Don’t Make A Sound by T. R. Ragan is a gripping psychological thriller. This intense story delves into the lives of three sisters, all of whom were abused. Although craving a closeness they are a bit afraid to confront with each other their own tragic and horrible trauma.
After being promoted to a crime reporter, Sawyer Brooks goes back to her hometown of River Rock to investigate a teenage girl’s murder that is similar to the two unsolved killings from her youth. In the course of finding the truth, she chooses to reconcile with her two estranged sisters who supposedly left her to face her uncle’s demonism. While searching for clues she must face a past full of horrible secrets that are intertwined in the town and her family.
Along with the three sisters, there was also a vigilante group, known as the Crew, consisting of five women who had been sexually abused. Their goal was to teach the men a lesson who had molested them.
This story has intrigue, suspense, and an ending full of twists and turns. Luckily for readers this is the first in a series so there will be more of these gripping characters and thrilling plots.
Elise Cooper: This is a story about sisters?
T.R. Ragan: I saw this show where there were three or four sisters who were all sexually abused. Neither knew the others were molested. I started to have this idea percolating. Each of the three sisters in the story had different experiences with what happened to them. I thought about my four sisters. When we talk about our family it is as if we are speaking about five different families with such different experiences.
EC: How would you describe the older sister Harper?
TRR: She has OCD and is a control freak. She will not open up regarding what happened to her. She is not soft and cuddly and likes to take one day at a time.
EC: How about the middle sister Aria?
TRR: As with most middle sisters she wants to be a mediator. She likes animals more than people.
EC: How about the youngest sister Sawyer?
TRR: She has trust issues. Sawyer is impulsive, high strung, and not a rule follower. Because of her past she wants to help people, which is why she became a crime reporter. She does not want others to experience what she did. Sawyer cannot handle relationships although throughout the series she is trying to change that feeling.
EC: How about the Crew?
TRR: They are five women who formed a vigilante group to get revenge on the abusers. They are angry and a bit naïve. After planning and plotting they realize it is not as easy as it sounds. They start to question if vengeance is the issue.
EC: There is a quote in the book about looking the other way?
TRR: You are referring to this quote, “It is nice that everyone wants to sweep all the craziness under the rug and pretend all that horrible stuff never happened.” I believe this happens in real-life. People need to open their eyes and be aware. Sawyer does not want to sweep anything under the rug. In the story, I wanted to show how mothers would know something about the fathers abusing the children. It makes them as bad as the perpetrator. It is much easier to walk away and pretend nothing happened. I am not that type of person and would get involved.
EC: What is the role of the town, River Rock?
TRR: It is almost like a character in its own right. I based it on a mining town not too far from Sacramento called Yreka. It is small and forestry.
EC: What about your next book?
TRR: Sawyer will become more of a crime investigator. The plot has a young girl gone missing. Sawyer will work with her middle sister Aria to solve the crime. The Crew will be back but the friend Derek will be just mentioned although he has a lot of page time in the third book.
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