Member Reviews

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Silent Ones’ by K.L. Slater in exchange for an honest review.

I had read and enjoyed her last novel, ‘Finding Grace’, earlier in the year and so welcomed immersing myself in another of her tense domestic noirs.

Ten-year old cousins, Maddie and Brianna, are accused of a terrible crime against an elderly woman. Their mothers, Juliet and Chloe, are in denial and the inhabitants of the small village in which they live are quickly up in arms against the entire family.

This main section novel takes place over a short period of time as the police seek answers from the girls, who are refusing to say a word. Their family freaks out and a cascade of terrible things happen in response to the accusations.

Once started this book was extremely hard to put down. Slater’s style and her short chapters work well. There are also flashbacks to 2003 interspersed with present day events that fill in details of the family’s history. There are some great twists along the way that made this a very satisfying, quick summer read.

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I am very sad to say that I had to DNF this one by the 5th chapter I really tried to give it a chance but I not only was not into this book but you see everything that's coming from afar I feel like the author gives way to much away very quickly and doesn't leave room for any curiosity to continue the book.

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Wow, this is the first book by K.L.Slater that I have read although I do have a couple I recently purchased in my TBR pile.

I read this in two sittings only because I had to sleep in between. It has me engrossed from start to finish trying to guess what was going to happen next.

This is quite a fast paced story with quite a bit going on being told through different perspectives mostly that of Chloe and Juliet sisters who have a sort of love/hate relationship also some chapters were from the perspective of Dana a psychologist who is called in to talk to the two girls Brianna and Maddie who are Chloe and Juliet’s 10 year old daughters accused of a brutal crime. The story also jumps back and forth over time to when the sisters were growing up and the family dynamics which explains the relationships they have as adults.

I highly rate this book it is so well written the story flows and really hooks you so many twists and turns some that you really don’t expect. Great read if you haven’t read anything by this author read this now. A great psychological thriller.

How would you react if your 10 year old was accused of assaulting an old lady in her home which then led to her death? How do sisters react when their respective daughters are the accused when each wants to protect their own child? The strain this puts on a family and there everyday life. The reaction of friends and neighbours.

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Oh my goodness, what a great read!! You suspect everyone and everything. The plot is fantastic, ten year old cousins suspected of murder. Dysfunctional family shocker!! Loved the ending.

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A silly plot with not a single believable character. I read it to the end but now ask myself why I bothered. I hate to slate a book but really this was not good on any level.

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This was my first book by K.L.Slater and I hope not the last one.
The premise is extremely intriguing. Imagine a horrible crime and two children involved, children who wouldn't say a word to explain what happened, not even to defend themselves. Maddie and Brianna are first cousins. We know they are quite different (as any two children, even siblings, would be), but we also get slightly different descriptions (perceptions, perceptions, perceptions...) coming from their respective mothers Juliet Fletcher and Chloe Voce. Gradually, we understand that there is something else, a dark secret buried in the family past that made the mothers' characters and their relationships to their own parents what they are.
The book is so fast-paced, there's never a dull moment. There are twists and turns, and you do want to get to know what exactly the two girls did (or didn't do?) on that afternoon, even at the expense of your own sleepless night. Whenever a crime like this is concerned, there are rumours and wild accusations, and pointing fingers. In our day and age when news is just a click away and social media are ready to lynch the parents with hateful comments, you still have to trust that the investigation is going to be proper and unbiased. There are special procedures, designed to protect the rights of minors and they are there for good reasons. Guilty or not, children are vulnerable members of our society and this book brilliantly shows this vulnerability and the part families play in dealing with situations like this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

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I'm a big fan of K L Slater so was really keen to start this . I of course wasn't disappointed . Chloe and Juliet are sisters both with a daughter who are accused of a terrible crime . Both girls are only 10 and refuse to say anything at all . In comes Dana a family therapist who realizes that there is more to this family than meets the eye , when she starts digging long buried secrets an lies come out to further complicate matters . As usual a great twist and a really satisfying ending . Brilliant !!

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Kim Slater is the Queen of thrillers, and nobody can do eerie like she does. When the first four pages of the book grips, you know you are in for a rocking ride and K. L. Slater is magnificent.

2 ten year old cousins were accused of murder, and they refused to talk to each other or to anyone else. Their mothers were perplexed and they had to be the voice of their daughters to get to the truth. And in the process, secrets kept pouring out like molten lava burning from inside out.

Her penmanship and the word placement left me with a feeling of an impending doom. The shadows kept lengthening as I turned the pages I could feel the darkening of the skies before the bolt of lightning twists struck my being. Oh how I wish I could describe the excitement that arose in me when I read the lines.

The story may appear insidious but it packed a punch at the right places. Who other than Kim could make my breath hitch. The characters were vivid, their emotions starkly naked allowing me to dive into their depths to examine them and get to know them

My mind sped up with thoughts flowing nineteen to a dozen, wondering what the truth could be. And I couldn't have ever guessed. This book again proved I have conferred the right title to this talented writer - Queen of psychological thrillers!!

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You know those books that you wake up during the night and trying to figure out who did what and guess the ending? This is one of those. A book to keep you guessing. To wrap your head around how one or both ten year old girls could really kill an elderly lady with dementia. Then when arrested they refuse to speak at all to anyone. Not even their parents. The girls are cousins in a very dysfunctional family. The story takes place over a few days at the police station. However, a lifetime of painful memories are stirred up and current complicated relattionships come to a boiling point. The sisters, mothers to the girls always had a wedge between them, created mostly by the parents, are now pointing fingers at each other's child. So many secrets come out that will change their lives forever. Surprises that will shock you. And two little girls sit silent while the police put together a very strong case against them.
Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy this is my honest opinion. I like a book that keep you guessing and thinking. Did Brianna or Maddy Kill Bessie Wilford? Or are they little girls driven by the past sins of family. .

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Yet another K. L. Slater book that does not disappoint, you really can’t go wrong with one of her books.

In “The Silent Ones” two 10 year old cousins are accused of a terrible crime against an elderly lady. As the family struggles to find answers both girls refuse to talk. This book is not only a great thriller, it also touches upon dysfunctional families and dynamics and how the whole community reacts.

Some good twists here and even though I guessed a part of the plot, there was more coming.

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for this ARC

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I read Finding Grace a couple of months ago and was excited to read Slater’s new novel The Silent Ones. This is one of the best psychological thrillers of the year! Everything is there : women with secrets, so many lies, unreliable narrators, twists and betrayal. Once you start, prepare snacks. Excellent novel!!!

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I enjoyed The Silent Ones. It was a psychological thriller, with lots of family secrets, so you’re never 100% sure who is being truthful. I wish the relationship between the sisters had been dissected a bit more. Overall, this book is well-written and easy to follow, with realistic characters.

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The Silent Ones by K.L. Slater- This mystery/thriller lives up to its genres. Two little girls skip merrily down the lane to visit an old neighbor. The neighbor is found dead and the girls have her blood on them. Sounds like an open and shut case, but something just doesn’t sit right. Neither 10 year old is talking and as the case goes on, it looks as if they aren’t the innocent little girls their mothers think they are. Good twist woven into a story that alternates between the present and the past. #netgalley #Thesilentones #KLSlater

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i received an arc of this title in exchange for an honest review. thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in advance of its release.

ummmm so i didn't like this. i gave it a fair shot, reading about 2/3 of the novel. but basically nothing happened throughout that entire time. for a "thriller," i don't think it was very thrilling. i hate that i didn't enjoy this, especially b/c i thought the synopsis sounded really interesting. it just wasn't. cool plot, no execution.

the main characters SUCK. they are completely unlikable and maybe that isn't always necessary, but i felt that in this case, the reader is at least supposed to like juliet? you find out a big thing that took place when juliet and chloe were children, but mostly i just felt sorry for juliet. feeling sorry for her doesn't necessarily mean i like her. she didn't stand up to her family at all and just took their shit even though they're all way worse people than she is. i certainly wouldn't have put up with that or let my children be around that kind of attitude. this isn't a spoiler, since the synopsis says this, but when the two daughters are accused of assault and they're being interviewed by the police, juliet and chloe's parents immediately take a side without knowing any information. they were actually supposed to be looking after the children and were, in fact, not doing so at all and that is just sort of brushed off which didn't make a lot of sense to me.

i don't hate the writing, which is why i'm rounding up to 2 stars. i plan on reading more of k.l. slater's books b/c there are definitely some that sound super interesting to me. it's just this particular book and i didn't mesh well. i also wasn't really invested in finding out what actually took place. i think that's usually the point of thrillers, that they're supposed to keep you guessing and reading until the end, but that just wasn't the case with this novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2875543620?book_show_action=true

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Wow what a rollercoaster of a read that was!
Just when you think you know what’s happening, it’s turned completely around and left me totally speechless.
This is a fantastic psychological thriller.
Juliet and Chloe are asked to go to the Police station as their daughters have been involved in an incident.
They soon find out the girls are accused of attacking an old lady in her home, leaving her in her critical condition.
Both Chloe and Juliet cannot believe this and soon their lives spiral out of control.
The locals all hate them and their homes are attacked and surrounded by angry mobs.
The business they run together also suffers and they can’t see a way out of this.
We also learn something happened in their past which has affected their relationship with their parents and also with each other.
This is a gripping read that had me on the edge of my seat.
I loved the way it was written and the way the family’s secrets were slowly revealed made it more intriguing.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

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Two 10years old cousins Brianna and Maddy are suspects in a murder of an older lady. The girls however are not speaking to anyone including the police of what happened. It is up to the girls parents to figure out what happened.
This story started slow. It picked up halfway but once it did it, took you on a ride of crazy twists.
Thank you Net galley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for my review.

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I’ve really enjoyed all of Slater’s previous novels, and this one was no exception. It started off a bit slow, but it had a ton of twists that I didn’t see coming. K.L slater is amazing at tricking me Lol. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

4.5/5

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The Silent Ones – K.L. Slater

Well I just loved this book K.L. Slater! I devoured this in one day and was left with a rather large book hangover. This ticks all the boxes for me, a great plotline with plenty of characters to dislike and suspect. It’s made complete with all the thrills and spills we have come to expect from your novels. My one criticism and its not a criticism as such but I always feel like the books could/should be longer (or is that me just being greedy?)

The way that social media has been portrayed in my opinion is pretty accurate. It’s almost a trial by social media and its scary, with keyboard warriors deciding that they are ‘judge, jury and executioner’ long before guilt has been proven. Its as if because they are that step removed they have the right to abuse, hurt and troll anyone they choose and yes I’m aware of free speech. As both communities and individuals we are too quick to get involved by either knowingly or unwittingly adding fuel to the fire and pain to people who are already struggling to cope.

How do you cope when you’re told that your ten year old daughter and niece have been arrested? Arrested for what ultimately turns out to be one of the most heinous crimes that can be committed made worse by the fact that two ten year olds are ‘responsible’. What must have made it worse was that the girls seemed to have made a pact to say nothing and I do mean nothing, nothing at all. On top of this there’s already a case of sibling rivalry between the girls mothers dating back to their own childhood.

This is a dysfunctional family at its very worst so full of secrets, lies and resentments. Each and every one of them is hiding things from each other so it’s plain to see where the girls learnt the power of staying silent. There’s so much suspicion between the mums, which to a degree is understandable because of their past. It’s so obvious that there’s not a lot of love lost between any of the main protagonists that in my opinion makes them even more untrustworthy.

I found myself wondering just how I would cope if I was in the same boat as the two sisters in The Silent Ones. I can’t begin to imagine if I wouldn’t do the exactly the same. Maybe that ‘mama lion’ instinct would kick in and I’d ultimately protect my own first, even against family.

This is extremely well written thriller of a book. Told to us in the past and present tenses with more than a few intriguing subplots all of which come together at the end with a BANG! I felt quite chuffed with myself for working some bits out but I was way off with the finale (I read voraciously and usually I don’t do too bad at joining up the dots) and that makes me very happy indeed.

This a cracker of a novel and I would highly recommend this for a summer read or to anyone that just loves a bloody good book. Honestly if you’re looking for a psychological/Police procedural this is definitely worth a punt.


Read for an honest review. Thank you K.L. Slater, Bookouture and Netgalley.

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My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Ten-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are rather bored and have managed to sneak away to visit an elderly woman named Bessie. This was something the girls often did. They were watched by their grandmother, who obviously wasn't paying close enough attention. The girls were up to no good and have just been arrested for harming Bessie. When Bessie succumbs to her injuries, the charge is raised to murder.

However, neither girl will talk, not to the police, not even to their parents. Their mothers, Juliet and Chloe, feel their daughters could never have committed this act. Juliet and Chloe had a bit of a strained relationship as it was, but with their girls not saying a word, things begin to deteriorate between them.

Time drags on while they are trying to get the girls to talk, Juliet is especially haunted by the family's past. This very past has affected Juliet more than any member of the family, and this ultimately has changed her relationship with husband Tom. The combined strain of the murder accusation, their daughter's silence and her childhood past is about to unravel Juliet.

I was on tenterhooks while reading The Silent Ones. It was so tragic with the girls being so quiet, but as the recollections of the past were revealed, my sadness increased. The story was a fast-moving one and had some powerful revelations and long-hidden secrets revealed as well as a shocker a conclusion, one that left me applauding and a bit emotional.

This was another excellent book by K.L. Slater, and I literally lost sleep as I read it from cover-to-cover. I look forward to reading more by her soon.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Oh wow. I love this author's books and this is exceptional. I was hooked from the start until the very last page.

The storyline was heart breaking and it really plays with your emotions. The twists were fantastic and I had no idea what was going to happen.

I will recommend this book to everyone.

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