Coming forward means she might be in danger. Not just her but her son, her world. As an interpreter she is used to paying attention to things mouthed but not necessarily heard. But what she heard and what happens after changes everything for her. What will happen now?

This was such an interesting story. The plot line, the lip reading part, everything! Carol really kept me on my toes while reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a very entertaining read. I really enjoyed it..

There was a little bit about a lot of things and Robin melded them all well.

It kept me turning the pages.

Solid3.5

(Did the FBI do enough?)

Sign language is something that has always fascinated me. And that is what really drew me to this book in the first place. Also the fact that it was a mystery and there was a murder and Elise and her son were in danger…

Dead Silence is really an interesting book. I will say that there were a couple things that I personally did not like. I figured out who the murderer was pretty early on in the book. And I didn’t like how the FBI was portrayed. But, if I really sit and think about it, the book is told from Elise’s point of view-whose husband has died, who has just lost her mother-in-law, and who is scared out of her mind for her and her son. So in that sense, we may have an unreliable narrator.

All that being said, I did like this book. Even though it’s pretty easy to figure out who the assassin is, the reader is not sure how the characters will figure it out and how he/she will be caught. And the fact that the murderer was stalking Elise and her son, taking pictures of them, and sending them threats, brought chills down my spine.

I really did also feel for Elise. It’s almost impossible not to. As mentioned previously, she’s a widow. All she has now in her life is her son and she will do anything in her power to protect him.

I had received a copy of this book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.

This book was wonderful. I think it’s the first I’ve read from this author and it won’t be the last. She hooked me from the first page through to the end. I found myself thinking about the characters and wanting to read when I had to work, sleep, eat, parent – you get where I’m going. When I was younger, I learned some sign language and have a love for the deaf community. I can relate when the author talks about her friend eavesdropping on other’s conversations … I’ve done that myself sometimes, but it was with the use of sign language instead of reading lips. I think reading lips is difficult; I give a lot of credit to those who do it and do it well.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit but was not under any obligation to write a review. All opinions are strictly mine.

As a former student of sign language and deaf culture, when I learned this book involved a court sign language interpreter who had a young deaf son I had to read it. I was not disappointed.

This book is packed with mystery, suspense and takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride filled with twists and turns. The characters are very well developed and grab on to the reader from the very start holding them captive to the end.

I would highly recommend Dead Silence to anyone who loves a good clean suspense novel.

I would like to thank Net Galley for my copy of Dead Silence. I received my copy with no expectation of a good or bad review. All comments are totally my own.

Dead Silence was a fantastic read. It combined so many of my favorite pieces of fiction into one story - thriller, political, family. Highly recommend. I had to stay up late to finish this one when I was close to the end.

This is a suspect story at its finest. As Elise struggles with her faith in God, she finally realizes that He is with her all the time. The focus on the power of prayer and how it changes her life, recharging her spiritual life, is affirming. A great story with wonderful characters and an intriguing plot makes for an interesting read. The details about Elise’s son’s day-to-day life while suffering from hearing loss was enlightening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shiloh Run Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Dead Silence by Robin Caroll is such a great mystery. As the story unfolds you are still trying to figure out who is behind the murder of Elise's mother in law and kidnapping of Elise's son. The characters are strong and you hope the ones you like are what they seemed to be. The FBI is not at its best but one agent is making up for it by continuing digger for the truth. You will love Wesson, the young upcoming reporter who becomes also a trusted friend.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions are my own.

This has been on my TBR for quite awhile. I received this book on NetGalley from the publisher to give it a try. I am so so glad I finally did! It was awesome. It pulled me in immediately and I could not put it down, because I had to know what happened next. I devoured this book, let me tell you. Excellent read. I will now be looking up more of Robin's books as this was my first read by her, however it will not be my last!

I received this book from NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

Dead Silence was a novel that I really fought to love, but sadly it fell flat for me. Elise is the narrator and protagonist throughout the entire book, and I think this hurt the narrative and limited the viewpoint of the situation. Though I could empathize with all that Elise has lost, and the nightmare ordeal that she finds herself in, I never could establish that connection with her.

I understood the faith struggle, and loved how God using "all things" did come full circle. I never felt like the parts that pertained to faith were preachy, but instead were a good reminders to hold onto faith in the tough situations we find ourselves in.

Though it was a satisfying ending, I do feel like it was a bit rushes, whereas the rest of the book did the opposite, and completely dragged. I would've liked to have heard more from the other supporting characters, and had really hoped for an unexpected twist to shake things up a bit, and allow the reader to get lost in the suspense, but sadly no surprise ever came.

Although Dead Silence, and Elise herself, did not click with me, I did enjoy the supporting cast and how truly wonderful they were in this tough situation. Honestly, I could see several of them having stories of their own, and would definitely give their stories a chance.

Dead Silence is a light, Christian suspense that focuses on faith and family that shows much-needed support when times get tough, which is a really sweet premise, but it's just not what I had been hoping for.

Dead Silence by Robin Caroll is Christian suspense. I have read and enjoyed other books by this author and was excited to pick up this book. The premise sounded fascinating and I was interested in seeing how it all unfolded. Unfortunately, I was not pulled into the story and had difficulty finishing it at all. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Christian political suspense

I should have paid more attention when picking this book up, that it was listed as Christian fiction, as I know that I have many problems with that. In fact, this book could also be surmised as “Mother of deaf child works her way back to God through additional trials and tribulations.” Yes, the substory was essentially that, which I felt a little uncomfortable with. It wasn’t too preachy, surprisingly, but as soon as a book goes into that sort of territory, I do hope that it’s not going to go too far.

But the main thing that invited me to read this book was actually the fact that the MC’s son is deaf. Sign language, lip reading, and deafness aren’t huge topics for a mystery suspense, so I liked the idea.

So, anyway, as for the main part of the story itself, we have a single mother, who lost her husband a few years previously, who now loses her difficult mother-in-law. She can sign and lipread, making her great as a court sign-language interpreter. But it also puts her into other difficult territory, when she reads the lips of someone without thinking, who turns out to be planning the murder of her mother-in-law, one of the state senators.

Well, of course, something comes in the way, so she can’t inform anyone, until it’s too late and the FBI are already at her workplace asking her questions. One FBI agent, who’s rude, abrasive, and incompetent. Another who is well meaning, but completely blind to how bad his partner actually is. When a leak puts Elise’s life in danger, all secrets are excruciatingly slowly forced out into the open.

In actual fact, it takes Elise herself, plus the assistance of a reporter who wants to help rather than going for the big money, and her ex-press step-father-in-law and sister-in-law, to crack the case. They somehow, between themselves, manage to uncover things that the FBI hasn’t.

How believable all of that truly is, I’m not quite sure. It was quite a ride, which left me wanting to read further at many points. Although it was pretty frustrating when it was revealed what Liliana (MiL) was actually working on and the penny didn’t even drop as to who the villain actually was. For me, it was blazingly obvious! So with the Christian elements, the FBI incompetence, and the supposedly ‘good sleuthing crew’ missing obvious clues, there were a few head bashing moments.

All of it put together, and it ends up as an OK read instead of a brilliant one. I don’t regret reading it, yet it doesn’t warm me to read any of the author’s other books.

Final rating: ★★★☆☆ – Sort of liked/OK

*I received a free digital ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Wow. Elise Carmichael is a court sign language interpreter who reads lips all the time since her son who is deaf. One day she reads the lips of someone on the phone discussing an attempt to be made on a mother-in-law. Her son is rushed to the ER before she can say anything to anyone. She needs to tell someone before it’s too late but at what cost?

My personal Rating- Three Stars
{ Add ½ star for older girls who enjoyed political/suspense books. }

I’ve read a prior suspense book by this author before and enjoyed it, so “Dead Silence”, was on my release radar. The beginning of this book was suspenseful and the ending of this book was very suspenseful. I really liked Elise and her determination to do whatever for her son. I loved seeing them together and I really liked that this wasn’t a romance story at all. Elise is a widow who still very much misses her husband, but besides that there is no “romance” content at all. I’m constantly trying to find romance-free books in the Christian Fiction genre and it’s hard to find. That was an added bonus to this book.

I only have two and a half things that I wasn’t thrilled with: There was mentions of a senator who assaulted young women and made them get abortions. The middle of the book seemed a bit slower that the beginning and end (but it still flowed well). And the half-point goes to Elise’s faith. Now, I really enjoyed the faith content and the discussions, but Elise’s realization about trusting God felt a little out of place to me. The faith content was really good, but I wanted to see more of Elise having to make the steps towards trusting God, not just have someone witness to her and her pray. A little detail that doesn’t matter too much in the scheme of the plot, but something I wanted to note.

Overall, this was a good political suspense book that had nice faith content and a no-romance-based plot.

When Elise Carmichael, a lip reader and sign language interpreter for the courts is put into a situation that she never thought would happen. She reads the lips of someone talking on the phone and realize they are talking about killing her mother-in-law, who also is a Senator. When Elise need to report this to the FBI, she is sidetracked by getting a call her son also deaf has been taken to the ER for an accident. Later when she watches the news and see that her mother-in-law has been shot and killed, she feels responsible and must do something. Can she make the right decisions? Will she put her and her son's life in danger? Who can she trust? Will her faith play a part in her decisions?

I would recommend this to those that enjoy a good drama, suspense read. You will be turning the pages trying to figure out who is the villian. Elise relies on prayer and her faith to get her through this and solve who killed her mother-in-law, along with keeping her and her son safe. This is one of those books you read when you want to be able to wrap yourself up into a good book and forget about your own problems.

Thank you, Netgalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I love that this book included a disability take on a mystery! While some of the events in this book were not quite that realistic, I enjoyed "the ride." It was an entertaining book and great for mystery readers who don't mind a few unrealistic elements.

A wonderful mystery filled with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader reading up late at night! I enjoyed this story.

I just finished reading Dead Silence, by Robin Carroll, at the invitation of Barbour Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. Ms. Carroll has woven into the story compassion for the deaf, as well as examining sexual abuse and political corruption at high levels in our government. I was hooked on the first page, and could not put it down.

Elise Carmichael is a court reporter who learned lip-reading and American sign language when her beloved son, Sawyer, was born deaf and mute. As she is leaving the courthouse, she happens to “see” a conversation in which a courthouse security guard promises to end the life of her mother-in-law, a state senator, that night. Before she can notify the authorities, she is called away as Sawyer has been rushed to the hospital due to a playground injury.

When Elise awakens to the news her mother-in-law has been shot and killed, she remembers the security guard. She reports what she witnessed, begins receiving death threats, she fears for both her life and Sawyer’s. Where is the leak in the FBI? Has God forsaken her? After all her son is deaf and mute, and her husband, a Marine, was killed in action. She has lost her faith. Will she get it back? Can it be that her son’s deafness will save his life?

Anyone who enjoys a good mystery or thriller, will love Dead Silence. I admit there were a couple of times I was thinking why don’t the cops or FBI check on this or that? It seemed so obvious, but overall it is a wonderful story. This book would make a great gift for your favorite mystery-lover.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?
Recognizing the version I read was the uncorrected ARC, the story was very well written. I do believe she was a bit hard on law enforcement, but otherwise, the plot flowed smoothly, and the characters were lifelike. This is a little of what I found:

• Incorrect verb usage;
• mixing singular and plural;
• an occasional missing word or extra word, probably the fault of spell correction.

Caught in the cross hairs of an assassin certainly would make a person change their life! She's now running for something she didn't actually hear but being a sight reader... she saw. A lot of action and suspense as she fought for life and justice!
I requested a copy through NetGalley. No review was required. My review is voluntary.