A Mini Review of Dead Silence by Robin Caroll | A Suspense Novel in Contemporary Fiction
*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. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links which means I will receive a commission based on sales generated via these links.
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 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.
★★★ | 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.
Lastly, I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts on the book in the comments below!
