Silent Echo
- Judith D Collins
- Jun 20
- 5 min read
A Novella
By: Liv Constantine
Narrator: Suzanne Elise Freeman
Podium Audio
ISBN: 978-1039479289
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Publication Date: 06/10/2025
Format: e-book/audio
My Rating: 5 Stars
A grieving mother gets the shock of her life in this propulsive thriller from the bestselling author of Reese's Book Club pick The Last Mrs. Parrish.
No parent should ever have to face the loss of their child . . .
A year after the tragic death of her four-year-old son, Charlotte Fleming is sleepwalking through life, trapped in a spiral of devastating grief. Then, she sees something online that jolts her awake: her son, Sebastion, alive and well . . . in a stranger's social media post.
Charlotte desperately wants to believe that what she sees is real, that her son is out there somewhere waiting to be brought home. After all, Sebastion's body was never recovered from the accident that supposedly killed him. But what horrific circumstances could have led him to another child's birthday party halfway across the country?
Frantic to find out the truth, Charlotte obsessively looks for any indication the accident that took her son from her was not what it seemed. As she bypasses the police and uncovers red flag after red flag, she starts to suspect that something—or someone—nefarious is at play.
Charlotte's relationships with her husband and preteen daughter were already hanging by a thread, and now it's starting to feel like her sanity is too. But someone has abducted her son; she knows it. And she'll stop at nothing to get him back.
My Review
Liv Constantine (favorite author) delivers a twisty, intriguing novella, SILENT ECHO, full of mystery and suspense, about a grieving mother who has lost her son; however, seeing a photo of a boy who looks like him on social media sends her on an unstoppable journey to find her son and no one will stop her.
About...
Every parent's worst nightmare. The loss of a child.
It has been almost a year since the tragic accident of Charlotte's four-year-old son, Sebastion. Her teen daughter, Harper and her husband, Eli, do not understand her grief and guilt. She refuses to change anything in his room, a poignant reflection of her enduring love and the loss that has left her heartbroken.
She has played out that horrific day in her mind hundreds of times, wondering how it could have gone differently. The what-ifs. A busy morning, trying to get out the door.
It was a school trip, a bus, and an accident on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. No survivors. Her son is gone. But his body was never recovered. He had a stomach ache that morning. What if she had kept him home even though she had work?
However, when she sees a social media post with a photo of a little boy who looks like her son Sebastian, she knows her son is alive in her heart, and she desperately has to find him, no matter what.
Could he possibly be alive?
Going over the events of the day, she wants the investigation reopened and puts on her sleuthing hat, and she will find her son her way and bring him home. Her husband is not as sure as she is, and there is the insurance policy and other secrets, but nothing can stop her.
His body was never recovered, and why would he be at another child's birthday party, cross-country?
Charlotte is obsessed, persistent, and determined to find out what is going on, and she will not rest until she finds her son. Who abducted her son? What happened that day? Was there someone else on the bus who took him, or did someone find him? She cannot wrap her mind around this.
My thoughts...
CAPTIVATING!
This could be a true crime story, which makes it all the more disturbing. Like something you would hear on a crime podcast or TV show. Why, how, and where? Rewinding to the events leading up to the accident.
Whether a full-length novel or a novella, you can count on the author to deliver a creative, sinister, scandalous twisty tale of secrets, marriage, family, and those troubled connected souls who are out to destroy from jealousy, mental health, childhood trauma, and other sinister obsessions with no thought to morals, right or wrong.
The author's captivating writing style keeps you on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the next twist.
When it comes to a child, watch out for the mama bear. She will put her safety at risk for the good of her child. There is always someone out there ready to steal your happiness, and I loved the twist.
School buses, young children, and a scary bridge create an atmospheric, chilling setting with all the sinister, evil vibes. I have always had a fear of bridges, and Florida has many of them (I have to cross daily). The author's vivid descriptions and twisty plot evoke intense emotional responses, drawing you in and keeping you glued to the pages.
Even the best-laid devious plans go wrong, and secrets are revealed in this jam-packed, suspenseful novella that will keep you turning or listening in one sitting.
Highly recommend the e-book and the audio narrated by Suzanne Elise Freeman (who has also narrated the Mrs. Parrish series), delivering a highly entertaining performance that brings the story to life.
A little gem!
I enjoyed SILENT ECHO, and it would have also made a great full-length novel. I purchased the e-book and audio.—It may have been short, but searing—from the queen of domestic/psychological thrillers.
Audio: 3 hrs 21 min
e-book: 127 pages
Be sure and check out her latest novel, DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES. The title itself is a warning, a command, and a mystery. 5 Star fabulous!
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: June 10, 2025
Praise
“A taut, gut-wrenching thriller about obsession, buried secrets, and the voice that won’t let go. Because, sometimes, the dead don’t stay silent.” —Carter Wilson, USA Today–bestselling author of Tell Me What You Did
Praise for Liv Constantine
“Liv Constantine always delivers a twisty and addictive thriller like no other.”
—Jeneva Rose, New York Times–bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here, on Don’t Open Your Eyes
“Liv Constantine raises the bar high.”
—Mary Kubica, New York Times–bestselling author of The Other Mrs. and The Good Girl, on The Last Time I Saw You
“Constantine delivers psychological suspense that mesmerizes until the last page.”
—Lisa Unger, New York Times–bestselling author of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 and The New Couple in 5B, on The Wife Stalker
“Liv Constantine proves to be a master of domestic malice.”
—Riley Sager, New York Times–bestselling author of The House Across the Lake and Survive the Night, on The Senator’s Wife
About the Author
Liv Constantine is the pen name of sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Lynne and Valerie are New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today international bestselling authors with over two million copies sold worldwide. They are Library Reads Hall of Fame authors. Their books have been translated into 29 languages, are available in 34 countries, and are in development for both television and film. Their books have been praised by The Washington Post, USA Today, The Sunday Times, People Magazine, and Good Morning America, among many others. Their debut novel, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH, is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection. WEBSITE
