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Don't Say a Word
They're watching.
They've wiretapped the apartment.
They've got their daughter.
They told them they'd hurt her if they spoke about it.
They told them, "Don't say a word . . ."
Or else . . .
They've wiretapped the apartment.
They've got their daughter.
They told them they'd hurt her if they spoke about it.
They told them, "Don't say a word . . ."
Or else . . .
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
March 5, 2024
LA PAZIENTE SILENZIOSA
Michael Douglas è il protagonista, lo psichiatra Nathan Conrad, nel film omonimo del 2001 diretto da Gary Fleder.
³¢â€™i²Ô³¦¾±±è¾±³Ù:
Era difficile trovare l’appartamento adatto, perciò uccisero la vecchia signora. L’uomo chiamato Sport bussò alla porta. Aveva indosso una tuta verde, così l’avrebbero preso per un idraulico. Maxwell stava da parte, in modo che la vecchia signora non potesse vederlo dallo spioncino. Anche Maxwell era in tuta verde, ma non rassomigliava affatto a un idraulico. Nessuno avrebbe mai aperto la porta a Maxwell.
Partenza in quarta.
Sean Bean è il cattivo della situazione, il rapitore della piccola Jessica.
Lo strillo in copertina invece recita:
Nathan Conrad è un medico. Cerca di curare i malati mentali più gravi, i casi disperati. Lo chiamano lo "psichiatra dei dannati". Ogni sera torna a casa e tira il fiato. Ma un bel mattino d'ottobre la follia bussa alla sua porta, anzi lo chiama al telefono: «Buongiorno dottor Conrad: ascoltami. Non dire una parola. Ho tua figlia».
E anche qui non si scherza.
Elizabeth è interpretata da Brittany Murphy.
Sin dal titolo si tira in ballo il silenzio: il silenzio che è consigliabile adottare di fronte al rapimento della figlia, e quindi non coinvolgere polizia e autorità , assecondare i rapitori � il silenzio che Nathan racconta alla figlia, la piccola Jessica, quando tutte le sere le recita questa filastrocca:
Zitta, piccina, non dire una parola, corri veloce sotto le lenzuola e il sonno lemme lemme arriverà .
E il silenzio che circonda lo psichiatra Nathan Conrad quando incontra una delle sue pazienti, Elizabeth Burrows, di soli diciotto anni, entrata e uscita da ospedali psichiatrici e case di cura sin dall’età di dieci anni, una paziente violenta che ha smesso di parlare. Elizabeth conosce un segreto, ed è proprio quello che i rapitori vogliono sapere, è proprio quello che lo psichiatra Nathan Conrad che cura Elizabeth deve scoprire se vuole rivedere viva la sua bimba:
Qual è il numero, Elizabeth?
Psichiatra e paziente durante una seduta.
Mestiere è quello che di questo romanzo di Klavan ricordo mi ha colpito: consapevolezza del genere, rispetto del lettore, pochi fronzoli, efficacia narrativa.
Il film, invece, è scivolato via lasciando ancor meno memoria, nonostante Gary Fleder sia un regista che sa essere all’altezza, nonostante Michael Douglas che troneggia sulla copertina del libro, sia perfettamente a suo agio in ruoli così: ma probabilmente l’eterno ghigno di Sean Bean è esagerato anche questa volta.
Miglior risultato ha ottenuto Clint Eastwood portando sullo schermo nel 1999 un altro romanzo di Klavan, “True Crime � Fino a prova contraria�.
Clint Eastwood, interprete principale e regista, in “True Crime � Fino a prova contraria�.
Michael Douglas è il protagonista, lo psichiatra Nathan Conrad, nel film omonimo del 2001 diretto da Gary Fleder.
³¢â€™i²Ô³¦¾±±è¾±³Ù:
Era difficile trovare l’appartamento adatto, perciò uccisero la vecchia signora. L’uomo chiamato Sport bussò alla porta. Aveva indosso una tuta verde, così l’avrebbero preso per un idraulico. Maxwell stava da parte, in modo che la vecchia signora non potesse vederlo dallo spioncino. Anche Maxwell era in tuta verde, ma non rassomigliava affatto a un idraulico. Nessuno avrebbe mai aperto la porta a Maxwell.
Partenza in quarta.
Sean Bean è il cattivo della situazione, il rapitore della piccola Jessica.
Lo strillo in copertina invece recita:
Nathan Conrad è un medico. Cerca di curare i malati mentali più gravi, i casi disperati. Lo chiamano lo "psichiatra dei dannati". Ogni sera torna a casa e tira il fiato. Ma un bel mattino d'ottobre la follia bussa alla sua porta, anzi lo chiama al telefono: «Buongiorno dottor Conrad: ascoltami. Non dire una parola. Ho tua figlia».
E anche qui non si scherza.
Elizabeth è interpretata da Brittany Murphy.
Sin dal titolo si tira in ballo il silenzio: il silenzio che è consigliabile adottare di fronte al rapimento della figlia, e quindi non coinvolgere polizia e autorità , assecondare i rapitori � il silenzio che Nathan racconta alla figlia, la piccola Jessica, quando tutte le sere le recita questa filastrocca:
Zitta, piccina, non dire una parola, corri veloce sotto le lenzuola e il sonno lemme lemme arriverà .
E il silenzio che circonda lo psichiatra Nathan Conrad quando incontra una delle sue pazienti, Elizabeth Burrows, di soli diciotto anni, entrata e uscita da ospedali psichiatrici e case di cura sin dall’età di dieci anni, una paziente violenta che ha smesso di parlare. Elizabeth conosce un segreto, ed è proprio quello che i rapitori vogliono sapere, è proprio quello che lo psichiatra Nathan Conrad che cura Elizabeth deve scoprire se vuole rivedere viva la sua bimba:
Qual è il numero, Elizabeth?
Psichiatra e paziente durante una seduta.
Mestiere è quello che di questo romanzo di Klavan ricordo mi ha colpito: consapevolezza del genere, rispetto del lettore, pochi fronzoli, efficacia narrativa.
Il film, invece, è scivolato via lasciando ancor meno memoria, nonostante Gary Fleder sia un regista che sa essere all’altezza, nonostante Michael Douglas che troneggia sulla copertina del libro, sia perfettamente a suo agio in ruoli così: ma probabilmente l’eterno ghigno di Sean Bean è esagerato anche questa volta.
Miglior risultato ha ottenuto Clint Eastwood portando sullo schermo nel 1999 un altro romanzo di Klavan, “True Crime � Fino a prova contraria�.
Clint Eastwood, interprete principale e regista, in “True Crime � Fino a prova contraria�.
May 28, 2015
This was pretty intense. Very violent, a lot of...very salty language. And more than it's fair share of intense sexual content. It's definitely only for a very mature audience.
That said, the book was written, very, very, very well. Only at the end was I finally able to grasp a hold of what was going to happen, and make predictions in my head. For pretty much the rest of the book, I couldn't get any standing. I was at a loss as to what was going to happen or how the story was going to develop.
But the author pulled it all together really well and...while I wouldn't necessarily say there were twists, there were...turns, and pretty much the entire book kept me on the edge of my seat. The entire book was masterfully written and the character development was above average, the good guys and the bad guys.
If you're looking for a well written, exciting, and realistic thriller, look no further than this. Just...be warned about the sexual content and the language.
That said, the book was written, very, very, very well. Only at the end was I finally able to grasp a hold of what was going to happen, and make predictions in my head. For pretty much the rest of the book, I couldn't get any standing. I was at a loss as to what was going to happen or how the story was going to develop.
But the author pulled it all together really well and...while I wouldn't necessarily say there were twists, there were...turns, and pretty much the entire book kept me on the edge of my seat. The entire book was masterfully written and the character development was above average, the good guys and the bad guys.
If you're looking for a well written, exciting, and realistic thriller, look no further than this. Just...be warned about the sexual content and the language.
January 17, 2019
Righteous.
Maybe
but
this
is
how
You write a thriller.
September 16, 2008
From ISawLightningFall.com
Having been made into a movie starring Michael Douglas, Don’t Say A Word could be called Andrew Klavan’s best-known work. It’s also a work that pinpoints every parent’s worst fear and gives it a good hammering. Dr. Nathan Conrad -- dubbed Psychologist of the Damned for his willingness to take on difficult cases -- awakes one morning to find that his daughter Jessica isn’t in her bed. Then comes the phone call. A stranger on the other end says that, yes, he has Jessica and he’ll give her back -- if Conrad can pry a number from the head of a violent schizophrenic. He has until 9 p.m. The clock, as they say, is ticking.
I don’t know what I was expecting from the book. Klavan is an interesting breed of writer, a Jewish Christian with staunchly conservative convictions. But none of that ideology turns up here. (To be fair, his religious and political viewpoints seem a recent development, and Don’t Say A Word was published in 1991). Neither do any particularly well-rounded characters. The novel’s inhabitants are flatter than microfiche, which is fine for fables but not for more-or-less realistic works. Also absent is a winning prose style. The proceedings are wordily narrated, with chunks of text italicized and repeated to convey emotional import, while a hearty sprinkling of profanity attempts to add punch.
The novel excels at one point, though, and I don’t mean that as a left-handed compliment. Fortunes have been built on a single excellence, and Klavan frames his novel on a solid foundation of suspense. Adhering to Hitchcock’s old dictum that “whenever possible the public must be informed,� he tells you everything. He tells you of Conrad’s frail physical and mental condition, of Jessica’s helpless terror, of the schizophrenic’s scrambled sense of reality, of a monstrous villain’s sick sadism. Most of all, as the story runs he tells you about time, which is always in short supply and ever-decreasing. The result is an almost unbearable climax that spikes your heart rate and nails you to your chair. Klavan might not do all things well, but when he succeeds he does so mightily. That’s enough to make stop at the “K� section of the bookshelf the next time I’m looking to while away a weekend.
Having been made into a movie starring Michael Douglas, Don’t Say A Word could be called Andrew Klavan’s best-known work. It’s also a work that pinpoints every parent’s worst fear and gives it a good hammering. Dr. Nathan Conrad -- dubbed Psychologist of the Damned for his willingness to take on difficult cases -- awakes one morning to find that his daughter Jessica isn’t in her bed. Then comes the phone call. A stranger on the other end says that, yes, he has Jessica and he’ll give her back -- if Conrad can pry a number from the head of a violent schizophrenic. He has until 9 p.m. The clock, as they say, is ticking.
I don’t know what I was expecting from the book. Klavan is an interesting breed of writer, a Jewish Christian with staunchly conservative convictions. But none of that ideology turns up here. (To be fair, his religious and political viewpoints seem a recent development, and Don’t Say A Word was published in 1991). Neither do any particularly well-rounded characters. The novel’s inhabitants are flatter than microfiche, which is fine for fables but not for more-or-less realistic works. Also absent is a winning prose style. The proceedings are wordily narrated, with chunks of text italicized and repeated to convey emotional import, while a hearty sprinkling of profanity attempts to add punch.
The novel excels at one point, though, and I don’t mean that as a left-handed compliment. Fortunes have been built on a single excellence, and Klavan frames his novel on a solid foundation of suspense. Adhering to Hitchcock’s old dictum that “whenever possible the public must be informed,� he tells you everything. He tells you of Conrad’s frail physical and mental condition, of Jessica’s helpless terror, of the schizophrenic’s scrambled sense of reality, of a monstrous villain’s sick sadism. Most of all, as the story runs he tells you about time, which is always in short supply and ever-decreasing. The result is an almost unbearable climax that spikes your heart rate and nails you to your chair. Klavan might not do all things well, but when he succeeds he does so mightily. That’s enough to make stop at the “K� section of the bookshelf the next time I’m looking to while away a weekend.
November 18, 2016
Yes, this is quite and old book, but let me tell you, it was a compelling white-knuckle read! It is very plot driven, in addition to having clear, believable characters. Not something found in many thrillers. Or in more literary fiction. Often one sacrifices for the other, I think.
This was made into a movie with Michael Douglas. I plan on watching it, and comparing the two soon.
This was made into a movie with Michael Douglas. I plan on watching it, and comparing the two soon.
December 31, 2012
One of the first books that I read off my own back, and it was a great read. Well before it was made into a film (any good?), I was taken in by this tale of kidnap and suspense. And that poor kitten.......
July 9, 2016
Holy crap, this was intense. Very well written, very suspenseful, and an ending to make you just about break down. I had to get up, walk around, just to walk off the intensity after finishing it today.
October 11, 2013
My first Klavan book. l was caught up from the first page. Suspenseful, at times scary, l couldn't put it down. A wonderful twist at the end --- l want more Klavan!
April 30, 2022
Spectacular! Andrew Klavan is the master of the suspense novel. Superb writing and wonderful characters.
November 29, 2023
It’s a rare book indeed that leaves me feeling this ambivalent. Somehow, for some strange reason, I just don’t know how I feel about it.
The first two acts were absolutely riveting, that's for sure. Not to mention completely disturbing. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the film, and I don’t remember much about it, but I sure as shit know none of this stuff was included in the adaptation. They must have really dumbed it down to a dime-a-dozen thriller, even though the source material is a gut-wrenching psychological horror story.
The truth is, I was completely hooked from the first page. As a matter of fact, it’s been quite a while since I’ve read a book that literally kept me up at night because I just couldn’t put it down. I finished it in 19 days flat, which is an absolute speed record for me, for a book this size. (And that’s including four or five days where I didn’t read at all, so I really read it in about two weeks. 😮)
It’s also, BY FAR, the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. It is nauseatingly unnerving in terms of content and graphic descriptions. This is a whole other level of psychopathy. I can’t even find the words to tell you about it without actually telling. Let’s just say that this book is DEFINITELY for a very mature audience. There were even parts where I wasn’t sure I could go on, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop.
There’s no question this book is superbly written. The tension is almost unbearable right from the get-go, and it doesn’t let up until the very end.
And yet... I can’t put my finger on it. Somewhere in the third act, my emotional investment in the story was mysteriously broken. I stopped caring. I’m still trying to figure out if that’s because it was, in fact, not actually as tense as it should’ve been (because a few plot points become obviously clear a little too early on). Or is it because, by the third act, I was feeling so pummelled by the intensity of the story that I couldn’t really take it anymore and suddenly became detached...? Maybe both?
There is a flaw, somewhere along the way, and for some reason, I don’t seem to be able to identify it.
Still and again, I was thoroughly thrilled for the most part, so there’s no doubt this is at least a 4-star book.
Maybe it was just too much. Maybe I reached my limit of sensitivity, and my subconscious just didn’t want to ingest any more of these truly disgusting, disturbing, and demented characters.
It says a lot when my only desire after finishing a book is to bury myself in comic books.
So that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Saga Volume 4, here I come.
The first two acts were absolutely riveting, that's for sure. Not to mention completely disturbing. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the film, and I don’t remember much about it, but I sure as shit know none of this stuff was included in the adaptation. They must have really dumbed it down to a dime-a-dozen thriller, even though the source material is a gut-wrenching psychological horror story.
The truth is, I was completely hooked from the first page. As a matter of fact, it’s been quite a while since I’ve read a book that literally kept me up at night because I just couldn’t put it down. I finished it in 19 days flat, which is an absolute speed record for me, for a book this size. (And that’s including four or five days where I didn’t read at all, so I really read it in about two weeks. 😮)
It’s also, BY FAR, the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. It is nauseatingly unnerving in terms of content and graphic descriptions. This is a whole other level of psychopathy. I can’t even find the words to tell you about it without actually telling. Let’s just say that this book is DEFINITELY for a very mature audience. There were even parts where I wasn’t sure I could go on, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop.
There’s no question this book is superbly written. The tension is almost unbearable right from the get-go, and it doesn’t let up until the very end.
And yet... I can’t put my finger on it. Somewhere in the third act, my emotional investment in the story was mysteriously broken. I stopped caring. I’m still trying to figure out if that’s because it was, in fact, not actually as tense as it should’ve been (because a few plot points become obviously clear a little too early on). Or is it because, by the third act, I was feeling so pummelled by the intensity of the story that I couldn’t really take it anymore and suddenly became detached...? Maybe both?
There is a flaw, somewhere along the way, and for some reason, I don’t seem to be able to identify it.
Still and again, I was thoroughly thrilled for the most part, so there’s no doubt this is at least a 4-star book.
Maybe it was just too much. Maybe I reached my limit of sensitivity, and my subconscious just didn’t want to ingest any more of these truly disgusting, disturbing, and demented characters.
It says a lot when my only desire after finishing a book is to bury myself in comic books.
So that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Saga Volume 4, here I come.
June 15, 2011
A QUIRCKY GRIPPING STORY
Jessica the daughter of a psychiatrist, Dr Natan Conrad's, has been kidnapped creating a big disruption in his life
In order to grab the reader the author employs the first 100 pages to describe the main characters backgrounds and at the same time prepares the scene for what lies ahead, a multilayered mystery, the first layer is why Jessica has been kidnapped and the second more interesting layer comes through Elizabeth a psychotic delusional violent patient with a harrowing past who is confined to a mental institution and seems to know a "number". This number carries an extremely important meaning for the future of the kidnappers, in exchange for that number the kidnappers would free Jessica. That is Dr. Conrad mission, to question Elizabeth and get "that number"· if he wants to get his daughter back alive.
As in his others novels Mr. Klavan exhibits again the same writing style, focusing on pure raw meat action intertwining mystery and suspense and playing with times, his strongest ability, but without unexpected twists or surprises, his weakest point, something he must correct to make his stories more appealing, in addition I did not like the fact that he puts numbers to the chapters implying what is going to come. On the other hand there are no dull pitfalls, he likes to create tension, make it grow and blow it up in the ending
Jessica the daughter of a psychiatrist, Dr Natan Conrad's, has been kidnapped creating a big disruption in his life
In order to grab the reader the author employs the first 100 pages to describe the main characters backgrounds and at the same time prepares the scene for what lies ahead, a multilayered mystery, the first layer is why Jessica has been kidnapped and the second more interesting layer comes through Elizabeth a psychotic delusional violent patient with a harrowing past who is confined to a mental institution and seems to know a "number". This number carries an extremely important meaning for the future of the kidnappers, in exchange for that number the kidnappers would free Jessica. That is Dr. Conrad mission, to question Elizabeth and get "that number"· if he wants to get his daughter back alive.
As in his others novels Mr. Klavan exhibits again the same writing style, focusing on pure raw meat action intertwining mystery and suspense and playing with times, his strongest ability, but without unexpected twists or surprises, his weakest point, something he must correct to make his stories more appealing, in addition I did not like the fact that he puts numbers to the chapters implying what is going to come. On the other hand there are no dull pitfalls, he likes to create tension, make it grow and blow it up in the ending
January 5, 2017
Honestly I've been craving for books like this- intense, nerve-wracking, lots of twist, well, not exactly twist but lots unexpected. The big boom was in the very end, but everything was explained little by little throughout the book, which was what kept me on the edge.
There is violent and sexual content, actually a lot of them, especially toward the end. I do felt a little uncomfortable but it suits well with the concept. This is not a book you should give to your 11 year old.
I cried toward the end for the energy from the Conrads. The feelings of love and caring were so strong toward the end that it transformed from a criminal fiction to a touchy masterpiece of parenthood. I loved and will continue loving this book.
There is violent and sexual content, actually a lot of them, especially toward the end. I do felt a little uncomfortable but it suits well with the concept. This is not a book you should give to your 11 year old.
I cried toward the end for the energy from the Conrads. The feelings of love and caring were so strong toward the end that it transformed from a criminal fiction to a touchy masterpiece of parenthood. I loved and will continue loving this book.
July 30, 2009
Honestly…I like the kidnap plan…it was quite interesting but the story is too easy to guess. Before I finish reading the book, I already know what is the connection between Sport and Elizabeth. The way Andrew Klavaan wrote the story is also not very interesting, I didn’t get a really good imagination of the story, I even skip some of the sentences because they seemed not important. I thought it was going to be a psychological thriller but I was wrong, it was only a thriller sets on a psychiatrist.
August 13, 2015
I'm so confused. I've read this one before and it felt completely different then, more sexual if I can remember. Can't help thinking that there is two books, one normal and one PG-18, and that I read the normal one now. Besides, I couldn't help comparing this novel to the movie with Michael? Douglas and what's her name... Brittany Murphy. I quite frankly prefer the movie over the book, 'cause the storyline was clearer in the movie and it also had Sean Bean in it as an excellent and believable bad guy. And the characters were more likeable, at least by appearance and level of violence.
January 27, 2016
I'm surprised that this book doesn't have many reviews considering it was made into a movie that was kind of big. The book and movie were obviously different in some ways, especially what happens to the kidnapped daughter. I guess they couldn't make a movie that followed the book on that point because it was a little much. The movie left out the scariest and most violent character of all which is probably for the best. The basic premise of both is the same but how the story plays out in the book is much more detailed and violent. Not a life changing book but good enough for 4 stars.
March 5, 2017
Hooked me in from the first chapter...
What an intense read this book is. It's definitely gfs some really adult situations about sex, child molestation, mental goals, and of course murder. This absolutely a book for adults only. I know there is a movie from this book and I watched when it came out, but with it being so long ago I was able to see the people as they are here and not the actors in the movie. It's a going terrifying read that keeps you guessing until the very end.
What an intense read this book is. It's definitely gfs some really adult situations about sex, child molestation, mental goals, and of course murder. This absolutely a book for adults only. I know there is a movie from this book and I watched when it came out, but with it being so long ago I was able to see the people as they are here and not the actors in the movie. It's a going terrifying read that keeps you guessing until the very end.
March 30, 2011
I did not see the movie that went along with this book. So I'm not sure how closely the movie follows it. I do remember seeing the preview and the part I remember, wasn't in the book. No biggy.
It was pretty fast and kept me wondering what the little girl whose mother died, had to do with everything. I'd never read anything by Andrew Klavan before, but I must say, This book made me a fan of his. I'd definately read something else by him!
It was pretty fast and kept me wondering what the little girl whose mother died, had to do with everything. I'd never read anything by Andrew Klavan before, but I must say, This book made me a fan of his. I'd definately read something else by him!
July 21, 2009
After starting to read this book, I remembered seeing the movie of the same name. I didn't really care for the movie, which starred Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy, but this book really took me for a ride. I found myself afraid of the bad guys and extremely worried for the good guys. The author really kept the suspense moving along. My heart was racing by the time I read the final page!
August 15, 2017
I read this because I appreciated Klavan's autobiography and was curious to find out what his novels were like. I realise that readers draw the line at different places in terms of how much detail they can accept in the depiction of evil. For me this over-stepped a line into nastiness and I'm thinking the best place for it is probably the waste paper bag in the recycling box.
March 21, 2011
This was not his best effort. Tense, bawdy, vulgar, violent - as expected. But this one did not have the in-depth, flawed innocence of other Klavan main characters. This was more like Hitchcock where the hero is innocent and heroic, but pretty ordinary.
September 7, 2009
Excellent; Psychiatrist's daughter is kidnapped and he is forced to try and get information from one of his patients that will let the criminals get to a fortune in diamonds.
November 10, 2010
Slow start but then pretty good! After page 50 I finished the remainder of the book in a few hours
January 18, 2011
Terrific thriller. Klaven is the best writer of thrillers. They kind of sneak up on you and WHAM you're in the middle of a book you can't put down 'cause you're too scared to.
Read
July 30, 2011Much different, and better, than the movie.
September 3, 2012
Suspenseful and scary! Loved this book! It was made in to a movie but I didn't want to ruin the memory of the book so I did not see it.
Read
September 1, 2013I was really a good book, a lot of twists and hard to put down!!!
September 22, 2013
Once again... I would have given this book a higher rating, but I just can't due to the vulgarity within this book.
June 28, 2015
Great read.
Good story, suspense pulls you along right to the end. Amazon wants ten more words in this review. Seems dumb.
Good story, suspense pulls you along right to the end. Amazon wants ten more words in this review. Seems dumb.
February 20, 2016
An excellent book. Well developed characters, very interesting plot...could not put it down!
Want to read
April 30, 2019Synopsis: they're watching. They've wiretapped the apartment. They've got his daughter. They said, Don't say a word, or else.
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