I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This suspense novel had no romance, just a strong female lead. I had a hard time with the portrayal of the FBI in the story. Generally the FBI is highly competent and trained. The portrayal of the female agent especially disturbed me. I cannot imagine someone who was so rude and combative toward the heroine could make her way through the ranks. The lead agent was more sympathetic, but seemingly not very competent. I kept finding it incomprehensible how a fledgling reporter could so quickly find leads and the FBI with all their resources had to follow up on the heroine and her reporter friend. The premise of the story is quite interesting to me—a lip-reader who “overhears” a murder plan. There are probably a lot of people who will find the whole story wonderful, but I am camped out in the “okay” section.

2.5 stars

I had a hard time with this one. I thought the blurb sounded interesting, as well as different from what I usually read. However, as this is a Christian author and publisher, I was surprised that some words/phrases were included (as they're typically not found in Christian books).

Many of the characters were hard to like, as they came across as rude. Some FBI agents seemed unprofessional. I'm sure that exists in the real world, but I don't find it as often in novels. It's like the character felt he was above the law, rules, etc. Some points throughout the story were redundant, which made the pace drag. I did enjoy the strong mother, fighting for her son. And I really appreciated the fact that the author didn't feel the need to add in a romance angle. I enjoy suspense books for their suspense. I don't need a romance, as well.

this is a good suspense story she works for the courts as a sign language person. she is reading to go home when she thinks she sees some say something about a person is going to be taken care of but she gets a call that her son has been hurt and takes off to the hospital. if you like suspense you will like the story it is well written. i was given a copy by netgalley but this is an honest review.

What a great read Dead Silence is! The characters are so well developed I felt like I knew them. The relationships between family members and close friends during crisis situations shows how important these bonds are for survival. The plot is interesting and moves quickly. Ms Caroll is an expert at creating suspense with new developments and unexpected surprises. This exciting mystery definitely deserves a five star rating.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Barbour Publishing/Shiloh Run Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

#DeadSilence #NetGalley

I enjoyed the book. The story was face paced, well written and the main characters were relatable. Some of the Christian elements felt a little forced, but it did not detract from the story,

Reading Dead Silence is my introduction to Robin Caroll's novels, and I look forward to seeking out more this author's work. The story immediately gripped me with its fast-paced suspense and sense of danger. The entire premise of the novel was such a fresh set of circumstances. I especially enjoyed the glimpses into the loving relationship that Elise enjoyed with her son. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a strong, resourceful heroine who handles a perilous situation with grace.

Cozy mysteries are fun and exiting way to spend a couple of hours. Robin Caroll has written a number of them. The plot starts out with an inciting incident, which throws the heroine on a loop through the rest of the novel. While the plot keeps moving, just the way I like them, it does seem like a lot for a six day period. I wish the final moments and the reasoning behind the whole thing was a little deeper than it was. It seemed pretty simplistic of a reason. Once the heroine figures it out, I shook my head in disbelief. Really. That was what all the fuss was about. Definitely not a top notch cozy mystery in my book. The writing is wonderful. Caroll definitely knows how to capture the readers with her attention to detail and unique characters. I enjoyed seeing a deaf child make an appearance. Overall, I wish for more to the mystery elements to fully immerse me into the story line. But this is my opinion, this could be your favorite mystery story.

I received a complimentary copy of Dead Silence by Robin Caroll through Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

I found the description of this novel very appealing: the widowed mother of a young deaf boy unwittingly lip reads a threat against her mother-in-law, a popular senator. Soon thereafter, her mother-in-law is dead and the FBI become involved. Unfortunately, most of the characters seemed a bit trite and uninteresting and I found the dialog too wordy. Overall, there was just too much repetition in the story and I found myself reading every other paragraph. The Christian connection too felt a bit strained and kind of as an after-thought. I received an ARC ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

2 1/2 stars rounded up. Elise works at a courthouse as a sign language interpreter. On her way out of the courthouse one day she reads the lips of a security guard on his phone talking about an attempt on the life of a senator, who happens to be her MIL. Right after this shocking discovery, she receives a phone call from her babysitter stating that her son is in the ER from a bad fall. All thoughts are then intent on her son and it isn't until watching the news the next day that she sees her MIL has been shot and killed. What follows is the race to help the FBI find the killer, while dodging threats to her own life.

The premise of this book is fabulous! The cover is awesome, as well. It's not my usual genre, but I was ready to dive right in for the ride! There were unfortunately far too many loopholes and stretches of the imagination for me. I have a really hard time believing she wouldn't have remembered that phone call at the courthouse. The FBI was portrayed as a bunch of idiots that needed her help to solve the entire network of crime. Elise befriends a brand new reporter who somehow has connections in high places and promises (and fulfills that promise) to never print something unless given permission. The foreshadowing was completely obvious, but the fact the characters never saw it drove me crazy. I felt there was a lot of repetition and I found myself wanting to skim the end of the book, which is never a good sign. While there was a ton of potential, and I appreciate the cleanliness of the read, it just wasn't enough for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Shiloh Run Press for an ARC for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this book free for my honest opinion.

The first three chapters really grabbed me. I was all set for a really thrilling reading adventure. Sadly, the story and characters began to disassemble quickly. The book felt like it was written by two different people with different ideas of where the story should go.

The main character's personality went from strong, educated single mom to someone who could not trust her own actions. The sister-in-law, who seemed to have more faith than any other character other than just attending church, only really began to exhibit her faith in action in the last third of the book. Prayers also were perfunctory until the second half of the story. This is what I consider Christian adjacent.

The confusing behaviors of the FBI made me wonder If this was to be a comedy, but their behavior was just sad and incompetent with no one taking responsibility. There is a lawyer who is introduced and seems to be important, only to be left out of important situations that a reasonable person would include their attorney on.

The ending was not only unbelievable, but the main character's renewed faith was not in action as she continued to meddle when she said she believed God would handle it. What she actually meant is that she would handle it.

Very long and unbelievable read. No faith or redemption of lives or relationships.

The main character Elise is a court interpreter for the deaf and knows sign language and lip-reading. That’s not only part of her job, but part of her life, as she has a young son, Sawyer who was born deaf. Elise is a single mother, who relies on a teacher, Hallie, to help her with her son. Elise’s husband, a decorated Marine, was killed during deployment when Sawyer was a baby.
One day on her way out of court, Elise sees a guard on duty mouth words that chilled her - US Senator York, who is her mother-in-law, is to be murdered. Simultaneously, Elise gets a call that her son has been injured and she rushes to his side. The next few hours in the ER are an exhausting blur but on listening to the news the following morning, she finds that the her mother in law has indeed been shot and killed in her own home. Elise is horrified, feeling grief since the senator was her child’s grandmother, and guilt that she got distracted and did not report what she saw.
The crime sets the stage for the rest of the book, The crime is investigated by two FBI agents, Agent Wright and Agent Rodriguez, who are accusatory towards Elise during their investigation. Apparent leaks from the investigation lead to several threats toward Elise, and her son.
The remainder of the book concerns the FBI investigation,, Elise trying to do her own investigating, and the ultimate solution of the murder.
The premise of the book was very believable and from the beginning, promises a mystery that will have its twists and turns. I found the involvement of a deaf child and an interpreter quite unique as the education, technology and coping skills was very interesting.
I found some scenarios not terribly believable, like only two agents involved in the murder case of a US senator, the fact that the Senator’s husband and Elise and her son did not have protection, and how Elise had so much involvement in the FBI’s case.
Overall, though, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it for those who enjoy suspenseful mysteries., I related to Elise as a mother protecting her son. The crime also was a complicated but interesting look at politics, and the lengths people go to for personal gain.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the book because in my opinion it was as exciting at the end as at the beginning and all loose ends were tied up.
I received a copy of Dead Silence from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Elise Carmichael is a lip reader. She works in the courts as a sign language interpreter. One day, she overheard the plot to kill a US senator who happened to be her mother-in-law. But before Elise can report the crime, she gets a call that her son, a deaf-mute, had an accident and is in the hospital. Unfortunately for Elise, her mother-in-law is murdered before she can tell anyone what she had overheard.

The story starts fast and the pace is maintained throughout the book but there were some things that didn't add up for me and were never explained.

For example, it seemed pretty easy to get to a US senator in her home especially one who had been fairly vocal about some very controversial issues.

I also did not like the way the FBI was portrayed. The impression given is that they are incompetent and unprofessional. The four amateur sleuths were able to solve a high-profile case while the Federal bureau couldn't.

In a lot of ways, this book seemed more like a cozy than a true mystery complete with bumbling cops.

Know God--for much of the story, Elise didn't have anything to do with God as she was still angry at Him for the losses she had experienced over the course of her life. Yet, in the end, she realized that what she had thought to be a curse was a blessing in disguise. Like her, we need to learn that God can handle our emotions and it's better for us to take them to Him where we can find healing instead of cutting ourselves off from the source of our strength.

Know yourself--one thing I had to give Elise credit for--she had a strong sense of self. She was determined to do whatever it took to take care of her son. But with Elise's story comes a cautionary tale--if our sense of self causes us to do bad or irresponsible things in the name of the "greater good" it's time for a soul-check. It's one thing to be strong and forceful and forthright but it should never be at the cost of anyone else.

Run your race--Elise and each of the characters in her amateur sleuth team had a specific role to play. They brought a certain skill to the table and none of them tried to take over the other person's role. Like these characters, we have to figure out where we fit into the big picture. We have to figure it out and do that thing and only that thing.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publishers courtesy of Celebrate Lit and NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

{The Basics}
When I first read the blurb for this book, I was instantly intrigued ---> "court sign language interpreter" is not often used in fiction, I think. And that definitely grabbed my attention. The opening sentences IMMEDIATELY throw you into the story. It was GO from the first paragraph---so much so, I kinda had to reread the first page to make sure I'd not missed anything.

I enjoyed the entire premise, but the plot became incredibly predictable to me, something that doesn't usually EVER happen when it comes to me & mysteries. I once fancied myself a little Nancy Drew growing up---or I at least wished to be her---but the final results & most often the bad guys basically ALWAYS catch me off guard (whether I'm reading Nancy Drew or an Agatha Christie---yeah, I know. It's embarrassing... xD But I do believe that's why I love mysteries so much, haha.).

All that to say, I had already guessed who the ultimate baddie was before even halfway through the book. Don't get me wrong though! It was still an enjoyable read. Elise was a strong, single mom raising her deaf & mute, seven year old son on her own, and working as a court interpreter. At first, I pegged her as a quiet, gentle sort of person, but she turned out to be a bit more fiery & stubborn, than I'd first assumed. Which is entirely understandable when you dare threaten a mama's bear cub.

Her sister-in-law, Mary Ellen, and Mary Ellen's stepfather, Noland, were both incredibly encouraging & supportive of Elise---and both stand strong on their faith in God & His provision. Without them, I'm sure she wouldn't have survived the events that take place. I did not appreciate Elise's attitude toward an FBI man that was merely trying to do his job, and to the best of his ability. Yes, his younger female partner was an absolute, incompetent JERK, but too many times, she seemed to take it out on him, even when her friends gently told her to give him a chance. Without Agent Rodriguez, the ending would not have been happy.

{Violence}
A woman stumbles on sidewalk, bloodying both knees. She rushes to hospital after her son was taken there for a broken wrist---we see it swollen, bluish---and a bump on head. Another woman is found shot twice, dead.

A woman receives several threats in boxes: one contains a dead rat, another a creepy doll with mouth stitched up, and others' with photos obviously taken from her bedroom looking in on her silhouette in the shower. Another contains more stalker photos of her & her son playing in the yard. Attempted kidnapping from the school.

Shots fired off scene; man shot in gut & loses consciousness (later dies).

A little boy is kidnapped from his own backyard.

{Spiritual Content}
Prays to God about why such & such had to happen. Attends church services, but not regularly at first. A sermon is preached on Psalm 94. A friend references Scripture verses to remind Elise of the faith she clung to after her husband's death. The faith she had strayed from in the years following.

Many prayers are uttered, whether silently or aloud. A funeral service is held for a woman of prominence.

{Language // Alcohol & Drugs}
None.

Possibly light use of alcoholic beverages. (I can't recall at the moment.)

{Romantic Content}
None.

{Conclusion}
Overall, this was a decent read, an intriguing premise, and sweet story of support & encouragement during difficult times. In all honesty, I would've liked seeing a tad bit more into Elise's job side of things. Obviously, she had some pressing family/personal issues that did not allow her to work, and work itself for her was light during this time, but other than her lip-reading in the VERY first sentence, and "signing" to her son throughout the book, there wasn't that much difference in the way of verbal dialogue. Nor were the sign language gestures ever explained or even described that I can recall. That's my personal preference, and really the first thing that drew me to the novel to begin with---so a little disappointing in that the story did not delve more into that in particular. But again, my humble opinions only. :] Otherwise, it's a good, clean, romance-free, mystery thriller.


more like THREE & A HALF out of FIVE stars

{I was provided a copy thanks to Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.}

Dead Silence was a interesting way of putting things as the title came into play. With each move I found myself looking around the corner to find what was next. Family dynamics and politicians with security not as how it may be perceived, a puzzle to be figured out. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am glad I read this book. There was so much to this story. It got my attention from the first page to the last one. The book is about Sawyer who was born deaf and mute and his mom who could read lips. Elise read the lips of a security guard about the attempt that would take place on her mother in law. But her son had an accident at school so she rushed to the hospital and the next morning her mother-in-law, the Senator was dead.
I could tell a lot of thought went into writing this story. It just flowed so naturally, and such attention to details. I usually don't read murder mystery so I didn't know what to expect. It was a wonderful story and where it was murder it should be sad and it was but I felt there was an undercurrent of other emotions too. I think that added to the mystery and a good mystery it was. If you are like me and murder mystery books isn't what you would read, I say give this book a try because you will be pleasantly surprised.

Dead Silence is a suspenseful book that grabbed my attention from the beginning. Elise Carmichael is a likable character and feels like the girl next door being a single mom, working and doing her best to raise her son in the best way she knows how. When the murder of her senator mother-in-law sparks danger for she and her son, she reacts as we can all imagine we would. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book and was sitting on the edge of my seat to see how each conflict would be resolved. Even though this book is classified as Christian Fiction it was not as strong faith based as many I've read so I believe any reader could enjoy it regardless of their beliefs.

I received this book on NetGalley and am giving my honest opinion.
I was really excited about this book. The description made me know I had to read it. And then I started it. What was described in the description, her reading someone's lips that her mother-in-law is going to die, happens within the first few pages. This was a let down to me. I wish we would have started with the beginning of the day with her getting her son ready or something so I knew her personality a little.
At first the book was pretty good but got too far fetched, especially at the end. The way the FBI and main character communicated in the book really annoyed me.
Overall a decent book but not one of my favorites. I would read more by this author.

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author.
I absolutely loved the premise and the book blurb caught my attention. A court sign language interpreter uncovers a plot to kill a senator who happens to be her mother-in-law. This was what caught my attention and I was looking forward to reading the book. The cover is pretty enticing too.
The relationship between the interpreter and her deaf son was a touching one. It was interesting to see how they lived and worked together through his deafness.
Unfortunately, the total reader experience wasn’t what I expected.
There are several things that didn’t work for me.
First, the FBI is made out to be a bumbling unit that appears unable to do the job correctly without the help of the court interpreter, her in-laws and an aspiring reporter. It seems that every lead the FBI receives is because of something uncovered by the main character or one of her friends. The story would have worked better without them in many parts.
There isn’t really danger for the heroine, what happens to her is more of a nuisance than a sense that her life was in danger. There is a situation that happens later on in the story that’s more directly affecting her, but it’s about 2/3 of the way into the story. Even then, it’s the heroine that thinks of the next steps to be done to rectify the situation rather than the FBI – and she gets the job done.
Many times throughout the novel I found myself unimpressed by the FBI and somewhat annoyed at the main character. Her friends were the most likeable people of the whole cast. At times the dialogue felt plastic and forced.
As well, it wasn’t hard to figure out who was the culprit of the crime and why. I was greatly disappointed that I had it figured out within the first few chapters of the book.
I really wanted to like the book, that’s why I stuck with it to the final chapters. In the end, it’s not a book I’d pick up to read again.
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a free-E-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks NetGallery!
This book follows a woman, Elise Carmichael, who is a court sign language interpreter as well as having the ability to reads lips. With a young son who is deaf, these skills have helped her to communicate with her son and provide a means of earning a good income, but that is until the day she reads the lips of someone on the phone discussing an attempt to be made on a senator’s life—a senator who just happens to be her mother-in-law. Before she can tell someone about the threat, she receives a call that her son has been rushed to the ER and she leaves. The next day Elise sees the news report about her mother-in-law has been shot and killed. But when she comes forward, her life, as well as her son’s life, may now be in the cross hairs of the assassin. What secrets might her mother-in-law had that led to her death? Can Elise uncover these secrets before she and her son meet the same fate?
Overall, I felt this book was just an average Christian mystery, but I use the term Christian loosely. There was not a hint of the characters beliefs until almost the last half of the book. The beginning of the book had a very strong start. I was very drawn to the premise of this book as well as the wonderful cover design. Elise was a developed character, but I found some of the decisions she made throughout the story were a little too realistic, especially for someone who had a husband who was very committed to service and duty to one's country. I enjoyed the pacing of this book until the second half of the book, then things and situations started to turn really strange. For example, the FBI is supposed to be very professional as an elite investigating law enforcement, but the way these agents handed Elise's and the Senator's investigations was full of mistakes and just pure recklessness at times. I liked how well the family played a role in helping Elise throughout this book, especially the sister-in-law. Overall, while the ending wrapped up all the plot points, it felt a little rushed and left me wanting more. I would recommend this book to those who want a quick weekend read at a park. I would like to read more by this author.

What if you overheard a death threat against someone else but then got distracted and were unable to report it? What if that person was killed? What if you had to deal with the loss of your husband? What if your son is deaf? All of these struggles cause Elise to question her faith. This suspense book tackles the issues of telling the truth versus personal safety. What if the right thing puts you in danger?

This is not a romance, so if you prefer simple suspense, this is a book for you. I did predict part of the plot. But enough of the details were left unpredictable that I still enjoyed the book.

I liked the characters, and Elise was especially feisty. I hope this ends up being the first book in a series. Reading a book set in Arkansas was interesting, although I am not sure that there were enough city details to make the setting be a critical element.
Overall I do recommend this suspense!

Thank you to #netgalley and to Shiloh Run Press for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book. All opinions are my own.