The Price of Silence    by Camilla Trinchieri Order:  USA  Can Soho, 2008 (2007) Hardcover, Softcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Tim Davis Now available in paperback from Soho Press, a premier publisher of high quality mysteries, crime novels, and literary fiction, Camilla Trinchieri's The Price of Silence examines the remarkable background and the dramatic progress of a murder trial in which fifty-three year old Emma Perotti is on trial for killing An-Ling Huang. The background of the case is as follows: When Emma first met An-Ling, Emma was teaching English to immigrant students at the Welcome School in New York City; An-Ling appeared briefly at only one of Emma's classes, but then she mysteriously stopped attending. Remaining fascinated about the enigmatic young woman - apparently an art student and a Chinese immigrant - Emma did not see An-Ling until an accidental encounter with her sometime after the initial contact. Then, because of a curious set of circumstances, Emma and An-Ling went on to become close friends. As the complex and provocative relationship between Emma and An-Ling intensified, problems arose between Emma and her husband Tom and her teenage son Josh. What Tom and Josh gradually realized was that An-Ling had become something of a surrogate replacement for the infant daughter that Emma had lost more than a decade and a half previously. Eventually, Tom and Josh would discover something much more complicated and disturbing. Then, when the grotesquely murdered An-Ling was discovered, all the evidence pointed to Emma as the murderer. The Price of Silence - gripping and powerful as a tale of passion, sorrow, duplicity, guilt, and redemption - is a narrative told in alternating points of view: Emma's, Tom's, and Josh's. With the progress of Emma's murder trial unfolding throughout the novel, with flashback perspectives from the key characters, and with the truth about An-Ling being gradually revealed through her recovered e-mails, The Price of Silence gradually builds to a fierce crescendo within which unutterable obsessions, family tragedies, and intense secrets collide in a pulse-pounding conclusion. As a mystery, thriller, and psychological drama, Camilla Trinchieri's spell-binding novel is a first-class literary achievement. Don't miss it! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews