I read and enjoyed the first in the series. I thought this was as good as the previous book. Im looking forward to reading more from this author.

Atmospheric and thrilling. It was so good to be back in Inspector Reis world and dealing with an investigation that resonates in our world.

A very taut and gripping book with immersive plot and characters. One can simply not ignore this book once they start reading. It totally sucks you in. Highly recommended.

A woman's body is found in a river just outside of Lisbon. Inspectors Isabel Reis and Aleksandr Voronov identify the murder victim as Marta Nunes - a youth centre worker who, like Isabel, classifies as Gifted. Born with special abilities, the Gifted are often looked at with a certain level of suspicion.
In the search for her killer, Reis digs into Marta's past. She soon discovers that she is connected to a number of missing women. All young, all telepathic Gifted, all vanished off the face of the earth.
Marta might have been helping these missing girls, or she might have been hurting them. But Inspector Reis needs to find the truth about who killed Marta and why, and she needs to find where the missing girls go. Because some of them might still be alive out there . . . A gripping thriller that starts on simmer and builds to a boil. Dazzlingly clever, twisting and constantly surprising. An unputdownable rollercoaster of a read.

I really loved The Colours of Death, so when I saw there was a sequel coming out (although House of Silence can easily be read as a stand alone) I was thrilled and, after finish reading it, I can say that I wasn’t disappointed. This series is part thriller and part fantasy. It is set in a world where a part of the population is Gifted, having the power of telekinesis or telepathy. Regulars (people without powers) and Gifted co-habit, but many Regulars don’t trust Gifted and what they can do with their powers so Gifted are constantly monitored by the government.

The protagonist of this series is Isabel Reis. She is an inspector in the police department of Lisbon and she is Gifted: her power of telepathy allows her to read other people’s thoughts and see their memories. In House of Silence, the story starts a few months after the ending of the first book. Following the high-profile murder case in The Colours of Death, Isabel and her partner Aleksander Vonorov have been relegated to minor cases until the body of a young woman is found washed up, her throat cut. As they investigate, they discover that the woman was Gifted and she was linked to the disappearance of other Gifted. Isabel and Voronov have to figure out who killed her what happened to the missing Gifted and, most important of all, if they are still alive.

I really like the character of Isabel Reis. She is relatable, determined, and authentic. Her struggle with her developing power is as much central to the story as the murder case. Through chapters set in the past, we see how she learned to control it when she was younger, but also how it affected her relationship with her family. In the present, as high-level Gifted seem to be disappear, Isabel tries to hide how much her power is growing.

I also enjoyed her relationship with Voronov. It is easy, trustworthy and I loved their witty banter, – and also how he constantly feeds her. We also learn a bit more about his past and it made me like this character even more.

The murder case is intense and darker than I initially thought and the story ends with a surprise that left me wanting for more. I already can’t wait for book number three to see what’s next for Isabel and those Gifted like her. Highly recommended!

House of Silence is the 2nd in Patrica Marques series, featuring Inspector Isabel Reid and her partner Aleksandr Voronov of the Lisbon Police.

In this second instalment Isabel and Aleks are called to investigate the murder of a young woman fished out of the water shortly after her death. As they delve deeper they find that the woman is connected to various other people who have also gone missing. A trail that leads back to cases that Aleks worked on while he was in the Vice Squad but it is unclear if she was helping or luring the other victims.

What stands these books out from the crowd is a society where a small proportion of people are ‘gifted’ with either telepathy or telekinesis and those people are treated with suspicion throughout society. They are subject to regulation depending on the strength of their gifts. Isabel is a gifted individual and one of few serving in the police. The victim found at the start of the book is also gifted which adds an extra layer of complexity to the investigation. It is a clever and well used unique selling point.

I hugely enjoyed the first book in this series, House of Colours, and this one did not disappoint. The prose is well constructed and paced and I adore the characters. It would be a brilliant stand alone but I think the rich tapestry of the gifted individuals is likely better brought to life of reading both books in order. I won’t hesitate to read the next instalment.

With huge thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an advance copy.

I absolutely LOVED Marques' debut, The Colours of Death last year. It's a bit of a genre-blend - a crime procedural with a speculative twist and a telepathic main character.

While I enjoyed the second book in the series, I did find myself longing for more. The stakes didn't feel as high here and as such it wasn't as thrilling. There was also less emphasis on the marginalisation of Gifted people (i.e. those with powers) which had been a huge theme in book 1. Both the thrill factor and the social commentary were things I loved about the first book so it didn't quite live up to my expectations but overall it was still a great read.

I don't think there's much I can say without risking spoilers for this series but I will say that we're given a bit more Voronov's backstory AND it sets it up for what could possibly be a very tense and thrilling third book.

Will I be continuing the series? Yes. Absolutely. 100%. I love Isabel and Voronov as partners. Marques writes in a way that's thoughtful and deeply compelling, often letting you draw your own conclusions before things are made 100% clear. And ultimately this is a really unique mystery series that I'm already a big fan of.

Well written with a cast of well developed characters and a compelling storyline. This was a gripping read that I couldn't put down, it just wouldn't let me. Really enjoyable.

House of silence by Patricia Marques.
A woman's body is found in a river just outside of Lisbon. Inspectors Isabel Reis and Aleksandr Voronov identify the murder victim as Marta Nunes - a youth centre worker who, like Isabel, classifies as Gifted. Born with special abilities, the Gifted are often looked at with a certain level of suspicion.
A brilliant read. I loved it.

Inspector Reis #2

The Colours of Death introduced us to Lisbon-based Inspector Isabel Reis who is a telepathic gifted. These are people born with one of two abilities – telepathy or telekinetic and they are regarded by many of the population with hostility or at the very least a certain amount of antipathy. Luckily for Isabel her partner Aleks Voronov ( who is non-gifted) has no problem working with her and they are building a trusting working relationship.

Their boss Chief Bautista summons them quickly to the abandoned port at Cascais where the body of a young woman has been brutally murdered by having her throat cut. In the autopsy the victims brain shows cognitive fatigue similar to burnout, was the victim gifted ? Investigations show the victim is connected to other missing girls all of whom are gifted. Isabel is determined to seek out the truth no matter the cost.

First of all, what a treat to read something that has an original if not unique angle in the police/mystery thriller genre blended with science fiction. The concept of the gifted is fascinating and via the character of Isabel you appreciate just how exhausting having these skills actually is, especially when in a crowded place. Hard to imagine the cacophony. Equally you can get the discomfort of the non-gifted.

The police team are excellent and very likeable, my favourite is Voronov although Isabel is very likeable too. The mystery they are investigating here is really good and the plot follows an intriguing and unpredictable path. It becomes murky and very dark as you realise what lies at the heart of the reasons for victims of murder, with the plot taking multiple twists and turns and you really have no idea what the outcome will be. The ending is really good, I’m so looking forward to number three as it leaves on a good cliffhanger.

Overall, I recommend this series if you want something different and I may be able to further entice you with an atmospheric Portuguese setting as you got a real flavour of that lovely country.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for their much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

House of Silence by Patricia Marques is a gripping tale quite hard to put down that took my breath away.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of House of Silence, the second novel to feature Inspector Isabel Reis of the Lisbon police.

A body is washed ashore, naked with her throat cut. Isabel and her partner, Inspector Aleksandr Voronov quickly identify her as Marta Nunes, a Gifted who works in a youth centre for young Gifted. Looking into her past they find she is associated with the disappearance of other Gifted women, the question being for good or bad.

I enjoyed House of Silence, which has an interesting and unusual concept that lends itself to some extraordinary investigative techniques. I was blown away by the inventiveness of the first novel in the series, but this one doesn’t have quite the same impact, perhaps because I have familiarity with the Gifted concept, but also because I don’t feel the plot is quite as strong. At this point I would recommend reading the series in order as a character from the first novel seems to be setting up as a thread.

The Gifted concept is interesting. The Gifted are either telekinetics or telepaths and are graded by the government from 1-10 according to their abilities. Isabel is a 5, but her powers are growing and she’s terrified of anyone finding out as it will put more restrictions on her lifestyle and may even lead to her being locked up. This is a novel take on state sponsored discrimination. Isabel is a telepath which means that she can reach into minds and read thoughts, emotions and experiences, both intentionally and unintentionally. It is a major feature of the novel, if not the main one, and yet I didn’t think the author was consistent in her treatment of it.

The plot revolves around Marta’s past involvement with Gifted young women when she worked for a local businessman. It gets a bit convoluted at times and is a bit slow initially, but an action packed finale overcomes any niggles and a final twist offers possibilities for the next novel.

House of Silence is a good read that I can recommend.

Patricia Marques follows up her debut, The Colours of Death, with this sequel in what is an unusual sci-fi crime fiction series set in Lisbon, Portugal, and featuring Policia Judiciara Homicide Inspector Isabel Reis, a 'gifted' officer in a society where there is strong prejudice against the gifted with their telepathic and telekinetic powers. Both Reis and her partner, a man she has come to trust, Aleksandr Voronov, have been placed on minor duties by their boss, Chief Bautista, after the fallout from their last case involving Gabriel Bernardo, who has been writing to her, correspondence she has been ignoring. At long last, they have been assigned a homicide case, the grisly murdered body of a gifted 32 year old woman, Marta Nunes, has turned up at a abandoned fishing port in Cascaio. Reis and Voronov find themselves in charge of a complex, dangerous and politically sensitive investigation and what is really strange is that the murder victim's brain has been fried, something that has Reis particularly worried.

To exacerbate matters, Reis can no longer use the tablets, provided by Michael, now her sister Rita's fiance, to help manage her 'gift'. She can feel her powers are increasing considerably and her sensitivities to the outside world make for difficulties in living a normal life, her struggles lead her to seek out her old trainer, Rosario, for help. As the police begin to dig into Nunes past life, they find she was a valued worker at a youth club for the gifted, but for some inexplicable reason she had resigned from the job that she loved, and it seems that a teenager, Alma Pontes, went missing around the same time as Nunes. There have been rumours and conspiracy theories focused on the numbers of the gifted that had disappeared for some time, there is some connection between the murdered Nunes and some of the vanished, did she help them or was her involvement a more sinister affair?

I really enjoyed this sequel, but there are problems in the storytelling, in the first half there are plotting, characterisation and pacing issues, making it a 3 star read, but the second half of the book improves so much that it was 5 stars. Overall, this is a great addition to the series, I loved the development in Reis and Voronov's relationship, and as police officers, they are lucky to have such a terrific battle hardened and able boss in Chief Bautista. Despite some issues with this sequel, I look forward with anticipation to the next in this offbeat crime series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

There's not much review on this one. In my personal opinion, I didn't enjoy this book at all. It is the second book of the series, the first book, which I have not read. Maybe that's why I am slightly lost with the book.

The story starts with the discovery of a body of a woman named Marta. She like Isabel is a "Gifted" woman. While investigating the case, Isabel realized that the Gifted women are being kidnapped by someone.

Initially, the first part of the story was interesting but then it got boring and slow paced. I really wanted to enjoy reading the book but ended up being bored with the whole story. However, the ending was unpredictable and left the readers to wonder what is going to happen next.

Overall, it's worth 2.5 stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

An Already Unique Angle..
The second in the Inspector Reis series finds the team amongst the missing following the discovery of a body in a river just outside London. Identification of the body provides not only a name but a connection. Well defined characters populate an immersive and engaging plot with several threads. Both atmospheric and menacing and, with an already unique angle, this is a satisfying addition to the first in the series.