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mandylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
I have only ever read one other book by Luca Veste but when I read the blurb for The Six I knew I had to read it. I was expecting a lot from this book and it absolutely delivered. I read this book quickly, although at times it scared the crap out of me. I was hooked on the story and had no idea where it was going to go. It is cleverly written and so creepy you will want to read this with the lights on. I love it when the ending of a story shocks me and the ending of The Six came completely out of left field and had me stunned!
A group of friends decide to have a weekend away before real life of babies and weddings start. They head off to a field where they attend a 90's music festival - a complete blast from the past for them all. In the middle of one of the nights something really bad happens and they decide to hide it and not talk about it again. But can it really be that easy? A year later and their friendships are strained, relationships have broken down. And then one of them is dead. Somebody outside of their group knows the truth and is out for them all.
A great book that I absolutely recommend for readers and lovers of crime and creepy stories. Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
A group of friends decide to have a weekend away before real life of babies and weddings start. They head off to a field where they attend a 90's music festival - a complete blast from the past for them all. In the middle of one of the nights something really bad happens and they decide to hide it and not talk about it again. But can it really be that easy? A year later and their friendships are strained, relationships have broken down. And then one of them is dead. Somebody outside of their group knows the truth and is out for them all.
A great book that I absolutely recommend for readers and lovers of crime and creepy stories. Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
yvo_about_books's review
4.0
Finished reading: July 18th 2020
"The world felt like a nightmare. Lucid and tangible, but not real. It couldn't be. This wasn't happening."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
The Silence was originally published as The Six last year, and I've been wanting to read it ever since I first read the blurb and saw the first reviews. I always love a good serial killer thriller and the blurb does a fantastic job of drawing me right in as well... I've been meaning to read it for a long time now, and I thought that requesting an ARC would be the perfect guarantee that I would read it as soon as possible. I'm definitely glad I did, because there is no doubt that The Silence is a scorcher.
Told from Matt's POV throughout, one of the six friends who star the show of this story, you will slowly learn more about the past, present and the characters themselves. We get murder, we get a cover up, we get that 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' vibe, we get a serial killer, we get killer plot twists, we get that ominous feel... And plenty of action and intrigue to top that off. What an ace recipe for a successful thriller! Matt's flashbacks are used to show us more of the dynamics between the members of the group of friends while also giving hints about what might go on in the present. Looking back, you could potentially deduct the truth from those hints, but guess what?! I most definitely didn't! The final developments and plot twists came as a complete shocker indeed.
The plot itself is brilliantly constructed. You first learn about what happened at the festival, which is shocking enough on its own of course. Imagine that happening to you and your friends! The story then fast forwards to one year after the event, where most of the plot takes place. With that 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' vibe, strange things start happening and characters who already seem to be falling apart will start to lose it completely. Danger, death, guilt, foreboding... How would they ever be able to get out of this mess? Matt and the rest struggle to discover the truth and who is behind it all, realizing they didn't get away with it after all... Flashbacks are used to explain the dynamics between the members of the group as well as to reveal facts about certain characters along the way. The hints are perfectly designed to mislead you and send you on the wrong track, or at least that was what happened to me; I most definitely never saw that ending coming.
This was my first time reading one of Luca Veste's books, and it definitely won't be my last as The Silence made me an instant fan of his writing. Engaging, suspenseful and intense: this story had me in its claws and I wasn't released until I reached that final page. This was without doubt a highly successful serial killer thriller and I will be looking forward to read more of his work in the future.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
It's the first book I read by this author and it was an excellent and gripping read that kept on the edge till the last twist.
The mystery is solid, the plot is well crafted and the cast of characters are well thought even if they're not always likeable.
It was an entertaining read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
The mystery is solid, the plot is well crafted and the cast of characters are well thought even if they're not always likeable.
It was an entertaining read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
cassies_books_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
What was supposed to be a fun night reminiscing about their childhood and jamming out to 90’s music and camping turns into a nightmare for six friends, Matt, Alexandra, Chris, Nicola, Stuart and Michelle. Woken in the middle of the night by the screams from one of their friends, they run into the woods to find Stuart being attacked by a man with a machete , they fight back and kill the stranger. Instead of calling the police they bury the body. No sooner after they bury the body they discover the person they killed was a serial killer known as The Candle Man. A notorious killer who leaves his trademark red-candle burning at his victims homes. They make a pact to keep what they did a secret. Fast forward a year later and still dealing with what they did, and each of them dealing with their actions differently Matt is hardly sleeping and his relationship with Alexandra has ended. Stuart and Michelle have also ended their relationship but somehow Chris and Michele were able to move forward. When Stuart is found dead on train tracks and it’s labeled a suicide, Matt believes there was more to it than just suicide. When he discovers a red candle at Stuart’s apartment, his worst fears are happening The Candle Man had a partner and it appears they know what this group of friends did. When Michelle receives a candle Matt knows he needs to stop the killer before the rest of them become targets. ThE book is told by Matt as the narrator and i loved it! It goes back and forth from the beginning of how the group became friends and now trying to figure out The Candle Man mystery! It reminded me a bit of I know what you did last summer! Four stars!
ljwrites85's review against another edition
4.0
So I’m ashamed to say that this is my first Luca Veste novel. Next year I am definitely going to be picking up some more of his books!
Six friends go to a 90’s music festival as a last hurrah to their youth but something goes wrong and somebody dies. They make a pact to never speak of it again but a year later, the killings start again...
This is a well written psychological thriller, with good twists and turns and oodles of suspense. At times it was quite scary too!
The story told from Matt’s first person perspective, which gets you really up close and personal with the events through the novel, it almost feels like you’re there with him yourself. There was also a nice mix of characters, not all that likeable, but entertaining all the same.
I enjoyed the little bits of local Liverpool lingo and humour scattered throughout and the smattering of 90’s music references too.
The Six is a tense and addictive psychological thriller that I just couldn’t get enough of.
Six friends go to a 90’s music festival as a last hurrah to their youth but something goes wrong and somebody dies. They make a pact to never speak of it again but a year later, the killings start again...
This is a well written psychological thriller, with good twists and turns and oodles of suspense. At times it was quite scary too!
The story told from Matt’s first person perspective, which gets you really up close and personal with the events through the novel, it almost feels like you’re there with him yourself. There was also a nice mix of characters, not all that likeable, but entertaining all the same.
I enjoyed the little bits of local Liverpool lingo and humour scattered throughout and the smattering of 90’s music references too.
The Six is a tense and addictive psychological thriller that I just couldn’t get enough of.
laurenabeth's review against another edition
4.0
Six friends (three couples) venture to a music festival, recapturing their youth and a fair bit of nostalgia. When they’re abruptly awoken in the night, a man ends up dead and the friends begin a tortured year of crippling guilt and dark secrets. What really happened that night? Who knows the truth?
This book was my September delivery from The Book Drop, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve been trying to add some thrillers and mysteries to my repertoire to break up some of the heavier literary fiction I’ve been reading, and this absolutely did the trick.
I consider a mystery well done when I think I’ve cracked the case and I end up being HORRIBLY WRONG. I called a few of the twists in advance, but I was totally mistaken when I thought I knew who the “bad guy” was.
This book gave off serious I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, and I don’t hate that. There’s one main narrator, and he switches between present day as the mystery unfolds and the distant past, where he explains how the six friends came to be inseparable. Most of the childhood stories are clues to give context and color to their present day actions, and even though I thought some of them were red herrings, they’re actually skillfully crafted anecdotes that expose a ton in hindsight.
Frustratingly, the book has a fair amount of typos and seemingly glaring editing gaffes, which is always so disruptive to read, but I was able to overlook the mistakes because the book was so gripping.
There’s love, comedy, action, and some super creepy crimes, all topped off with epic 90s music references. I can totally see myself picking up some more Luca Veste in the future, and I also can’t wait for my next delivery from The Book Drop.
This book was my September delivery from The Book Drop, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve been trying to add some thrillers and mysteries to my repertoire to break up some of the heavier literary fiction I’ve been reading, and this absolutely did the trick.
I consider a mystery well done when I think I’ve cracked the case and I end up being HORRIBLY WRONG. I called a few of the twists in advance, but I was totally mistaken when I thought I knew who the “bad guy” was.
This book gave off serious I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, and I don’t hate that. There’s one main narrator, and he switches between present day as the mystery unfolds and the distant past, where he explains how the six friends came to be inseparable. Most of the childhood stories are clues to give context and color to their present day actions, and even though I thought some of them were red herrings, they’re actually skillfully crafted anecdotes that expose a ton in hindsight.
Frustratingly, the book has a fair amount of typos and seemingly glaring editing gaffes, which is always so disruptive to read, but I was able to overlook the mistakes because the book was so gripping.
There’s love, comedy, action, and some super creepy crimes, all topped off with epic 90s music references. I can totally see myself picking up some more Luca Veste in the future, and I also can’t wait for my next delivery from The Book Drop.
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
Serial-killer story with a difference.
Growing up often means leaving childish dreams behind. When Matt and his friends head to a festival for one last weekend of fun before settling down, nobody could know just how these events would change them. When Stuart is attacked in the night, the group pitch in to help him. They end up killing a man. Who knows why they do what they do next, but they bury the body and vow never to tell anyone.
Unfortunately, their kill wasn’t the only one that night. As they leave the woods, they find another body. This one seems to have been killed by someone who knew what they were doing.
One year on we can see the guilt is affecting them. Their friendship has been altered and yet they seem to have got away with murder.
Then comes the twist.
A series of unlikely events is set in motion with the apparent suicide of Stuart. Those left behind are now convinced that someone must have seen them and wants revenge.
What follows defies belief. However, I was turning the pages quickly, desperate to watch the strands pull together. I was surprised by the reality of the situation, but there’s still something of a twist at the end.
Growing up often means leaving childish dreams behind. When Matt and his friends head to a festival for one last weekend of fun before settling down, nobody could know just how these events would change them. When Stuart is attacked in the night, the group pitch in to help him. They end up killing a man. Who knows why they do what they do next, but they bury the body and vow never to tell anyone.
Unfortunately, their kill wasn’t the only one that night. As they leave the woods, they find another body. This one seems to have been killed by someone who knew what they were doing.
One year on we can see the guilt is affecting them. Their friendship has been altered and yet they seem to have got away with murder.
Then comes the twist.
A series of unlikely events is set in motion with the apparent suicide of Stuart. Those left behind are now convinced that someone must have seen them and wants revenge.
What follows defies belief. However, I was turning the pages quickly, desperate to watch the strands pull together. I was surprised by the reality of the situation, but there’s still something of a twist at the end.
a_bookish_butterfly's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
Sometimes rage reading is the only way to get through a book.
Ordinarily, I would simply abandon ship. Although this was sinking from the start, I felt a sense of obligation toward it or, more accurately, toward my book club. After all, I am the one who pitched it as our thriller read.
I have so much regret.
I could be caustic for this review, as I have Post-It Notes galore to support my bitterness, but I know this is Luca Veste’s art. And I know there are others who loved the book. I’ve no desire to publicly insult anyone, so I’ll save my biting sarcasm for private vents, and I’ll do my best to highlight my complaints respectfully here.
Firstly, I must say that I did not care for the quality of the writing. While I found it grating from the start, I tried to stay open-minded. If the story managed to thrill me, perhaps the writing style could have been overlooked.
Unfortunately, this failed to meet those thriller expectations. We have a group of friends here who inadvertently kill a serial killer while trying to protect a member of the group, bury him and their secret, only to find the serial killer has resurfaced a year later. Is it possible that the man they killed wasn’t working alone? The premise holds promise of a propulsive, gasp-inducing narrative, but the story did not excite me at all. The biggest contributing factor is that this is heavily weighed down by filler. I think the book could have easily been two hundred pages shorter. Very little happens within each one hundred page span, outside of conversations laced with repetitiveness.
The book also contains some components that tend to be hard sells for me: Amatuer sleuthing and characters making foolish decisions to aid the narrative. I’m sure there are novels out there that have used these tropes that I’ve enjoyed. When other aspects really work for me, it’s easier to give a pass to the ones that don’t. In The Silence, I could not conjure anything but annoyance with these features.
Then, of course, the killer was kind enough to explain his actions to his next victim, as killers often do in books. This is another facet I despise in thrillers. Villain monologues feel like cheap methods to illustrate what the reader does not yet understand. There has to be a better way.
On the bright side, the actual killer was not my number one suspect, which was a relief, as I couldn’t have swallowed the ridiculousness of it all if that assumption had been correct. The killer was suspect number two on my Post It Note theories, so it wasn’t a complete shock, but still more surprising than what I’d mainly expected. I will give the author points for that.
There you have it. This book failed me completely. It will be interesting to see what my fellow book club members think of it, but I have time before we sit down to discuss it. I read it early so I could pass it along to my husband, who is also a member of the club. I cannot imagine him liking this, but he does not read as much fiction as I do, and he certainly doesn’t read as many thrillers, so perhaps he’ll find this refreshingly different. Who knows? We all see books differently and thank goodness for that.
Ordinarily, I would simply abandon ship. Although this was sinking from the start, I felt a sense of obligation toward it or, more accurately, toward my book club. After all, I am the one who pitched it as our thriller read.
I have so much regret.
I could be caustic for this review, as I have Post-It Notes galore to support my bitterness, but I know this is Luca Veste’s art. And I know there are others who loved the book. I’ve no desire to publicly insult anyone, so I’ll save my biting sarcasm for private vents, and I’ll do my best to highlight my complaints respectfully here.
Firstly, I must say that I did not care for the quality of the writing. While I found it grating from the start, I tried to stay open-minded. If the story managed to thrill me, perhaps the writing style could have been overlooked.
Unfortunately, this failed to meet those thriller expectations. We have a group of friends here who inadvertently kill a serial killer while trying to protect a member of the group, bury him and their secret, only to find the serial killer has resurfaced a year later. Is it possible that the man they killed wasn’t working alone? The premise holds promise of a propulsive, gasp-inducing narrative, but the story did not excite me at all. The biggest contributing factor is that this is heavily weighed down by filler. I think the book could have easily been two hundred pages shorter. Very little happens within each one hundred page span, outside of conversations laced with repetitiveness.
The book also contains some components that tend to be hard sells for me: Amatuer sleuthing and characters making foolish decisions to aid the narrative. I’m sure there are novels out there that have used these tropes that I’ve enjoyed. When other aspects really work for me, it’s easier to give a pass to the ones that don’t. In The Silence, I could not conjure anything but annoyance with these features.
Then, of course, the killer was kind enough to explain his actions to his next victim, as killers often do in books. This is another facet I despise in thrillers. Villain monologues feel like cheap methods to illustrate what the reader does not yet understand. There has to be a better way.
On the bright side, the actual killer was not my number one suspect, which was a relief, as I couldn’t have swallowed the ridiculousness of it all if that assumption had been correct. The killer was suspect number two on my Post It Note theories, so it wasn’t a complete shock, but still more surprising than what I’d mainly expected. I will give the author points for that.
There you have it. This book failed me completely. It will be interesting to see what my fellow book club members think of it, but I have time before we sit down to discuss it. I read it early so I could pass it along to my husband, who is also a member of the club. I cannot imagine him liking this, but he does not read as much fiction as I do, and he certainly doesn’t read as many thrillers, so perhaps he’ll find this refreshingly different. Who knows? We all see books differently and thank goodness for that.
booklove33's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0