The Silent Woman by Minka Kent; a Literary Leftover Book Review

A psychological mystery thriller with characters who keep you guessing whether you can trust them or not. A former wife who can’t communicate is not a new plot idea, but this one is done right.

This is a standalone novel by Minka Kent. The novel is a psychological mystery thriller. Jade is writing a biography about her husband’s grandmother who was a star in the golden age of Hollywood. Her journals are not the only place hiding secrets.

The Silent Woman by Minka Kent

Literary Leftovers are book reviews and recommendations that do not contain recipes, but are books that I highly recommend.

The Silent Woman

by Minka Kent

Book Review

Book Outline and Tone:

If you liked Verity by Colleen Hoover, you will LOVE The Silent Woman. If you were disappointed in Verity (as I was), The Silent Woman is the novel you wished Verity was.

The Silent Woman starts with a premise that seems familiar. A woman in a relationship with a man who has an unresponsive wife. But that is where the comparisons with Verity end. Very early in the novel, Jade, the new wife who had been forbidden to see Sylvie so as not to disturb her, is forced into a situation where she has to go into the guest cottage where Sylvie is kept. Sylvie is well taken care of with round the clock nurses even though she lives in a noncommunicative state. When Sylvie sees the wedding ring on Jade’s finger, Sylvie manages to tear a scrap of paper and write “RUN” on it.

The novel not only focuses on the mystery of this note, but also on Jade’s career as writer. She is researching and writing about her now great-mother-in-law. Viviette is a Hollywood icon of the golden age. She was even once friends with Marilyn Monroe. Her life and secrets are going to make a fascinating biography.

The author: Minka Kent

Minka Kent is an independent author who has written several thrillers. One of her novels, Unmissing, was adapted for a Lifetime movie in 2024. Her books have been on bestseller lists for both the Kindle Store and the Washington Post. She has been nominated for an Audie and a Shirley Jackson award, both for the thriller genre.

Minka Kent posts updates about her books and interactive content both on her Facebook account and on Instagram. She has a Pinterest account, but she is not as active there, yet. You can see all of her books on Goodreads or her author website. She even has a newsletter that you can sign up for on her website.

What is not to like?:

I wish there was even more flashback information.

The verdict:

I liked this book way more than Verity. Give this one a try for a better debilitated wife story.

The book statistics:

The Silent Woman
by Minka Kent
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Setting: Brentwood, CA
Pages: 340 pages
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback, Audio Book
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Published by: I (September 27, 2022)
Information Sources: Amazon, Goodreads, and Author’s website

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