Political games can be deadly… Elise Carmichael is a court sign language interpreter who reads lips all the time. As a widow with a young son who is deaf, lip reading is simply second nature, until the day she reads the lips of someone on the phone discussing an attempt to be made on a senator’s life–a senator who just happens to be her mother-in-law. Before she can decide what she needs to … decide what she needs to do, she receives the information that her son is rushed to the ER and she must leave. Then she later sees the news report that her mother-in-law has been shot and killed. But when she comes forward, her life, as well as her son’s life, may now be in the crosshairs of the assassin.
more
A young deaf child, a court sign language
interpreter, a United States Senator
mother-in-law, a murder, a kidnapping,
a leak within the FBI combine for a power
packed, emotional, completely riveting
storyline.
The description in the story in so well
defined, the reader feels like they are right
there. The story is filled with many faith
references and inspirational reflections.
A tale of suspense, intrigue, mystery, vivid
characters, deceit, murder, kidnapping and
details of how to provide and live with a
disabled person.
A Highly Recommended Read.
I volunteered to read Dead Silence. Thanks
to Barbour Publisher via Net Gallery for the
opportunity. My opinion is voluntary and
my own.
It was interesting but the main character’s personality was a bit grating.
Clever twists keeping the reader in suspense
One of the best books that I have ever read!
I loved this book. It was a Christian thriller which I couldn’t put down. It also didn’t have sappy romance just great action packed thrills.
Nail biter! A great story that is guaranteed to pull at every mother’s heart.and
Robin Caroll suspense novels are always wonderful. I’m going to share this one with my granddaughter, who has an associate’s degree in sign language. The main character has a son who was born deaf and mute, so she has spent all of his 7 years communicating with sign language and lip reading, Which leads her and her son into unexpected danger. So many unpredictable events move the story along at a fast pace. You won’t want to miss this exciting read.
Caught in the cross hairs of an assassin certainly would make a person change their life! She’s now running for something she didn’t actually hear but being a sight reader… she saw. A lot of action and suspense as she fought for life and justice!
New take on Christian suspense with the main character, Elise, being a court sign language interpreter and her deaf son. Elise witnesses a threat (through lip-reading) toward her former mother-in-law (Elise is a widowed) but cannot report the threat before her son is hurt. When she wakes the next day, her mother-in-law is dead and she remembers the threat. As she begins to speak and look into the situation, her life and her son’s life are put in greater danger. I really enjoyed the book and recommend it. I received an ARC copy of the book from Netgalley and a leaving this review voluntarily.
Dead Silence opens with a bang disguised as a whisper when sign language interpreter Elise lipreads a threat against her mother-in-law. She is then contacted to say her deaf son has fallen in the playground, so she rushes to the hospital and forgets what she saw … until the next morning, when the news reports her mother-in-law has been murdered.
There are a couple of credibility gaps. No matter how concerned you were about your son, would you really forget to tell someone you “overheard” a death threat? Especially a death threat against your mother-in-law, your child’s grandmother, who also happens to be a US Senator. Also, why did no one call Elise to tell her the Senator was dead?
The family spend a lot of time together during the course of the novel, which adds even more to the credibility gap. Okay, so I can perhaps believe that Elise was too stressed to call her mother-in-law. But then neither the father-in-law or sister-in-law call to say the mother-in-law has been murdered. Instead, they allowed her to find out by watching the TV news. And it’s not a big family: the Senator only had two children and one grandchild.
Yes, that bugged me. But it didn’t bug me enough to stop reading, because the overall premise was unique, and the story was fast-paced enough that I didn’t stop to think. It picks up pace again after Elise receives a “gift” on her doorstep—a dead rat, an obvious message that she shouldn’t share what she knows.
Another “gift” the next day, and Elise is convinced there is a leak in the FBI. After all, the only people she’s told are the two agents. This got a little frustrating as well—anyone with half a brain could work that out, but not the FBI. Again, that does slightly strain credibility (overall, the FBI do come across as less than competent). But, again, I kept reading because I had to. The story was that compelling.
Elise is an excellent character—a determined single mother with a strong desire to protect her only child from whoever is trying to harm them. She’s independent, but not afraid to ask for help, and her background as a trial interpreter gives her an insight into the legal and investigative process that comes in handy.
Overall, Dead Silence is a fast-paced and compelling thriller featuring a main character with a unique occupation. It’s well worth reading for those looking for a straight thriller with no romance.
Thanks to Shiloh Run Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
I believe Dead Silence is the best book I have read by Robin Caroll to date. I thought this book was an amazing read. I was not sure if this was going to be a book for me or not but that quickly changed as soon as I finished chapter one. It had a lot of action and adventure, twists and turns, mystery and suspense. I was surprised at how it all ended. I had no way of predicting what would happen next throughout it at all. The plot was one that I found to be unique, intriguing and refreshing. I feel in love with the character of Elise right from the start.
I am giving Dead Silence a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy a good, clean suspense filled novel. I am adding it to my top favorite reads of the year.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
When a child injures himself or herself, a mother’s focus moves squarely and firmly to that child. Add in the child being deaf or having other special needs, and the mom may have tunnel vision on simply caring for that child. So even though Elise Carmichael is a court interpreter, and she reads someone’s lips saying that her mother-in-law is going to be killed that night, when she gets the call about her deaf son being injured on a playground she immediately goes into protective mom mode.
To me, this book seems to be a realistic portrayal of what could happen if a court official hears of a crime being planned but not acting fast enough in the mind of the FBI or other law enforcement officials.
The bonds between Elise, her sister-in-law, and her step-father-in-law as well as Elise’s son bring the pages of this book to life. I love seeing how Elise deals with the FBI, and especially one particular agent who seems to be set on causing trouble. It also illustrates how politics and power can bring out the worst in people.
Truly, this is a book worth reading, although the danger, suspense, and politics can be extremely intense. I definitely recommend this book. So check it out for yourself.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK
Wow, this book is amazing!! Robin Carrol is an amazing writer and this may be the best book I’ve read from her! Lip reading can be a really good thing to be able to do, that is until Elise Carmichael read the lips if someone plotting to kill a senator, which happens to be Elise’s mother in law. Then this thriller takes off!!
I fell in love with Elise and her son, who is deaf. After loosing her husband, her son was all she had left and nothing could happen to him. But after she tells what happened, she starts getting threats on her life, and then her sons life. Something had to be done. I really like the way Ms. Carrol incorporates family into this story. It give this story a warm feeling, even though so much wrong was going on. And weaving faith in the lives of these characters makes an even better story.
There is so much going on in this story, trying to find the senators murderer, and the person responsible for the threats on Elise’s and her sons life. But yet the story is a fun one to read. I love the writing style of this author, making her books so enjoyable to read. And Dead Silence falls at the top of the list for me. I will definitely be checking for Ms. Carrols other book in the future. If you enjoy a super good Christian fiction thriller, I highly recommend this one to you. I hope you love it as much as I did!!
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I’m smitten. She did a wonderful job keeping me entertained and reading. Though I knew who was ultimately the bad guy there were enough wrenches thrown in to keep me guessing on things too.
I am not deaf, I do not know sign language, but I would learn if I had a need. In fact, my kids do know a little bit from school. But I digress. I have learned things that most people don’t know for the sake of my kids, but they’re not life or death my kids can’t communicate with the world without them important.
This is a great mystery/suspense novel. You’ve got the standard-issue going on. She heard about a crime going to be committed but she didn’t’ do anything about it because she got distracted by her son. He broke his arm and he’s deaf so signing will be an issue. Because she did nothing her mother-in-law is dead.
Can Elise convince everyone she’s innocent? That she didn’t knowingly ignore what she heard, or rather what she read on the lips of others?
Now add to those issues the FBI investigating. Elise getting deadly packages and then her son getting kidnapped. Someone will stop at nothing to silence her. But somewhere there is still a leak. The bad guys keep winning like maybe someone on the team is feeding them all the answers.
This is a wonderful read that I couldn’t put down. I highly recommend you get a copy and read it today.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
When Elise Carmichael, a court sign language interpreter, accidentally “overhears” a death threat against her mother-in-law, a US senator, Elise becomes tangled in the web of someone who is willing to blatantly kill anyone who knows too much or who stands in his way. She tries to keep her young son, who is deaf and mute, safe, but the challenge becomes more than she can handle on her own. The fast-paced drama entices the reader to keep reading as the suspense and tension continue to ramp up. The main character seems quite realistic and determined to come out victorious. But her faith life has been in the dumps since her husband was killed in action. She must learn to trust God again in order to win this battle. Although I suspected who was behind the murders early on, the compelling tale kept me engaged. The author is a master at weaving a “clean” thriller. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.
This book had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. Elise is an interpreter for the court system. But she is so much more than that. She is a mom to a 7 year old son who was born deaf and the widow of a man killed in action in the military. One day, by accident, she lip-reads a conversation between two men talking about the murder of a US Senator. As soon as court dismisses for the day she intends to notify the authorities, but an accident on the playground has her forgetting all about it and rushing to the hospital to make sure her son is going to be okay. The senator is murdered that same night and when she realizes what has happened she notifies the authorities. Then begins the roller coaster ride as her and her son are threatened. While this is a great suspenseful murder mystery, it is also a story of family and there is a Christian theme throughout it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good murder mystery.
Elise Carmichael is a lip reader. She works in the courts as a sign language interpreter. One day, she overheard the plot to kill a US senator who happened to be her mother-in-law. But before Elise can report the crime, she gets a call that her son, a deaf-mute, had an accident and is in the hospital. Unfortunately for Elise, her mother-in-law is murdered before she can tell anyone what she had overheard.
The story starts fast and the pace is maintained throughout the book but there were some things that didn’t add up for me and were never explained.
For example, it seemed pretty easy to get to a US senator in her home especially one who had been fairly vocal about some very controversial issues.
I also did not like the way the FBI was portrayed. The impression given is that they are incompetent and unprofessional. The four amateur sleuths were able to solve a high-profile case while the Federal bureau couldn’t.
In a lot of ways, this book seemed more like a cozy than a true mystery complete with bumbling cops.
One thing I had to give Elise credit for–she had a strong sense of self. She was determined to do whatever it took to take care of her son. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, you’ll enjoy Dead Silence.
I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publishers courtesy of Celebrate Lit and NetGalley; a positive review was not required.
This was my third novel by Robin Caroll so I was sure it would be good, and it was! Stratagem and Weaver’s Needle were previous works of hers that I read and reviewed. Dead Silence interested me in that it involved lip reading and a murder plot. Elise worked in the courts as a deaf interpreter. She happened to be at the courthouse when she lip read a security guard telling of a plan to murder a senator. Her seven year old son was born deaf mute and was injured and on the way to the ER before she had time to react to the threat.
After the murder was carried out, Elise began receiving packages with warnings in them. Scared for her and her son’s safety, she installed a security system. Local law enforcement as well as the FBI became involved. Lots of action was involved including kidnapping and leaks within the system. Elise had strong support from her sister-in-law and her stepfather-in-law in spite of the grief they were going through. Sawyer, Elise’s son, added a sweet character to the mix. He was well versed in lip reading also and very intelligent. She was very protective of him, which was natural and understood. This story kept me spellbound and enthralled throughout. There were no dull spots at all. My daughter is a speech language pathologist so the premise of the story caught my interest right off. I tried to learn American Sign but it was difficult for my tired old brain. I think it should be offered in high school as an alternative to foreign language.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit but was not required to write a review.
We take so much for granted, and when the author gives us a woman whose son is deaf, and she now works as a sign language interpreter, and she reads lips. A gift? Well, yes, but her seven year old does and thus watch TV cartoons, wonderful! Then, she accidentally reads the lips of a man that becomes very personal, but life intervenes before she is able to act on it.
This story quickly became a page turner for me, looking for answers, the family is dealing with grief, then being tormented, and why?
I had my suspect from the very beginning, and yes, I was right, but there are many side stories, and life happenings that just kept this a great read.
You will end up with your heart in your throat, and not know whom to trust, and in the end one person has so little regard for human life, and is full of greed.
I received this book through the Celebrate Lit, and was not required to give a positive review.
Over the past couple of years, I have not read as much in the suspense and thriller genre as I normally do, mostly because I read almost exclusively for the purpose of reviewing rather than free reading, but also for the sake of enjoying more peaceful stories. Nevertheless, when the opportunity arises to review a Christian suspense book, I tend to go for it. It makes for a nice change of pace once in a while, especially when the author is one I know spins a good yarn. Last year I read “Stratagem” and was very impressed, so I was eager to read another novel by Robin Caroll.
As soon as I heard that “Dead Silence” featured a court sign language interpreter, Elise Carmichael, as the main character, I was in! This despite the political aspect, because as much as I hate politics, I have always been fascinated with sign language. I watched the 1962 film version of “The Miracle Worker” in high school so many times that I had all of the dialogue memorized. So this book beckoned to me, and even more so when I learned that Elise’s seven-year-old son, Sawyer, is deaf and mute. Elise’s job and skills are what entangle the two of them in a harrowing investigation related to the assassination of Senator Lilliana York, Elise’s mother-in-law. So far, so good; I appreciated that while this story takes place in the political realm, the mystery and suspense are the focus, and I honestly had a difficult time putting it down due to the quick pace.
Caroll skillfully writes a strong faith element into “Dead Silence.” Elise has drifted away from God in bitterness and anger over her son’s perceived disability and her husband’s death, which makes her a sympathetic character whose coming-home journey is fraught with distrust and fear. Most of us can relate to some degree: “Maybe that’s why she had been so resistant to turn back to God. Putting Sawyer, the one thing, the one person she loved more than anything else in this world, into anyone else’s hands besides her own terrified her.” We know from Scripture that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28) and that He is higher and greater than all else, and Elise comes to truly understand this throughout the novel.
There are some points of this story that kept this from being a 5-star read for me. While I can attest that many people do not know how to do their jobs, I found the degree of ineptness demonstrated by the FBI in this book rather farfetched. Elise and her entourage are more capable and have more connections than I thought likely, as well; although I loved their proficiency, I did not think it very credible overall. Some details are left out, such as how the assassin enters the Senator’s home undetected, and one of the main characters in the beginning of the story suddenly drops out for the rest of the narrative. I did think that the ending was too tidy and abrupt after all of the detail and the rather slow passage of time prior, but I was nonetheless rather pleased with the resolution. All of this is to say that while I did have some issues with certain elements, I still enjoyed “Dead Silence” very much, and if you are able to suspend disbelief a bit, this is a gripping story of murder, conspiracy, healing, and the power of both a mother’s love for her son and God’s love for us.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.