Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #135706 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-24
• Released on: 2008-06-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780312373955
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Tim Wallace, the thirtysomething co-owner of a small construction company, is targeted for destruction by an unknown enemy who will go to any length to succeed—and for most of this fast-paced thriller, the reasons remain unclear. Suffice to say that they involve the nexus of politics, New Jersey style; a presidential nomination; vast sums of money; and the global war on terror. In addition to shadowy evildoers and expendable dupes, Tim is also the target of Novack, a bulldoglike New Jersey State Police detective whose every cop “instinct” tells him that Tim murdered his new wife. Don’t Tell a Soul is high-voltage entertainment from an author who plots and writes with the verve and wit of Elmore Leonard. Rosenfelt, author of the Andy Carpenter series (Play Dead, 2007), can sketch an engaging character in a couple of tight paragraphs. Novack, whose divorce has done wonders for his relationship with his ex, is a prime example. The dialogue is authentic New Jersey: quirky, funny, and laced with irony. So is the narrative. When a van loaded with high explosives levels part of a small town, even Homeland Security knows “there is no Afghanistan exit on the New Jersey Turnpike.” Plot twists and red herrings abound, and Rosenfelt ratchets up tension with the precision of a skilled auto mechanic wielding a torque wrench. --Thomas Gaughan

Review
A riveting thriller that should boost [Rosenfelt] to best-seller status.... The book deserves a wide audience. -- Library Journal (*starred review*)

High-voltage entertainment from an author who plots and writes with verve and wit. -- Booklist (*starred review*)

Stellar stand-alone... Rosenfelt keeps the plot hopping and popping as he reveals a complex frame-up of major proportions. -- Publishers Weekly (*starred review*)

Review

Customer Reviews

EngrossingThriller...
David Rosenfelt is a splendid author of crime fiction, but perhaps isn't yet well-known by the reading public. That is about to change. Mr. Rosenfelt is known for his Andy Carpenter series, the most recent of which was "Play Dead," which garnered a 5-star rating on Amazon (and is, inexplicably, out of print, awaiting a paperback version). These books successfully mix splendid drama with a great deal of gentle humor.

Now, this fine author has taken a break from Andy Carpenter to write a genuine thriller, "Don't Tell a Soul." The term "page-turner" has become shop-worn, so I won't use it here. Suffice it to say that nobody with a pulse will be able to put this book down. It contains a tightly-wound plot, interesting characters (both good and bad), and nail-biting developments, all of which provide for a very satisfying read. The book keeps the reader guessing about the true identity of the bad guys until the very end.

I am an avid reader of crime/thriller stories, as well as non-fiction (historical, biographies and such), but generally do not finish a book in less than a few days. But I began and finished "Don't Tell a Soul" within a period of 24 hours. (And, yes, like all of this author's books, there is a Golden Retriever in the story).

Congratulations to Mr. Rosenfelt on a masterful achievement.

RLB

"It's the little things that change your life."
David Rosenfelt made his reputation as the author of the amusing Andy Carpenter mysteries. This time around, he has written a stand-alone thriller, "Don't Tell a Soul." The protagonist is thirty-year old Tim Wallace, the owner of Wallace Industries, a small New Jersey construction company. One May afternoon, Tim and Maggie, who have been married for five months, go out on Tim's thirty-foot motorboat. Tragically, the boat suddenly explodes with Maggie on board. Tim miraculously survives but the police suspect him of orchestrating his wife's death. His life is about to become a nightmare.

Tim's nemesis is Detective Jonathon Novack, who is convinced that Maggie's death "was a cold-blooded murder." Tim willingly takes a lie-detector test and passes with flying colors. Even though Novack cannot find a credible motive for Tim wanting to harm the woman he adored, the detective stubbornly refuses to abandon his theory. To him, "this case would never get cold. He would work it whenever he could, probing it from every angle, until he could put away the [man] who literally blew his young wife out of the water."

"Don't Tell a Soul" is a page-turner that benefits from Rosenfelt's patented tongue-in-cheek humor. Tim is a low-key and appealing protagonist who decides to take matters into his own hands in order to clear his name. Novack is your typical hard-nosed cop who refuses to entertain the possibility that Tim may actually be telling the truth, even when the evidence points to Wallace's innocence. Unfortunately, the book's convoluted and far-fetched plot goes downhill as it reaches its melodramatic and formulaic conclusion. The inevitable confrontation between the good guys and the bad guys is neither believable nor suspenseful. Although Rosenfelt's novel lacks depth and the characters are strictly one-dimensional, it is entertaining enough for a day at the beach or to pass the time during a long airplane trip.

I Am Going To Tell Everyone
I am going to tell everyone. This is another winner from David Rosenfelt, who is definitely one of my favorite authors. I just finished DON'T TELL A SOUL, which I unabashedly read and finished despite the laundry and unmade beds. I am still unwinding from the tension, and I liked the characters. This is Rosenfelt's first (I believe) book out of the Andy Carpenter series. Hopefully, though, the author will not be let off the hook from his loyal readers who are anxiously awaiting another adventure from Andy Carpenter and his lovable friends, both canine and human.