The Silent Suspect by Nell Pattison

A FIRE. A MURDER. A SILENT SUSPECT…

Book blurb

On a quiet street, one house is burning to the ground…

By the time sign language interpreter Paige Northwood arrives, flames have engulfed her client’s home. Though Lukas is safe, his wife is still inside. But she was dead before the fire started…

Lukas signs to Paige that he knows who killed his wife. But then he goes silent – even when the police charge him with murder.

Is he guilty, or afraid? Only Paige can help him now…

My thoughts

Paige Northwood is the main character in this series. Having grown up in a family who were deaf Paige learnt British Sign Language (BSL) at a young age and now works as a freelance interpreter. She often works with the police when crimes are committed that involve the deaf community.

Paige has grown as a character as the books in this series have developed she has become someone to admire and appreciate. She is tenacious, strong and determined.

Becoming more involved in the cases she works on than, at first, may seem warranted but the deaf community is world that can be difficult to understand or be understood by so Paige is now relied and trusted upon by the police to liaise, communicate and build bridges between the two.

We follow Paige’s personal life too through the series and, in this book, she realises that she needs to make a decision on a relationship that is not what she wants. Whether or not that will be the catalyst to a better and happier life she is sure she has to do it.

The main story is of Lucas who returns home to find that his wife has died in a fire. As Lucas is deaf Paige is brought in and during a conversation Lucas indicates to Paige that he know who has killed his wife but then he refuses to talk. Will she be able to persuade Lucas to open up? Can she help prove who the murderer might be or will Lucas take the blame because of his refusal to explain what happened?

This is a terrific book. The story is absorbing and one that you just want to keep reading. It is unique, for me at least, in that the stories always have a strong link to the deaf community. A community that is often overlooked. The author brings an interesting and refreshing viewpoint to crime fiction.

This is a series that I have enjoyed very much and am sure that, should there be more, it will be a series I continue to follow. The Silent Suspect has definitely left me looking forward to more from its author Nell Pattison and so, of course, I have her fourth book Hide on pre-order.

Book: Purchased

Previously read: Silent House; Silent Night

Information

Published: Avon (imprint of HarperCollins UK) 07/09/2021 | pages: 384 | ISBN: 978-0-00-841854-0

Buy: bookshop.org | AmazonSmileUK | your local bookshop | HPUK

Author: After studying English at university, Nell Pattison became a teacher and specialised in Deaf education. She has been teaching in the Deaf community for 14 years in both England and Scotland, working with students who use BSL, and began losing her hearing in her twenties. She lives in North Lincolnshire with her husband and son. Nell is the author of novels The Silent House, which was a USA Today bestseller, and Silent Night, featuring British Sign Language interpreter Paige Northwood.

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