This book attracted my attention since the first page, one night a young girl is killed on her bed. The only people in the house were her brother and sister and her parents, so who could possibly have killed her? Accident or murder, you’ll have to read it to discover the truth!
This is not an easy case, let’s be honest, when there are little kids involved everything seems much worst and horrible, the worst nightmare of any parent is discovering that your kid is dead on their own bed, making you doubt if you checked them before going to sleep, if they had made a sound and you didn’t listen it… I am sure I wouldn’t be able to sleep ever again!
But let’s talk about the book, both parents are deaf, so possibly that’s why they didn’t listen to anything weird during the night, but the main questions remain the same, it is an accident or there’s something much darker behind the death of this little girl?
The story is told by the interpreter, Paige Northwood, who will connect the family with the police, “trying” to help the detectives with the investigation and the family in these horrible moments. The problem is that Paige knows the family and has a connection with them, so she cannot stay away from the investigation and starts asking questions to discover the truth.
This is a case where you doubt from everyone, because neither of the parents or family members seem trustworthy and all seem to hide something and not telling the truth to the police, so this challenges the reader who is trying to discover the truth. I would only say that I didn’t like much either of the police detectives, but I think that’s what the author wanted, you don’t have to like all the characters in a book to like the story. So I’ll keep my opinions of them in my mind, read it and tell me what you think about them!
The Silent House has been a quick read, from the beginning it intrigued me and kept me guessing till the last page, so a totally recommendable book if you want an original read! Ready to enter to The Silent House?

Paige Northwood is a freelance BSL(British sign language) interpreter; and has been given her most testing work yet!
Paige, grew up in the deaf community in Scunthorpe as her sister is deaf and the only way to make a successful living to pay the mortgage would be interpreting. Unfortunately, a child has been murdered in her bed at home whilst the rest of the family are asleep and this is Paige's next job. The mother of the murdered child is friends with Paige's sister Anna, and because the deaf community is small she knows the parents. It's hard work and emotionally draining but Paige gets her own detective head on and starts investigating herself.

When I read the blurb to this book, I knew that I needed to read it! How could a child be murdered in their bed with no-one hearing? Who would possibly want to kill a child?
So .. .. this book was frustrating as hell or should I say Paige Northwood is. She is constantly telling herself not to get involved in the case as this could jeopardize future employment but she just can't help herself, she has zero willpower and just puts her self in to stupid situations or makes stupid decisions. It doesn't help that her sister gets involved and is encouraging her to probe deeper. Also, something happens to her sister and she is constantly worried;yet when she goes to see her she is more interested in speaking about the case. I had an inkling on who the killer was about a third of the way through but the author does a good job on making you doubt yourself as there are so many suspects. Intertwined in this book is a mild love triangle.
This book is 400 pages and I think it could have been a bit shorter as there was some repetition.
I have no experience with anyone that is deaf so I can't say if this is a good representation or not but it seemed believable.

The Silent House is a thriller with an unusual backdrop. You would think you would know if someone was in your house-unless you and your family happened to be deaf. When a brutal murder shocks a small English village, interpreter Paige is brought in. Paige was raised in a mostly deaf family; as the only hearing member she put her skills to use and has become a freelance interpreter.

Arriving on scene Paige realizes she knows the family involved and, as she begins working with the police, she does not quite trust the story they are telling. The small village is devastated by the events and gossip is running rampant. Soon enough more people are under suspicion and Paige finds herself too close to the investigation. Told in both the present and hours before the murder readers are clued in while Paige is in danger.

This is a very interesting read, with parts being interpreted by Paige and shines a light on the deaf community, which is often overlooked in books and pop culture. At times the story seemed to lose momentum but would pick back up. The main characters were a little unlikeable (some more than others) and it could be lack of character development. I thought that readers were being led in one direction regarding Paige's personal life and with a little more clarity and development this could be a great read.

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

My thanks to Avon Books U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Silent House’ by Nell Pattison in exchange for an honest review.

When a shocking crime takes place in the middle of the night the Hunter family are unaware as the entire family are deaf. The next morning the parents wake to find that their eighteen-month old daughter has been brutally murdered.

The police call Paige Northwood to the scene to serve as a BSL interpreter for the witnesses. During these interviews Paige senses that the Hunters are hiding something. Paige is already acquainted with the family as the Deaf community in North Lincolnshire is quite small.

However, things are complicated as the murdered child is the goddaughter of Anna, Paige’s London-based younger sister. Also, her mother is Anna’s close friend. Is this a conflict of interest for Paige even if she personally barely knows the family?

Paige starts her own investigation encouraged by Anna. Various toes are stepped on and Paige not only upsets the senior detectives but starts receiving anonymous threats warning her off. These continue to escalate.

Most of the novel is narrated by Paige though there are chapters that flashback to events in the days and hours before the murder, though still conceals the identity of the murderer.

This was certainly an interesting premise highlighting both the Deaf community and those like Paige, who isn’t herself deaf but has family members that are and works professionally to assist in terms of communication.

I did feel that Paige’s self insertion into the police investigation was a bit forced. As a result of her being so peripheral it was hard to get a sense of what progress, if any, was being made by the police as they were not discussing the case in her presence, aside from the occasional eavesdropped tidbit. There also was a lot of family drama going on that was a bit confusing.

While I appreciated the unusual step of having a BSL interpreter as a protagonist and the novel’s focus on the Deaf community, it didn’t particularly wow me as a crime thriller. Yet it was an okay read and held my attention for the duration.

As this is going to be a series, I would hope that in future books that Paige has a more official role with the police.

This is my review of The Silent House by Nell Pattison, her debut novel. It’s set in and around Scunthorpe.

Early one morning, Elisha goes into the children’s room only to find her stepdaughter is dead. She has been murdered. The family are deaf so they have not been aware of anything that has happened during the night. They call the police but cannot understand what is happening.

Paige Northwood is an interpreter within the deaf community. She is used to being called to a hospital or doctors to assist when needed. Maybe a solicitor. This time it’s the police and it will bring back some terrible memories, even make her doubt if she can handle the case.

When Paige arrives at the Hunters house, she is given a white suit to put on. She then enters the house but is not fully briefed as to what has happened but is expected to liaise between the parents and the police. The parents are scared and not cooperating. Paige takes a firm hand with Elisha to get her to change her clothes so the police can take the ones that have blood on them, away for testing. She then learns she has to sit in on their interviews as well at the station.

Paige is not deaf although the rest of her family were so she mixes with the deaf community and knows quite a few of them, especially at the deaf community club. The police arrange with Paige’s work so that she is seconded to them to be available for any interviews as required. The more interviews she sits in on, the more she wants to investigate the case herself. Especially when she talks it over with her sister, although she shouldn’t but she feels like a weight has been lifted when she does. But it seems there are so many suspects that were coming under suspicion, could they have killed a little girl though? Who could be threatening Paige?

This book was a fantastic read. Really fast paced and I got into it straight away. It gives an insight into the deaf community but in a positive way. Also, the importance of sign language and that lip reading is not always possible. This was quite informative. It was well written and very descriptive. The sort of book I like, a very good plot and story line. Will look out for the next one. 5 out of 5 from me.

Paige is an ASL interpreter who gets called on a case that is a little close to home. The victim is a toddler who was found dead in her home. Lexington (the victim) is her sister's Goddaughter. Therefore Paige is familiar with the family involve.

The story goes back and forth and is your classic whodunit story. Paige starts to receive threats saying to stop pressing issues and to stay out of it. Then her sister gets physically hurt. The police are leaning toward the father but Paige just can't fathom Alan even though he does have a history of abuse.

I did skim through some parts because it seemed to drag on but all in all I did enjoy the story. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

When I read the blurb for this, it hooked me straight away. A story where someone has been murdered in a silent house, with the emphasis on silent. Why, well the family is deaf. The very idea sends chills down my spine, I couldn’t imagine being in my house and not knowing someone else was there! Goosebumps much!

With Paige leading the way in this story, she is the only hearing person in her family, so from an early age, she became a sign interpreter especially after something horrific happened in her past. She becomes the official sign interpreter on the case of a little girl who has been murdered in her father’s house when everyone was asleep. My heart did break for the family, whenever you read anything about children it always makes it that bit more difficult and uncomfortable for the reader as it is a situation you would loathe and dread to experience. What makes its worse is the silence!

I was on the edge of my seat throughout this book, such a small pool of suspects and everyone’s opinions keep wavering. I had my suspects insight from the beginning and suffice to say I was right, but the gloating didn’t last long because I really did not want to be right. When the threads start unravelling it is enough to break anyone. It was truly horrific and yes it can easily shatter the coldest of hearts.

The Silent House starts with a beginning that sucks you in leaving you just as foggy in the head like the character in the prologue. We are there thrown straight into the lion’s mouth of DI Forest, someone you don’t want to mess with, before shown glimpses of the past, counting down to the time of the murder until the past and present explode.

We have the text villains that we want to boo every time they are on the page, some proper vile characters in here that I hated! Forest, well she annoyed me quite a bit. But on the flip side, DC Singh and Max were two I quite liked. They are both trying to support Paige (and her sister Anna) while they try not to play detective. There is a lot going on this book and it is not your typical non-police playing police. Paige doesn’t want to be involved due to her extended-relationship with the family, but she is in a professional capacity. I think I would be like Paige though, curious about what is going on in the interrogations, asking for more information even though she’s not allowed it. However, she backs off and doesn’t play detective….until it starts getting personal.

This is a debut, and it’s a strong start for sure! This book did take me longer than usual to read, but I have been in a blip with reading and so I was a lot slower with this. There are a couple of times that I felt that the book could have been shortened a little but let me tell you when the suspense ramps up boy does it. So for me, they balanced each other out.

We have only been cordially welcomed into the deaf community and into Friday night deaf club and the array of people and difficulties they face. Not only as parents, friends but just generally in everyday life. We have a possible blossoming relationship and we have a couple of characters where I want some closure on. The good thing is it seems there I’ll be another story coming out..read the acknowledgements. Let us see if we might be more welcomed next time.

This book was definitely a good one! I knew I had to read it from the tagline – “If someone was in your house, you’d know . . . Wouldn’t you?“

This book really was a bit worrisome for me for one big reason I don’t think I’ve shared on the blog before – I can’t hear. The whole premise of the book is that someone has slipped in and beaten an 18-month-old girl to death, but her whole family is deaf and no one heard a thing, not even her siblings sleeping in the same room. It raised the hairs on the back of my neck and left me wondering, if someone was in my house killing someone I loved, I’d know…wouldn’t I?

This book went through a lot of twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. Was it the step-mother who is having an affair and hates how much her husband leaves her alone with the kids? The mother who wants full custody and doesn’t think the father is a good dad? The father who drinks and drugs and avoids responsibility? The uncle who wants to prove how bad a father they have? Or even the brother, a six-year-old boy who is almost impossible to handle with violent outbursts? Or is it someone else? This book kept me guessing all the way to the very end and I absolutely could not put it down. I never saw the twist coming and I went through every single suspect I had, wondering if they were guilty, but never once did I guess the actual killer or their motive. I’d definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a good thriller.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.5 Hearts I thought this was a really interesting concept. What happens with a child is killed in your home but because you are deaf you don’t hear anything? And how do you get your story to the police when you find the murder the next morning?

Well the idea is interesting and I hoped the book would be as well. And it was… sorta. When Paige becomes the ASL interpreter she knows the family. She is not deaf but her family is so she knows the language well. And there is a lot to what happens because of the concept.

The problem is there were things that I just couldn’t make sense of. First a deaf family has other ways to know things are happening (phone rings so lights flash, alarm goes off so bed shakes, etc) so how did they not know someone was in the house.

But on another note the writing seemed a bit slow at some points. The book could have been cut down a bit by omitting a bunch of added words that didn’t make the story better.

All in all a book that had my attention for the concept alone.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Wanna stay up all night and get no sleep? This book will do it. I kept telling myself just one more chapter but it's so hard to put down because it's just that good. Happy reading!

I really liked this book. It centers primarily on Paige, a hearing BSL interpreter who is a part of the Deaf community due to growing up in a family where she was the only non-Deaf member. Paige is called in to interpret for a police investigation into the brutal murder of a toddler girl. It's a tight-knit community so Paige knows all of the players, and her sister Anna is actually best friends with the mother of the girl. Though the book is written mostly from Paige's perspective, you get a glimpse into the lives of the other players, as well as a pretty good look into the police investigation surrounding the incident.

I loved that the author did something different in tying the book to the Deaf community. I have no personal ties but it really made me think about differing perspectives, and the speaking in sign language versus verbal words worked. I had an inkling of who the villain was, but honestly wasn't sure until close to the end, and I think the book did a great job of leading the reader in many different directions throughout the story. I felt that the entire story was fraught with tension in a way that made me want to race to finish it and see what happened. The story itself is pretty heartbreaking and is one that will likely stick with me for a long time.

I did have some frustration with Paige for trying to insert herself further into the investigation than was appropriate. She totally overstepped her boundaries, even after being chastised about it. That being said, I also kind of got where she was coming from, feeling like she was a member of a community with which the police were unfamiliar, and knowing the players involved. I thought overall it was a well done dynamic in giving the reader both frustration and empathy points with her.

Overall, I'd strongly recommend this book to those who like mysteries and police procedurals. I am looking forward to more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley for this copy.
The silent house is about a deaf family. And the little girl called lexie is found murdered.
But because the family is deaf no one knows who is responsible.
Is it a member of the family??
Is it a stranger who has managed to enter the house without anyone knowing???
Paige has a deaf sister and is an interpreter and helps the police with the investigation except she does not mention to them that her sister is god mother to lexie so she shouldn't be involved.
But she ends up getting threats and her sister.

Who is responsible.

A really good read even though I did guess who did it.

A powerful book where an 18-month old child was hammered to death one night while her family was sleeping. With no forced entry, it baffled the cops, so Paige was called as the interpreter. As you see, THE ENTIRE FAMILY WAS DEAF.

The debut by author Nell Pattison caused me goosebumps at the concept. It blew my mind away with shock at the brutality of the murder. Paige as the interpreter for British Sign Language slowly grew into her own skin down the pages. Her entry into the police work was forceful with the murder of the child she knew. The author used her own experiences as a teacher in Deaf education to make this book come alive.

I loved how Paige soon found her confidence when she started getting threatening notes to try to solve the murder. Mystery and suspense dogged my steps as I turned the pages. Social issues along with family secrets made this exciting.

Just a few niggles I wanted more suspense and Paige to be shown a bit stronger. The mid section felt slow. But the last section galloped ahead, making this an ideal thriller. And the ending… OMG… the ending simply smashed me apart. I thought I had solved the crime. But the author was brilliant in her wicked plotting. I was astounded. Checkmate with a single move!!

A terrifying premise with a slower (but not dawdling) pace, Pattison provides a solid debut. I enjoyed Pattison's effort at inclusion by providing the reader with insight into the deaf community (though, I am not part of the deaf community and so am unable to speak to any sort of accuracy or stereotypes). The slower pace of the story did not deter this from being a page-turner for me. Also, the clues to the twist were subtle, so I was able to enjoy the reveal rather than see it from the beginning.

I definitely look forward to reading Pattison's next novel.

Who would kill an eighteen-month-old girl in a houseful of deaf people? While the police try and solve the crime, British Sign Language Interpreter, Paige Northwood, is listening to all the interviews. As a family friend, she feels obligated to solve the crime herself—with chilling consequences. Silent House is a humdinger of a debut thriller from Nell Pattison.

What could be scarier than having your child killed while staying with your ex-husband over the weekend? How about that a stranger snuck into the house without you hearing a thing because you are profoundly deaf? Silent House brings up some good points about deafness. However, it is also a twisty thriller, where the suspect is small. Despite that, I never even suspected the murderer until the stunning reveal at the end. Overall, Silent House is a compelling and intriguing thriller set in the soundless word of the deaf. 4 stars!

Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I've worn glasses since I was six and being ever so slightly blind has let to plenty of scary moments where I didn't see a bike rushing at me, misjudged the distance between two steps in the dark, or couldn't quite figure out if that shape was my coat or a man standing in the corner of my room. Because of these experiences I was immediately drawn in by the blurb of The Silent House. Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is best about The Silent House is that it took a different approach to the usual crime procedural. Our protagonist, Paige, isn't a police detective or a brother/sister/mother/uncle of the victim. Rather, she is a part of their community, the Deaf community. Paige is called in to interpret for the witnesses at a shocking murder scene. She keeps her ties to the witnesses through the Deaf community a secret for as long as she can, needing to know the details, wanting to be involved. But of course danger lurks around every corner for those that try to get involved. In some ways, The Silent House reminded me of the film Hush, in which a murdered tries to break into a deaf woman's house to kill her. Hush is a brilliant movie because it uses its premise to surprise and shock the viewer in new ways. Similarly, The Silent House allows for a different look at the usual set-up of a thriller while also bringing some diversity to the usual cast of a thriller.

What carries The Silent House for most of it is the intriguing set-up and the freshness of its premise. Pattison chooses a tight-knit community that keeps largely to itself. As such, all the possible suspects and witnesses of The Last House know each other, including our protagonist Paige. This means that with her keen eye she can pick up a lot more than the police may be able to. After threats to her own and her sister's safety, Paige and Anna decide to try and solve the mystery themselves. Some of the choices made by characters in this novel feel at odds with common sense, but it is undeniably a fascinating read. The Silent House is structured in such a way that we follow Paige day to day, but get chapters interspersed that count down to the murder. On the day it all gets we resolved we also reach the chapter that explains exactly what happens. It is a nice way of building up the suspense, even if it did become a bit much that every throwback chapter tried to set up a new potential murderer.

Overall The Silent House is very enjoyable. The pace picks up considerable in the last third of the book, but Pattison builds up her world convincingly. There were a few occasions on which we were told rather than shown, which led to some of the characterization feeling rather weak. I don't want to veer into spoiler territory, but Paige's history is rife with loss and difficulty which affects her in her present as well. All of these things seem to combine to an overwhelming backstory and yet they're only occasionally addressed to explain some of Paige's choices. There's also a very sudden almost-romance which I found very hard to believe in or care about, which was a shame since it was clearly there to heighten the personal drama for Paige. This meant that I wasn't always as engaged with Paige herself, but still found myself intrigued with the resolution of it all. Towards the end I started seeing the twist coming, but it was still mostly satisfying, even if it felt like Pattison tried to tie together every single loose story thread in a single scene.

Although it may sound like I'm nit-picking The Silent House, I read it in a single reading and was engrossed by it. It was a great way to spend a Saturday and it made me see the inventiveness that trademarks thrillers and mystery novels.

The Silent House is a gripping, quick thriller that introduces its audience to a whole new community. Pattison brings some interesting twists and turns to the story, even if some of it doesn't hold up to closer scrutiny.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4 out of 5 stars

Paige Northwood grew up as the only hearing person in her family. After her parents died and she left college to take care of things it just made sense for her to become a British Sign Language Interpreter. After all she served as an interpreter for her family most of her life anyway. Shortly after she became self employed she is called very early in the morning by the police who need her services because a murder has taken place in a deaf house. When Paige arrives however she realizes that she has a closer connection to the family than she expected. Her sister Anna's best friend Laura's 18 month old daughter was murdered while she and her brother were staying with their Father.

At first Paige doesn't inform them of her connection because she wants the job but more importantly she feels like she needs to stay on the job so that she can be close and find out what exactly happened to sweet little Lexie. As Paige begins to investigate the case on her own she becomes a target of the killer.

Now to be fair I think the killer is pretty easy to figure out but the premise of this book makes it a 4 star book easily! When I met my husband he was studying to be an interpreter. Life kind of changed his career path but I have always been so interested in sigh language. That was one of the many things that really sucked me in!

I was very intrigued with the plot of this book, about a hearing woman who was born in a family of deaf people and who now acts within the deaf community as a BSL interpreter.

Following an intriguing murder in a locked house where all of the inhabitants are deaf and sleeping we following the interpreter Paige as she navigates the police investigation and her personal relationships with those included in the investigation.

There was a lot of information that was touched upon regarding the central characters as the story progressed that was not fully explored in this book and which is leaving me hoping for this to become a series of Paige working with the two detectives for future mysteries. I liked all of the main characters we began to learn about but would like to know more about each of them. I would definitely pick up more books by this author.

I struggled to finish this book as although the blurb made it sound like just my kind of thriller it failed to live up to my expectations. Sometimes the style of writing can put me off and this did seem rather simplistic. The characters were under developed and the whole thing a little too predictable.

This one has an interesting premise- a young deaf girl is found dead in her bed and no one heard anything because the rest of the family is deaf as well. Paige, an interpreter is asked to assist, despite the fact that she is well acquainted with the family (gotta wonder about that part but ok). When things look odd to her, she decides to run her own investigation, along with her sister Anna, taking advantage of their access to the deaf community. While it's hampered a bit by the need for another edit, it kept me intrigued, largely because this is a not a plot line I've read before. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.