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Thursday, August 09, 2018

Keep Her Silent by Theresa Talbot

Keep Her Silent is less interesting for its plot than for the premise involving the tainted blood scandal in the UK.  This horrific situation involved America, a Canadian drug company, and corpses from Russia.  You really can't make this stuff up.  

I wasn't as engaged with the murder plot or the characters (Oonagh was annoying), but truth is stranger than fiction in this situation--and that part of the story kept me engaged.  

When a police investigation into the Raphael Murders is reopened, investigative journalist Oonagh O'Neil discovers more questions than answers, but her interviews and research cause her to examine the original investigation with a different perspective.  She's often wrong-footed and her discoveries are almost stumbled on, but she eventually knows the murders were not what they seemed.

Britain's Contaminated Blood Scandal

Scandal Not Confined to Britain

Can you imagine if your child was one of the Pups?  "The acronym used was Pups – previously untreated patients. They were in effect being experimented on."
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There are numerous articles online about the tainted blood scandal, but the corruption, greed, arrogance, and cover-up  involved is sickening.  Theresa May has ordered a new inquiry which may bring some semblance of justice.

Read in July; blog review scheduled for Aug. 9.

NetGalley/Aria

Crime/Suspense.  Aug. 21, 2018.  Print length:  301 pages.

18 comments:

  1. Oh wow, wait, this was based on a real event? Jesus, the money and corruption and tta sort of ugliness blows my mind.

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    1. Pretty horrifying, isn't it? I already have a poor opinion of the pharmaceutical industry, but really, how could all of this have happened! The acronym Pups--applied to children is beyond despicable.

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  2. Oh wow, I don't think I've heard of this; how horrible. Sorry you didn't really enjoy the book itself more though!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. When I learn something from a book, I'm always pleased, even if I'm not entirely satisfied with the book's story. :)

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  3. I find it very interesting where authors get their ideas for books. I've come to find that many of them do a lot of research before they ever write. And the research is fascinating to hear about. This seems another illustration of that. Good job, Jenclair!

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    1. I was shocked by this one. I found it hard to believe, and yet this did happen.

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  4. Truth can be so much worse than fiction, can't it?

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  5. Whenever I read a books or watch movie where the story is based on the real event,it is always stay longer in my mind to think about, especially if its crime story.

    Sorry to hear you didnt enjoy the book but thanks for sharing the info. I will take a look :)


    Calledasia
    http://bunnyawn.blogspot.com/2018/08/i-will-tell-you-journey-story-nonsense.html

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    1. I agree. I think it is because you wonder about the real people involved. The innocent and those guilty of such callous behavior.

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  6. I find it annoying in mysteries when the solutions are more stumbled upon that actually detected using intelligence.

    And yes, truth really is stranger than fiction. Like that book you read with the tainted baby food. You can’t make this stuff up!

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    1. I was thinking about that one and the one about the Spanish babies in Stolen Lives by Matthew Pritchard this morning!

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  7. I find it interesting that some books are written based from truth and facts, but the topic can be terrifying, isn't it?

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    1. Yes, it is terrifying that this was allowed to happen. Greed before human lives. Of course, some of the scientists involved justified the experimenting as a means to an end.

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  8. Wow, I can't believe that I hadn't heard of this before! So sickening and depressing that this could go on. Not sure if I'd be interested in this book, making fiction out of the tragedy, but might have enjoyed (for lack of a more sympathetic word) a totally nonfiction book about this development.

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    1. Reading the articles I found was eye-opening. Such callous behavior all around.

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  9. That really is disturbing! I think the factual part of the book would intrigue me the most as well. Humans really are our own worst enemies.

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  10. I'd not heard about this before and it is awful what they did. Like View from the Books said, a non-fiction account of all of this would be so interesting to read!

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