#SilentCreek – Rosepoint Publishing

Rosepoint Reviews - July Recap

July was indeed a record-setting month for temps around here and apparently for most of you as well. You can always tell a dip in temperatures by the number of people scampering outside to catch up on yard work. No exception here, with mowing, weeding, and harvesting ripening veggies. Apparently a banner year for cucumbers; they’ve overgrown the melons. A decent year for tomatoes though, they do like it hot.

My experiment with the lotus seeds pretty much got taken over with the other invasive water plant I put in the tub and the other one won. My best crop may still end up being mosquitoes. Still with the number of cucumbers ripening, there is no shortage of the stuff for making juice, which is actually quite tasty. And with the number of cherry tomatoes, perhaps we can try drying them again—little nuggets of tomato candy.

Still doing our Y classes three times a week. Those giant blue exercise balls are the new drums, and we are beating those drums to some great 50s-60s music. Fun classes and a great way to get out and move!

We reviewed fifteen books in July—still trying to catch up with audiobooks I’ve listened to. The source of our books is our library, NetGalley, author and publisher requests. As always, the links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase information.

Don’t Open the Door by Allison Brennan (audiobook)
Silent Creek by Tony Wirt (CE review)
Random Run: The Boston Clairvoyants by Annabelle Lewis
Red Shadows at Saugatuck by Randy Overbeck (CE review)
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (audiobook for book club)

Audiobooks Mini-Reviews
Lloyd McNeil’s Last Ride by Will Leitch
Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey
Hell is Empty and Return to Sender by Craig Johnson

The Promise of Unbroken Straw by Ken Steele (CE review)
Good Days Bad Days by Emily Bleeker
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (audiobook)
Only Way Out by Tod Goldberg (CE review)
The River’s Daughter by Bridget Crocker
Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg (audiobook)

Favorite Book of the Month

Maybe it’s not fair, maybe she had help with writing, I don’t know. But it’s an emotional, heartfelt tribute to her mother. I enjoyed the whole thing.

Favorite for July – Bits and Pieces by Whoopi Goldberg

My Reading Challenges page…behind again. I need a day—one whole day just to work on the blog. Uninterrupted.

The Goodreads landing page shows 114 of a goal of 150 or 76%, but the book count widget is still way off. Any way to get that corrected?

I do appreciate your visits and I love your comments! Enjoy the last month of summer—soon the kiddies will be returning to school! (Yeah, already.)

A little light summer reading.

Book Blurb:

The bestselling author of Just Stay Away and Pike Island returns with the pulse-pounding story of a prodigal son sorting friend from enemy in a small town trembling with secrets.

Jim McCann was a high school basketball star destined for the NBA. Then an injury shattered his knee and his dreams. Disillusioned, he cut ties with his stifling hometown.

Years later, he returns for his father’s funeral. Finding that his mother has dementia, he reluctantly takes over the family propane business. But there’s a silver lining: reconnecting with Kyle, his childhood best friend, and meeting Kelli, the only one who understands his struggle to fill his own big shoes.

There’s a dark cloud too. Colton Reid, a troubled former classmate, still holds an old basketball grudge. And after Kyle convinces Jim to fire him, the disturbing incidents begin. Nothing too serious at first—until the stalking hits Jim where he lives, unleashing a cascade of grave revelations.

Now there’s no denying things have gone too far. As the stakes spike, Jim learns what he’ll do to protect himself, his loved ones, and the home that won’t let him go.

His Review:

James McCann left Silent Creek just after high school. He decided he would never return to that town. However, upon his father’s death he is the only one who can care for his mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. He is met by his childhood friend Kyle, who was running his father’s business for years. Kyle is kept on but James is taking over the reins of the firm.

A ne’er-do-well named Colton keeps screwing up his job and is fired. Silent Creek is a small town and there are very few jobs available in the area. Colton has a burning hatred/jealousy for the McCann family and for James in particular. Things begin to happen that are much more than mere accidents. The suspect is Colton, who is thought to be seeking revenge for the loss of his job, family, and future in Silent Creek.

This story is well written and includes a surprise ending I did not expect. The characters are well developed and the action moves along believably. Read and enjoy this story. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. Any opinion expressed here is my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Domestic Thrillers, Psychological Thrillers
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN-13: ‎978-1662530111
ASIN: B0DFZ3Z58H
Print Length: 255 pages
Publication Date: October 7, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble

The Author: Tony [Wirt] was born in Lake Mills, IA, and got his first taste of publication in first grade, when his essay on Airplane II: The Sequel appeared in the Lake Mills Elementary School’s Creative Courier.

He’s a graduate of the University of Iowa and spent nine years doing media relations in the Hawkeye Athletic Department. He’s also been a sportswriter, movie ticket taker and Dairy Queen ice cream slinger who can still do the little curly thing on top of a soft serve cone.

He currently lives in Rochester, MN, with his wife and two daughters.

Have a good week!