ONE BREATH AWAY Available June 19, 2012

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town’s children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with passing each minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

THESE THINGS HIDDEN (Mira) will be released on January 25, 2011

THESE THINGS HIDDEN has been chosen as a February All You Book Club pick for All You Magazine. Visit the All You website  ALL YOU

THESE THINGS HIDDEN has been named a February 2011 Indie Next List "Great Reads from Booksellers You Trust"

The Weight of Silence has been chosen as one of only eight books to be featured this summer on the United Kingdom's The Summer Read, the seasonal spin off of the hugely popular TV Book Club.

The show's producer, Amanda Ross says: "I’m just as passionate about our lists as I was back when we started the Book Club seven years ago, probably more so, and with each series that goes by the selection process becomes all the more challenging. The Summer Read list is all about pleasure; a book can make or break your holiday. I’m confident that we are delivering one of our most gripping shortlists to date, guaranteed to keep readers entertained whatever the weather."

Heather will travel to the UK this summer for filming.

TV Book Club Summer Reading List

 

The Weight of Silence audio book gets a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Read the full review here.
Publishers Weekly Review

The Weight of Silence has been nominated by The Mystery Writers of America for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author! Click here to read the details  - The 2010 Edgar Awards

"Wow. Every so often you get really lucky, and a book comes along that just knocks your socks off: an absorbing, engrossing, suspenseful read that you just want to keep paging through, a novel that feels a lot like running downhill --- fast and a little breathless --- until it all winds down and wraps up. THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE is exactly this kind of book. Believe me, the laundry never had a chance." --bookreporter.com

Click here to read the full review of The Weight of Silence at bookreporter.com

 

THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE has been named to the August 2009 Indie Next Great Reads List by the American Booksellers Association.

"The Weight of Silence is a suspenseful story of two girls who go missing that will have you turning pages late into the night, but, beyond this, it is a heartrending story of emotional ties told with gently lyrical language that belies brutal truths." --Beth Simpson, Cornerstone Books, Salem, MA

Click on the link for the complete list.
August 2009 Indie Next List

Art Director Mike Rehder, and Photographer Brian Pieters earned an APPLIED ARTS MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD for the photograph created for the cover of  THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE by Heather Gudenkauf. Applied Arts Magazine is Canada’s leading trade publication in the field of visual communications. The photograph appears in the June issue of the magazine.

"Gudenkauf's tightly plotted debut packs a lot of unsavory doings into a few unfortunate summer days in Willow Creek, Iowa... Gudenkauf moves the story forward at a fast clip and is adept at building tension."
-Publishers Weekly, June 22, 2009

"Some books stay with you long after you stop reading them. And this is one of those books. I keep going back to the story in my mind and thinking about all the characters and how the choices we make impact not only ourselves, but sometimes also those around us, in ways that cannot be predicted. A story about friendship and family, Heather Gudenkauf, in her debut novel, has written a story that is at once moving and suspenseful. I was not disappointed and can't wait to share this book!"
-Bedtime Book Talks
Click here to read the full review:
Bedtime Booktalks Review

"The Weight of Silence is a beautifully detailed and deeply intriguing exploration of human emotion through the eyes of several different people involved in this story of the disappearance of these two children. The characters are so elaborate that they almost seem real...this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I will definitely keep an eye out for more novels by Ms. Gudenkauf!"

-- Review from manicreaders.com

Click here to read the full review.