Quietus: 1. A finishing stroke
2. Discharge or release from life
3. The moment of Death

This huge novel begins on a chartered flight doomed to crash one stormy evening somewhere in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Immediately, the terror inside that small airplane is palpable. The shrieks and pleas scream from the pages. The moment of impact spikes the pulse. Then comes the aftermath. Miraculously, five of the passengers survive. But were they supposed to? That is a question Kylie O'Rourke, spared from a fiery death, wrestles with through the entire book.

Her memories of that horrible night could not possibly have happened, although she insists they are real. Even Jack, her husband, who lived through the crash with her, believes she is suffering from a form of post traumatic stress. Two of the other passengers who came through with less serious injuries, Kylie's best friend Amelia and husband Dix, remember none of what Kylie describes: Wandering the mountain with the other survivors, exploring a deserted cottage in the blizzard, and a trio of shrouded beings seemingly stalking them. She seeks the help of a detective and a psychologist but she cannot accept the explanations given to her. In the face of such doubt, she remains steadfast in her conviction of what she recalls.

Back home again in Boston, in the midst of a large interior-decorating project, Jack and Kylie struggle to put their lives back in order. Their marriage falters, then recovers, only to falter once more. Kylie's rantings about a dark figure following her merely add to the couple's problems. An old murder case and the accidental death of her brother at age five intertwine with the present day. And then people close to Kylie start dying in odd ways. Her panic has her firmly in its grip, a stranglehold that threatens even the reader's stable realm. The unspeakable horror she faces seems insurmountable. Page after page, one can feel her frustration, her sense of aloneness, and her utter desolation.

As Kylie grapples with the forces stalking her, the reader can't resist turning to questions of mortality. What happens if Death is cheated? Should victims of heavy trauma be resuscitated? Can you really come back from the brink? And, if you do, how do you face each day thereafter? You find yourself realizing how precious every moment is, that life can end abruptly, at any time.

Author/screenwriter Vivian Schilling writes dramatically, with a talent for making the reader visualize as though the scenes were on film. The action is relentless, albeit a bit redundant. Despite the novel's size --- nearly 600 pages --- the story is well told and highly engaging. Ms. Schilling's ability to illustrate with painstaking detail tends to become overwhelming on occasion. However, my personal preference leans toward wordiness over a thin plot, and QUIETUS has no lack of plot. While it may appear to be a bit complex, the wrap-up is neat, tidy and devilishly clever.

   --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

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