I listened to this audiobook, at first enjoying the story slowly developing with alternating chapters splitting between two key characters. Set in the deaf community and with a missing student and a murder on the same night, it sounded like it could be an exciting read. But the focus on the mundane life and thoughts of the main character, Paige, detracted so much from the main story that I just was not gripped. Perhaps it is because I haven't read the first book in this series.  

The voice actors on this were particuarly good, though.

I listened to the audiobook version, but I also had a copy of the ebook.
This was a great thriller, fast paced and some MAJOR twists in the second half that I did not see coming. The plot was brilliantly composed and executed.
My only difficulty was following the narrated chapters that were spoken by the BSL interpreter. It was very difficult to distinguish some of the words and I found that I needed to read those chapters on the ebook version to fully keep up. The voice sounded almost robotic at times too.
 loved the idea to have that in the audiobook. It really added an extra level to the narration.

This is the second book I have read in this series though this can be read as a standalone novel, as long as the reader doesn't plan to read the first book because the plot for that is revealed early in this book.
I absolutely love audiobooks and murder mysteries/ police procedurals are fantastic via audiobook because it's so immediate and vivid - you can become properly immersed.
I really liked the story and it was great to have (now) DS Singh back - I'm often more interested in him than in the primary character, Paige.
As far as the reading on this one goes, I believe strongly in diversity and inclusion, however as someone who often recommends books to my grandmother whose eyesight has failed her and who has to turn the volume way up on any books, I can't recommend this one to her because while my ear adjusted to the deaf reader, there is no way my nanna's will. It took me quite a while to be able to hear the words clearly myself and I, like some other reviewers here, had to replay sections of the text. The other reader used is absolutely competent, though I feel was lacking in energy.
I am giving a 4* review for the book and 3* for the audiobook
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an audio ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this book and I think it was especially good as an audiobook. For me the plot is so thrilling and it simply took me away with it and I loved listening to the book. There is a lot going on in the book and I think that makes the book so good. I constantly kept thinking that okay this is the murderer or this is the murderer and it turned out to be someone I had never even thought about.

I like Paige as a character and I might have to go and read the first book in the series since there seems to be some stuff that has been discussed in the first book and is not so in the center in this one. 

Like I said earlier, the audiobook is great and I enjoyed listening to it a lot. I like the narrator, but the bits that are read by an BSL interpreter were really hard for me to understand but I think they make the book have more texture and they make the experience more authentic.

All in all, a great book! 

*ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would!
I found it easy to follow which was great as in the past I have struggled to follow audio books.

I liked the characters and thought the storyline was great! 
I also loved that some chapters were narrated by a deaf person!

Great book!

A good story that is based around the deaf community which I found very intriguing as I haven't heard of any current books based around this subject. A good plot with interesting , likeable characters. It took me a while to get into the story but all in all an enjoyable book.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins Audio UK in exchange for an honest review.
Had I realised this was a police procedural type book, I probably wouldn't have requested it. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by Silent Night. Paige is a deaf interpreter hired by the police to help out when a student and teacher go missing at a school for the deaf. When the teacher is found dead, the hunt for the student intensifies but with both students and staff keeping secrets, this is definitely not a clear cut case.

There was a lot going on in this book in a good way and having the main character being an interpreter did add a nice spin on the usual detective story. I liked the main character on the whole and I thought her past and life added to the plot greatly which isn't always the case with these thrillers. In particular, her relationships with her sister and her ex were some of my favourite parts of the book, and they really drove the emotional core of the story.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I would definitely recommend it this way. The main narrator was great and easy to listen to. There was an additional deaf narrator brought in to narrate some chapters from a student's point of view, something which is fantastic in concept but I feel isn't executed well. Those chapters are simply not very clear and I really struggled to make out what was happening in them. I don't think this is the fault of the narrator but more to do with the way it was recorded/produced as it mostly seems to be a volume issue, at least for me. It's a shame because it really added to the tone of the book and I think it's a fantastic decision representation-wise.

Overall, Silent Night is an engaging police procedural thriller with a unique and interesting setting. There is a lot of meat to the plot but it never feels confusing, and the strong relationship with the characters keeps you invested throughout. I would definitely recommend giving it a try and if you like police procedurals, I'm sure you will love this more than I do.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I thought that the narration on this audiobook was really good, particularly the narrator of Leon, who I am assuming is deaf. It definitely made the story more tangible. 
The plot itself cracks along at a rapid pace with the bodies piling up and secrets being uncovered. Most of the action occurs at the school for the deaf, and, coupled with the bad weather, this creates a somewhat claustrophobic bubble that adds to the tension. With a murdered headteacher and a missing vulnerable pupil, the race is on to crack the mystery and locate Leon. Key to solving the case is the secrets that Leon's friends are hiding and I would have liked to know more about the school friends and the relationships between them. Instead, much of the focus is on Paige and her own amateur sleuthing trying to solve the case. There is an added problem in that Paige's abusive ex-boyfriend is linked to the case a good deal of the plot revolves around their relationship. I would have preferred to understand more of Singh's police investigation and the personal and professional dynamic between him and Paige. 

I would like to thank Net Galley and the publishers for the audible copy in return for an honest review.

Before reading the book I didn't know that Silent Night is the second book in the series, even while reading it I didn't have any problem catching up as the author made the plot, characters and their relationships very clear. 

Five teenagers from a Lincoln School for the deaf went for an overnight school trip to the snowy woods at the start of winter with school staff. In the morning one of the students is missing and the teacher who went to look for him is found dead in the forest.

Paige is a freelance and independent sign language interpreter, who has been hired by the police to assist in the case. She has previously also assisted police in a case that is when she and DS Rav Singh met. 

As the story moves forward more characters are introduced; Paige's deaf sister, her boyfriend, and her ex boyfriend Mike who is now working at the Lincoln school.

When the investigation started progressing Paige realised that there is something fishy going on at the school and both staff and students are hiding it. 

The one thing I liked most about the book is that there are a lot of characters and all are developed pretty well. I was so intrigued to know what exactly has happened that I finished this book in a day. I did flip back and forth between the audio and the book so I can safely review both versions,This book is definitely for those who like suspense, mysteries and detective stories.

This was a somewhat fast paced book, for a second book in a series (even though it can be perfectly read as a standalone... if you don't intend on reading the first one, as it will give you some spoilers).

However, I found it a bit predictable and I didn't find the representation to be very believable unfortunately.

I read along with the audiobook, also kindly provided by NetGalley, in hopes to get a more immersive experience, but was sadly left disappointed, which is too bad as I was really looking forward to this one, given how much I had enjoyed the first book.

Not a bad read, but.... not great either.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

#SilentNight #NetGalley

I had such high hopes for this title. Alas, these hopes came crossing down within the first few chapters. I found that I disliked the main narrator, who came across flat and whiny. 

Plus, this book begins to touch on the main character and her past trauma with an ex (who appears as a suspect and is trying to return into her life) and this set off alarm bells that I was not going to enjoy this book and made me wonder about the issue of whether books should feature trigger warnings to readers at the start of the book. 

I had such hopes and this promised such potential, but this is not the book/mystery for me.

I have listened to a few minutes of this on audio, and the sound isn't right. I have Silent house on audio and just listened to a sample of that and it seems fine.  I have been approved this on ebook so will switch to that format.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers Avon for an audiobook arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was also very lucky to receive this first book as an e-arc a few months ago.

Firstly I must say these thrillers are interesting and I really like how there’s a focus on the deaf community, I read a lot of thrillers and have never read any like these books!

The book follows Paige who is a freelance BSL (British sign language) interpreter. Paige is hired by the police when a murder occurs on a school trip at a school designated for deaf people.

I must say this book is quite unrealistic in the fact that Paige is just an interpreter and shouldn’t be as closely related to the investigation as she is in this book. If this was real life then she would be used at formal interviews only. The book has Paige constantly on the scene and she’s also part of conversations with the non deaf characters, it didn’t make a whole ton of sense at points.

Having said that I did really enjoy the whodunnit aspects and I didn’t guess the ending at all. I liked the tight knit group of students that were involved and thought the story was well plotted out.

I was shocked when I saw there’s a third book in this series, it’s such a small community... how many crimes can happen to them really? Will that stop me from reading it...? Nope!

Silent Night - Nell Pattison

"A school for the deaf takes an overnight trip to the snowy woods. Five teenagers go to sleep, but only four wake up. Leon is missing, and a teacher’s body is found in the forest…

Sign language interpreter Paige Northwood is brought in to help with interrogations. Everyone at the school has a motive for murder – but they all have an alibi. "

I listened to this book as an audiobook and I enjoyed the narration and felt engrossed enough to want to find out who the culprit was. Lots of twists and turns throughout which keeps you guessing until the end, and I must admit I didn't figure it out (which is always a bonus). Flashbacks were a great way to build suspense and I really liked how Nell Pattison incorporates deaf and hard of hearing people in her books as I don't feel that this is reflected on in fiction very often.

Overall this was a great read for fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries, and do not be put off if you have not read the first book in the series as this can definitely be read as a stand alone.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to listen to in return for an honest review

Audio version of this book 📚- This is the second book in this series. I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first one as there was a lot more story to it. I like the fact that  it’s a police procedural but with the unusual twist of it being told by a BSL interpreter makes it very different to other police procedurals. My only criticism is that in some parts the main character Paige, becomes a little bit ‘Miss Marple’ for me, going off investigating on her own trying to solve the case and often coming up with ideas and information before the police ! As regards to the audio version of this book, i did find one of the narrators extremely difficult to understand, and as she was narrating the hours leading up to the murders , which I feel is quite an important part of the storyline, it made it in parts a difficult listen. This is in no way being discriminatory towards the narrator in anyway but I personally found it very difficult to understand her.

Wow, what a read! When I read the synopsis and discovered this was set within the deaf community, I was intrigued. When I read more, and the question was posed - What happened while they were sleeping? - I was excited.
Briefly, a school for deaf teenagers go on an overnight trip. Five pupils go to sleep but only four wake up. A student is missing and a teacher is found dead in the snowy, dark forest. Enter interpreter Paige Northwood, to aid the police inquiry with her sign language skills. As she finds out more, her suspicion heightens... she is certain the killer is among them, and is about to strike again.
The plot is twisty and compelling. It's a layered novel, with lots going on to keep you gripped until the end. Having not read the previous book in the series, I found Paige's exposition on what had happened to her previously came a little too early - almost immediately, in fact, when really I wanted to get into the juice of the story. Having said that, it didn't detract too much.
I was thrilled to listen to the audiobook version, superbly narrated by Lara Steward and Claire-Louise English. They conveyed the chilling - and quite literally chilly - tale brilliantly.

There were two starkly contrasting aspects to this audio book.

Firstly the story and development of the story were excellent, I found I was really engaged with the characters and the story, and couldn't wait to know what happened next. The final twist worked well, and I was completely wrong about who the murderer was, which I loved- I hate it when I can work out the twist beforehand. I would definiyely read more from this author, and found the plot refreshingly original. For the novel itself I would have given the book four stars.

Secondly, we have the negative side of this audiobook, which was the narration. It was completely flat and devoid of emotion. I loved the idea of using a deaf reader to represent the missing teenager, however it made it very difficult to hear the words, and I had to replay those sections several times to pick up the plot. It did become easier as the book went on, and I found my ear for that part of the narration. This was a very small part of the negative comments however, my main gripe was the dreadful main narration.

In conclusion, I would highly recomend the novel, but the audio book is not for me.

I

A unique thriller of a classic “whodunnit” set in a wintry snow filled backdrop. Leon, a 15 year old boarder at a mixed school for deaf children, has gone missing on a school trip. Paige, a British Sign Language interpreter has been hired by the police to assist in the investigation. Leon is one of a small group who board at the school because they are under a care scheme. The trouble is, they are a very close knit group and are suspiciously reticent during their police interviews. What secrets are they withholding? The case becomes more complicated with the murder of a teacher who initially went to look for Leon when his disappearance is discovered. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, the first for me from this author. The development of the investigation veers off in different directions and you may think you have guessed it but then something else happens to cast enough doubt to keep you guessing. I liked the main narration. I had a bit of trouble understanding the chapters by the deaf narrator in the beginning, however I found it added to the atmosphere of the story taking place within a deaf community and I soon got the gist. I would definitely recommend.

A clever suspenseful novel full of twists that keep you engaged and wanting to find out more. The story gripped and intrigued me right from the first chapter.  The plot builds, the suspense is tense and the ending is definitely not one you see coming. 
I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

This is hard to say but I didn’t like either narrator at all. I felt like I was back in class, painfully listening to people read when the teacher asks them to. The choice of a deaf narrator for the  flashbacks was a brave choice and I understand the reasoning behind it; after all the majority of characters are deaf in this story. However, the narrator lacked expression, so even if I had understood every word, I still wouldn’t have enjoyed these chapters. 
The story itself is good but, and this is a really big but, there were so many points where the narrative didn’t ring true, it left me bored. However, the author does understand abusive relationships. This part was extremely well written.