The Silent Daughter is a thriller with a twist you won't see coming. It's filled with secrets, lies, and some subject matter that may be triggering to more sensitive readers.
As someone who enjoyed Never Ever Tell, another taut thriller with a twist ending from Kirsty, I was excited to read The Silent Daughter. And I wasn't disappointed.
The story starts with Danni, a married mom of three who is unable to sleep. She hears the family dog barking outside and heads out to see what's going on. When she tries to go back inside, she discovers she's locked out of her house. More than that, though, her house is on fire...with her family trapped inside. Her eldest, Mia, manages to escape, but her husband and other two children aren't so lucky. Devastated, Danni and Mia have to figure out where to go, what to do, and how to start rebuilding.
But not everything is what it seems...
I really enjoyed this one, although it was a bit tough at times to read. There's a lot of bullying and abuse in this one, and as someone who has suffered both (at home, at school, and in my first marriage), it was a little distressing at times. And while I felt for both Danni and Mia, I didn't quite connect with them. I did absolutely hate Beth, Danni's sister, and Julie, another character who is awful and a bully.
There's a lot going on in this story, and trying to figure it all out is definitely a daunting task. But it's well worth the read.
If you're into intense thrillers with a twist ending, check out The Silent Daughter.
4 stars!

This is the emotionally charged,heart breaking story of one girl's struggles with abuse whilst growing up and as a adult to connect with her eldest daughter after the other members of their family are killed when a devastating fire destroys their home. The story slips back and forth in time and is narrated by multiple individuals but the main characters are Danni and her seventeen year old daughter Mia. In the chapters that were set in the past, we learnt about Danni's shocking upbringing whilst living with her alcoholic mother and sadistic older sister Beth. Her lonely life and lack of friends,how she was one of the invisible misfits at school until popular handsome Joe walked into her life, how to everyone's surprise and Beth's disgust, Danni and Joe started dating, Danni fell pregnant with baby Mia and they got married and moved into the old farmhouse. Seventeen years later,they have two more children,their marriage is on the rocks and Mia is struggling with her mental health,feels neglected by her parents and is being stalked by a boy called Oliver. You would have hoped that after the neglect that Danni had experienced whilst growing up that she would have wanted to have a loving relationship with her children but apart from the alcohol bit, it appeared that Danni was repeating her own mother's uncaring treatment with her own daughter.

Most of the characters who appeared throughout this story were unlikable for various reasons, my favourite was poor mentally scared Mia. I felt a lot of sympathy for young, tormented Danni, the treatment that she received from many of the people she encountered whilst she was growing up was both shocking and heart breaking. I had mixed feelings about Oliver,he was another kid who had a tough time at home and although his money scheme was wrong, I understood why he behaved the way that he did. Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that were narrated by two female characters but who were they and how did they fit into the story?

The plot of this well written,hard hitting,thought provoking thriller covers a multitude of realistic, relatable issues, abuse, bullying, mental health issues, infidelity, victim blaming, parenting, obsession, issues that affect many people everyday of their lives. The author has written about the characters who are affected by these issues with care, understanding and sensitivity. It's a captivating tale that has some unexpected twists and turns including a mind blowing twist towards the end of the book and the ending was heart breaking and a total shock.The story would raise some interesting and intense discussions of the book was read by members of a book club due to the sensitivity of some of the issues that are raised by the author as the story unfolds. I really enjoyed this enthralling drama/thriller and would happily read more of this author's books in the future.

If you’ve been reading my blog posts or watching my Booktube videos, you might have noticed that I’ve been addicted to reading thrillers in the past few months. So, when I was given the chance to jump on to this tour, I felt so excited.

I was so happy that I made the decision, because, boy, did I enjoy this book!

The Silent Daughter is a story revolving around Danni, who lost her house, her husband, and her two kids in a fire. She is left with her daughter, Mia, who has been pretty silent since the incident. However, Danni strictly believes that somebody deliberately planned on burning the house. The thing is, who is it?

As we try to unravel the culprit for Danni losing most of her family, the book brings up to different timelines. There was alternating present and past narratives, but the stories were mixed up in terms of a linear form. At first, it can be a little confusing because there is also an unnamed character telling her story between every few chapters. But this pacing made the book much more interesting. Watching the story unfold is so nerve wracking – you don’t have to worry about dull moments!

If you’re not into dark themes, this book might not be for you. It has graphic sexual content, vulgar words, and check on the content warnings mentioned above.

Overall, I had a great time with my first Kirsty Ferguson book. Her writing style fits my taste and I hope to read her future works.

A spine-tinglingly chilling thriller packed with plenty of shocks and twists, The Silent Daughter is another terrific page-turner by Kirsty Ferguson.

Danni Brooks lost almost everything during a house fire. Her house had gone up in flames and the lives of her husband and two of her children have also been claimed by this devastating fire. Danni is sure that this was not a random attack, but arson, but who would possibly want to attack her and her family? They were an ordinary family with no enemies or foes and they were too average for anybody to want to exact any kind of revenge upon them. Danni knows her suspicions are unfounded yet her gut instincts are telling her that this was not a deliberate accident but something much more sinister and dangerous. Will anyone listen to Danni? Or will her worries and suspicions end up being dismissed as a grief-stricken widow’s hysterical cries?

The only member of Danni’s family who had survived the fire is her daughter, Mia. Mia lives in a world of her own and doesn’t talk. Nobody – not even her mother – can reach her which makes Danni even more determined to uncover what really happened that night. Who would want her family – including her silent daughter – to perish in a devastating fire? Something isn’t right and Danni is determined to protect what is left of her family and to figure out who is the dangerous arsonist who wants to wreak their revenge upon her family.

As she begins to piece together the perplexing pieces of this bewildering puzzle, Danni finds herself having to separate fact from fiction, but with such a complex web of lies and deception to untangle, she has quite a difficult task ahead of her. Yet, Danni will not stop until she gets to the truth – but could her silent daughter hold the key to this mystery? Or is Mia yet another innocent pawn in this twisted game of vengeance and despair?

Kirsty Ferguson certainly knows how to pen an exciting plot full of shocking revelations readers won’t see coming! The Silent Daughter is a nerve-jangling domestic drama that chills readers to the bone and keeps them scared and terrified throughout and unable to put the book down.

A dark, unnerving and disturbing rollercoaster ride where nothing is what it initially seems, The Silent Daughter is an unsettling tale of secrets and lies that is completely heart-stopping.

I read and loved Kirsty’s previous book which is called ‘Never Ever Tell’. Since I read that one, I have been (im)patiently waiting for her next book. Well ladies and gents, the wait is over because Kirsty’s new book is called ‘The Silent Daughter’ and it was released on 10th November 2020. Overall I did enjoy reading ‘The Silent Daughter’ but more about that in a bit.
I have to say that I didn’t like many, if any, of the characters. I guess I have been reading too much crime fiction, which leaves me believing nobody and suspecting everybody. There were just certain little details about particular characters that set off little alarm bells for me or made me wonder what they were hiding. I didn’t warm to the characters but that wasn’t a bad thing as it meant that I didn’t favour one character over another.
It didn’t take me long to get into the story and then oh boy, I just couldn’t put the book down for very long. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I feared that if I put the book to one side for any length of time then I might miss a vital bit of evidence or gossip. To say that reading ‘The Silent Daughter’ became addictive seems like a huge understatement. If I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about it. If I had to put the book to one side then I would immediately look forward to being able to pick the book up again. The pages turned increasingly quickly as I worked my way through the book and my desperation to find out what happened and just who was telling the truth grew and grew. Then I soon got to the end of ‘The Silent Daughter’ and I had to bid farewell to the characters.
I found ‘The Silent Daughter’ to be really well written. Kirsty certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draw you into the story. Then she takes you on one hell of a fast paced, unpredictable and at times scary rollercoaster ride. Kirsty weaves quite a lot of twists and turns to the story. I thought that I had fathomed out who had done what only to realise that I had the wrong end of the stick and Kirsty sent me down another path entirely. I felt as though I was part of the story myself and that’s thanks to Kirsty’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘The Silent Daughter’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Kirsty’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

A difficult book to read. Lots of secrets and lies,a dysfunctional family and a big twist. Characters were not likeable at all and the storyline very fragmented.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

When Danni Brooks husband and two of her thee children perished in a devastating house fire, Danny is sure that it's arson. She's also positive that herself and her eldest daughter, Mia were meant to die in the fire. Ut who would want them dead? Mia doesn't talk. She's locked in a place where no one can reach her. Danny is desperate for answers, convinced the truth will help reach her daughter.

Oh wow. This book is not what I was expecting at all. The characters were dysfunctional. There's so many .it's to untangle. There's also quite a few p.ot holes. The story also includes lots of swearing, see scenes and abuse.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #BoldworldBooks and the author #kirstyFerguson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

Danni’s husband and two children are killed in a fire, leaving her and her daughter Mia alone.

Danni is convinced this is arson and it seems that no one believes her. Danni’s daughter Mia is left not being able to speak after the fire, and Danni goes off to try and find out what happened and uncover all the lies to get to the truth.

Thriller with twists and turns along the way, a chilling thriller to read.

Never Ever Tell was a dark novel I enjoyed earlier this year and I was expecting another thrilling read in The Silent Daughter. It’s starts brutally well with a house fire that is assumed to be arson in which Danni and her daughter Mia escape and Danni determined to discover the reason for the fire. Some of the plot twists need forgiveness from the reader, but on the whole a solid read with a slew of awful sceneries and characters. Some trigger points for some readers I’m sure.

The Silent Daughter is such a complex, beautifully plotted and expertly delivered narrative - it left me spinning. I'm finding it difficult to discuss the actual story line in much detail as the beauty of this story is that there are so many aspects of the narrative that it would be too easy to give a spoiler .. and I want you all to enjoy it in it's entirety with no spoilers as I did. It will leave you stunned and in tears and absolutely emotionally drained.

With backstory seamlessly woven with current and ongoing events, this had me gripped from the start. You'll need to keep on your toes as nothing is exactly as it seems and WOW! ... that ending and the massive twist will floor you - it certainly did me.

It was like a fascinating jigsaw where some of the pieces were just out of my reach and where I'd jammed some of them into the wrong place and had to reconsider my options. Breathless and totally invested, I was stunned when I reached the end and I'm sure you will be too.

On occasion I was nearly in tears and without giving too much away, the tragedy of this story is that similar things happen all over the world.

5***** without a doubt.

This is an excellent domestic noir with unreliable protagonists and a powerful plot that resonates.

Danni awakes in the middle of the night she hears the family dog barking and goes to investigate. The suspense begins from the first page and takes the reader in diverse directions most of them inconclusive. Danni witnesses the horrific devastation of her family by fire except for her eldest daughter. Superficially, the story follows Danni's investigation into the arson that caused it.

The story is told mainly from Danni's viewpoint, but two other viewpoints also tell their story. Nameless these characters keep their secrets until the end. This is a hard-hitting story with graphic images of abuse that evidence Danni's motivation and state of mind. The well-paced plot is immersive, and twisty making this addictive and disturbing reading.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Silent Daughter is the latest standalone thriller from Kirsty Ferguson and is a graphic and rather brutal domestic drama. Danni Brooks wed her high school sweetheart, Joe, twenty years ago and they have three children together, Mia, Alexandra and Noah, who are everything to Danni. When she wakes in the middle of the night to the dog barking relentlessly she exits the house to check on him outside, leaving Joe and the kids to their peaceful slumber, but the door slams behind her and she is unable to get back in. As she tries to wake them to allow her back inside, she notices flames engulfing the upper part of the house exactly where her precious family are sleeping. Standing there in complete shock her terror is shattered by Mia, her oldest daughter, taking the initiative and smashing her bedroom window before jumping out. Sadly, her husband and two of her three children perish in the fire and as Mia and Danni try to come to terms with the tragedy the police confirm Danni's suspicion that the fire was arson. But who despises the family enough to try to murder them all in their sleep?

This is a compelling, mysterious and addictive read from start to finish and is in many ways a refreshingly original domestic thriller/drama, and I thought it was written in such a way that it captured my attention from the outset, held onto it throughout and spun a yarn filled with exciting developments and chilling, twisty surprises better than some similar books. You soon learn that you should take everything the entire cast utters with a rather large pinch of salt in a story simply overflowing with secrets, lies, betrayal and duplicity, and although the role-call of characters is quite limited this allows the author to give plenty of attention to detail creating an engaging, if mostly wholly detestable, cast in the process. It's a pacy, compulsive and difficult to put down and there are some great, unexpected developments and surprises throughout. I will reiterate that there is abuse throughout, which is not for the faint hearted, and some harrowing incidents and it very much charts the emotion of a mother and daughter in deep pain. Many thanks to Boldwood Books for an ARC.

A chilling look at a family's pain through the eyes of Danni, whose husband and two of her children die in a house fire attributed to arson. The term "psychological thriller" fits this book to a T. When her eldest daughter retreats to silence to deal with her pain, this devastated mother must set her grief aside to solve this crime and bring peace to her daughter. As the story progresses, the back story becomes a tale of a life of abuse and the measures people use to hide their scars.

This is a rough book to read. These characters are not typical, thank goodness, but they do exist in today's society. An excellent tale that will make you think about the characters and their story long after you have finished the book.

It wasn't my cup or tea. Too confusing at points, but it was an okay read. I hope it is a good read for others. I felt too much going on and too much back and forth. The ending helped it, but by then I just wasn’t into it.

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Silent Daughter’ by Kirsty Ferguson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s the middle of the night and Danni Brooks wakes up restless. When she hears their dog barking she goes outside to check on him, the door slams shut and she can’t get back into the house where her husband Joe and children Mia, Alexandra and Noah are sleeping. As Danni tries to get their attention she sees flames licking through the upstairs of their house and watches as Mia smashes her bedroom window and jumps out. The police tell her they suspect arson but they’re just an ordinary family so who hates them enough to want them dead?

This is the first novel I’ve read by Kirsty Ferguson and although the book description interested me I found the first part very depressing and thought of giving up especially as other readers’ reviews were quite negative. But I’m so glad I continued reading as ‘The Silent Daughter’ has turned out to be such an extraordinarily exciting though chilling psychological thriller that I read the second half in just a few hours. The story is told through the eyes of Danni who’s hated by her parents and abused by her older sister Beth, from her unhappy years at school when she’s attacked by the class bully to when she meets and marries Joe and they have a family together. The story is well-written with an intriguing plot that has drama, suspense and twists and turns, but the biggest twist and the most shocking is in the final chapter! This thriller is well worth reading and I can thoroughly recommend it.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a bit to close to home for me to continue reading it, as i am friends with a family that had her two killed in a house fire by her husband...sorry i just cant continue with this book

This is the first book I have read by this author and whilst it was quite a page turner with a good twist I found it to be a quite depressing, sad read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

I have to confess that I bailed on this book about 20% of the way through. I'm really intrigued by the story line and would love to know who started the fire, why, and what the unforgettable twist is. However, the bullying and cruelty are really upsetting me. I don't normally react to such things in a book but this is quite graphic and confronting. I'm wondering if the story could have been told with a bit less brutality.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Somehow psychological/domestic thrillers haven't really worked for me lately, and my negative reaction to The Silent Daughter might have had something to do with that... But there is no denying that I REALLY struggled with this story, up until the point I had to make the difficult decision to make this title my fourth DNF of the year. Since I threw in the towel at 23%, I don't have much to say about the story to be honest... But I'll explain briefly below why I made the decision to not finish reading this one.

First of all I do have to say that I find the premise of The Silent Daughter to be pretty interesting. The house fire, the secrets, someone maybe wanting the main character dead... It sounded pretty promising, but somehow the execution just didn't do it for me at all. My first turn off has to do with the constant abuse and bullying taking over the rest of the plot. It's a trigger worthy topic and I don't mind it in my stories as long as it is well incorporated into the plot, but it was just way too much in The Silent Daughter. Instead of developing the storylines and adding more dept, we only got to see more and more scenes with abuse and bullying, and it seriously made me feel too uncomfortable and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. On top of this, there is the adult content. I'm never a fan of sexy scenes, but I can tolerate them when they are done right and that wasn't the case here. Another huge turn off for me!

On top of this, I found the characters to be considerably unlikeable. Not liking the characters made it really hard to feel sympathy for them, and the over the top abuse/bullying scenes didn't help either. The worst part was probably the plot itself though. Sadly, I found the plot to be an uncoherent mess (or at least in the part I did read). The story jumped between past and present and different moments in time without warning and this was not only irritating but made it really hard to follow the story itself. I wasn't a fan of the tone or writing either... All in all unfortunately The Silent Daughter definitely wasn't a match for me. I always hate having to make the decision to DNF, but sadly I saw no other way out here.

I have mixed feelings for this book. On the one hand it talks about mental health issues especially in women , while on the other hand the graphic descriptions of erotic scenes throughout the book felt nauseating. All the characters seem to be dysfunctional and the author is not clear about the follow up psychiatric evaluation or therapy. I couldn't understand how such an issue with a girl in foster care could have been totally ignored. Though the final twist is good, to maintain that the writer has left some big plot holes. Writing about that would be giving away the suspense. 2.5 stars