Mute by Richard Salsbury blogtour

Blurb:
“If Wes is such a quiet man – mute from birth, in fact – why does someone try to murder him one Friday night in the office toilet? Shaken, and dismissed by the police for reasons he doesn’t understand, he goes on the run. But Keiran, his would-be killer and member of a survivalist cult, is not giving up, and tries to get to Wes through his wife, Alex. Though kept apart, Wes and Alex must find out what has happened and why. But when even the murderer’s motives are unclear, who really holds the key to the truth?
Mute is a darkly comic thriller in the spirit of Graham Greene and the Coen brothers.”

Biography:
“Richard Salsbury is a novelist and award-winning short story writer based in the south of England. His work has appeared in Artificium, Flash Fiction Magazine, World Wide Writers, Portsmouth News, the Fairlight Books website and on BBC Radio. He is an editor and website designer for environmental writing project Pens of the Earth. He also plays the guitar and brews his own beer.”

Published: 30 September 2023 (out now)

Available as:

• Amazon paperback (£9.99): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mute-Richard-Salsbury/dp/1739479408/
• Kindle ebook (£3.99): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mute-Richard-Salsbury-ebook/dp/B0CJ79DJNT/
• Google Play Books ebook (£3.99): https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Richard_Salsbury_Mute?id=q8XYEAAAQBAJ&gl=GB
• Apple Books ebook (£3.99): https://books.apple.com/us/book/mute/id6467520649
• Kobo ebook (£3.99): https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/mute-26

My Thoughts

The debut novel Mute from Richard Salsbury is definitely an interesting concept and I am pleased that I was given the chance to read and review. Thank you to the publisher, author and to Anne the tour organiser for this opportunity.

Mute the first few lines had me hooked and it kind of felt a bit like my life. I am a blogger and a martial artist so it resonated with me as the character felt similar.

The story concept was amazing and I really enjoyed the fact that the story didn’t just jump right in but gave you the buildup that you craved to push the story to the best outcome.

The mental health aspect of this book is eye opening especially with a non-verbal adult. This isn’t something I have never dealt with before so it is eye opening.

The issue that I see with this book is that there are so many characters and they are hard to keep track of.

Once the story begins while it can be confusing it is also very solid. I like little details from the past and it shows just how well thought out this book is.

I find the story very good and fun to read as you get to meet some great characters that could end up with more books depending on how this story ends. For instance would love to see Wes story from when he was young as there seems to be so much more to him.

One thing I love is the cult angle as we know how cults can twist things so that you won’t think for yourself and use their judgement. Seeing this in some ways you feel sorry for those who are caught up in their web of lies.

This had made the book to me even better since I love seeing the psychological aspects so much. It reminds me of when I was in college and taking psychology and sociology electives and learning things about cults and learning about our own needs and wants.


For a debut novel I always expect less and this book was a huge surprise as to how good it was. The characters while there are many youn get to see a huge part of what they are made of and it tends to make the book even better. I am more into the characters than the story for most books.

A great read with a strong story and powerful characters. I feel when you come in on a debut novelist you can grow with the author from book to book and see how the stories and characters progress as they are meant to. When reading later on I feel that I need to catch up and that I am missing things. I know that it’s all in my mind but I also love the anticipation of waiting and the thrill when the next installment of a book comes out.

I would like to Thank the author Richard Salsbury and the publishing and Anne Cater for the advanced reader copy and for allowing me to take part in this blogtour

@rjsalsbury @randomttours #mute #aStrathurstnovel