A Dream Within A Dream: The Sound of Rain Blog Tour: Playlist, Review + Giveaway

The Sound of Rain

Author: Gregg Olsen
Release Date: December 13, 2016
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Paperback; 348 pages

Description:

Former homicide detective Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase—whose murder case ended her career.

As Nicole obsesses over the old facts, she realizes everything about that case felt off: a disinterested mom, a suicidal pedophile, and too many questions left unanswered. When the little girl’s grieving father begs Nicole for help, she’s drawn back into the investigation…and given one shot at redemption.

But the deeper Nicole digs, the more evil she uncovers, including betrayals that hit painfully close to home. Will a shocking discovery be the key to finally getting justice for Kelsey and resurrecting her own life?

QUOTES:

“A few days after I screwed a stranger and lost all the money I had, I find myself in front of this kind, patient woman, and I’m so angry that I’d like to pull that unicorn from her neck and stab myself with it.”

“Stacy attacks me with that look she really ought to patent. It’s a combination of pity and disdain, with just a dash of anger. The anger is only a dash, because Stacy likes to hurt me in small doses. Ridicule by a thousand paper cuts.”

You can purchase The Sound of Rain at the following Retailers:

Not sure how many you wanted. Kelly’s song is my current obsession. Pink’s is my all time favorite song. I included the others because they are about loss, break up and they fit the narrative on so many levels.

It’s Quiet Uptown (Kelly Clarkson)

Hello (Adele)

Sorry (Justin Beiber)

Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye)

Young and Beautiful (Lana Del Rey)

Please Don’t Leave Me (Pink)

Highway Don’t Care (Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban)

The Sound of Rain is full of suspense and twists that will leave readers guessing until the very end. I've read several of the author's other books and enjoyed them, so I was pretty excited to have the chance to review this one. Gladly, I was not disappointed in the least. The author's attention to detail and thrilling plot brought the novel to life and had me hooked from the beginning. The main character was realistic with plenty of flaws and shortcomings, but she also had redemptive traits such as determination, fighting for the truth and what she believes in, and could easily empathize with others. Nicole suffers from a gambling addiction throughout the story, which I couldn't really relate to. It's a large part of her character and I think the lack of connection on some levels impaired my ability to connect with her on a deep level. The book was written from Nicole's perspective, which should have made it much easier for me to empathize with her character, but it didn't click like it usually does.

The secondary characters were all well rounded with unique personalities and back stories. I liked getting to slowly know more about each one as the novel unfolded. This aspect made it all the more fun for me to try and figure out who the "bad guy" was - which is always one of my favorite things to do when reading this genre. The author did a wonderful job incorporating lots of twists and turns throughout the plot that knocked me off my game and kept me guessing for the longest time. Not a lot of books can do that to me anymore, so when I find one that actually does - I know I've come across a gem. I definitely recommend this novel to fans of the genre along with readers who enjoy thrillers, suspense, and crime fiction.

Throughout his career, Gregg Olsen has demonstrated an ability to create a detailed narrative that offers readers fascinating insights into the lives of people caught in extraordinary circumstances.

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Olsen has written nine nonfiction books, nine novels, a novella, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.

The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Dateline NBC, William Shatner's Aftermath, Deadly Women on Investigation Discovery, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News, CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen's Snapped, Court TV's Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E's Biography.

In addition to television and radio appearances, he has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post.

The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington's Secretary of State for the book's contribution to Washington state history and culture. His Young Adult novel, Envy, was the official selection of Washington for the National Book Festival.

Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife, twin daughters, three chickens, Milo (an obedience school dropout cocker spaniel) and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).