As soon as I read the first chapter of this story I was hooked, I needed to know what was happening and why, for the most part the story kept its fast pace too and it was really easy to get lost in, I did find though that towards the end the story got a little slow and a bit obvious, I guessed the twist & the culprit, but that didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the story & this is a brilliant debut. I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with in the future!

Interesting but too long

Some background: I substantially started losing my hearing when I was 35 years old (almost 30 years ago) and it has progressively deteriorated over time. I am now quite deaf, borderline needing a cochlear implant. I wear two hearing aids, read lips somewhat, but never learned sign language. I am very grateful for Closed Captioning on TV, internet and movies and also for text messaging. Both improved the quality of my life greatly. So when I read the blurb on this book I was immediately interested.

Paige Northwood is a freelance British Sign Language interpreter in the Scunthorpe, England area. She is called in to interpret for a deaf family in the area when their 18 month old toddler is murdered. She has never dealt with anything like this before and finds it incredibly stressful, especially when she finds out her sister was the godmother of the murdered little girl. It's not totally a surprise because the local deaf community are a close-knit group.

I enjoyed this mystery but it was way too long and bloated. I had a fair idea on circumstances of the murder towards the beginning of the story but had to read through a lot of fill to get to the ending.

The details about the deaf community were interesting. I had never realized (and I should have) that there's a difference between American Sign Language and British Sign Language - and I'm sure a ton of other languages too.

The main character is a hearing woman that grew up in a family where everyone else was deaf. That was interesting, too.

This could have been an exceptional book with at least 25%of it cut but it is still an interesting read.

I received this book from Avon Books UK through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

It's always interesting to read a crime novel from a new perspective. The death of a child takes place in a household where the adults are deaf. They didn't hear the intruder. A sign language interpreter knows the family but sacrifices professional detachment determined to find justice for the victim.

The beginning is harrowing and sets the scene for an emotional domestic suspense story. The police procedural aspect is well-written, giving the plot authenticity. It's the unofficial, personally motivated investigation that Paige undertakes that makes this story absorbing and suspenseful.
The characters are complex and believable. I did realise early on who committed the crime, but the plot has many twists and suspects, and a good final twist. It is immersive and poignant, with an adrenaline-inducing conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Avon BooksUK in return for an honest review.

This is a pretty good debut thriller from this author and one which is fairly unique given that it focuses on the deaf community. I say pretty good and not excellent because I found it a little tedious in parts.

The story starts well with the gruesome discovery of the body of little Lexi ... she has been brutally murdered in her own bed but in a house inhabited by a family of deaf people, no one heard a thing. Paige is called as an interpreter for the Police but on finding out she has a connection to the family, rather than distance herself, she becomes embroiled in the investigation leading to her receiving threats herself. Sounds good right? Well yes, overall it is but it just takes a while to get there.

The characters are ok but a little one-dimensional. The pace was good in part but there were quite large sections of dialogue where nothing much happened when I found myself skim-reading, which is never a good sign. The real winner here is the glimpse into the life of the deaf community which, not being deaf myself, was a real eye opener and clearly the author knows what she's talking about.

Not the best book I've ever read but certainly not the worst either and I would recommend it to others if only to get a little insight into the challenges faced by the deaf on a daily basis.

My thanks go to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

Paige Northwood is a British Sign Language interpreter who is called by the police to help in a situation where a horrendous crime has taken place. A child has been found dead in the family home and the parents, due to their lack of hearing, didn't hear anyone enter the house. Paige's skill with sign language is needed to help the family communicate but, as we discover throughout the story, there are added complexities which need to be unraveled. And as Paige gets drawn deeper and deeper into the investigation, so more and more secrets about the family are uncovered.



The story is rather a slow burner and takes a while to get going but I feel this is rather deliberate as communicating with people who live largely in a silent world is both challenging and complex and I think that the author has brought this closeted feeling to life in a meaningful way. The complex mystery at the heart of the novel is handled well and the twists and turns are all explored in interesting detail.



The Silent House is the author's debut novel and for a first foray into the psychological suspense genre it is a creditable start. I enjoyed getting to know Paige Northwood, she's an intriguing protagonist with her own hidden secrets, and uncovering these flaws alongside her involvement in this complicated case makes for interesting reading.



The ending certainly lends itself to more stories involving Paige Northwood, and as there is another book promised it will be interesting to see just what this intriguing character does next.

A different take on the crime novel as a BSL interpreter is used when a killer enters a profoundly deaf household and kills one of the children without any of the occupants realising. Unique and page-turning.

Sorry I wasn't able to go on and finish this book.
I'll try again next time and leave a feedback.
Thank you for the accept

I really enjoyed this book, and loved that it was taking the Deaf community at its core. I haven't read one like this before.
Very good plotted police procedural mystery. Definitely recommended.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

In The Silent House the Hunter family are victim to a horrendous crime, someone brutally kills their baby Daughter in the night! You can't imagine sleeping through something so horrific can you? But, the Hunters are all deaf and so wouldn't have heard if there was an intruder in their house! And the interpreter called to the scene begins to suspect that secrets are being kept and things aren't quite what they seem.
The synopsis sounded like something really unique and gave off super creepy vibes so I was incredibly excited to read it. Unfortunately, The Silent House didn't quite meet my expectations and it was just a standard thriller. I think I just expected something new that I hadn't read before but other than an interpreter having to be present in all the interviews there was nothing new about the story. I'm not part of the deaf community so I can't comment on how difficult it is to find interpreters or if everyone would know all the others in the community so well but it sort of felt like the author used the interpreter issue as a way to introduce information about the characters without having to build it in or develop it. The Interpreter, Paige, already knew the family well and so just filled in a lot of information for the Police. And despite the fact that she repeatedly overstepped professional boundaries the Police kept using her for the case as they apparently couldn't find another interpreter. It just felt a bit too much like an easy answer to me.
I did enjoy the book but overall it was a slow burn average type of thriller rather than the nail biting suspense packed story I was anticipating.

The Silent House by Nell Pattison
Someone was in the house. The only problem is that no one heard anything. The family is deaf. A child has been murdered. The family is devasted.
Paige is an interpreter who has been called in to the police station to interpret for the police interviews. She is hearing and has been involved in the deaf community her whole life as her sister and parents were deaf. Paige discovers that she knows the family through her sister, Anna, but does not reveal this to the police. But someone thinks Paige has learned something during the interviews. They think she knows too much. Are she and her sister safe?

This book is a great read. It draws you in to the silent house where a child is tragically murdered . This is a twist on a who-done-it story. It is well written and easy to read. Will you figure it out before it is too late?

The Silent House is Nell Pattison’s début thriller, with a wonderful premise and notable cast. Having never read a book about the deaf community before, I was intrigued to read this novel.

The story begins with the murder of an 18-month-old girl named Lexi Hunter, in Scunthorpe, England. Enter Paige Northwood, a local British sign language interpreter who has been called to the scene of the crime by the police, to assist in communicating with the seemingly devastated family. The family of Lexi is profoundly deaf, and Paige needs to interpret for the Hunters in police interviews, as well for the suspects involved in the investigation. Paige cannot help but feel that there is so much more to this case than meets the eye. As Paige attempts to uncover long-held secrets among the deaf community, she suddenly finds that she herself is being targeted, receiving death threats telling her to back off the case. Soon after, her sister is involved in a hit and run and someone attempts to mount an attack on her. It seems that the killer will do whatever it takes to get away with murder...

The Silent House was a compulsive story that had me suspecting a different character with each flip of the page. With villains that I wanted want to hiss and boo at every time they popped up, there were some horrible characters that I loathed. DI Forest, was somewhat annoying, though she started to grow on me as the story progressed. Alternatively, sympathetic DC Singh and the handsome Max Barron were two I liked from their first appearances.

This is a great début with a strong plot and comfortable pacing. Whilst I wouldn't say I was blown away by The Silent House, I really enjoyed the story and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. I'm keeping an eye out for Nell Pattison’s next novel, Silent Night.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Avon Books via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I had seen this book a lot on Twitter and was looking forward to it.

What a great premise - a deaf family who do not know there is an intruder in their house. This, and the amazing cover, had my interest!

Sadly it is a baby who has been murdered. A BSL interpreter is called in by the police. When she arrives it turns out she knows the family so is torn between telling the police and beefing the work. She decides her need for the work wins over and her job interpreting at the scene, and the ensuing interviews with the family. The interpreter and her visiting deaf sister take it upon themselves to do their own investigation into the murder, landing them in danger.

There are just a handful of suspects and they are cleverly written so they all appear to have possibly been the murderer.

This is a decent debut and I am interested to see more books by this author.

The premise of this book intrigued me with its unique perspective of the deaf community. An 18 month old baby is murdered and because the family is deaf, they never hear a thing. It is a really disturbing notion that something so horrific could happen and no one knows because they cannot hear a thing.

The Deaf House started slow and unfortunately never picked up for me. While billed as a mystery/thriller, it wasn’t much of a thriller and the lack of suspense added to the tediousness of the book. The characters are one dimensional so it was hard to care about anyone.

The book was very repetitive in parts and goes around in circles with nothing happening. None of the suspects are truly eliminated even as we learn more about each one’s motive. In fact, that was the best part of the book for me — there were so many plausible suspects so it could have been almost anyone. I found the ending to be anti-climatic — while I was surprised by the reveal, I didn’t care much by that point. Finally, the backstory of Caitlin did not add anything to the story and the connection felt forced.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Nell Pattison offers a nightmare scenario. A child is bludgeoned to death while the family sleeps. The family is deaf. The police bring in a sign language interpreter, who unbeknownst to them, is connected to the family. The investigation, both the police and the interpreter's ensue. Mr. Pattison has created some layered characters, at times unlikeable and often suspect. Our heroine is smart, dedicated and impetuous, leading to several perilous situations. The story seemed a bit uneven to me, perhaps even a little predictable. It was nonetheless entertaining.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

This was my first foray into reading intensively about the deaf community, about signing language and the intricacies that lie behind actually living in a deaf household. It was a fascinating story.

Lexie a toddler is found bludgeoned to death in her bedroom sleeping beside her siblings. All little children. Her stepmother was sleeping next door, the father of the children after a night out on the couch downstairs. No broken windows or doors, no forced entry. The step mother discovers the child and the investigation takes on from there.

An interpreter has to be called in as this is household which needs help in the investigation. The story is told from mainly the angle of the interpreter who is emotionally involved with the family from the beginning. The detectives find it hard going through a third party but the story unravels slowly - going through the lives of normal people like anyone else, having secrets in plenty to hide but which you know will come out eventually.

I guessed who the murderer was three quarters through the story but I was non plussed as to the reason why and this was revealed at the end. It was a tense, emotional, gruesome story but very well told.

Extremely good characterization and an unusual story line.

The premise, the title.....yes, sounds like a great read. Sadly that’s where it ended. Characters were undeveloped....didn’t really care about any of them. It truly felt like a soap opera. It’s the kind of book you might want to read on the beach. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for ARC.

I really wanted to love this novel. It has one of the most unique premise I’ve encountered in mystery/thrillers. Sadly, I think I got my expectations too high and set myself up for disappointment. The writing is not engaging, the pace too slow, nothing much really happens and the plot moves forward only through boring conversations.

The kids’ parents all seem to be horrible at parenting - like they don’t even want to take care of their children. The main character is so bland and uninteresting, the police work was almost nonexistent.

The only thing I liked is the proper deaf representation, and the author provides wonderful insight to the community. This could have been a great crime novel, if it was written in a more exciting tone/pace.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Silent House by Nell Pattison is a recommended debut mystery.

Paige Northwood, a signer and interpreter for the deaf, is called by the police in Scunthorpe, England, to assist in a case where they need a BSL interpreter. The father, Alan, and his girlfriend, Elisha, woke up to find Alan's visiting 18 month old daughter, Lexi, dead. It is clear she was fatally injured, but the two other children in the room were left unharmed. The mother, Laura, father, and girlfriend are all deaf and heard nothing. The police will need Paige's services in order to take statements and question the family.

Paige grew up with normal hearing in a deaf household so BSL is a second language for her, which made her career working as an interpreter a natural choice. She is also involved in the deaf community so she knows the people involved from the local Deaf Club. Her sister Anna was even Lexi's godparent. Her involvement with the deaf community leads Paige and Anna to undertake an investigation of their own.

The Silent House is an intriguing, but uneven novel. The concept is unique, and there is also a lot of information about the deaf community which does help hold your attention and will keep you reading. The synopsis, however, makes the plot sound much more interesting than is the case in this slow moving novel. It starts out strong and then slows down to a crawl. In the end though, the final denouement is very predictable and the twists leading up to it aren't always very plausible.

Character development is uneven and no one feels like a real person. Paige's repetitious "oh woe is me" laments over dealing with the horrific case became a bit too much at times. I was tired of her repeatedly feeling like throwing up. Perhaps a new descriptive word for Paige's nausea or a new way to describe her discomfort dealing with the case would have helped - or maybe not. Anyway, Paige's behavior is annoying and baffling for much of the novel. One wonders why she is working as an interpreter for the police on a murder case besides the fact that she needs the money.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
Review on Barnes & Noble and Amazon

I was excited to receive an ARC of this book via Netgalley as I was intrigued by the unusual premise- an intruder breaking into the home of a family at night and murdering one of their children. The family remain oblivious to any noise as they are deaf. Unusual and with the potential to be a rattling good read.
Sadly, the book did not meet my, admittedly high, expectations. The storyline gets off to a good start with the BSL interpreter Paige, arriving at the crime scene, only to realise that she knew the victims. And on we go.
Yet, the constant, changing in opinion from Paige and her indecision, quickly becomes irritating. She wants to insert herself into the investigation, despite realising that she needs to step back. She constantly pushes the police for information and risks the investigation in doing so.
I found it difficult to like her character or have any sympathy for her position.
Learning about the Deaf community was certainly interesting and probably the more interesting aspect of the story.
So much promise but yet, the cookie cutter characters along with Paige meant that this story was a let down.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is quite possibly a read that will definitely keep me up at night!
Spine-chilling and utterly terrifying, this is something that you wouldn't wish would happen to your worst enemy. A 18-month-old toddler bludgeoned to death? It's sickening!! Feeling angry at what I was reading, and intrigued by the whole deaf community plotline, I found myself unable to put this one down, reading the whole read in one sitting. I was hooked!
With the exception of the translator, and the 2 lead detectives, I found myself doubting every single character and constantly guessing what could of happened.
While I couldn't wrap my mind around why anyone would want to murder an innocent child, and some aspects of the conclusion were maybe a tad bit unbelievable, this was a read that was excellently written, as well as daunting, captivating and heartbreaking to read.
I will definitely be reading more from this author!