Book Review: The Silent Woman | Minka Kent

I needed a quick and easy audiobook listen while I had some driving and chores to get done so Carrie agreed to do a buddy read with me. We picked The Silent Woman because I’ve read Minka Kent before and I find her books bingeable and typically satisfying. There wasn’t anything groundbreaking in this thriller but it is easy to get into and the main character is likable, rational, and proactive (which honestly now that I mention it can be a rarity in this genre!).

The Characters

Jade Westmore is biographer who recently married Wells Westmore and moved into his ancestral home Westhaven in California. Wells is the grandson of Viviette Westmore, a famous actress from the mid-1900s who has since passed away. They met when Jade is contracted to write Viviette’s biography.

Wells is the son to Mary Claire Westmore who never quite took to being a mother. As an infant, Mary Claire handed parental rights to her own mother Viviette, who raised Wells in Westhaven. We know little about Wells’ father.

Sylvie is Wells’ first wife. She was a well-known and beautiful philanthropist before her accident. She is now mute and doctors are unsure of her cognitive functioning.

Portia is the nextdoor neighbor who befriends Jade. Portia’s son Olly (from a different marriage) lives with her and her husband Lee Soldano is who openly cheating on Portia. Portia and Lee have an infant together Lily. Portia is Lee’s fourth wife and they met when she was a waitress trying to support her son as a single mother kicked out of her home.

The Plot

Jade Westmore has recently married Wells Westmore, the grandson to the famous late actress Viviette Westmore. Wells is looking for a biographer to write his grandmother’s memoir, and hadn’t found the right person until he happened upon Jade’s work in an airport bookstore and had his agent contact her. It was love at first date, and the two wed not long after.

However magical it seems for Jade to get to live in the ancestral home of this amazing actress with her thoughtful husband, their marriage has a shadow over it in the form of Wells’ first wife, Sylvie. Three years ago Wells discovered Sylvie face down in their pool with a wound on her head. While they were able to save her, Sylvie has been mute ever since. Now, though Wells divorced her, he keeps her with round the clock care in the guest home. ‘Til death do us part, and all!

Now Jade leaves Sylvie to her care per Wells instructions. Until one day when Wells is out of town, Sylvie’s nurse has to leave suddenly. Jade agrees to help with her breakfast and medication until the replacement shows up, but it is clear her presence disturbs Sylvie when Sylvie notices her engagement ring. Jade feels awful about upsetting her. Just as she is preparing to leave, Sylvie suddenly grabs a pen and paper and scribbles three letters—R-U-N.

Is it possible Sylvie is more with it than the doctors and Wells led her to believe? Jade is determined to help Sylvie and find out what she was trying to say no matter what the consequences…

My Thoughts

This was an easy read. The twists are a bit predictable but not necessarily in a bad way. I loved the nextdoor neighbor Portia—she is such a classic wealthy LA suburb type, talking about her plastic surgery and all of the neighborhood gossip. Jade is likable and takes Sylvie’s warning seriously. She handles the information pragmatically without dismissing it, and keeps the note to herself until she can find a way to communicate more with Sylvie.

We are kept guessing about what exactly happened to Sylvie and how aware she is. At times she seemed to understand what was happening and wanted to communicate, and at other times she seemed completely out of it. Mary Claire is another interesting figure in the story. From what Jade heard from Wells, Mary Claire can be quite cold and dismissive of him and his relationships, but Mary Claire warms to Jade easily. I definitely wondered, though, if Jade should trust Mary Claire. This was a woman who gave up her son. I couldn’t quite figure her out.

There were several different ways this could have unfolded and I did enjoy not knowing who was going to be behind everything. Overall a quick and breezy thriller that had a great audio narrator and a bingeable story!