Vitoria set -The Silence of the White City Eva Garcia Sáenz

Submitted: 9th June 2022

Spanish thriller set in Vitoria

I recently came across this author and have already tucked into her latest novel El Libro de Horas Negras which is not yet out in English. However, it made me want to go back to the beginning and seek out The Silence of the White City, so, here I am.

Set in the Basque country, THE SILENCE OF THE WHITE CITY plunges you right at the heart of the city of Vitoria. the city’s dark heart that is. Someone is copying its most infamous crimes and it can’t be the original criminal as he’s been locked up in prison ever since.

BookTrail the locations in The Silence of White City

Boarding Pass Information : The Silence of the White City

Destination : Vitoria

Author guide: Eva García Sáenz de Urturi

Genre: Crime thriller

Food and drink to accompany: Pasta to line your stomach for the shocks

#Bookreview
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BookTrail the locations in The Silence of White City

Don’t let the artistic black and white cover fool you – this is hard core crime. Think Silence of the Lambs vibes set in the heart of the Basque country. This is not your usual crime thriller as it hasa mystery at its core and plenty of local folklore legends wrapped up in its threads. Once unravelled, there’s a flood of local colour, gripping writing and a unique sense of place.

I was amused to find out the name of the detective was “Kraken,” as it reminded me of the twitter handle of Matt W’s twitter handle @Concretekraken. Actually this is no bad thing to have in mind as Matt is an author of twisty horror and dark tales and The Silence of the White City is certaintly that!

The book opens with a bang. A couple has been found murder as it part of a ritual killing of some kind. Their bodies are found in an old crypt for example and the case immediately raises eyebrows. Many years earlier you see, there was a crime not unlike this one and a famous archaeologist is now in prison for it. He’s still in prison so the police know it’s not him but they are sure he must know something.

BookTrail the locations in The Silence of White City

Imagine having to communicate to a killer to find out the insights into another? The bodies seem to be mounting up and there is a race against time to find him. As the reader is sucked into this thrilling ride it was the setting that really made it for me. The city of Vitoria hides its shadowy killer well but it’s the streets, the houses, the skyline, the dark corners that really made this book stand out. The landscape just lends itself to this kind of thriller and really enhances the darkness of it all.

It’s funny to say that a crime thriller can be culturally intriguing but this has it fair share of legends, significant cultural and historical sites around the city and customs of the Basque region. It’s a very clever author who can do this and I was really caught up in the Da Vinci Code style mystery and story that pulls you along in its grip.

The Silence of the White City has a great set of characters, an intriguing premise and a stunning setting. I am fascinated with and by Kraken and will surely read the next in the series. Not sure when they are to be translated into English but it’s at times like this that I am so pleased I studied Spanish. the thrill of reading the next books in the series before they are translated are why I did languages in the first place.

Highly recommended!