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.
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This is an exhilarating adventure experience that I really enjoyed. I found the sign language and lip reading interesting and it kept me reading till the end. I felt how Elise was treated by the one FBI Agent disturbing but I also understand how some personalities clash and have seen professionals act rudely so it was believable. Elise growth in her Faith was woven in and her love for her son was evident from the beginning. An enjoyable thrill ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I received a complimentary copy from CelebrateLit. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
Elise Carmichael is a single mom, widow & a court sign language interpreter. Elise loves what she does and since her son is deaf it helps give her empathy when on the job. However, never in her wildest dreams did she think her lip reading skills would land her right in the middle of a crime. The death of a senator, her mother-in-law, nor could she imagine a situation where she would be so grateful for her son being deaf. While going through this her relationship with Mary Ellen ( her sister in law) gets stronger. They had always been friends but this showed her that they could truly rely on one another. God shows them both that with Him all things are possible.
Thank you Robin Carroll for allowing me to participate in this influencer opportunity. This was a little different then all of your other stories, no romance, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Robin Caroll pens another good suspense with a fast-paced and intriguing plot filled with twists and turns, characters/family members who work well together, and insightful discussions about faith in the midst of tragedy, grief, and fear.
This is straight-up suspense without a hint of romance in the plot, except for Elise’s fond memories of the great love she had shared with her deceased husband. Elise goes through a tremendous amount of grief and stress as her mother-in-law is found murdered and she and her son start receiving threats. She is a strong and determined lady, though a little impulsive and hot-headed. She’s emotionally and physically supported by her loyal sister-in-law Mary Ellen, her smart and connected stepfather-in-law Noland, and a young but eager reporter Wesson who becomes a friend. I learned a bit of the day-to-day modifications a deaf child needs through Elise’s son Sawyer’s life.
I didn’t fully connect with Elise unfortunately and I also wasn’t too keen on how the investigation of the senator’s murder played out but the suspense of the plot was gripping. If you enjoy suspense novels, you will enjoy this newest from Robin Caroll.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Dead Silence is a fast-paced book full of nail-biting suspense. Elise Carmichael is a court sign language interpreter who can also read lips. This gets her into a heap of trouble when she reads a mans lips talking about something bad going to happen to a senator who also happens to be her mother-in-law. Soon after witnessing that conversation, her mother-in-law is found murdered. It quickly becomes very apparent that whoever is responsible wants Elise to keep quiet. They will stop at nothing to make sure she never figures out who is behind the senator’s death. But who would want the senator dead and why? This is a definite page-turner. It totally held my interest as I kept trying to put all the clues together to figure out what was really going on.
I have heard about this author’s books for several years, but had not gotten a chance to read one. So glad I read this one and plan to read more of her books in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Net Galley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. All thoughts below are my own.
Dead Silence is a brand new summer release that promised to be a thrilling political suspense novel. This is my first book by Robin Caroll and it was a good read with a plot that moved along fluidly and kept me turning the pages.
Pros: The cover is stunning and alluring! I enjoyed the bond between main character Elise and her son. I love how she rediscovered the closeness of family, friendship and her faith through this tragedy. She is an independent, strong female lead and she’s very intelligent, even if she was a bit impetuous. Her grief over the loss of her husband and protectiveness over her son was palpable and real. The plot unfolds quickly and nicely, is well planned and it kept me guessing which was nice. There is no romance in this story; it is purely focused on suspense and faith which was a refreshing change. The suspense was mild, but it held my interest easily enough.
Cons: At times, I felt like Elise came across as slightly immature in her choices. As a mother, I understood her priority being her son but felt there are some things that are equally important. The light in which Caroll paints the FBI is a little unsettling compared to other books I’ve read in this genre, however, for the premise of this particular story, I understand why it was done, just not sure I was a fan. There was not always insight into Elise’s thoughts which my followers know I enjoy (personal preference, of course!). I wanted a bit more of that from this story. Lastly, I questioned the reality of the ending in which the FBI allows Elise to approach, and in my opinion, further endanger, her son at the location he was being held.
Overall, I found Dead Silence to be good, but not great. Depending on what you’re expecting from the story, you may enjoy it more or less than I did. Again, a strong female lead, supporting female characters and fluid plot deserve much credit! In the future, I will try other books by this author.
The adrenaline ride starts on page 1 and doesn’t let up until the end. What starts as any normal day is interrupted by a weird phone call Elise “over-hears”. With a deaf son at home she has learned to lip read, and Elise unintentionally ends up picking up conversations all the time. While Elise is trying to make sense of what she saw, a life changing phone call comes in. Her son has been injured. The next day Elise remembers the phone call and decides she needs to tell the authorities. In a matter of hours her life is flipped upside down. Threats, danger, and condescending FBI agents pile up creating a never ending nightmare. When Elise’s son is pulled into the nightmare, she will do whatever it takes to find the answers and end the threat.
Robin Caroll ramps up the tension with characters that come alive, having the reader trying to keep up. Each page has the reader asking what will happen next. She writes a strong female character that knows how to keep herself together and surrounds herself with family and friends to help her when she needs a lift. They work together to carry each others loads when needed, making each character so relatable. This book will keep you up late into the night, wanting to find the all important answer: who is pulling all the strings in the background. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Hold on to your seat and get ready for a thrill seeking adventure. What would you do if you read someone’s lips that spoke of a murder? What if it was about someone powerful and happens to be about your mother-in-law? I think I would run to the police as fast as I could. Elise is ready to do just that when she gets a message that her son has been injured. I bet her adrenaline is pumping as she races to the hospital. At the back of her mind is the thought that she needs to get in touch with the police but right now her son is upmost of importance. Is it a coincidence that her son is injured right as she finds out her mother in-law is in danger?
The story is exciting and I rooted for Elise as much as I could. She does have a problem with her faith and I couldn’t wait to see the road Elise will take to gain her faith again. It is no surprise that there is a murder and Elise is right in the middle of the investigation. The police don’t seem overly friendly towards her when they realize she may have been able to prevent a tragedy.
The author does an excellent job of educating readers about lip reading and sign language which Elise uses to communicate with her son. I took classes in sign language because I had a child in Sunday School who was deaf. I was determined that the child would not be left out. The first Sunday I started signing as I taught, I saw a big smile come from that child. I will never forget the moment she signed thank you to me.
Now back to the story. Oh yes we have Elise in danger after someone finds out what she knows. I was a bit disappointed when Elise’s son was kidnapped because it was very predictable. What I did like was the sheer determination Elise has to rescue her son and end the threats against her. The story does not lack twists and surprises and the author writes a story that had me on the edge of my seat.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
Dead Silence is a Christian suspense novel that has a strong faith element but Elise Carmichael doesn’t display it at first. She is the widowed mother of a seven-year-old deaf son and she has experienced great heartache, leaving her with a faith that has been diminished by troubles and loss. It is her sister-in-law Mary Ellen who becomes Elise’s strong support system and creates the change in Elise’s thinking, leaving me with a strong admiration for Mary Ellen’s unwavering belief and her Christian witness. As Elise frantically searches to find who has kidnapped her son her prayer life is revived and she finally begins to believe and trust in God once again. But will she find her son and will he be safe?
“Elise nodded, but she knew if anything happened to her son, she wouldn’t make it. She’d have no reason to live, and just thinking that scared her.”
Intrigue, deceit, and murder are all a part of Dead Silence and I was touched by Elise’s strong determination to find her son alive. She is even able to teach the FBI agents a thing or two as they race to find Sawyer! If you are looking for strong female characters and heart-racing adventure, you will want to read this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
Ms. Caroll does not disappoint in her latest engaging, fast-paced suspense novel. Readers will be in a race to the finish to discover what is going on. Elise Carmichael’s son is deaf so she can read lips and works as a sign language interpreter. Her mother-in-law is a prominent senator. She unintentionally witnesses two people talking and realizes they are talking about killing her mother-in-law. However, right after this she receives a phone call that her son is injured. Once she reports what she witnessed, she will be in a race to discover what is going on to ensure that her son is protected. This novel provides readers with suspense throughout the novel. This is a Christian suspense book and there are many references to God and a person’s faith explained throughout the book. I have always loved Ms. Caroll’s books and enjoyed this latest release immensely. I highly recommend this book and her other books.
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.
I enjoyed reading Dead Silence. The premise is intriguing–Elise, a lip reader who works in the courthouse learns of a plot to kill a senator who is her mother-in-law. She gets a call that her son has been injured and rushes to the hospital. I could not believe that Elise forgot about the plot over her son’s broken arm. The FBI agents had the same problem. The FBI is portrayed very poorly, which I disliked. I did enjoy the faith aspect in the book. The ending is satisfying. I would read more from Robin Carroll.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley.
Your heart will go out to Elise, a young widow of a Marine, with a seven year old deaf mute son, Sawyer. Elise has not felt like God cares after her husband’s death and Sawyer’s disability. Elise’s mother-in-law, a US Senator, is murdered and Elise discovers files that she has sent to Sawyer’s i-pad shortly before her murder! What are these files and what do they mean? You will fear for Elise as boxes with warning messages begin appearing! Can the FBI be trusted? Then Sawyer is kidnapped! What does it all mean? If you enjoy suspense and no romance, you will love this book by Robin Caroll! I received a complimentary e-book of Dead Silence through NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest opinion.
This was a wonderful book full of suspense and lots of twists and turns. I really loved the characters and love how they all worked together to solve all the problems that came their way. I did not want to put this book down. I received a copy of this book from Barbour Publishing for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this wonderful book. The opinions are my own and given freely.
The premise of having a deaf/mute child made this a very interesting story. The child is kidnapped. As the mother and the FBI are trying to find him, the suspense builds. At one point, the mother and a friend were traveling in a car. The author wrote that the driver was speeding up. I thought, “If the author has them have a wreck, I’m not going to be happy about that.” Well, the author got them home safely. I was glad for that. The ending had an interesting twist that I think the reader will enjoy. This is a writer that I plan to follow. Well done.
Dead Silence by Robin Caroll is an exciting Christian contemporary suspense that had me glued from the start.
The novel is set among the political echelons of America and the FBI. There is always a question of who to trust especially as there appears to be a leak from within. God can always be trusted even when life is tough. He sees the end from the beginning and can turn around what others meant for harm. Even when life appears to be spinning away from us we have to “believe that God was [is] in control.”
Life has dealt blows to a character meaning that they withdrew from God in anger and pain. “It’s okay to rally at Him – none of it catches Him by surprise. He can handle your questions and even your anger.” God longs to hear from us, no matter what it is that is bothering us. If it bothers us, it bothers Him. He never abandons us. If we do not hear from Him, maybe we are not listening.
There is a media frenzy within the tale. They all want a story, except for one kind heart who really wants to help.
God can give us a peace in our heart in spite of our circumstances if we would just turn to Him. We need to exercise our faith muscle.
The characters were well drawn and believable. I read with my heart in my mouth as the tension rose. Robin Caroll has created a well thought out tale that captured my imagination from the start. I really enjoyed Dead Silence.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
This is my first Robin Caroll novel and Wow was I blown away! This story is extremely fast paced and keeps you on your toes. Elise Carmichael is a strong, single mom whose husband was killed in the line of duty. She’s raising her deaf, mute son on her own, when she “eavesdrops” (lip-reads) on a cell phone conversation where a man is confirming a murder is about to happen. That’s where the story begins and it just takes off from there. There’s no romance in this story, only the love of a mother and son, along with family ties. I was instantly drawn into the mystery and intrigue and couldn’t put it down. Very much looking forward to reading more of Robin Caroll’s books!
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Fabulous suspense – don’t miss this!
The Lord will not forsake his people….
As an ASL interpreter, Elsie also possesses the fascinating skill of lip reading, both of which she learned since Sawyer, her son, is deaf and dumb. This happy duo has already experienced heartache when husband/father was killed in the line of service. Now the mother-in-law/grandmother has been murdered. Having read the lips of what possibly was the killer, Elsie is now in danger, but who is leaking information given only to the FBI?
This fabulous book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, just waiting for the next threat. Between various threats, press releases, kidnapping and murder you don’t want to miss this story! The author leaves us guessing right up till the end and what an incredible end it is. It certainly goes to show that no one is above the law.
This digital copy was received through Barbour Publishing, Shiloh Run Press and NetGalley. The impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.
What a great story this turned out to be. One surprise for me though was that there was no romance in it. Although there is no romance, there is new friendships that develop. I usually like for this kind of book to have a romance too. Even without it though, the book is really well written and kept me on the edge of my seat.
For those that want to know there is some scripture mentioned in the story along with prayer. Elise had kind of lost her faith in God because of her husband’s death and her son’s deafness. So, there will be a search for a re-connect with God during the story. However, I don’t think that it overpowers the story. I’d hate to have people pass on a really great story because they were concerned about that.
Elise and here son Sawyer were really good main characters and I liked the different type of challenges that they were facing. And that’s even before everything hits the fan for them. Even her deceased mother-in-law was not your usual run of the mill type of person and I enjoyed that too.
It takes a bit of time to figure out if Nolan who was the husband is a good guy or part of the problem. That kept the reader hanging for a little bit of time. Not only is he an interesting character but so is Mary Ellen who is the daughter of the senator and also aunt to Sawyer. She adds a lot to the story. So does an unexpected person named Wesson Kelly. I’m not going to say too much about her and just let readers discover her on their own.
The F.B.I. agents who started working with Elise had me scratching my head more than once. Agent Rodriguez seemed fairly straight forward but his partner Agent Wright added hostile tension to any interviews. Once again also making the drama ramp up. Speaking of drama as the action takes off towards the end of the story, there is plenty of drama. There is a good outcome especially because Elise came up with a really brilliant idea at the end.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Dead Silence by Robin Caroll is a great suspenseful murder mystery. I had read a couple other books by this author and knew I was in for a good read and I was not disappointed. The plot moves quickly and there is lots of action to keep the reader’s interest high. I found the use of a sign language interpreter as one of the main characters and and a young deaf boy as another character to be very interesting to be taken as a reader into the world of the deaf and the challenges they face. Great characterization elicits strong feelings of like or dislike for the characters. There is depth to the main characters and their reactions and emotions are relatable and realistic.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of this author’s work. Readers who love suspense and murder mysteries won’t want to miss. I received a complimentary copy of the book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions are my own.
This was an exciting and fast-paced mystery that I was immersed in from start to finish. The main characters were likable, and the little deaf boy Sawyer, well, I just wanted to reach into the pages of the book and hug him! The only reason(s) that I didn’t give this a full 5 stars is because I found it pretty hard to believe in the failings of the FBI in so much of this story (and that our main character Elise seemed to have more skill at their jobs than they did), and I pretty much knew early on the person responsible for the stalking, harassment, and kidnapping. Fortunately, I still enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to other lovers of mystery and suspense. The author is a good storyteller, and I will look for more of her books in the future. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley, and am giving my voluntary and honest opinion.
Danger and intrigue are found in this fast paced story. When a murder occurs, finding who is responsible takes on twists and turns. A mother’s love for her son shines strong. Great read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.