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Quietus Book Review: Spine tingling thriller


One weekend, I found that I had money to blow after paying all my bills. Instead of saving it like any sensible person would, I drove to Hastings, a book store in Dyersburg. I was wandering aimlessly through the aisles when the book Quietus caught my eye. I bought it and tried to think of a day when I would actually have time to read it. Thanks to two slow days at work and a great story line full of twists and turns, I read this 596 page book over one weekend.

Quietus, written by Vivian Shilling, is a suspenseful book following the life of Kylie O’Rouke. When Kylie, her husband Jack, and her best friend Amelia survive a devastating plane crash in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a man begins to appear around Kylie that she vaguely recognizes. After a stop at the local police department, she finds out the man that only she can see is Julius Vanderpoel. Vanderpoel was executed 20 years before for the murder of Kylie’s grade school teacher. Kylie witnessed the murder but had repressed memory of the incident until the plane crash triggers a floor of memories to come rushing back.

After a series of events, everyone Kylie loves is ripped from her life by a sickening twist of fate. Realizing that she’s next, Kylie does everything in her power to learn about and stop this angel of death from her past.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer said, “Schilling has crafted a complex and creepy thriller; an Anne Rice novel without the gothic trappings.”

Quietus is a great book that takes you deep into the mind of a woman who thinks that her death is quickly approaching. Some people might not like books that deal with death or angels of death, but if you’re looking for a great mystery/thriller book to read you should pick this one up.