and their nanny use – or one identical, right down to the stickers. Alison is actually marked down as picking up the kids, albeit an Alison wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. This all makes the whole case even more terrifying, as it’s clear these people are smart, organised, know their routine, and have plenty of resources. Calling the authorities is not an option, as we already know they’re watching the property.
All this happens in the first 40-odd pages if the book, so no spoilers there, and it demonstrates the breakneck speed at which it goes. Judge Sampson starts to suspect everyone around him – his co-workers, and even, at one point, Alison herself, as he catches her out in a couple of details about where she’s been, and when. It reminded me a little of The Firm, and other early works by John Grisham, in the sheer sense of urgency pulsing through the pages. Harlan Coben sprang to mind too, although in my opinion this is a tighter, more unputdownable thriller than anything I’ve read by Coben, or Grisham, recently anyway. There’s also the emotional devastation which the family are going through, and, on top of all this, Judge Sampson has to go to work every day and go through the motions of acting normally. Those close to him in his workforce know something is up, but not what, as he’s sticking to the instruction to “say nothing,” as he truly has no idea who’s involved – certainly someone close to them has been feeding them information regarding their routine, so it isn’t safe to confide in anyone.
The conclusion is fantastic – absolutely heart-in-your-mouth stuff. I love a great courtroom drama (I haven’t read one for ages, but have a couple coming up soon, so look out for them if you’re a fan too.) This is a fantastic courtroom drama, combined with all the tension of a thriller, without any unbelievable antics – the Sampsons are just an average well-to-do family. If you’re in a reading slump, this book will definitely get you out of it. It deserves to be absolutely colossal, and if it gets the attention it deserves, expect to see it everywhere, and, if people can wait that long to read it, on lots of beaches this year (if they haven’t devoured it on the plane over!)
Don’t miss it!
My thanks to Faber & Faber for an early copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
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