Andrew Taylor’s A Stain on the Silence is closer to a psychological thriller than a fast action story, but I nonetheless found myself dragged rapidly through its pages.

James – the story’s narrator - is a normal bloke with a rocky marriage. As the story unfolds, a series of flashbacks to his childhood reveal how James’ relationship with Lily, his best-friend’s stepmother, developed with disastrous consequences. The death of a girl – we don’t learn who she is until later – hangs over the story like a growing storm cloud from the very opening page.

The present-day storyline with which the flashbacks are interspersed starts when Lily phones James from her hospice deathbed, the first time they’ve spoken since his childhood. When he subsequently visits, she reveals she has a daughter, conceived from their illicit love affair when he was sixteen. The girl is in difficulty, and Lily persuades James to help.

Trouble comes in the form of Lily’s stepson, the violent and somewhat deranged Carlo, who had been James’ best friend. Carlo wants possession of a large plot of land originally owned by his father, but Lily’s daughter stands in his way. As James fulfils his promise to help her, he is forced to confront, not only a vicious Carlo, but also the buried horrors of his own past.

Andrew Taylor is clearly a master story teller, with a great ability to draw the reader into the pages of his book and to hold us there to the final full stop. A highly enjoyable psychological thriller that is a great read, even if you normally prefer adrenalin-pumped suspense stories. ( )

When he was a teenager,James was involved with an older woman with whom he became obsessed. He was also a friend of this woman's son,who became violent and unpredictable. Twenty-four years later he learns that the woman is dying and the dangerous son is searching for him.
Not one of Andrew Taylor's better books and one which does not hold the readers attention.Moreover it ends abruptly in a somewhat unsatisfactory manner. ( )

A Stain on the Silence is a deliciously nasty piece of work in the spirit of Ruth Rendell’s psychological thrillers.

James, our early-middle-aged protagonist, seems to have things all settled: elegant wife, nice house, decent job – and some unfortunate little problems in his past all carefully swept under the rug. And then one day his phone rings, and it’s his own sordid past on the line.

It turns out that James’s teenage years were not a wasteland of zits and furtive looks at girlie mags: instead, he was getting it on with his school friend’s sexy stepmother. And now she’s dying, and she’s got a little news to pass along that explodes the order and peace James has achieved.

The story here rushes along in a blur of revelations, allegations, recollections and meetings between people who were glad to think they’d never need to see each other again. A claustrophobic, uncomfortable, desperate vibe dominates as events unfold, and lies are exposed to allow the truth to finally work its way out . . . .

This is not a great book, but it’s a fun alternative read for a mystery fan like me.

Recommended. ( )

I can always rely on Andrew Taylor to write me a good book. It was very enjoyable and elegantly written.I think this is one of his few modern day books - most of his others are set in the past. However, I really enjoyed it and he keeps you waiting right up to the end.A Stain of Silence is about a man whose past comes back to haunt him. As a young man, James had an affair with his best friend's mother which in the end produced a child - Kate. Twenty-four years later she come back into his life asking for help - she's suspected of murder.Taylor has a very beautiful way of writing. He is gentle, insightful and knows just how to give you a certain amount of information and then just pulls back a little - not quite saying everything but leaving you wanting to read more. I would describe Taylor as a very graceful writer - graceful, gentle, subtle and beautiful. You feel the words rather then read them. I would say his characters are not so well developed as they have been in his previous books and the story far more plot based - but considering this is Andrew Taylor he is still on top form!I love it when you can get into a good book like this and also be able to enjoy the writing for what it is. All in all, I will just say that I love this author and would read anything he comes out with. ( )

I found this a bit more obvious and less engaging than some of Taylor's other books. Still a good read mind, just not my favourite. ( )