Caroll's writing in "Dead Silence' is heartrending. While I'm not a single mom, it was difficult to read about the threats and violence surrounding Elise Carmichael. Caroll nailed the description, emotion, and the determination that any mother would feel when her child was targeted by violence.

Though I really wanted to solve the case and figure out who was threatening this family, I couldn't. There were clearly unlikeable characters, but the clues didn't lead straight to the villain. While I enjoy being able to figure out a mystery story, I like it even more when the author keeps me insuspense, and that was definitely the case with 'Dead Silence.'

Elise struggles with more than just criminal activity in this story; she also struggles with her faith and with how to reconcile the evil she sees in the world with the good God she knew to be in control. That has affected her relationships, and as events unfold she deals with the trauma she's faced. These two plotlines mirror each other, drawing depths of emotion from each scene and keeping the reader entranced.

I wasn't ready to leave these characters when I swiped my Kindle for the last time. There's so much more I want to know about these characters: what happens to the senator's wife, really? What happens to Alice? Does Mary Ellen end up going into law enforcement so she can fight for justice like her mother? What will Wesson's next be story be?

I hope that Caroll writes more books using these characters, maybe giving some of the supporting characters their own story. I'd love to know these things - and lots more. If you're a fan of Christian suspense, definitely check out 'Dead Silence.'

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. All opinions are my own.

Dead Silence by Robin Caroll is a mystery with a lead character the widowed mother to a deaf child. This made for very interesting scenes and she had an interesting job; a sign language interpreter for the courts.
Elise witnessed a conversation regarding a planned murder of her mother in law who is a Senator. The story revolves around solving that mystery and people coming after her and her son once they realize she was the witness.
There is no romance in the story but great relationships between Elise and the babysitter and Elise and her sister in law. I also enjoyed the newcomer journalist, Wesson.
The mystery was easy to solve and the majority of the book Elise is mad (rightfully so) at the FBI. I enjoyed the book but would have liked a few more positive scenes to break up the negativity

Violence – someone is murdered, she receives threatening gifts

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

This is my first book to read by Robin Caroll and I am very much looking forward to reading more from her.
The main character is Elise, who is a widow with a deaf son, Sawyer. Elise will do anything to protect her son.
Dead Silence has a very engaging and interesting plot with lots of suspense and mystery. Lots of twists and turns that keeps you guessing.
Dead Silence is a intriguing inspirational book with heartbreaking moments as well as heartwarming moments.
I recommend this book if you like to read clean, suspenseful novels.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

“Dead Silence” by Robin Caroll is a very unique book. It’s a detective murder mystery story with strong Christian messages and suspense. It has sprinkles of humor scattered around. There were twists and several parts were unexpected, at least for me. Overall, it was a fantastic book that I will certainly recommend and read again sometime, plus looking for more books by Robin Caroll.

Thanks NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a review.

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I really enjoyed her writing style. It kept the reader engaged in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.
Elise Carmichael a court reporter is leaving the courthouse when she lip reads a security guard saying that her senator mother in law will be taken care of soon.....before she can call anyone, she gets a call that her deaf young son was injured at the playground and in the emergency room. She never calls anyone and sure enough she wakes up to find that her mother in law was murdered at her home. This book held my interest and I couldn't wait to find out what was going on.....with the help of her sister in law, father in law and a reporter Elise is trying to find answers, a little wonky with the rat and doll but overall it was an enjoyable read.....I do wish there was more of a happily ever after for Elise considering she is a young mom and a widow.....

An excellent blend of plot and character development. Characters that you really care about acting like real people in terrible situations. When Elise’s son is hurt, she forgets all about the lip-reading she did in the court house until the next day when she finds out that her mother-in-law, a US senator has been shot. The plot accelerates quickly and the reader is kept interested as the FBI fumbles its way through the case.

DEAD. SILENCE.... Robin Carroll
Elsie couldn’t believe what the lips of the guard was saying, that could not be right. This person was a senator, her mother in law,. Looking at the guard as he nodded to another man at the federal courthouse she didn’t recognize either of them. A call her son had fallen at the park, now in hospital, she had to get there. He was seven and deaf, and now broken bones in wrist.
Wasn’t till morning, having the news on, and hearing of the murder, she hadn’t notify anyone, she only thought of her son. She is a lawyer, relations with her mother in law not great, she did love her grandson. They used messenger never any texts or files were ever sent to his I pad. They could not take his I pad for it was his way of communicating. A deadly item in shoe box on her door step, the killer knew it was her. . Another box, did the FBI have a leak, who knew it was her identifying them.
A good flowing plot, murder within the family she knew. The author has woven in the heartstrings of a mother her concern first and foremost for her son. Readers will definitely enjoy reading and how it unfolds.
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net Galley and Barbour.Publishing.

This is a good read. The story has ties to the current political situation, with the accusations of sexual misconduct of the senator in the story, yet without the lurid details of modern press coverage. The narration flows, keeping the interest level high.

Though it is Christian, it is not sappy. There is the usual conversion, but it is not overblown. The characters seem real in their Christianity or their doubting state.

The problem is the inferences against law enforcement following protocol. Yes, the main character and her friends get information before the FBI, but is that realistic? Does it make some people doubt the efficiency or effectiveness of law enforcement?

Also, I was able to predict early on who the "bad guy" was based on the stereotypical descriptions given.

A lively, quick moving political mystery thriller. A realistic portrayal of a mother advocating, protecting, and providing opportunities for a disabled child. A quick, enjoyable read.

Dead Silence offers enough mystery, thrills and intrigue to keep the pages turning. In this book court reporting, sign language and politics mix to make a good plot. I found exploring the life of a deaf person intriguing and enlightening. I really enjoyed the inspirational message! This book was the first I've read by Robin Caroll, but it won't be the last! Definitely worth the read!

I absolutely loved the book! I do not usually read mysteries, but I could not put this one down. Dead Silence is so captivating. It has so many twist and turns in the plot. Every time I thought I had it figured out, it turned again! I will definitely be reading more books written by Robin Carroll!

I believe this is the first book I’ve read by this author. It was suspenseful and fairly well written. Some editing could’ve helped, but then I understand this is an ARC and not a final copy.
I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review.

Dead Silence by Robin Caroll is the story of one in power wanting to silence those who might wish to bring out the truth. Lilliana York has been murdered in her own home. Why? Who would want the senator dead? Elise, the senator’s daughter-in-law works as a deaf interpreter at the court house. She over hears, through lip reading, a security guard say the senator will be taken care of but then receives a phone call that her son, who is deaf, has been taken to the emergency room after falling on the playground. The threat quickly is forgotten until she receives the call that the senator has been murdered. Will the family pull together to find a killer or will they be torn apart by the circumstances?
This a great read and kept me engaged from page one till the end. There are several twists and turns along the way. The characters are so well written I felt their sadness and loss along with their anger as the investigation seems to be dragging and not one seems to care to move it along. I highly recommend this book and I give it a well-deserved 5 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Dead Silence by Robin Caroll is a Christian Mystery story. This story caught my attention right away and kept it to the very end. Elise, a young widow, provides sign language for the court system. Also being able to read lips, she discovers her mother-in-law’s life is in danger. As she is planning to tell the authorities, she gets a call that her young son is being taken to the ER and she forgets about it until the next morning when her mother-in-law is found dead.

I really enjoyed this story. It is full of adventure and suspense that isn’t diluted with romance. The main characters are the remaining family members of a stern mother/wife/senator. The story is given through Elise’s point of view. She feels the only leads the FBI has are those she gives them. Along with her sister-in-law and a reporter she doesn’t know, but lets into her home, they do a lot of investigating and help the FBI find the ones responsible for the death. To me, Elise appears to be easily distracted. She forgets to notify the authorities of the threat to her mother-in-law, she doesn’t watch out for her young son, who cannot hear or speak, even after threats are made.

This is a quick, easy story to read. The Christian aspect it there, but not to the point it would turn people off. The story does not get bogged down with legal stuff. Instead we see the way a family handles themselves and those around them during a very stressful time. The story gives a lot of credit to the women for their investigation and very little to the FBI. It gives the impression the women are the actual ones to solve the crime. This may be a turn off for some people.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

#Dead Silence #NetGalley

I love political suspense, especially when it falls in the Christian fiction genre. Dead Silence features a widow, a young son who is deaf, a mother-in-law who is a senator, and a murder that entangles them all. I really enjoyed reading a suspense that included a family with special needs because of a disability. I thought that was well done and accelerated the tension and drama.

I admit, I stumbled with the FBI involvement. As the book progressed, the agency comes off as inept, and one agent in particular, I had trouble believing they would even be employed by the FBI. The heroine of course tires of the incompetency and does things her way, more than once. I understand the need for conflict, but the FBI seems to never know what's going on, and let's a civilian run around and figure it out for them. I found that troubling.

But the drama, conflict, and tension are there, as well as likeable characters. The one I really enjoyed was the senator's husband, a retired investigative reporter. He really shined.

Although this isn't a perfect read, it's a very good one. I do recommend it.
I received this book through NetGalley.

From the very first page of this book, I was intrigued. Elise Carmichael, an attorney, was in the lobby of the Arkansas Federal Courthouse when she glanced across the room and read the lips of a security guard on the phone. He said that Lilliana York, a U.S. Senator, who is Elise's mother in-law would be taken care that night. She tried to get a better look at his mouth, but then her own phone rang. When she saw it was her friend Hallie, who was also the childcare provider for her 7 year old son, Sawyer, she immediately answered. Sawyer and Hallie were in an ambulance on the way to the hospital because Sawyer took a bad fall from the top of some playground equipment at the park. Elise immediately forgot about the security guard's phone conversation and hurried to her car and drove to the hospital. After long hours at the hospital she and Sawyer arrived home very late that night, and went right to bed. Not until the next morning when she turned on the morning news and the first story was about the shooting and death of U.S.Senator, Lilliana York. did Elise remember the security guard's phone conversation and immediately felt guilty for not telling anyone about what she saw the previous day. Because Sawyer was born deaf, Elise was an expert at reading lips and using sign language. Later that morning she reported to the FBI what she observed the security guard saying. Later that same day, Elise suddenly became a target, finding a suspicious box on her porch. Other threatening things began happening and she feared for Sawyer's and her safety. Elise's husband, a Marine, had died in active duty a several years early, so she was a single parent, living alone with her son. It was well-known she had a difficult relationship with her mother in-law, the Senator and so she was suddenly under suspicion for the death. There are many twists and turns in this story, but it is well written, and easy to follow. This is the first book I've read by this author, but likely won't be the last. I liked how she expertly weaved her own faith into the lives of some of the main characters of this intriguing story. This is a book that was hard to put down, consequently, I almost read it straight through.

"Dead Silence" is a Christian suspense novel. There was no romance. When Elsie realized that the FBI had no leads except for the ones that she gave them, she and her sister-in-law and a female reporter and a female lawyer worked together to find the clues and solve the case. Granted, they did get a little help from two men, but the women were the ones actively solving the case. The FBI were portrayed as hampered by having to follow protocol and sometimes as downright incompetent. This created some suspense as the bad guys could leave threatening messages with little fear of being caught.

Unfortunately, I didn't really like Elise. She tended to forget important things whenever her son was threatened, so it was easy to throw her off her game. When one of the FBI agents pointed out that the senator died because Elise forgot to warn her or the police about the plot, Elise kicked the agents out and refused to provide them with the information they requested that would help catch the bad guy who murdered her mother-in-law and was threatening her. She did show courage by continuing to investigate the case even when threatened. But when she and one of the FBI agents were talking in the house, something happened outside that they equally should have noticed but she publicly blamed the FBI for not seeing it. She promised to do certain things that would prevent a sympathetic FBI agent from getting in trouble, but then she didn't do them and made his life very difficult. She used her deep love for her son to justify her behavior, but one can love their child without also blaming everyone else for their own mistakes.

A major clue was dropped at the beginning, allowing the reader to know all along who the bad guy was. Since the characters didn't know they were in a suspense novel, it was understandable that they didn't see the significance, but it still took them a frustratingly long time to make the connections. Elise was angry at God for allowing her son to be born deaf, his father and grandmother killed, etc. Her sister-in-law encouraged her to talk to God and trust him. There was no sex or bad language.

This book is so good!! It's full of suspense and drama and will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like christian suspense you will love this book. I can't put into words how much I enjoyed this book. Highly recommend!! Thank you Barbour Publishing/Shiloh Run Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

The cover of this book grabbed my attention straightaway. There’s something about it that’s stunning, almost haunting, and definitely gorgeous. It’s the perfect cover for a suspense novel.

The book blurb also nabbed me. I didn’t even read the whole thing, and I knew I had to read this book. When a lip-reading sign language interpreter is mentioned, I’m likely to give it a try. That is a fascinating job and talent, and I love reading about quirky, different things like that. (Quirky is one of my favorite words, and I mean it kindly, just so you know.) I took ASL lessons in high school, so anything to do with sign language or lip-reading still fascinates me today, even though I myself am not that great at either.

The first six chapters were amazing. I loved them and gushed about them to my mom and a dear friend. The stakes were high from page one. The protectiveness of a single mom worried about her kid was spot-on. The danger and threats were realistic.

However, the book took a strange turn from there.

In chapter seven, there was a profane use of the Lord’s name, which was followed shortly by a different profane phrase. These were disappointing in a Christian fiction book, as the Lord and his holiness are expected to be respected in the genre.

Another sort of disrespect happened that I’m still baffled over. The FBI played a large role in this novel, but there were issues of incompetency that are unexplainable to me. One agent was so rude and unprofessional that it shocked me. How did she pass any sort of training tests with the attitude and unprofessionalism she had? The main agent on the case never seemed to do his job or find his own clues, rather depending on the key witness for any and all information he accrued. This, also, was shocking, because usually FBI agents are presented as being competent at their work. The real FBI solve loads of cases each year and know what their own equipment does and when to use it. They don’t need a lip-reading sign language interpreter, who has zero experience with their equipment or investigative skills, to tell them how to use their equipment or to blatantly run her own investigation because of their incompetency. The real FBI is trained a whole heap better than these fictional agents apparently were.

Yet another thing that bothered me was the instant-bff with a member of the press. If the woman was so concerned about things leaking out and making the danger more realistic for her son and herself, the very last person on earth she would want to befriend is an up-and-coming journalist looking to make a name for herself. Yet, they became best buddies in about two seconds on the mere promise that she wouldn’t use anything for a story until permission was granted. I honestly expected this journalist to be using the situation for her own gain—and was shocked to my bones when she didn’t. That also was unrealistic, especially since the journalist claimed to be trying her best to make a name for herself. I’m not sure how this nobody of a journalist had so many high-ranking contacts either. Nobody knew who she was in journalism yet, so no one high up in the FBI or politics would have given her the time of day let alone huge clues about leaks and secrets and all sorts of other pertinent information the FBI agents themselves couldn’t access.

While this story was very engaging in the early chapters, it became quite repetitive throughout, as every detail they learned was given at least three times each, explained yet again to another new set of people who hadn’t been there to learn it in the first place. This bogged down the story for me.

The most frustrating thing was the incompetency and unprofessionalism of the FBI agents. It felt very much like the author was making fun of this bureau of our government, which made it difficult for me to finish this story. I just wanted a realistic portrayal of this highly-trained group of people.

Some readers will adore this book. It’s a wonderful story of a woman fighting for her son’s safety. There are aspects I cherished and raved about to a couple of people.

I really enjoyed the fact that there was no romance in this book. That was refreshing in a way, even though I enjoy a good romance subplot in suspense books. It's also sometimes fun to read a non-romance book.

Personally, I won’t be reading this author’s work anymore. The profanity and disrespect for highly-trained FBI agents are not of interest to me.

Trigger: rape was mentioned but not shown

Content: profanity, crude gesture, incompetent and unprofessional FBI agents