Don’t Say a Word

In Don’t Say a Word, author Amber Lynn Natusch takes her readers back to Jasperville and the world of Kylene Danners they first met in Dare You to Lie. (www.cmreviews.ca/node/123 ) Ky’s father, a wrongfully accused FBI agent who has been framed for murder, is still in prison. To add to Ky’s distress, she receives an anonymous phone call telling her that the missing girls who have been labeled runaways by the local police are not runaways but, in fact, the victims of a vicious and merciless crime boss who is active in the town. A young FBI agent – Cedric Dawson – comes to investigate and goes undercover as Ky’s ex-boyfriend in order to gain some inside knowledge about the town and the teens and staff at the local high school. Although Ky is asked not to interfere, her personality and the circumstances which evolve mean that she is thrown directly into the investigation.

Ky Danners continues in her role as a feisty and tough young woman who takes on problematic issues with seemingly no fear of the consequences. She is something of a bad-ass teen who is outspoken and no-nonsense but who has a strong sense of personal justice. She realizes that the town sees the missing girls as ‘throwaways’ who aren’t really important to anyone, and she is determined to fight when they no longer can. Ky is determined that no other girls will meet a similar fate. She is a courageous woman who has the power of her convictions behind every move.

Ky’s friends – Garrett, Tabby and AJ – return in this novel, and their characters are consistent with the earlier book. Agent Dawson is now added to the mix, and there is an undercurrent of both tension and romance as ex-boyfriend AJ believes that the undercover agent is another ex of Ky’s who has come to Jasperville to rekindle their relationship.

Fans of the thriller and mystery genres will find Don’t Say a Word hard to put down as events build to a climax which both frightens and threatens Ky and puts her in real danger. There is a large cast of potential suspects, and, like Ky and Dawson, readers are kept guessing right to the end of the story as to the identity of the killer. Jasperville is a small town with a great many secrets, and Ky can never be completely sure who is worthy of her trust. Often she feels it is safer to keep things to herself during the investigation. She seems wary of giving information to the wrong person. As the cover of the book states, “Silence isn’t golden – it’s deadly.” Often it is better to simply not say a word, hence the title of the book.

The strongest theme in the novel is that of finding justice for those who have been mistreated. The first example of this is Ky’s father, and his story weaves through the novel as Ky struggles to understand who framed him and why. The dead girls also deserve justice. They came from the margins of town society and apparently are insignificant to most people. Ky knows that their economic and social status should not be barriers to their receiving the justice they rightfully deserve.

Don’t Say a Word is a novel which will keep readers on the edge of their seats as the suspense and danger build throughout the plot. And it appears Ky and Dawson haven’t finished, which is good news for fans who will anticipate another novel in the series. Ky must continue to work on her father’s case, and also the two need to find the AD, i.e. the mastermind behind the exploitation, trafficking and prostitution ring in Jasperville. The excitement and mystery to come will leave Natusch fans keen to see Ky again and watch her in action.