The Sound of Rain: Nicole Foster Thriller, Book 1

This was good. A lot of twists and turns, however, I think it was a bit long winded. After around 300 pages I was getting a little burned out.

The abducted child storyline sucked me in from the very beginning. With the parents acting so bizarre, I just had to know what part they played in it. The story took so many twists and turns. Nicole’s complicated relationship with her sister seemed like an irrelevant detail. When their real story came out, I was shocked. Every character in this book was trouble. They had so many dark, dirty secrets. Nothing turned out as I expected and I loved that. The plot twists and surprises made this a very interesting read.

Love, love, love Olsen's books. The twists! The turns! The thought u might have it figured out....then suprise!!!! Another plot emerges. Great story.....cant wait for 2....

He really surprised me with the ending.Very good book that will make you wonder what happened to these people.

I know of two people like Stacy. Both are women. Both were favored children. Both were allowed to get away with lying as children. Both learned how to manipulate others with words and were allowed to get away with it as children. Both are similar to Stacy as grown ups.I am saying this in response to other reviewers who wrote that the characters in this two-book series are not realistic.The characters in this book are realistic. My sister is like Stacy. She's not a murderer. She just treats other people in the same way that you see Stacy treating her sister in this novel.As for the character of Nicole Foster. Her thoughts and reactions are those of someone who has had to deal with someone as messed up as Stacy all her life and has learned that for her own (Nicole's) sake, the only way to remain sane is to forgive Stacy, as much as she can.I know that because it's the only way I've been able to handle the abuse a person like Stacy hands out. The forgiveness isn't for the benefit of the perpetrator (Stacy), it's for the benefit of the victim (Nicole).Nicole hasn't yet dealt with all of what Stacy has done to her in their past, obviously. However she is able to act with forethought in response to Stacy's present day abuses, rather than just react to them.Nicole also is able to (mostly, of course, no one is perfect) hold her tongue, listen and think while Stacy is weaving her verbal web(s) right in front of her. That ability comes from (for me, at least; and perhaps for the character of Nicole), having tried every which way possible to fight back against the untruths and web of deceit done by her sister and coming up empty and disbelieved every time. ng last, in response, giving up the fight to justify herself and the fight to get the world to acknowledge what (Stacy; or for me, my own sister), is doing.That takes years of pain and the only way to get rid of the anguish caused by someone like (Stacy; or my sister, is to forgive the perp. Forgiveness clears up the soul of the forgiver not the forgiven.That's how the character of Nicole is able to remain calm while listening and watching Stacy.Several reviewers thought Nicole is a whiner. But Nicole's so-called 'whining' is not voiced aloud in a play for pity. Rather, what they call Nicole's 'whining' are Nicole's inner thoughts, reminding the character of Nicole that all is not as it seems where her sister, Stacy, is involved.This is a well written and realistic novel. It is worth the read, and can be informative for those who have had the good fortune not to have a person like the character of Stacy in their lives.It was also helpful for me to see how someone else deals with a monster like Stacy...even if it is only a character in a novel.And, no, I am not a psychologist or anything of the sort. Just a verbally tortured sister, who has learned how to be at peace with herself... and to leave vengeance alone.

A good and intriguing who-done-it. The set-up felt a bit long, but once the book got to the actual story, it was engaging and compelling with some good twists at the end.

Just when you thought you had it straight in your mind, another twist in the story! Never thought it would end like it did!

I usually read non-fiction books, but enjoy a good high-tech fiction book, in fact going to go back to it. But I also enjoy good fiction, such as Stephen King. Now I finished reading 'The Sound of Rain' by Gregg Olsen and have to say the book kept my interest and the last third of the book I read all on a winter, snow covered day in Michigan. The title is perhaps from the fact that Nicole is an addict. She gambles, but she wins, oh she also loses. And it is the LOSSES that get her in trouble. Well, that is part of it. She loses her home, her dog, her car & her dignity. She has to rely on her younger sister Stacy for support. And as many of us, myself included that has one other sibling, there is rivalry. Stacy now has the upper hand, roles reversed. Nicole has lost her job as a detective at the Bellevue Police Department in Washington State. Her boyfriend, also a detective Danny has too lost his job, and it involves the missing girl Kelsey, which Danny has botched up the investigation of. Both lose their jobs & Danny goes to jail for his felonious part.The investigation involves the neighborhood of a local Target's store. The surrounding neighborhood is a trailer park. It's a rainy December day, again symbolic of the title of the book. It is with reference to the sex offender registry that the police focus their investigation of the missing child. It leads them to Charlene & Alan Dawson's home. Alan has been convicted of sex with a minor. He spent time in prison. He was 17 1/2 years old & his girl friend was 15 at the time. They later marry. But it doesn't matter to Danny, Alan is his target & Alan goes to jail accused of the crime.Gregg Olsen has a way with descriptions I like such as his description of Danny. Danny is a stud. He works out, has a tough looking body, with the "veins in his neck plump like ziti in vodka sauce". He wants to appear as the tough cop and smart.As the story progresses we see the 'sick' side of Nicole when she is destitute and has to eat in soup kitchens, sleep on church pews, but only in the evening. During the day, she wheels her one piece of luggage on wheels, in a perpetual drifting manner as if the plane she needs to board is never going to appear.I also like the description of the office cubicle that Nicole used to have. She loved the window view she had. It was of old Douglas firs planted by an old lady who was a classic cat lady. Nicole & her sister Stacy would ride their bikes and leave them at Mary's place. Nicole respected and loved Mary even though several around her thought her a nuisance. It reminded me of my late dad & me going to eat at a certain restaurant that had tall spruce trees, probably 40 years old & that was one of the highlights of the meal with my dad. I miss that & understand Nicole's wanting that cubicle back when she comes back to work.The story relies much on a blogger Lane Perry. Lane is a "festering wound" but he is also the source of much information, perhaps the same as the local tabloids are in the grocery lines. He is the one to bring shocking news to Nicole.This is a story that criss-crosses a bit of the state of Washington, going to Washington State University. I didn't look at a map as I often do. But that would be a wonderful addition to the mysteries in the State of Washington. A list of the characters with a brief description would be useful too. But I was able to keep track of who was who. I am just a bit of a sentimentalist so I often do keep an atlas by me when I read about the areas the book is at.This is a great read, and I am glad I read it. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good 'who done it' type book! You won't be disappointed.

A protagonist so flawed she's immediately unlikaable and a tale so twisted it's like a snake chewing o its own tail. Too many characters and all of them shallow stereotypes. Avoid this one.

What is it with this constant need for unpredictable plot twists these days? Am I the only one who finds themselves irritated by this apparent obligation on the part of thriller writers to leave the reader confused and angry having enjoyed the journey for about 80% of the way? Characters interact with a protagonist in a way that gives insight into their natures only to turn out completely different. I have no idea, for some of them, if they were criminal or not and I don't actually care because I've stopped believing the story. Will the next book in the series be as bad, better or worse? I am not sure I can be bothered to invest the time in finding out.

Another tangled web involving stereotypical American families. After a while, all the premises we were expected to swallow became too much. There weren't exactly holes in the plot, but well before the end I stopped questioning the absurdity of the next twist in the tale. As I finally reached the end I made a note never to live anywhere near people like those described here. Or am I being overly cautious and nobody this self-centred and devious exist?

It began well but, for me, eventually became too much of a slog. The main character, Nicole, was continuously examining herself and her raison d'etre, to the point where I couldn't give a fig about her inner emotions; I just wanted it to finish. In fact I ended up speed reading the book. The writing is good, and Greg Olsen is an accomplished writer, but I will not be reading any more of his work. I think it's worth four stars for fans of this writer.

The twists, turns and intrigue just keep on coming - relentless, unyielding. What a great read.Nothing beats delving into a thriller with well-drawn characters; ones that you can like, love, hate, sympathise with, resonate with.....Thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.Now for the NEXT book in the series!