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The Silence Between Breaths Hardcover – September 22, 2016
Passengers boarding the 10.35 train from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston are bound for work, assignations, reunions, holidays or new starts, with no idea that their journey is about to be brutally curtailed.
Holly has just landed her dream job, which should make life a lot easier than it has been, and Jeff is heading for his first ever work interview after months of unemployment. They end up sitting next to each other. Onboard customer service assistant Naz dreams of better things as he collects rubbish from the passengers. And among the others travelling are Nick with his young family who are driving him crazy; pensioner Meg and her partner setting off on a walking holiday and facing an uncertain future; Caroline, run ragged by the competing demands of her stroppy teenage children and her demented mother; and Rhona, unhappy at work and desperate to get home to her small daughter. And in the middle of the carriage sits Saheel, carrying a deadly rucksack . . .
- Print length272 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherConstable
- Publication dateSeptember 22, 2016
- Dimensions9.29 x 1.06 x 6.69 inches
- ISBN-101472118006
- ISBN-13978-1472118004
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Editorial Reviews
Review
[A] powerful, thoughtful ensemble novel about a terror attack and its legacy ... Harrowing and humane. A real knockout―Ian Rankin
Paradoxically, it's their very ordinariness that gets you involved in the lives and concerns of a random group of train travellers, before the tension ramps up and a routine journey takes a shocking twist. You'll want to read it in one sitting―Sunday Times Crime Club
For her insistence on looking real life squarely in the face, I would call Staincliffe the most grown-up writer in British crime fiction . . . her novel is mercilessly exciting―Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph
Complex and satisfying―Sunday Times
Cath Staincliffe's writing is so utterly real - and virtually invisible - that the reader experiences the shocking as vividly as the ordinary.―Sarah Proctor, Myweekly.co.uk
Cath Staincliffe gets into the heads of ordinary people and makes them extraordinary. Her power is in the small detail that builds tension and forces us to care about the characters she's created. The Silence Between Breaths will haunt you. You will find yourself thinking: what would I have done in that situation?
Cath Staincliffe gets into the heads of ordinary people and makes them extraordinary. Her power is in the small detail that builds tension and forces us to care about the characters she's created. The Silence Between Breaths will haunt you. You will find yourself thinking: what would I have done in that situation?―Ann Cleeves
As harrowing as it is powerful―Sunday Mirror
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Constable (September 22, 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1472118006
- ISBN-13 : 978-1472118004
- Item Weight : 1.08 pounds
- Dimensions : 9.29 x 1.06 x 6.69 inches
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Cath Staincliffe is a best-selling novelist, radio playwright and the creator of ITV's hit series, BLUE MURDER. Her debut LOOKING FOR TROUBLE launched private eye Sal, a single parent juggling work and home, onto Manchester’s mean streets. It was short listed for the CWA’s New Blood Dagger and serialised on BBC Radio 4. Cath has published a further seven Sal Kilkenny mysteries.
THE LOST GIRLS OF ST ANN’S is a move away from crime. A family saga, rooted in Cath’s experience as an adoptee growing up in the 1960s, it captures the loss that remains for everyone at the heart of adoption. Cath’s own story, of being re-united with her Irish birth family and seven brothers and sisters, featured in the television documentary Finding Cath from RTE.
Cath’s radio work includes the three-part thriller, UNDERCOVER, where a police officer masquerades as a nanny to find out the truth about a missing woman, and LEGACY, featuring brother and sister heir hunters. Cath was a writer on Danny Brocklehurst’s detective drama STONE.
Cath’s stand-alone novels tell stories of ordinary families caught up in extraordinary events, giving a voice to victims, the bereaved, survivors and witnesses.
Cath has been short listed (three times) for the CWA Dagger in the Library, and twice for the Short Story Dagger. In 2012 Cath was joint winner of the Short Story Dagger. LETTERS TO MY DAUGHTER’S KILLER was selected for Specsavers Crime Thriller Book Club in 2014 and featured on ITV3’s Crime Thriller Club. Cath was a joint winner of the WGGB Best Radio Drama Award 2019 for STONE S7. RUNNING OUT OF ROAD was short-listed for the eDunnit best novel Award at CrimeFest 2022.
Cath is a founder member of Murder Squad, a virtual collective of northern crime writers. An avid reader, she likes hill-walking, messing about in the garden and dancing (with far more enthusiasm than grace).
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Top reviews from the United States
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This is a topical novel and utterly gripping. We hear of the stories of all of those on the coach and also of Saheel’s family and how the shocking, devastating news that their son, their brother, has been radicalised hits them and changes their life forever – as it will change the lives of so many of those we meet. The author has cleverly drawn a very realistic scenario here, in that not all of the characters are sympathetic; although some will certainly be heroic. So, there is Felicity, the line manager of the two women accompanying her on the train, who is effective at using ‘divide and rule,’ with her staff and has bullied Rhona to the point where she has agreed to the trip against her real wishes. Also there is the intolerant Nick; who snaps at his family and sneers at the other inhabitants of the carriage. Likewise, we also have the point of view of Saheel’s young sister, Kulsoom, who offers an important voice to the narrative.
It is hard to say that this is a novel I enjoyed, but I read it virtually in one sitting. It is impossible to not want to know what happens to those involved. As well as being an extremely relevant read, this would be an ideal choice for book groups as it throws up so many questions. What should you do if you are suspicious of someone you are travelling with? Or if you suspect that your child has been radicalised? Without doubt, this explores some extremely pertinent questions and the author unfolds the story with a good deal of tension and involves you in the lives of the characters that she makes come alive within these pages, so that you care who remains so at the end. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
So, we have a number of characters that are on board a train from Manchester to London. Each chapter is written from their POV, taking turns. They are an eclectic bunch with varying reasons for being on the train. Work, pleasure, holiday, interview, wedding etc etc.. And then we have a young man sitting with a backpack. He looks uneasy, a bit nervous, sweating even though it isn't all that hot. We learn a bit more about him from his sister, the only character not on the train, and shockingly, what his plans are.
The other reason I loved the book was that it was so credible. The storyline was actually within the realm of "it could actually happen". It definitely left me a little paranoid and alert as I happened to be travelling the same day I read it - by air, not by train - but it left me a little anxious anyway.
Characterisation was superb. Well, it had to be because in my opinion it was the characters and their interactions and development was instrumental to the success of the book. The actual story was slow, driven more by character than action (apart from the obvious, of course) and unfolded steadily. I really got drawn into all the characters' lives, even the ones I didn't really like - and there were a few of them!
Pacing was good, it was a slow opener as we were introduced to the players but, once I had them all straight in my head, the story flowed nicely, ramping up to the main event and then keeping the action high with the aftermath.
One of the things I also liked about this book was the handling of the sister and her family and what they went through after what her brother did. Have to say that I don't really think too much about the baddies' families and what happens to them and it is also not a hot topic to be discussed in most crime books but here the author does a great job of handling it. There are definitely some great discussion points that can be taken and I myself did have a good think about some things after I had finished.
All in all, a really good thriller which will suit people who love character driven books. I have already read a few books by this author, but a while ago. She is now firmly back on my radar.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Top reviews from other countries
I was invested in these characters, with all their quirks and flaws. They were so relatable and the inclusion of the effects on the terrorist’s own family was really clever and intelligent writing.
I couldn’t put this down, I read it in two sittings and I have a feeling that this is going to stay with me for a good while.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough and I’m looking forward to exploring more of this author’s work.
Probably a bit too short - the main event doesn't happen for 150 pages, which are all background on all the characters - but when it does, it really takes off. I thought it would be uplifting as well as incredibly sad, but it really wasn't. I suppose there can't really be anything uplifting about a terrorist attack and it is worth bearing this in mind before embarking on this and investing in the characters and relationships within. The only slight distraction from the harrowing tale was a smattering of amusing banter between the 2 young protagonists who'd met on the train and were in the process of flirting with each other.
But I'm now off to order the first book in Ms Staincliffe's detective series in the hope that it's a bit jollier. She really does write well.