"... details that are as vivid as watching a movie."

[Marta Stephens]

Several years ago, while sitting in a college magazine writing class, the professor instructed us to “write what you know.” What student/writer hasn’t heard those words? I remember thinking if that were the case, I would never write.

I’ve had a good life; married for nearly three decades, raised two great children, completed a college degree, and have been gainfully employed all my adult life. But this could be anyone’s life. If I stuck to the “rule,” I’d have nothing to write about--nothing anyone would want to read, that is. However, I do have a passion for a good mystery, the page-turner that yanks you to the edge of your seat, grabs you by the throat, and leaves you breathlessly begging for more.

“Write what you know.” The words continued to roll around in my mind as I typed the opening paragraph of Silenced Cry. The reality is most fiction writers have never done or experienced many of the things they write about (murder, rape, theft, imprisonment, etc.). However, they do owe it to their readers to research life into their work. My goal in writing this first book was to entertain and transport the reader into Sam Harper’s world of crime solving. But it had to be more than an easy read to gain credibility, it had to be believable, and so I'm pleased to be able to share this with you.

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Review--posted with permission.

“Marta Stephens has hit the nail on the head with Silenced Cry and Detective Sam Harper. With his partner’s death, one unforgettable stormy night, Harper was left to pick up the pieces of a puzzle he knew nothing about. As the cloud over Harper’s head continued to grow, the passion Stephens projects into his life, his career and the unpredictable events that surrounded his case, captured this normally nonfictional reader’s attention with pure amazement.

I started reading Silenced Cry while on a flight to a conference out of state. It was an easy read and I found it hard not to pick up during the evening hours while up to my elbows in conference work. I only would allow myself about a chapter or two a night and couldn’t wait for my return flight home to see which direction Sam Harper and this mystery were headed next.

Being a police detective with an abnormal suspicious mind about people, I was amazed how Stephens pegged the personalities of Harper and his fellow officers as well as the way a criminal mind rationalizes behavior. Stephens’ words are brought to life with the details that are as vivid as watching a movie. Her descriptive crime scenes come to life with such reality I found it hard to believe I was reading fiction.

Definitely a must read for police mystery enthusiasts.” R. Grass, Detective, Ball State University Police Department