This is the first book in a new series starring DC Beth Young.

The underlying crime story is very interesting & well written and definitely kept me engaged throughout

As it us a new series there were a number of characters to introduce some with significant backstories and this part felt just a little too long for my liking

Overall a good book and I look forward to the next book in the series which I will definitely read

A good plot with intrigue and some suspense. It would have been helpful to know what other characters thought of Detective Beth Young. Another writer to add to my ever growing list.

This is a superbly written, gritty and full of suspense crime thriller that I thoroughly recommend. This dark and full of twists and turns book grips you from the very first page to the very last with its unusual storyline and colorful characters. This is my first book from this author, it certainly will not be the last.

3.5 stars rounded up.
It's been a fair while since a main character has annoyed me quite as much as Det. Beth Young did in this book. I've a feeling we're just not going to get on! That said, the story was really good so, on the whole, it was a good read for me.
There's a killer on the loose in Cumbria and a ritualistic one to boot. One that attaches wings to their victims. Enter newbie Beth and her team to investigate. As already mentioned, Beth is a bit of an acquired taste for sure but, part of what annoyed me about her is also why she excels at her job. She has an ability to think outside the box. That said, I wasn't wholly sold on the idea that only she, above all the other seasoned detectives, had the smarts to get the job done but, to be honest, the rest of the team was so dysfunctional that it was pretty much a case of best of a bad bunch. I say dysfunctional, what I mean by that was that their personal lives were all a bit complicated, a situation that also led to another of Beth's annoyances for me - her interfering and counselling of her colleagues did make her come across as a bit of a nosey know-it-all and that irked me after a while.
And then, in amongst all the angst and our motley crew trying to get to the bottom of the killer, we also hear from two unknowns. That also didn't really gel with me, especially as they were often indistinguishable from each other. I think that maybe that was the point of their inclusion but for me it really didn't work, all the smoke and mirrors, and confusion just distracted me from what was going on in the case which, as already mentioned, was really well plotted and which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The main questions when I start a new series are typically, will I continue with it and how eager I am for the next instalment. I can honestly say I can't answer either of them at the moment. Where the writing was good, some of the characters were good and the plot was good, it would really hang on what happens with Beth next time. Having pretty much sorted out her colleagues woes, to a point anyway, maybe she and they can just get on with catching the next killer that pops up on her patch. I'll definitely keep my eye out for book two but I may well wait a while and see what some of my friends think of it first. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Let me start by telling you when I do my reading. I’m a bedtime reader, never a daytime reader and I can usually tell how much I am loving a book by the time I head upstairs for my nightly reading ritual.

Unfortunately this book just did not grab me at the beginning. I found myself having to re-read a few pages from the night before to remember what was happening. None of the characters grabbed my attention although the storyline was interesting, to say the least.

However, I ploughed on and am glad I did. Nearer the end I was gripped in trying to figure out who the killer was (I guessed wrong!) and really grew to like the main character Beth Young.

Hopefully Graham Smiths next book featuring Beth will see her colleagues and her relationships with them, have a little more depth.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Silent Dead, working title The Darling Dead, is an excellent British police procedural novel. Set in the Lake District and small English towns bordering Scotland, our intrepid DC Beth Young has just transferred from CID to the elite FMIT or Force Major Investigation Team. Beth has been an interesting part of Graham Smith's prior characters and in this one he refines her personality and lets her grow.

Beth's immediate supervisor in FMIT is DI Zoe O'Dowd and together they make a good team. Beth's first case, appearing during her first week with FMIT, is a naked dead man postured in the basement of a derelict manor house, Arthuret Hall, standing between Longtown and Brampton. In his mid-40's, this victim has had his scapulas exposed and scraped clean and bird wings have been glued to the bone, and the mouth and tongue have been burned.

Beth and O'Dowd have only just caught their breath on this crime when more bodies are found in the basement of another abandoned and ramshackled manor house, Carleton Hall, each bearing the same alteration to the bone in their shoulder blades and actual bird wings glued to the bone, the mouth and tongue severely burned.

We have occasional input from the culprit, 'the man with the false name', as the story unfolds but though they better define this man, they don't help much with the mystery. And it is a mystery solved tidily by Beth and O'Dowd, but hidden until very late in the book.

I enjoyed the characters and the smoothly escalating tension in The Silent Dead very much, and can happily recommend it to friends and family.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Graham Smith, and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

The Silent Dead is the first book in a new series by Graham Smith and the first book to feature DC Beth Young. This is the first book by Graham which I have read, and I was very impressed. This is a great introduction to Beth, she is a detective who still has a lot of room to grow, and I’m looking forward to finding out more about her as the series progresses, and I’m hoping that there will be another book. If you enjoy a good serial killer thriller, then you should definitely pick up this book.

Imagine on your wedding day, you discover a body in the grounds of a hotel where you are hosting your big day. This is what happens to Emily Welton when she discovers the body of Angus Keane in the opening chapters, and DC Beth Young is one of the first police officers on the scene after the gruesome discovery. But what sets this murder apart, and really worries the police, is the lengths the killer has gone to make their victim suffer a torturous death, and it soon becomes clear, that Angus isn’t the first victim of this deranged killer and he won’t be the last to die.

Beth is a character who I got on with straight away. You can see she is ambitious; however she does struggle to get on with some of her colleagues at the start of the book. Her boss, DI O’Dowd is a character who I did take time to warm to, but by the second half, I thought that she and Beth were working really well together and O’Dowd became a much more likeable character.

There are some really gruesome details in this book, where we learn about how the killer chooses to murder their victims and these were quite inventive and made this book stand out amongst recent police procedural books I have read. They made me want to find out more about the killer and why they were choosing this particular method to dispose of their victims.

I certainly have no hesitation in recommending this book as a gripping read to crime fiction fans, and I will definitely be buying the next book in the series. The Silent Dead is a top police procedural novel, and I can’t wait to find out more about the characters. Thank you to Bookouture who provided me with a copy of the book to read and review via Netgalley.

Graham Smith knows how to write a disturbing and twisted thriller. Great plot and well-developed characters. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Having read a few of Graham’s previous books, I had high hopes for The Silent Dead, and while it was a good read, it definitely didn’t blow me away. Sadly this one left me feeling a little disappointed, and I really wanted to love it!

Exciting cops and murderer tale set in Cumbria with a new heroine to enjoy. All the main characters have personal issues which is a bit over the top but the violent actions overrides this sole complaint. Clever plotting keeps one guessing as to the perpetrators identity and reasons for his choice of victims, all becomes clear in a rip roaring finale and I look forward to the next episode!

The Silent Dead by Graham Smith is the first in a new series featuring DC Beth Young. Beth is a week into her new assignment and even though she’s only 23 years old she right away feels compelled to advise her coworkers and her superior on their private lives.

I don’t believe anyone would get away with behaving like DC Young and it seems totally unbelievable. I didn’t care for the characters and found it hard to finish the book but kept on as the ending is supposed to blow us away. That didn’t happen.

I will not recommend this book and can’t give it more than 2 stars. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for letting me read this advance copy.

#TheSilentDead #NetGalley Ooh how I love to be in at the beginning of a new crime series where you can get to know all the characters and their history/backgrounds and oh what a cracker this was. I loved the character of DC Beth Young, the newest recruit to the murder team. She is keen, intelligent and has an expertise in puzzle solving but also comes with her own back story that makes her more human. The plot of the book was quite gory but I like that and I found the descriptions of the murders hit just the right balance....for me anyway! Well written, plenty of twists and turns - a real page turner. I loved the setting in the beautiful Lake District and I look forward to the next book in this series. Excellent.

Wow is all I can say. I read this on the train and nearly missed my station. Beth Young is a new addition to the Force Major Investigation Team, She’s keen as mustard but, when a body is found by a bride in the ruins of a mansion, everyone is left scratching their heads. Especially when the corpse is turned over and a pair of angels wings are glued to his back.
A twisty turny fast-paced thriller which has a lot going for it. More please.

An unusual and horrific way to murder his victims. However new kid on the block Detective Beth Young, despite having problems of her own from her past using her intuitive skills brings this gripping tale to its conclusion.

I had a hard time getting into this book. Early in the story, the main character Beth goes on with justifications as to why she's a police officer and how she has to "osmose" the techniques of her superiors. I also found the book heavily into british abbreviations which are difficult to interpret if you're not british. I'm not sure that they normally refer to the police as "coppers" either. The overall plot is good though. #TheSilentDead #NetGalley

Crime fiction is such an overcrowded genre that it's sometimes hard to find something that really grabs your interest. Luckily this is such a book and I found myself compelled to keep reading and get to the end as soon as possible. It has an intriguing lead who I'm looking forward to meeting again and the storyline kept me gripped

Great story with a thrilling plot. Could not put this book down. I really enjoyed it Would recommend to fans of this genre.

What a twisted and gripping story. I loved how the author described Beth and how the trouble she had at her new job did not keep her down. The way the author developed the story and the details that were described made this story that much more disturbing. I am ready for the next book in the series. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I really liked this team of detectives, albeit they all had their problems, but it did make them more human. O’Dowd with her bark worse than her bite, Beth, the new girl with her past, Thompson with his family life and Unthank with his secret life.

The story is rather macabre, but although there were a few red herrings it was obvious to me, at least who was behind it all. Saying that it was a well thought out plot and a very enjoyable read, and I’ll look forward to reading the next one.

My thanks to Graham, and Netgalley for the ARC. I think the title must have changed since I received it!

Darling Dead is the first book in a new crime police procedure series, and what a fantastic start to the series it turned out to be. From the opening chapter where a body is found posed in a ritualistic manner in a crumbling castle in the hills of the Lake District the author draws you in with an atmospheric setting and a crime scene that is gristly to say the least. This book felt much darker and far more sinister than some crime thrillers I've read recently and personally that’s the way I like them. Graham Smith has written a crime thriller that has it all, red herrings misdirection, mystery, and tons of suspense.


A new crime series always has to put some emphasis on the team, how else are you going to get to know them? Like any regular team, there is friction and disharmony, but when the chips are down or in this case when the team is caught up in a frantic search to catch a killer they pull together, and I’m interested to see how there characters will evolve over the series. I especially found Beth Young an interesting character, she’s the youngest member of the team so she finds herself constantly trying to prove to her superiors she’s a valuable and worthy addition to the team.

It never fails to amaze me how authors come up with such ingenious methods of killing off their victims, and Graham Smith has created some very dark and macabre scenes, what a twisted mind this author must have, his methods and vivid description are enough to make the most hardened crime thriller lover have nightmares, me included! And a word of warning perhaps read the autopsy scenes on a empty stomach, there fascinating in there own right but very gory to say the least.

The short chapters told from two unknown voices add tension to the overall read, the author gives a chilling insight into the Killers thoughts and motives and you get a sense of how disturbed the killer actually is as he experiments and refines his methods of killing with each victim he takes. Darling Dead is a brilliant start to this new series it’s well written, with a gory, fast paced plot. I for one would buy the next book in the series without hesitation.

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog f